Klaas Vantornout emerged victorious in the final Superprestige race of the season in Middelkerke. The rider from West Flanders put on a one-man show for the fans. Styby, who finished fifth, was able to move up a place in the overall standings to finish third behind Nys and Pauwels.
The elimination of the traditional final round in Vorselaar led organizers to assign the Noorderzeecross as its replacement. The course? “Yesterday it was pretty boring, but today it looks a lot more interesting thanks to the rain,” was the word before the race.
Sven Vanthourenhout had the best start and dominated the first half of the race with Kevin Pauwels and our world champion. Styby looked impressive, took the corners well, but was unable to claim the win.
A group of ten riders, including all the big names, came together later in the race. Klaas Vantornout took the lead, forced the pace and gained a few seconds on his rivals. Zdenek tried to follow the Sunweb leader, but came up short.
Vantornout quickly got away from the competition and celebrated his first victory of the season. Pauwels and Wellens completed the podium, while Tom Meeusen and our champion rounded out the top five. A fifth place finish was enough for Styby to pass Belgian champion Niels Albert, who finished seventh on the day, in the final overall standings.
