“It kind of sucked" - Gerben Kuypers laments 'worst day of the season' at Superprestige Ruddervoorde

For Gerben Kuypers, Superprestige Ruddervoorde was a race that promised much. Something of a homecoming for the Flanders native, a dream of success sadly turned into a nightmare race.

“It kind of sucked today. I was in a really bad way. After the first lap I was only in around 30th place," Kuypers laments post-race to In de Leiderstrui. "On a cross like here in Ruddervoorde you are simply in misery. The first three to four riders can easily continue, but behind them there is a kind of traffic jam everywhere. At times you just stand still, especially on the climbs."

Eli Iserbyt was the man who claimed victory in the end ahead of Lars van der Haar and Michael Vanthourenhout. Despite growing into the race, Kuypers was not a feature in the finale. "I tried to move up, although I soon had the feeling that I wasn't really at the top," he recaps. "Actually it was the worst day of my season."

"In any case, I kept fighting and almost came close in the last lap. But at one point my tank was empty. In the end I am satisfied with sixth place, because given my bad start it could have been much worse," he concludes. "I'm not someone who gives up after a bad result. Of course it's a bummer, it gnaws at you and you complain a bit about it, but after that you can quickly focus on the next cross again. And despite all the bad luck, I still have a reasonable result here, so it won't be too bad."