Battling the likes of
Cameron Mason, Johan Wyseure and
Thibau Nys at the front, Vanthourenhout never fully relaxed. "The course had changed a lot compared to the reconnaissance, due to the women's race. You had to choose your own lines a lot. And when you have fifteen, twenty seconds, you can do your own thing. Then it is easier to ride alone,” he explains. "I saw for a moment that Cameron was coming a little closer. Then I had to push myself a bit further. Then I saw that some seconds were added again.”
With the Belgian National Championships on the horizon, it's also the perfect time for Vanthourenhout to regain some winning momentum. “I feel like things are getting better every week. That's why I wanted to include this cross, so that I could go deep again and compete for the win. That is also important," he concludes. "With the Big Three it is not always easy to reach the final. It is very important in such a cross.”