"If I hadn't come so close, it wouldn't have been so sour": Verstrynge laments barely missing out on Belgian title

The battle for the Belgian tricolor lived up to the hype in Beringen on Sunday. As predicted, it turned into a duel between the biggest favorite, Thibau Nys, and Emiel Verstrynge. While Nys eventually claimed the jersey for the second year in a row, he had to fight until the very last meter against a resilient Verstrynge. For the Crelan-Corendon rider, the silver medal felt particularly bitter.

The race on the steep slopes of the Beringen mine was a war of attrition. Verstrynge, who had been identified by many as the only man capable of beating Nys, faced some difficulties at the beginning. A mistake in the opening laps put him on the back foot immediately.

"I crashed early in the race. I felt that the confidence was gone, I had to find my rhythm," Verstrynge explained about his difficult start in words collected by Sporza.

While Verstrynge was recovering, Nys seemed to be flying towards the title. However, he made a mistake of his own, crashing on the tricky course. This error gave Verstrynge some oxygen, and he began to close the gap significantly in the second half of the race.

"That crash by Thibau might not have ensured that I got very close, but I suspected that the lap after that wouldn't go so smoothly for him. I kept putting pressure on," Verstrynge said.

The dynamic then changed. Nys looked much more vulnerable, and Verstrynge smelled blood. However, the Baloise Trek Lions rider managed to defend his lead by exploiting the specific sections of the course that suited him best. "I had the feeling that I was getting closer, but every time I got closer, his strong sections came up," Verstrynge recalled.

By the final lap, both riders were exhausted. "I think everyone was out of their best strength. In that running section you see that the cold hits Thibau, but immediately I feel myself that it wasn't much better. It is more on adrenaline that I came so close in the last lap," Verstrynge admitted.

Despite the fatigue, Verstrynge managed to make contact with Nys in the absolute final phase of the race, but a small error in the final moments decided the championship.

"It hurts for a moment," he said. "In the final, I thought: I can do this here. But in the penultimate corner I had to concede one and a half meters. I couldn't make that up anymore."

Crossing the line in second place is a strong result for the young pro, but the way the race unfolded made it hard to swallow immediately after the finish. "If I hadn't come so close, it wouldn't have been so sour."

Still, Verstrynge is realistic. Even if he wanted the jersey and was so close to clinching it, his performance confirms he has taken a step up this winter.

"I can be disappointed with myself. Ultimately, coming second at the Nationals is something you'd rather not see. If I look back in a month and a half at how this period went, then I have to be satisfied," he concluded.