A last lap crash by World Champion Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) worked to the advantage of Belgian Champion Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) and allowed Nys to cruise home to victory in the final race of the season. Nys and Albert were locked in a two up battled that looked to come down to a sprint finish before Albert’s front wheel slipped out in a sandy right hand corner. Albert’s mishap cost him his third straight victory in Oostmalle, clearly a crushing blow for the young Belgian who was shaken in the moments following the end of the race. Albert would hold on for second, with Sunweb-Projob’s Sven Vanthourenhout filling out the podium. The Fidea duo of Kevin Pauwels and Bart Wellens were fourth and fifth, respectively.
The cyclocross peloton waved its final goodbyes to Dutch strongman Richard Groenedaal, and the crowd spared no energy in making their respect felt. Groenedaal’s every turn was met by extra cheers, and he was honored with a small ceremony preceeding the race podium proceedings. Groenedaal finsihed his final race in 19th. For Nys, it was his third major series trophy of the season, adding the GvA title to his collection including the World Cup title and the Superprestige title. Bart Wellens took home second in the GvA series, followed by his Fidea teammate, Zdenek Stybar. Kevin Pauwels was fourth in the series followed by Niels Albert in fifth.
1. Sven Nys (Bel)
2. Niels Albert (Bel)
3. Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel)
4. Kevin Pauwels (Bel)
5. Bart Wellens (Bel)
6. Zdenek Stybar (Cze)
7. Bart Aernouts (Ned)
8. Erwin Vervecken (Bel)
9. Eddy van IJzendoorn (Ned)
10. Rob Peeters (Bel)
11. Radomir Simunek (Cze)
12. Gerben de Knegt (Ned)
13. Thijs Al (Ned)
14. Jan Verstraeten (Bel)
15. Ben Berden (Bel)
16. Marco Bianco (Ita)
17. Klaas Vantornout (Bel)
18. Lars Boom (Ned)
19. Richard Groenendaal (Ned)
20. Wilant Van Gils (Ned)
GvA Overall Standings – Final
1. Sven Nys – 276 points
2. Bart Wellens – 223
3. Zdenek Stybar – 215
4. Kevin Pauwels – 199
5. Niels Albert – 189
6. Bart Aernouts – 184
7. Thijs Al – 177
8. Dieter Vanthourenhout – 157
9. Gerben de Knegt – 153
10. Sven Vanthourenhout – 150
