There was defiantly a feeling of the day after Koksijde in my legs as I pre-rode the course for the SuperPrestige in Gieten. It’s the first time I’ve been there for about 5 seasons and the course is very different to the epic course used for World Championships in the past. Koksijde involved a lot of running as well as power in the very loose sand. With more than 400km’s in the van directly after, my legs didn’t feel exactly fresh.
To be honest I was pretty happy the Gieten course was somewhat easier than the last time I rode it, although the near storm force winds weren’t particularly helpful. When mixed with the rain it felt like a real cross race in terms of the conditions for the first time since the Gloucester GP nearly 2 months ago.
With Vos on the start again and a long road section it was always going to get going very quickly. I was 2nd off the road and settled into the lead group of 4 riders. I think everyone was feeling a bit of fatigue but after a lap, the race was at full pace and the 4 of us pulled away from the chasing group. On lap three of five, I lost contact with the back of the group by about 20 metres, but held that gap. Sanne van Paassen had a slip going onto a pave section of the course and came back to me while Vos and Daphny battled it out for the lead. Read More→
