“I was struggling to breathe and started hyperventilating” – Panic sets in for Joris Nieuwenhuis as disappointing European Championship sees favourite fail to crack top-10

It was supposed to be the day Joris Nieuwenhuis confirmed his rise into the elite hierarchy of men’s cyclocross. Instead, the Dutchman endured a harrowing afternoon in Middelkerke, fighting not for medals but for air.

Nieuwenhuis had lined up among the pre-race favourites after victories at Rapencross Lokeren and the Heerderstrand round of the Superprestige. But on the demanding sand and dunes of the North Sea course, the 29-year-old never looked comfortable. As Toon Aerts, Thibau Nys and Joran Wyseure battled for the title up front, Nieuwenhuis was already fading from contention, slipping down the order and eventually crossing the line 15th, 1:50 behind new European champion Aerts.

“Already after the second lap I could tell I wasn’t in a good place,” Nieuwenhuis admitted afterwards to In de Leiderstrui. “I was struggling to breathe and started hyperventilating. I couldn’t breathe properly through my stomach and just couldn’t get through the sand sections. It was a bad day all round.”

The Dutchman revealed he’d realised early that his body wasn’t responding as it should. “I couldn’t go deep at all, and when that happens everything falls apart,” he said. “It’s just incredibly disappointing. I’d built up to this for months and it was a great chance to become European champion, but I have to accept the result and move on.”

With his breathing issues likely linked to a stress or cold-weather response, Nieuwenhuis was quick to draw a line under the setback. He’ll be back on the start line in Niel on Tuesday, where he currently leads the X2O Badkamers Trofee standings.

“That’s life — it doesn’t always go the way you want,” he said. “I could feel sorry for myself, but that won’t help. On Tuesday, we go again.”

For a rider who’s spent the autumn and much of last winter establishing himself as the Netherlands’ new cross leader, Middelkerke was a rare off-day — a reminder that even form riders aren’t immune to the body’s limits when the stakes are highest.