The third Superpresitge in Aspere-Gavere was marked by cold rains and thick mud, but there was an absence of the jeering that had caused Niels Albert to threaten to leave cyclo-cross following last Wednesday’s Jaarmarkt Cross in Niel, Belgium.

“In general the atmosphere was fantastic,” remarked the cyclo-cross World Champion to SportWereld.

“Especially when Nys caught me, the cheering was enormous. Then when I was riding solo because of his flat there were some more negative reactions. But that is normal,” he explained after notching his eleventh victory of the season.

Albert endured a tough week but said he fed off of the positive energy from his fans, “Especially the reactions from my supporters. Thursday I had more than 400 Facebook messages, so many people that supported me and gave me strength.

“That was really satisfying. I wasn’t able to personally reply to all of them, but I did post a general post on my wall to thank them all. In the future I think I will do that more often. It’s a fun way to keep in touch with your supporters and to get to know them better.”

Albert will line up next week in Hamme-Zogge, Belgium for the fourth Superprestige ready to prove his rivals that he can beat Belgian champion Sven Nys without the help of a little luck.