Survival race in Hulst won by the unstoppable Niels Vandeputte

Felipe Orts was once again in the lead, only surpassed by the unstoppable Niels Vandeputte, who took advantage of his good start and opened up a gap from the beginning on the extremely difficult circuit of the Hulst CX World Cup, the last race before the appearance of the monsters Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.

Survival race in Hulst won by the unstoppable Niels Vandeputte

A high-quality cyclocross race in the Hulst World Cup CX event on a track already extremely tough due to its steep climbs, many of them requiring dismounting, and its numerous technical sections with very challenging half-slope areas or descents almost like throwing oneself off a cliff. The race toughened up as the laps went by due to the persistent rain that gradually softened the surface and made it heavier.

On a day where avoiding mistakes was crucial, Niels Vandeputte made a brilliant start, taking the lead from the early stages and giving himself clear ground to ride, relying solely on his skills.

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His strategy paid off as he quickly began to distance himself, leaving Michael Vanthourenhout behind, who was having a tough day. Completely off balance, he made one mistake after another until, in the second lap, he crashed on the downhill wall, allowing Felipe Orts, who was in a chasing group with Eli Iserbyt (who also fell), to move into second place.

Felipe Orts tried to open up a gap, but a resilient Eli Iserbyt stuck to his wheel along with Vanthourenhout. However, the CX World Cup leader fell again in the same spot in the following lap, losing all his chances for a podium finish. Meanwhile, up front, Niels Vandeputte maintained a solid pace and extended his lead.

It wasn't until the penultimate lap that things started to change, and after a stellar lap by Felipe Orts, the gap was reduced to just 13 seconds. In fact, Eli Iserbyt, although still hanging on, began to lose ground until, in the last lap, he fell back and Orts solidified his position.

However, Vandeputte still had something left and pushed again to maintain his position in a frantic pursuit between the Belgian and the Spaniard. Meanwhile, Eli Iserbyt, after losing Orts' wheel, faded and was caught by Pim Ronhaar, who quickly passed him to secure third place.

In the final lap, Felipe Orts pushed to the limit to catch Niels Vandeputte, but it wasn't enough, with the Spaniard crossing the finish line just 9 seconds behind the dream victory that still eludes him.

On the other hand, Michael Vanthourenhout managed to salvage the day with a 7th place finish, maintaining his lead in the overall CX World Cup standings with a 28-point advantage over Toon Aerts. Felipe Orts moved up to 5th place, tied on points with the 4th-placed Eli Iserbyt.

Hulst CX World Cup Standings

1. Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 57'55''
2. Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team) +09''
3. Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) +20''
4. Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +36''
5. Cameron Mason (Cyclocross Reds) +58''
6. Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) +1'13''
7. Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +1'30''
8. Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens-FSP) +1'36''
9. Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) +1'41''
10. David Menut (AS Bike Racing) +1'49''