Michael Vanthourenhout European champion after a very tough cross in Namur

Michael Vanthourenhout already seems to have the best Belgian chance of victory in advance. He has already won the World Cup round here and is always good in Namur. But then he has to deal with the Dutch lightweight in shape. Lars van der Haar, the defending champion.

Immediately after the start, he and Eli Iserbyt storm the Citadel of Namur. Iserbyt has a love-hate relationship with Namur. And after the Koppenbergcross he also knows that van der Haar is just that much better at the moment. In the first round, the Dutchman goes full steam ahead. While riding on a slippery stretch he makes the difference at Iserbyt, which we will not see again in the front, on lap three he gives up.

Vanthourenhout fights back

Has the bird started flying after just one round? No, because that’s where Michael Vanthourenhout appears. The bravest of the Belgians gives chase. And that pays off because Van der Haar is only human. In round two he falls on the sloping side and this is how Vanthourenhout gets in the track. The European Championship will be a duel, as it should be.

And Vanthourenhout, there’s a cut on that. On lap three he accelerates. But Michael also has a hard time on that same steep slope. Fall, stumble, and yet get up again. This is cyclocross. This European Championship will also be a duel between two riders. Van der Haar takes the upper hand again in round 4. Vanthourenhout has to pull out all the stops to follow.

Fall beats van der Haar away

And it pays off because you are never done with Namur. In round five, the roles are reversed. Vanthourenhout is now putting pressure on him, Van der Haar is gradually feeling the weight of the heavy subsoil. Laurens Sweeck has been in third place for quite some time now. Nevertheless, van der Haar is once again following in Vanthourenhout’s footsteps. But in a descent it goes wrong. The Dutchman falls and gets stuck in the nets. Vanthourenhout can capitalize on this. He rushes away, his lead rises to fifteen seconds.

Finally a champion jersey

van der Haar tries to close that gap, but another crash is too much for him. Michael Vanthourenhout shows that the strength today deserved the victory on a course that absolutely does not lie. He was not yet allowed to wear a champion jersey in the elite, but today that gap has been closed in his palmares. With more than forty seconds ahead of van der Haar, Michael Vanthourenhout crowns himself European champion. He lets the tears run free through the mud.

Finally price!

Vanthourenhout often does not win among the pros, and certainly not in regularity criteria or in championships. For his first World Cup victory, he had to wait until the 2020-2021 season in Tabor. He also won the Superprestige in Merksplas that year. Last year he was the strongest in the Citadel of Namur. That must have given you confidence because Vanthourenhout has been a pro since 2015. Once world champion and also European champion in the U23 category, this is his first gold medal in a championship with the pros. With a second and a third place, he was already close to the European Championship. Today it really is all gold that glitters.