This year’s Kermis cross in Ardooie was a copy of last year’s edition. Styby and Sven Nys stood out from the rest and sprinted to the finish line together. And our champion was just a bit fast in that sprint, giving him his third victory in Ardooie.
Styby got off to a good start, and was in second heading into the field. A lead group of five quickly formed and included our favorite, along with Jan Denuwelaere, Dieter Vanthourenhout, Klaas Vantornout and Rob Peeters. They were joined by another four riders about three laps into the race.
The laps were completed at a fast pace, but later in the race Nys showed that the tempo could be increased even further. The ex-world champion went on the attack and only Zdenek was able to follow him. A moment of hesitation in the group behind them resulted in a 30 second lead for the two riders.
Nys was unable to shake off our Czech in the final three laps and the race ended in a sprint. “I went with 300 meters to go. Maybe a bit too early, but it worked,” he said afterwards. “I’m very pleased with my race.”
This is Zdenek’s third win of the season, following his victories in Stribro and Baden. And what about Sunday? “That’s the first world cup race. In Plzen. It’s very nice to ride in front of a home crowd. I’m hoping for a podium place because despite this victory, I’m still a bit behind schedule.”