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Okay, we lied. Wednesday night’s spectacular Cyclocross Masters was not the season-ending cyclocross race. Racing continued on Sunday in Europe and in California for some motivated diehard racers.

A handful of cyclocross pros who just couldn’t get enough of a good thing took one for the road with Sunday’s Vondelmolen Kleicross in Lebbeke, Belgium. The event has often been the season-ending party for top pros, with Sven Nys winning the event no less than five times, but this year the top-ranked racers ended their seasons on Wednesday in Wargem.

Vondelmolen is a famous baker of “peperkoek,” a spiced cake popular in Belgium, giving racers a rare chance to have their cake and eat it too. Cyclocrossers indulged with a few extra calories, knowing that the next cyclocross race is months away.

Peperkoek

As for Kleicross, klei translates into clay, but thankfully for the riders, while it was muddy, there wasn’t much thick, clay-like mud.

The day’s racing turned into a Marlux-Napoleon Games celebration. Alicia Franck might have crossed the line in eighth, but racing a combined non-UCI event with the Junior Men, she took the women’s title in style, finishing over a minute ahead of Loes Sels (KDL).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ-1325hION/

Belgian National Champion Toon Vandebosch (IKO Enertherm-Beobank) took the Junior Men’s race.

In the men’s race, it wasn’t just a Marlux-Napoleon Games show, but a show of brotherly love. Michael and Dieter Vanthourenhout worked together with one final effort of the season to drop the rest of the small field (28 starters). The two hit the finishing straight side-by-side, but fans expecting an all-out battle to the line were left hanging.

Although 23-year-old Michael is the higher-ranked racer, he would have nothing to do with a sprint against his brother Dieter, who is eight years older. Instead fans finished the season with a feelgood story and happy ending:

Behind the Vanthourenhouts, the Sweeck brothers of ERA-Circus failed to make it duel of brothers. Laurens did his part, finishing in third, but Diether did not finish.

Jan Denuwelaere, fresh off his World Record cyclocross high jump, bunnyhopped the barriers lining the course to continue celebrating his record-setting hop with fans and did not finish.

Full Junior Men/Elite Women and U23 Men/Elite Men results below.

2017 Vondelmolen Kleicross Results - Elite Men

PlNameCategoryTeamGap
1VANTHOURENHOUT DieterELITEMARLUX - NAPOLEON GAMES CYCLING TEAM
2VANTHOURENHOUT MichaelELITEMARLUX - NAPOLEON GAMES CYCLING TEAM
3SWEECK LaurensELITEERA REAL ESTATE - CIRCUS0´20"
4ADAMS JensELITEPAUWELS SAUZEN-VASTGOEDSERVICE0´27"
5VERMEERSCH GianniELITESTEYLAERTS - VERONA0´30"
6MEEUSEN TomELITETELENET FIDEA LIONS0´58"
7SOETE DaanELITETELENET FIDEA LIONS1´14"
8PEETERS RobELITEPAUWELS SAUZEN-VASTGOEDSERVICE1´16"
9ADAMS JoeriELITEKALAS - H.ESSERS CYCLING TEAM.z.t.
10AERTS ThijsU23TELENET FIDEA LIONS1´35"
11MERLIER BraamELITESTEYLAERTS-VERONA1´37"
12HERMANS QuintenU23TELENET FIDEA LIONS2´10"
13CLEPPE NicolasU23TELENET FIDEA LIONS2´25"
14VAN COMPERNOLLE KennethELITETARTETTO - ISOREX SUPERANO HAM (TEAM B)2´46"
15UYTDEWILLIGEN IngmarELITETARTETTO - ISOREX SUPERANO HAM (TEAM B)3´08"
16HOFMAN BartELITENODRUGS HEROES FLANDERS3´18"
17DE CLERCQ AngeloELITEMARLUX - NAPOLEON GAMES CYCLING TEAM3´34"
18ROMBOUTS SeppeU23ACROG - BALEN BC4´27"
19SCHUERMANS JelleU23PAUWELS SAUZEN-VASTGOEDSERVICE5´11"
20DERVEAUX NielsU23TARTELETTO - ISOREX SUPERANO HAM (TEAM B)
21VANDEVELDE RubenELITETHUISVERPLEGING DPHINE DECOCK - IVT - ATOM 6 CT
22VANDEBOSCH VictorU23IKO ENERTHERM-BEOBANK
23DE SCHUYTER TimELITEDMC- CYCLING TEAM VZW
DNFAERNOUTS Jim
DNFSWEECK Diether
DNFLOOCKX Lander
DNFVAN DE KERCKHOVE Nick
DNFDENUWELAERE Jan

2017 Vondelmolen Kleicross Results - Elite Women & Junior Men

PlNameCatgoryTeamGap
1VANDEBOSCH ToonJRIKO ENERTHERM-BEOBANK
2GOEMAN AndreasJRYOUNG TELENET FIDEA CYCLING TEAM0´15"
3DE SMET ThibautJRBIKE ADVICE CT0´32"
4SMET JonasJRIKO ENERTHERM-BEOBANK1´49"
5VAN COMPERNOLLE JasonJRTOMABEL-INOFEC CYCLINGTEAM1´50"
6BRUYNINCKX JonasJRKONINKLIJKE EDEGEM BICYCLE CLUB VZW3´10"
7CHRISTIAENS ThijsJRMEUBELEN GAVERZICHT-GLASCENTRA CT3´45"
8FRANCK AliciaDEMARLUX-NAPOLEON GAMES4´05"
9VAN RILLAER WitseJRROYAL CUREGHEM SPORTIEF VZW4´45"
10SELS LoesDEKDL CYCLING TEAM5´15"
11VANDERBEKEN JoyceDEDONEN/VONDELMOLEN CX-TEAM6´25"
12VAN DE STEENE KimDEKON. VC ´T MEETJESLAND - KNESSELARE6´49"
13DE DECKER ClydeJRYOUNG CYCLING TALENT D&D7´58"
14SLABBINCK SietseJRC.T. KEUKENS BUYSSE KNESSELARE VZW
15VERHESTRAETEN KarenDEDONEN/VONDELMOLEN CX-TEAM
16VERDIJCK LennJRYOUNG CYCLING TALENT D&D
17MAES ShanaDEDONEN/VONDELMOLEN CX-TEAM
18COMMISSARIS CarenDEWSC HOOP OP ZEGEN - BEVEREN VZW
19BLANCHAERT JoDEINDIVIDUEEL
20VERDEYEN TineDECYCLING TEAM ZEMST VZW
21DE KEULENAER KarenDEINDIVIDUEEL