“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."

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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."

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