"I made it difficult for myself” – Laurens Sweeck balances frustration and progress after World Cup Koksijde

Laurens Sweeck finished second at the Cyclocross World Cup in Koksijde, a result that strengthened his position in the overall standings, but left the Belgian with mixed feelings about how the race unfolded.

Sweeck was one of the few riders able to respond when Mathieu van der Poel accelerated early on, even briefly rejoining the world champion in the sand. But the opportunity proved fleeting.

“I had a good feeling for a moment, but I let myself get pushed out a bit stupidly,” Sweeck said afterwards in conversation with Sporza. “After that I had a few stutters in the sand. We maybe rode into the sand sections a bit too casually.”

When Van der Poel launched his second acceleration, Sweeck knew the race for victory was slipping away.“After Mathieu’s acceleration I had to chase,” he said. “I still tried to close the gap, but I quickly felt that I wasn’t going to be able to bring him back.”

From there, the focus shifted to securing second place, with Tibor del Grosso and Niels Vandeputte applying pressure through the final laps.“In the final lap, on the Herygers dune, I had my very best sand passage,” Sweeck explained. “I felt like I rode ten seconds clear there, but on the Albert dune they were already very close again.”

By then, there was nothing left to spare. “I was completely all out,” he added. “But the advantage of riding on the front is that you can limit your mistakes.”

Sweeck ultimately held on for second place, a result that carries real weight in the World Cup battle.

“I’m taking a lot of points and that’s super important,” he said. “With two consecutive podiums you really make a big difference. I hope I can keep this going.”

A podium secured, points banked, but also a reminder of how unforgiving Koksijde can be when the smallest moment slips away.