"Only at the end did I feel really confident" - Laurens Sweeck survives self-doubt to triumph at Duinencross Koksijde

Laurens Sweeck emerged the strongest of the bunch on Friday afternoon at the latest round of the X2O Badkammers Trofee at Duinencross Koksijde, staving off the challenge of Alpecin-Deceuninck prodigy Tibor del Grosso.

So often one of the most comfortable riders in the sand, these strengths came to the fore once again for Sweeck in Koksijde as the Belgian sailed through where others came unstuck. After spending much of the race locked alongside Del Grosso, on the penultimate lap, Sweeck made his race-winning move and never looked back.

“I am happy that this is now on my list of achievements and that I was able to finish it,” he reflected in his post-race interview. “Today I had a good opponent in Tibor Del Grosso. I tried to keep him as a companion, but certainly in the first half we were evenly matched. I wasn’t at all confident. I just tried to do my own thing and get through the sand sections well, only at the end did I feel really confident.”

"I don't have the exact recipe for this form, but I started the year well," adds the Belgian in conclusion. "With five victories I am doing very well, even though it wasn't always that good this year."