Despite equalling his best-ever UCI World Cup result with his second-placed finish at Val di Sole on Sunday afternoon, Niels Vandeputte leaves the cross with more than a tinge of disappointment.
“It was very tough,” said the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider in his post-race interview. “It was physically tougher here than last year and technically too. The circumstances were very different, but I think it was a great race. In the first lap I was able to keep up with Nieuwenhuis's pace, but in the second lap I made too many mistakes. I didn't ride at the level I needed to compete for the win.”
After finishing second behind Michael Vanthourenhout in Val di Sole last year, this time around it was Joris Nieuwenhuis who prevailed ahead of Vandeputte. The 23-year-old admits that the Baloise - Trek Lions rider was simply faultless during the race.
“I couldn't drive faster than Joris in the chase. I hung around a bit, but he was too strong. Then I have to settle for second place,” he says. Nevertheless, disappointment remains for Vandeputte. “If I can be honest, I came here to compete for a win. I've never had that position, so now I'm still a little disappointed. But soon I will be satisfied. I feel like my form is getting better every week. There is a busy period coming up, I want to reach this level in as many competitions as possible and sometimes compete for the podium."
Personal best World Cup results in Val di Sole. 2x 🏆and 1x 🥉 1 🇳🇱 J. Nieuwenhuis (was 3rd) 3 🇧🇪 J. Wyseure (was 4th) 1 🇳🇱 M. Bakker (was 3rd) 4 🇨🇿 K. Zemanova (was 6th) 5 🇨🇦 S. McGill (was 8th) 6 🇮🇹 V. Corvi (was 17th) 7 🇮🇹 F. Baroni (was 14th) 10 🇨🇿 K. Hladikova (was 15th)
