The penultimate Superprestige race has been won by Sven Nys. The Belgian from Landbouwkrediet scored a second victory on the day as he was also crowned the overall series winner. Zdenek fell twice and finished in sixth.
Styby lost by the slimmest of margins to Kevin Pauwels in Lille yesterday, after a mistake in the sprint. The world champion was out for revenge, but had a hard fight against the wind. “I think today will be exciting again.”
Only 32 riders were on the starting line in Hoogstraten. Niels Albert had the best start and dominated the first half lap. The Belgian champion then hit a pole and lost a few positions. Nys took over and had a number of favorites in his track.
One for one, the riders hit the ground going through the deep tracks. Nys, who rarely looked back, stayed upright, set a good pace and had little to fear aside from a resurgent Albert. But the Cannibal was better technically and after an hour of racing, he crossed the line solo.
Zdenek fell twice and finished back in sixth. “After my first fall I came back fast, but the second broke my rhythm. I also had back pain and in the end I had to let some guys pass. Am I worried about my back? No, our Wim will sort it out.”
Styby lost a few points to Albert in the general classification. “It looks like it's going to be exciting for third place. Also, I have a tremendous amount of respect for what Sven Nys did here. Winning the Superprestige ten times is quite an achievement.”
