Val di Sole was like "skating on the ice" says Laurens Sweeck, who maintains World Cup lead

After finishing in fourth position at Val di Sole, Laurens Sweeck did enough to secure top spot in the UCI Cyclocross World Cup. Michael Vanthourenhout is closing he gap however after emerging victorious from the snow and ice.

“Michael gets closer. Every Sunday I have to be there to defend the jersey." Sweeck said in a post-race interview. “There are still many competitions to come, hopefully I can win it in the end.” Sweeck currently has 288 points, 23 clear of Vanthourenhout in second with 265.

Amidst the chaos of the ice and snow, Sweeck was happy to have successfully negotiated the treacherous conditions without coming into bother. "I'm glad I didn't crash,” he said. "It was something else than skiing, it was really skating on the ice. It was very slippery, so I'm glad I didn't fall.”

One person who did fall was Eli Iserbyt. The Belgian was forced to withdraw after a heavy crash, leaving Iserbyt third in the overall World Cup standings, 14 points behind Vanthourenhout and 39 behind the leader Sweeck.