Results Rapencross Lokeren 2025 Men | Immaculate Joris Nieuwenhuis takes victory as Thibau Nys endures day to forget

Joris Nieuwenhuis delivered a commanding performance at Rapencross Lokeren, powering clear mid-race and never looking back to take his second victory of the season in the X2O Badkamers Trofee — while Thibau Nys endured a wildly contrasting afternoon marked by frustration, crashes and mechanical woes.

Fresh off his Koppenberg glory, Nys lined up with momentum, but the tone shifted almost immediately. A poor start left him buried in the pack, and a series of bike changes and front-end issues quickly unravelled his race rhythm. The Belgian star’s frustration boiled over more than once as time and places slipped through his fingers — a stark reminder that even the most in-form riders are never immune to cyclocross chaos.

At the head of affairs, the race could not have looked more different. Victor Vandeputte fired first, but once Joris Nieuwenhuis and Michael Vanthourenhout came to the front, the tempo sharpened and the race took shape. The pair drove a high pace, with Vandeputte and Emiel Verstrynge scrapping to hold on and Laurens Sweeck dangling in the background.

The decisive moment came just after halfway when Nieuwenhuis punched clear. Vanthourenhout briefly clawed back after a pit stop, only for the Dutchman to accelerate again and snap the elastic once and for all. From there, the gap only grew, and even a harmless late slide in the sand could not disturb the rhythm — Nieuwenhuis remounted instantly and rode on, in full command.

Behind, Vanthourenhout settled into a secure second place, riding cleanly to atone for his Koppenberg DNF the day prior. The real drama unfolded in the fight for bronze, where Vandeputte — after an early wobble — rediscovered his sharpness and surged past Verstrynge late, opening a decisive gap to seal the final podium spot.

Verstrynge took fourth, with Michels and Sweeck following. Nys, after yet another crash in the sand in the final laps, rolled home deep outside the podium fight — a bruising reminder of cyclocross’ brutal swing between glory and grind.

Two races, two very different stories. Nieuwenhuis leaves Lokeren looking every bit the winter force; Nys leaves knowing that even the brightest early-season form can be humbled in an afternoon.