“I didn’t get up to speed right away, but I felt my legs were good” – Michael Vanthourenhout claims dramatic victory in Overijse after poor start

Michael Vanthourenhout turned a shaky beginning into a spectacular victory at the Druivencross Overijse on Sunday, confirming his excellent start of the season.

The Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team rider endured a difficult first lap, finding himself only in 18th position. Gradually finding his rhythm, he began overtaking riders one by one. After about half an hour of racing, he was back at the front of the field, forming a leading duo with Dutch rider Pim Ronhaar.

In the decisive final lap, Vanthourenhout attacked on the climbs, leaving Ronhaar behind and riding solo to the finish. Reflecting on his performance in the post-race interview, he admitted the early struggles: “I didn’t get up to speed right away. Luckily, I felt my legs were good, and uphill I could make up a few places each time.”

Ronhaar’s late acceleration forced Vanthourenhout to dig deep. “When Pim went full gas, I had to give everything I had. But I could tell he had fired his last bullets and was starting to crack. Then it was enough to go all out in the final lap.”

The victory marked Vanthourenhout’s second win in as many rounds of the Superprestige series, and the third of the 2025/2026 cyclocross season. His consistency has already given him a five-point lead over defending champion Niels Vandeputte.

“Two out of two in the Superprestige was not something I expected,” Vanthourenhout said with satisfaction. “The season couldn’t start any better.”

Last week, Vanthourenhout narrowly defeated Joris Nieuwenhuis in a sprint at the Telenet Superprestige Ruddervoorde in what was his second victory of the season, after winning the Swiss Cyclocross Cup #1 - Internationales Radquer Steinmaur on October 12.