Tom Meeusen hits stride in Superprestige Gieten
The fifth round of the Superprestige Series was a much anticipated one, but nobody was expecting Tom Meeusen to win the race. The 23-year-old Belgian beat all of this season’s big names with a sprint win out of a four-man leader’s group including series
leader Sven Nys.
“I’m super happy because this is my first big win,” said Meeusen to the race press. “It’s sad to see what happened with Sven because I’d rather beat him on his true value. Then again, ‘cross is ‘cross and today I won. Riding on a frozen subsoil was to my
advantage because the best riders can’t transfer their power on the bike like they usually do.”
Nys finished in fourth, the last in the four-man leaders group after snapping off his left pedal and running across the finish line. Radomir Simunek Jr., winner of the Memorial Radomir Simunek race, dedicated to his father, finished runner-up to Meeusen,
10 seconds behind the race winner with third-place Dieter Vanthourenhout on his tail.
“I’m very satisfied,” said Simunek. “Today I fought for my dad. I rode at 110 percent.”
The latest round of the series was held in Gieten, the Netherlands, on Sunday 28 November. None of the ‘big five’ as named by Zdenek Stybar, including himself and Nys, finished on the podium, though the struggle between those two riders was the audience’s
centre of attention in the lead-up to the race. Stybar, the current world champion, was the leader of the Superprestige series until the fourth round, when Nys surpassed him by one point.
“I’m lucky not to crash hard,” said Nys. “I’m doing a good job in the series but I’m a winner and I’d rather had two points more; I’m annoyed that I didn’t win.”
Kevin Pauwels, one of the ‘big five’, finished in fifth at the head of a four-man chase group. The next best of the cyclo-cross champions was 12th-placed Klaas Vantornout. Stybar, who began his season with a seven-race winning streak and is the
current World Cup leader, finished in 17th.
“I made a small mistake and had to switch bikes,” said Stybar. “After taking a new bike I bobbled. It’s a real shame to lose out on the Superprestige after fighting so hard for it in Hamme-Zogge despite my sore knee.”
2009 World cyclo-cross champion Niels Albert crashed at the very beginning of the race and later abandoned. He remains in fifth overall with 46 points.
Nys still leads the Superprestige Series overall and with his fourth-place finished has moved from one point ahead of Stybar to 17 ahead, at a total of 68 points. Stybar, who didn’t earn any points in Gieten, now stands in third place with 51 points, while
Pauwels has moved into second place with 56 points.