"I didn't feel comfortable until I heard I had a minute" - Emiel Verstrynge dominates the U23 Belgian Championships

Just like two years ago, Emiel Verstrynge was not a man to beat at the Belgian U23 cyclocross Championships. The 21-year-old rider left his competition in the dust (or rather in the mud) and crossed the line almost a minute ahead of second Jente Michels.

"I didn't expect to be alone so quickly. But I felt things were going well in the beginning, so I wanted to open fairly quickly to be comfortable. In the first lap I made two stupid mistakes. Afterwards I could ride my own lines, which was ideal. If you have found your rhythm on this course, you will succeed."

Despite a convincing performance, Verstrynge did not feel confident of victory very quickly. "I realized that I had to stay focused. A mistake could be made very quickly. You also cannot rule out material failure. I didn't feel comfortable until I heard I had a minute. I didn't suffer much from the cold during the race, but as soon as I arrived a switch went on and it started to hurt."

"I haven't had the best start to the season and it feels good to be riding around like this now. The World Championships in Tábor is the biggest goal for me, I will prepare well in the coming weeks in Spain so that I can do everything I can there."