Thibau Nys imposes his power in the Benidorm World Cup

Author of a very intelligent career, the Belgian Thibau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions) won solo in the third edition of the Benidorm World Cup, succeeding a Wout van Aert who could only finish fourth after a very bad start that took him beyond the 30th position. Felipe Orts finished 6th while Michael Vanthourenhout (5th) almost sealed the overall men's classification.

Wout van Aert couldn't complete his comeback in Benidorm

Despite a very bad start, affected by several bottlenecks and by the huge traffic in the initial part of the race, Wout van Aert was the main protagonist for most of the men's elite race at the Benidorm World Cup, an event that once again brought together thousands of fans in the most anticipated competition for Spanish followers of this discipline.

Six laps were the time Van Aert needed to reach a leading group where until that moment a resurgent Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel), his teammate and leader of the World Cup Michael Vanthourenhout, and the local idol Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team) had mainly taken turns at the front, motivated and very attentive from the start following the wheel of the Belgian Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

RECOMENDADO

The European gravel champion Martin Stošek signs with the BUFF® Megamo Team

Strength, heat, and strategy: Pogacar's master plan to continue improving in 2025

The new Ridley Noah Fast is the fastest bike created by the brand

The UCI approves the use of this hydration monitor

Kate Courtney will race with her own team in 2025

Presenting the BH Coloma Team 2025: youth and experience heading to Los Angeles

Familiar with the circuit and the difficulty of opening gaps, the Visma | Lease a Bike man took it easy, maneuvering very carefully within the laborious process of recovering positions on a track as fast as that of Benidorm. With patience and without forcing errors, taking advantage of the fast uphill asphalt section to overtake most cyclists, Van Aert managed to position himself behind the two Pauwels Sauzen Belgians in the final stretch of the race, after Thibau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions) tried to break the unity of the almost peloton in the most physical part of the track in the high area of Moralet on two occasions.

Dangerous attack by Lars van der Haar

With Van Aert in seventh place in the group, already facing the final part of the sixth lap, Lars van der Haar (Baloise Glowi Lions) made the bravest attack of Sunday, opening a significant gap in Benidorm over the rest of the contenders. Only Eli Iserbyt was able to keep up with the Dutchman, unleashed during a seventh lap in which, finally, Van Aert reacted in person to thwart a move with serious chances of success. However, as in the asphalt climb, the top favorite aborted the attack taking Thibau Nys and Michael Vanthourenhout with him.

The five, Felipe Orts, his teammate Joris Niewenhuis, and Niels Vandeputte started the last of the eight laps with a slight advantage in a competition with no margin for error or rest. Therefore, when Nys and Iserbyt opened up distance again, right in the connecting section between both parks, Van Aert began to realize that he could not defend his victory. Lacking freshness, as he would admit himself at the conclusion, he could only watch as Thibau Nys launched his definitive attack at the entrance of Moralet. From that point, the European champion not only maintained his lead but was able to reach the final straight with enough time to celebrate the victory ahead of Iserbyt and Van der Haar.

Vanthourenhout tightens his grip on the World Cup overall

Regarding the overall World Cup standings, thanks to his fifth place, Michael Vanthourenhout dealt a very important blow to a classification that will be decided next weekend in its last two scoring events. Taking advantage of a bad day for Toon Aerts (14th), the Pauwels Sauzen man practically has in his hands to succeed his teammate Eli Iserbyt in the honors.

Van Aert will compete again next Saturday in the Maasmechelen World Cup, initially marked as the last race in his limited cyclocross calendar this winter. There he will meet again with Mathieu van der Poel, in the Dutchman's return to racing after overcoming physical problems that prevented him from competing in the three events scheduled in this early part of 2025: Baal, Koksijde, and Dendermonde.

Benidorm World Cup Classification

1st Thibau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions) 56'31"
2nd Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel) at 03"
3rd Lars van der Haar (Baloise Glowi Lions) at 04"
4th Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) at 06"
5th Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel) at 10"
6th Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team) at 12"
7th Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at 15"
8th Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing Team) at 18"
9th Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) at 23"
10th Joshua Dubau (Van Rysel CX) at 25"

Fem van Empel, unbeatable on the Benidorm circuit

For the third consecutive year, Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike) claimed victory on the ultra-fast Benidorm circuit. The world champion, who practically handled the entire race to perfection, positioned herself at the front in the final stretch of the last lap, overtaking a Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) who had been the most persistent rider in the numerous group of favorites up to that point.

The leader of the World Cup, who with her second place in the province of Alicante almost seals this competition, staged the toughest attack in the women's elite race, causing a split that only the Hungarian Blanka Vas and Van Empel herself could follow. However, the race would regroup before the bell, allowing Luxembourg's Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Prime) to join the two Dutch cyclists on the podium. Sofía Rodríguez (Nesta-MMR) was the best Spanish rider in 24th place.

Benidorm World Cup Classification

1st Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike) 47'54"
2nd Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) m.t.
3rd Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Prime) at 02"
4th Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) at 04"
5th Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Prime) at 13"
6th Zoe Backstedt (Canyon/SRAM) at 17"
7th Sara Casasola (Crelan-Corendon) at 18"
8th Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) at 22"
9th Inge van der Heijden (Fenix-Deceuninck) at 29"
10th Viktória Chladonova (Visma | Lease a Bike) at 34"