Spectacular 2nd place for Felipe Orts in the Superprestige of Niel

Felipe Orts' level increase is confirmed. After his second place in the European Championship and the victory he achieved a couple of days ago in Rucphen, the rider from Alicante has managed to improve his third place from last year in this same Superprestige of Niel, with an almost perfect race on a day of pure cyclocross.

Felipe Orts achieves his best result in a Superprestige event

Tremendous quality leap that Felipe Orts' signing for the Belgian team Ridley has meant, definitively placing him at the front in races, at least until Van der Poel, Van Aert, and Pidcock make their appearance in just over a month.

Meanwhile, we continue to enjoy exciting and contested races like this Superprestige of Niel, the third event of this championship after those held in Ruddervoorde and Overijse.

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Felipe Orts wins the Rucphe International

The Superprestige of Niel circuit was extremely heavy with deep mud sections that added an extra level of difficulty to its usual sandy terrain, a zone that made the difference throughout the race in favor of Laurens Sweeck who, from the early stages of the race, made good use of his skills on that surface to stand out and practically seal the race from almost the beginning.

 

 

 

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Niels Vandeputte was chasing him while behind him a trio composed of Eli Iserbyt, Michael Vanthorenhout, and Felipe Orts were chasing, alternating their positions as each one made a mistake in some area of the complicated circuit or the hardness of a specific section took its toll.

An effort that ended up affecting Niels Vandeputte who was caught by the chasing trio, at which point Eli Iserbyt took advantage to try to create a gap while taking the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider with him, while Orts and Vanthorenhout were engaged in a back and forth.

With two laps to go, Iserbyt's pull seemed to gradually bring him closer to Laurens Sweeck, who couldn't consider the race won despite how it seemed at the beginning. However, this effort to go for the first place ended up taking its toll on Iserbyt in the last lap, as he was caught first by Vandeputte and then by a Felipe Orts who was coming strong after getting rid of Vanthorenhout.

With less than a couple of minutes left to reach the finish line, it was the moment Felipe Orts had marked to spend his last bullet, launching a fierce attack that easily surpassed Vandeputte and opened a couple of seconds of difference that ultimately were enough to secure the second place, and he was even close to the first place with Laurens Sweeck who was deflating and finished less than 10 seconds ahead of a great Felipe Orts who continues to establish himself among the cyclocross elite after this second place in the Superprestige of Niel.

With his third place, which adds to a second and a fourth achieved in the first two races of the Superprestige, Niels Vandeputte is positioned as the leader in the overall classification of a championship that will continue next Saturday, November 16. On the other hand, Felipe Orts, with this second place, is in 4th place in the classification, 10 points behind Vandeputte.

Niel Superprestige Classification

1. Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon) 57'56''
2. Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team) +08''
3. Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +16''
4. Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +27''
5. Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) +48''
6. Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +1'02''
7. Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens-FSP) +1'19''
8. Gerben Kuypers (Charles Liegeois Roastery CX) +1'40''
9. Toon Vandebosch (Crelan-Corendon) +1'51''
10. Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) +1'59''