Laura Verdonschot found top form at the end of winter, as she comes second in Middelkerke Superprestige: "It's cool to stand next to Lucinda and Alvarado on the podium"

Laura Verdonschot is in top form at the end of this cyclocross winter. She has once again demonstarted that by finishing second in the Middelkerke Superprestige, only behind Lucinda Brand.

"The ambition was to finish on the podium in one of the classification races and we succeeded here," said Verdonschot. "I hope that tomorrow I will have even better legs, or at least have recovered well. Lille is a home cross, with a lot of people. But when you ride around like this, everyone is rooting for you. I have experienced it differently."

It seemed like Verdonschot took some time to get into the race however. "The first lap is often the problem for me. I had a good start, but in the first corner I made a wrong shift. I got myself stuck. Then they came from behind. I thought: just pass, I'll see where I end up. I didn't drop too far and got into my rhythm, while the others fell back. So I was in second position fairly quickly."

Last Wednesday Verdonschot won in Maldegem, but this second place means more to her. "I think this is more highly regarded. If you can stand next to Lucinda and Alvarado on the podium, it is really a picture to take in. I'm proud of that. How important is the mental aspect? Very important. I think that's the most important thing in athlete's career. If I wasn't mentally healthy at the start, I wouldn't have performed here either."