"I think this was my last Belgian Championships" - Sanne Cant after making it 15 in-a-row

Sanne Cant made it an incredible fifteen consecutive Belgian National Championship wins on Saturday afternoon after a truly dramatic race.

“I enjoyed it, but I was a bit disappointed by the tumble I had," she reviewed of her own performance in her post-race interview. “I had a nice lead and was able to ride my races nicely, but then I suddenly lay there and it suddenly became exciting again. I got into a deep rut. It was the first time I rode on that side. Just before I was thinking that I had to go back to the right, but I thought: it will also work on the left. I veer off track and get stuck behind a post with my shifter, causing me to go over the fence myself. My shifter was stuck, which caused me to struggle for a while.”

It seemed that no matter what Cant would do, she kept getting dragged back into a battle by Laura Verdonschot. “Of course, Laura was flying. Her morale may have dropped a bit because I already had a twenty second lead, but then it was suddenly exciting again. But I did have a plan in mind and it turned out well. I knew I had a bit of an advantage on the hill. In the first round I didn't really find the right line, but in the second round I did. I was indeed able to drive up, so I always took four or five seconds.”

Now aged 33, how much longer can Cant keep this up? "At the end of next season I plan to quit. I'll do one more road season and then one more cross season. After that my contract expired and I feel like the end has come," she reveals. “I could still participate in the Belgian Championships next year, but then I would hang up my bike a month later. I would be disappointed if the jersey would not be visible the following season if I won it back. In that respect, I think this was my last Belgian Championships.”