Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal takes its first victory of this cyclocross season: "The desire for a victory was great"
Cyclocross
Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal has taken its first victory of the season in the Druivencross. Michael Vanthourenhout played a key role, but had to leave the win to his teammate and friend Eli Iserbyt.
Five second and six third places: that was the spoils for Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal after just under a month of racing. A big victory was missing. "We've been spoiled in recent years, haven't we? We always won our crosses in those first months of the season. I'm not going to say it was really daunting, but the desire for a victory was great. We knew we were doing well, everyone had returned from the training camp strong," Vanthourenhout tells WielerFlits.
For that the two leaders had to get rid of Thibau Nys first. That didn't work until a fall took out the young Belgian. "I tried to ride away myself, but I felt Thibau coming back. A man-on-man duel was not ideal for us, so I preferred to have Lars van der Haar and Eli return. When we can play team play, we are always better."
"Ultimately we enforced it ourselves. Thibau made an all-or-nothing attempt to remount Eli, because we all knew that that last diagonal would be crucial, given the rather short finish line," said the reigning Belgian and European champion. "It was a fantastic battle. It is very nice that someone like Thibau is there to give the crosses extra spectacle. If you come out on top after such a race, it is extra rewarding."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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