Advertisement

With Sunday’s World Cup Namur looming on the schedule, some riders opted to get a tune-up by racing on Saturday at the Soudal Classic Waaslandcross Sint-Niklaas. Conditions were relatively dry a the course that takes place partly at the beach.

Elite Women

In the Elite Women’s race, Sanne Cant (IKO – Beobank) and Loes Sels (Pauwels Sauzen – Vastgoedservice) quickly got off the front while Katie Compton (KFC Racing p/b Trek Knight) and Yara Kastelijn (Steylaerts – 777) gave chase. In the second lap, Compton gapped Kastelijn to take over solo third while Cant and Sels extended their hold on the lead.

The two Belgians together into the last lap, with Cant allowing Sels to dictate the pace early in the bell lap. When Sels put a foot down in a sandy corner, Cant pounced on the opportunity to attack. Sels recovered and caught up with Cant at the steep ups and downs, but was unable to retake first position.

Cant hit the finishing straight first and Sels, already at her limit, conceded the sprint to Cant. It was a another masterful last lap for Cant, who has now won three races in December after winning three the first three months of the season.

Compton held on to her third spot to get on the podium in the first race of the second half of her 2018/19 European campaign. Emily Werner (Amy D. Foundation) finished 27th.

Elite Men

In the Elite Men’s race, the dry, fast course helped produce a giant group of eight riders at the front for the first few laps. For the first three and a half laps, Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon – Circus) was content to sit third wheel and let others do the work at the front.

In Lap 4, he finally went to the front, and only Quinten Hermans (Telenet Fidea Lions) could follow him. A convenient mistake / brake check from Tom Meeusen (Corendon – Circus) in the sand the following lap helped Van der Poel and Hermans extend their lead. Meeusen then bridged to the leaders, making a lead selection of three.

A lap later, Van der Poel made another move, this time dropping Meeusen and opening up a small gap on Hermans. Van der Poel extended the lead, keeping Hermans comfortably 15 to 20 seconds behind him.

Van der Poel went on to win by 14 seconds. He has not not won a race since Koppenbergcross on November 1.

Hermans took second and Meeusen finished third. Kerry Werner (Kona Maxxis Shimano) finished 13th.

Full results are below.

Featured image: Bart Hazen

Elite Women Results: 2018 Waaslandcross Sint-Niklaas

RankBIBLast NameFirst NameCountryResult
11CANTSanneBEL0:41:09
23SELSLoesBEL0:41:11
32COMPTONKatherineUSA0:42:44
44KASTELIJNYaraNED0:43:24
518HOEKEGeerteNED0:43:35
623VAN ALPHENAniekNED0:44:13
710MEISTROKSusanneNED0:44:30
831DELHAYEPaulineFRA0:45:29
97MULDERMaschaNED0:45:45
1032MÕTTUSMari-LiisEST0:46:06
1112VOSMarliesNED0:46:16
129KUIJPERElodieNED0:46:16
135VERHESTRAETENKarenBEL0:46:27
1435PEETERSJinseBEL0:46:47
1525MAESShanaBEL0:47:02
1630DOBBELAEREJanaBEL0:47:30
1717GOOSSENSVeerleNED0:47:43
1814TRABAZO BRAGADOIreneESP0:47:47
1936VAN DE PUTTEKimBEL0:47:53
2024GERRITSENIreneNED0:48:05
2137VAN DER BURGEstherNED0:48:09
228CRABBÉKionaBEL0:48:15
2321DE BRUYNEMegBEL0:48:26
2411TURNBULLFionaGBR0:48:26
2529BROUWERSJulieBEL0:49:31
2615VAN WUNSELLiseBEL-2 LAPS
2740WERNEREmilyUSA-2 LAPS
2820DE VOSNeleBEL-2 LAPS
2913MICHELSLaureBEL-2 LAPS
3033COMMISSARISCarenBEL-2 LAPS
3134DE VRIESDidiNED-2 LAPS
3216LYNNMarieGBR-2 LAPS
3338DEVIGNECamilleFRA-3 LAPS
3428DE ROECKNaomiBEL-4 LAPS
3519STORMSImkeBEL-4 LAPS

Elite Men Results: 2018 Waaslandcross Sint-Niklaas

RankBIBLast NameFirst NameCountryResult
11VAN DER POELMathieuNED1:03:41
22HERMANSQuintenBEL1:03:55
38MEEUSENTomBEL1:04:09
46PIDCOCKThomasGBR1:04:23
511VANTHOURENHOUTDieterBEL1:04:26
69CLEPPENicolasBEL1:05:25
74SOETEDaanBEL1:06:09
85MEISENMarcelGER1:06:40
910SWEECKDietherBEL1:07:01
1042VANDEBOSCHVictorBEL1:07:39
1124DE VETSanderBEL1:07:52
1213PEETERSYannickBEL1:08:05
1323WERNERKerryUSA1:08:22
1454ROMBOUTSSeppeBEL-1 LAP
1541VAN DIJKEKoenNED-1 LAP
1645LEMMENSSanderBEL-1 LAP
1733SIEMONSJulianBEL-1 LAP
1851VLIEGENPieter-JanBEL-1 LAP
1917ARTZBartNED-1 LAP
2027DE SMETThibautBEL-2 LAPS
2137VAN TICHELTYorbenBEL-2 LAPS
2215JOSEPHThomasBEL-2 LAPS
2335BAKXKelvinNED-2 LAPS
2444DEJONGHELenBEL-3 LAPS
2536JORDENSJarnoBEL-3 LAPS
2646SIEBENSGianniBEL-3 LAPS
2726TIELENDarioBEL-3 LAPS
2838TROPARDYArthurFRA-4 LAPS
2956VAN DIJKEMickNED-4 LAPS
3040LEAERTSYelleBEL-4 LAPS
3125PEERSNickBEL-4 LAPS
3252DE WITEdwinBEL-4 LAPS
3332ALDERWEIRELDRobinBEL-5 LAPS
3428VAN STAEYENMaartenBEL-5 LAPS
3534MACLEODCallumGBR-5 LAPS
3619PEMENDolfBEL-5 LAPS
3749CLAUWAERTMaartenBEL-6 LAPS
3821ODAHijiriJPN-6 LAPS
3948MEELBERGHSPieterBEL-6 LAPS
4055CHASTAGNERFrancoisFRA-8 LAPS
DNF7BAESTAENSVincentBEL
DNF14MERLIERBraamBEL
DNF22TURSILorisITA