Joran Wyseure triumphs after a thrilling finale in Middelkerke

The first-ever evening cyclocross in Middelkerke delivered a thrilling finish in the Men Elite race. After a tactical battle and a nail-biting final lap, Joran Wyseure came out on top. Vanthourenhout and Kuhn joined him on the podium.

At 8:30 p.m., the Men Elite riders lined up for the start of the evening cyclocross in Middelkerke. Under the floodlights, they raced off the start line, with Gerben Kuypers (Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw CT) immediately taking the initiative and setting the pace in the opening stages. All the expected favourites were near the front, making for a crowded battle for position in the bunch.

After a lightning-fast opening lap, featuring numerous twists and turns on the technical course, Mees Hendrikx (Team Bomba JOIN) settled into Kuypers' wheel. Shortly afterwards, a slip by Witse Meeussen (Crelan - Corendon) caused a small split, allowing Kuypers to open up a gap on the bunch.

At the start of the third lap, Kuypers had built a lead of a few seconds. However, Cameron Mason (777TV CX Team) set the pace in the chase and brought the gap back down. Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw CT) comfortably sat in the wheel of his teammate Kuypers. Joran Wyseure (Crelan - Corendon) and Kevin Kuhn (Heizomat-Cube) also managed to stay with the leaders, while Joris Michels (Alpecin - Premier Tech) and Felipe Orts (Euskaltel-Euskadi) were hanging on at the back of the group.

At the halfway point, Mason and Vanthourenhout stepped up the pace once again. They tried to put their rivals under pressure and force another split with a relentless tempo. After plenty of changes in position and tactical manoeuvring, the group came back together in the sixth lap.

The tactical battle continued, but the decisive move came in the seventh lap. The strongest riders formed a leading group of seven: Wyseure, Kuhn, Vanthourenhout, Michels, Mason, Kuypers and Hendrikx. A mistake by Wyseure at the barriers gave Kuhn and Vanthourenhout the opportunity to open up a small gap. Wyseure quickly recovered and managed to rejoin the group.

With two laps to go, Vanthourenhout and Mason both crashed after misjudging a corner. They were forced to chase. Joran Wyseure looked to be in an excellent position in the penultimate lap, but he too made a mistake and slipped. The group came back together, leaving the race wide open once again.

In a nervous final lap, Vanthourenhout fought his way back to the front. After a thrilling finale in which Wyseure, Vanthourenhout and Kuhn gave it everything, Joran Wyseure came out on top.