"It was a masterpiece, it was pure class" - Belgian team's coach reacts to Vanthourenhout win in Namur

In Namur, Michael Vanthourenhout won the European cyclocross title on Sunday. It was not only a special moment for him but also for the Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout.

"This feels good," Vanthourenhout shared his emotions with WielerFlits. He is the cousin of Michael and knows him very well. "I can't say we grew up together, but we have a past together behind us, Our fathers are brothers," Sven Vanthourenhout explained.

Even off track, they spend a lot of time together and have a lot in common despite their age difference. "With Michael and Diether. I'm in a Whatsapp group, we have a lot in common. For the past few years, we've been hanging out together a lot. Well, last year. I'm 41, and I think both guys have been important in my life for almost 30 years," shared Vanthourenhout.

He continues, "Michael is a special rider. He is not a rider who is going to win 20 cross-country races, but he always has his flashes. Last year he won the World Cup for Pidcock here. He also won the World Cup in Tabor once. In youth, he also became world champion. Now he's also doing it for a jersey, I think that's deserved. He has also bumped into a Van Aert or Van der Poel a few times at a championship."

The European title may be a big deal for others, but Sven believes it will make little difference to Michael. "He's a super quality rider anyway. If you see how he rode around here today, it was a super high level. If you see the time on the third. Technically it was a masterpiece, it was pure class today. He will remain the rider he is. If he was 21 or 22, it would be a different story. But he will remain a rider who just catches a big fish every year and builds a nice record that way," concluded Vanthourenhout.