"With the 'Big Three' it is not always easy" - Michael Vanthourenhout makes the most of big name absences to triumph in Gullegem

Although Michael Vanthourenhout started the cyclocross campaign relatively well this winter, highlighted by him defending his title at the European Championships. With the arrivals of the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock however, results have been harder to come by.

With the so-called 'Big Three' of cyclocross absent of Saturday in Gullegem, Vanthourenhout returned to winning ways. “I started a little slower, but I felt from the start that I could quickly join the front,” Vanthourenhout recapped post-race. “A little before halfway through the race I tried to open a gap. I quickly increased that to about twenty seconds and then I tried to keep it that way.”

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.”