"A few months ago, I would never have dared to dream of a victory" - Joris Nieuwenhuis wins Noordzeecross Middelkerke to achieve high point of difficult winter

On Saturday, the Superprestige season concluded with the Noordzeecross Middelkerke. A week after the World Championships in France, Lucinda Brand and Niels Vandeputte secured the overall titles in cyclocross’s oldest classification races.

Joris Nieuwenhuis, a 28-year-old rider and national champion from 2024, has previously won a World Cup race and competed in the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021. But in the 2024/25 season, he has struggled for form as he suffered with shingles, leaving him unable to train and perform at high levels.

Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad after the race, Nieuwenhuis reflected on his victory. “I didn’t get it for free here,” he said. “I was in the clutches of the men from Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel. I had some surplus before the start of the final lap and so I was able to accelerate again. At the end I started to struggle for a while, but in the final straight line I realized that I had finally secured a victory.”

The leader of Ridley Racing Team had been in strong form since his return at the recent National Championship, achieving podium finishes at both that event and in the World Cup Maasmechelen. Last week, he secured fourth place at the Cyclocross World Championships. With only a few races remaining in the winter season, he was determined to claim a victory. "I also knew that this course in Middelkerke suited me. This victory feels great," he stated.

Reflecting on his journey, Nieuwenhuis expressed his surprise at reaching this point. "It's hard to put that period into words. A few months ago, I would never have dared to dream of a victory, at least not this season," he admitted.

He will be delighted to have come to the end of a difficult winter on high, by capitalising on the absence of Van der Poel and Van Aert to secure his triumph on the day.