Wout van Aert takes his first victory of the season in Gullegem

After finishing fourth in Loenhout, Wout van Aert already has his first victory of this winter thanks to a fantastic race at the Superprestige in Gullegem. The Belgian, who rode near the front from the start, gradually distanced himself from his rivals until breaking away from a determined Eli Iserbyt halfway through the final lap.

A strong Van Aert conquers a sensational Superprestige in Gullegem

It was a very visually appealing race, full of twists and turns with many riders involved in the battle for victory. After a first lap where Felipe Orts led the large front group, four cyclists broke away at the end of the second lap: Emiel Verstrynge and Laurens Sweeck from Crelan-Corendon, Michael Vanthourenhout from Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel, and a determined Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), despite a previous fall by Lars van der Haar that forced him to put a foot down.

However, riders like Eli Iserbyt, Joris Wyseure, Lars van der Haar, the Frenchman Clément Venturini, Ryan Kamp, and Felipe Orts himself continued to stay close to the large front group, with Belgian Niels Vandeputte closing the group, defending his lead in the Superprestige with a five-point advantage over Van der Haar and fourteen points over Sweeck.

Van Aert took the lead in the fourth lap

RECOMENDADO

Absent Van der Poel, Wout van Aert will be the main attraction this Sunday at the Dendermonde World Cup

Wout van Aert returns today at the Superprestige in Gullegem

The best gravel tyres on the market

Benefits of mountain skiing for cyclists

Van der Poel continues to not recover and will not be at the Dendermonde World Cup

New CORE 2, the most popular temperature sensor becomes much smaller

Right from the start, it seemed like a circuit and conditions very suitable for Wout van Aert's skills, who changed the pace in the middle of the fourth lap on a compact but very physical course, with various muddy sections where he had to dismount to maintain speed. This attack was only matched by a solid Michael Vanthourenhout. Both reached the halfway point of the race with a 9" lead over Wyseure and an 11" lead over Iserbyt who, after a poor start, seemed to be gaining ground in the second half.

In fact, the four riders regrouped with three laps to go, opening a definitive gap over the rest of the chasers. Iserbyt then took the lead with an attack that only Van Aert could initially follow. There were two and a half laps left and they were approaching the decisive part of the race. The leading duo already had almost a 10" lead over Vanthourenhout and a fatigued Wyseure.

Iserbyt fought hard in defeat

From that point, within the final two laps, Van Aert tried by all means to shake off a resilient Iserbyt who lost a few meters on the straight sections but managed to catch up with his rival in the more technical areas. It was a spectacular back-and-forth battle, with the two Belgians fighting in a lightning-fast penultimate lap where Van Aert never relinquished the lead.

As the competition unfolded, everything was decided in the final lap. Iserbyt, aware of his lower sprint speed, attacked his rival twice. Quick and determined moves that couldn't break the resistance of a Van Aert who eventually broke the tie in his favor, in large part due to Iserbyt's accumulated fatigue. A victory of great value that opens the win count for Van Aert this winter, who will compete again this Sunday in the Dendermonde World Cup.

The Battle of Belgium

Wout van Aert wins in Gullegem, after a great battle with Eli Iserbyt #Superprestige pic.twitter.com/uJEUz9xy6s

— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 4, 2025

Regarding the overall Superprestige standings, despite his poor start, Niels Vandeputte (5th) almost sealed the tournament in his favor by adding five more places over a Van der Haar who was forced to stop midway through the race to relocate his shoulder in one of the most impactful images of Saturday.

Gullegem Superprestige Classification

1st Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) 1h01'25"
2nd Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel) at 10"
3rd Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel) at 31"
4th Joris Wyseure (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at 40"
5th Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at 1'03"
6th Ryan Kamp at 1'07"
7th Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team) at 1'07"
8th Emiel Verstrynge (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at 1'08"
9th Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) at 1'14"
10th Lars van der Haar (Baloise Glowi Lions) at 1'34"

Lucinda Brand's comeback to take the lead in the Superprestige

The elite women's race was won by the Dutch rider Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions). The Dutch champion completed a spectacular comeback catching the leading trio in the final part of the fourth of the five laps at the Gullegem circuit. Up to that point, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck), Zoe Backstedt (Canyon/Sram), and Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel) had dominated a race where Sanne Cant (Crelan-Corendon) was ruled out of the podium fight due to a fall.

Thanks to her victory and Alvarado's third place, Brand takes the lead in the overall Superprestige standings, now leading her compatriot by just one point. Both will be the main favorites to win the tournament in the final round to be held in Middelkerke (Belgium) in February, the week after the World Championships in Liévin (France).

Gullegem Superprestige Classification

1st Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) 44'22"
2nd Zoe Backsted (Canyon/SRAM) at 6"
3rd Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) at 6"
4th Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel) at 39"
5th Marion Norbert Riberolle (Crelan-Corendon) at 1'30"
6th Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) at 1'47"
7th Sanne Cant (Crelan-Corendon) at 2'42"
8th Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) at 2'54"
9th Alicia Franck (De Ceuster-Bouwpunt) at 3'03"
10th Puck Langenbarg (Fenix-Deceuninck Development) at 3'20"