Belgian backs up confident pre-race comments as Stybar only manages sixth in the mud
Torrential rainfalls had made the third round of the Superprestige series in Hamme-Zogge, Belgium, an extremely muddy affair. Sven Nys showed once again that in such conditions he is in a class of his own, taking his fourth win here, ahead of Klaas Vantornout and Niels Albert. Zdenek Stybar came in sixth, still suffering from the aftermath of a training accident during the week.
Most of Belgium had been drowned out on Saturday, leaving a deep and muddy course. Nys was undeterred by this and in addition to winning the race he also took over the lead in the Superprestige from Stybar, albeit by only one point. “That is a really nice feeling, on a parcours that didn’t really suit me all that well,” he told Sporza after the race.
This may have been a blessing in disguise, as Nys started conservatively. “I was searching for my own pace, quietly building up my race.” He then had enough left in the tank for the final fury. “I was over my limit really only in the last lap, first when Klaas attacked and then during my own attack.” Nys was able to counter Vantornout’s attempt to bring a victory to the Sunweb-Revor team.
Despite this not working out, the pep talk by team manager Jurgen Mettepenningen seemed to not have fallen on deaf ears within the team. In addition, Mettepenningen is the organizer of the Hamme-Zogge race, another reason he wanted his team to show something.
Vantornout finally had a podium finish again. “That feels good, of course.” He knew that sickness was part of the reason he hasn’t always done as well as he should have. Today, he was quite motivated. “It is a very important race for our squad.” Vantornout believed until the very end that he could win. “After the running section I was clipped in again very quickly. But he [Nys] proved today that he is in top condition.”
With Vantornout running better, the final was a real nail biter. Albert had to drop back with half a lap to go, but Vantornout stayed put. Nys rode as much as he could, including the sand pit 100 meter from the finish, to make up for his inferior running compared to Vantornout. It wasn’t until the last turn on the asphalt where Nys finally took the decisive gap.
Albert wasn’t quite sure what to think about the race. “It was half running and half riding. It was a really tough day.” He added that the running was part of it, otherwise it would have been the wrong sport to choose. But he knew that it was off the bike where he lost today. “Klaas accelerated in the running section and I couldn’t follow.”
Nys was able to hang tough and eventually win the race. “Sven deservedly won,” Albert acknowledged. “At the moment he has a lot of power.” Albert is frustrated that he hasn’t won a race in the season yet. “I always want to win when I am at the start. But I am happy now that I had a podium finish and hope that I can get a better place from here.”
But Nys seems to be back where Stybar left off, dominating the scene. Nys has won three races in two weeks. “I am in very good form right now and that boosts my confidence. I am not looking at the overall classifications, I am just looking at things race by race.”
Stybar had a training accident on Wednesday and messed up his back, with problems extending to other parts of the body. “In the running sections I felt a lot of pain in my knee. every step off the bike was really one too many. In short, I am happy with the result. Now I need to recuperate well in the coming week.”
Results Superprestige Hamme-Zogge
1. Sven Nys
2. Klaas Vantornout
3. Niels Albert
4. Bart Wellens
5. Rob Peeters
6. Zdenek Stybar (Cze)
7. Kevin Pauwels
8. Gerben de Knegt (Ned)
9. Jan Denuwelaere
10. Bart Aernouts
11. Sven Vanthourenhout
12. Kenneth Vancompernolle
13. Petr Dlask (Cze)
14. Thijs van Amerongen (Ned)
15. Thijs Al (Ned)
Superprestige standings after three rounds
1. Sven Nys 41
2. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) 40
3. Bart Wellens 33
4. Niels Albert 33