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.
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).
This is how @AliciaFranck ended her first full CX season: a win in Lebbeke! (pics @Photopressbe) pic.twitter.com/m0MdBPfxvq
— Marlux-NapoleonGames (@MAR_NAPG_CT) February 26, 2017
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ-1325hION/
Belgian National Champion Toon Vandebosch (IKO Enertherm-Beobank) took the Junior Men’s race.
De volhouder wint! 😉 @ToonVandebosch wint zijn eerste – en laatste – cross in de nationale driekleur! 👍🏼 Foto: @Photopressbe pic.twitter.com/Fdy90E7e85
— IKOEnertherm-Beobank (@IKOEne_Beo) February 26, 2017
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:
When the Vanthourenhouts decide to have a little family party on Sunday afternoon… #Kleicross #Lebbeke (pics @Photopressbe) pic.twitter.com/QJJO3v9QTL
— Marlux-NapoleonGames (@MAR_NAPG_CT) February 26, 2017
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
| Pl | Name | Category | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VANTHOURENHOUT Dieter | ELITE | MARLUX - NAPOLEON GAMES CYCLING TEAM | |
| 2 | VANTHOURENHOUT Michael | ELITE | MARLUX - NAPOLEON GAMES CYCLING TEAM | |
| 3 | SWEECK Laurens | ELITE | ERA REAL ESTATE - CIRCUS | 0´20" |
| 4 | ADAMS Jens | ELITE | PAUWELS SAUZEN-VASTGOEDSERVICE | 0´27" |
| 5 | VERMEERSCH Gianni | ELITE | STEYLAERTS - VERONA | 0´30" |
| 6 | MEEUSEN Tom | ELITE | TELENET FIDEA LIONS | 0´58" |
| 7 | SOETE Daan | ELITE | TELENET FIDEA LIONS | 1´14" |
| 8 | PEETERS Rob | ELITE | PAUWELS SAUZEN-VASTGOEDSERVICE | 1´16" |
| 9 | ADAMS Joeri | ELITE | KALAS - H.ESSERS CYCLING TEAM | .z.t. |
| 10 | AERTS Thijs | U23 | TELENET FIDEA LIONS | 1´35" |
| 11 | MERLIER Braam | ELITE | STEYLAERTS-VERONA | 1´37" |
| 12 | HERMANS Quinten | U23 | TELENET FIDEA LIONS | 2´10" |
| 13 | CLEPPE Nicolas | U23 | TELENET FIDEA LIONS | 2´25" |
| 14 | VAN COMPERNOLLE Kenneth | ELITE | TARTETTO - ISOREX SUPERANO HAM (TEAM B) | 2´46" |
| 15 | UYTDEWILLIGEN Ingmar | ELITE | TARTETTO - ISOREX SUPERANO HAM (TEAM B) | 3´08" |
| 16 | HOFMAN Bart | ELITE | NODRUGS HEROES FLANDERS | 3´18" |
| 17 | DE CLERCQ Angelo | ELITE | MARLUX - NAPOLEON GAMES CYCLING TEAM | 3´34" |
| 18 | ROMBOUTS Seppe | U23 | ACROG - BALEN BC | 4´27" |
| 19 | SCHUERMANS Jelle | U23 | PAUWELS SAUZEN-VASTGOEDSERVICE | 5´11" |
| 20 | DERVEAUX Niels | U23 | TARTELETTO - ISOREX SUPERANO HAM (TEAM B) | |
| 21 | VANDEVELDE Ruben | ELITE | THUISVERPLEGING DPHINE DECOCK - IVT - ATOM 6 CT | |
| 22 | VANDEBOSCH Victor | U23 | IKO ENERTHERM-BEOBANK | |
| 23 | DE SCHUYTER Tim | ELITE | DMC- CYCLING TEAM VZW | |
| DNF | AERNOUTS Jim | |||
| DNF | SWEECK Diether | |||
| DNF | LOOCKX Lander | |||
| DNF | VAN DE KERCKHOVE Nick | |||
| DNF | DENUWELAERE Jan |
2017 Vondelmolen Kleicross Results - Elite Women & Junior Men
| Pl | Name | Catgory | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VANDEBOSCH Toon | JR | IKO ENERTHERM-BEOBANK | |
| 2 | GOEMAN Andreas | JR | YOUNG TELENET FIDEA CYCLING TEAM | 0´15" |
| 3 | DE SMET Thibaut | JR | BIKE ADVICE CT | 0´32" |
| 4 | SMET Jonas | JR | IKO ENERTHERM-BEOBANK | 1´49" |
| 5 | VAN COMPERNOLLE Jason | JR | TOMABEL-INOFEC CYCLINGTEAM | 1´50" |
| 6 | BRUYNINCKX Jonas | JR | KONINKLIJKE EDEGEM BICYCLE CLUB VZW | 3´10" |
| 7 | CHRISTIAENS Thijs | JR | MEUBELEN GAVERZICHT-GLASCENTRA CT | 3´45" |
| 8 | FRANCK Alicia | DE | MARLUX-NAPOLEON GAMES | 4´05" |
| 9 | VAN RILLAER Witse | JR | ROYAL CUREGHEM SPORTIEF VZW | 4´45" |
| 10 | SELS Loes | DE | KDL CYCLING TEAM | 5´15" |
| 11 | VANDERBEKEN Joyce | DE | DONEN/VONDELMOLEN CX-TEAM | 6´25" |
| 12 | VAN DE STEENE Kim | DE | KON. VC ´T MEETJESLAND - KNESSELARE | 6´49" |
| 13 | DE DECKER Clyde | JR | YOUNG CYCLING TALENT D&D | 7´58" |
| 14 | SLABBINCK Sietse | JR | C.T. KEUKENS BUYSSE KNESSELARE VZW | |
| 15 | VERHESTRAETEN Karen | DE | DONEN/VONDELMOLEN CX-TEAM | |
| 16 | VERDIJCK Lenn | JR | YOUNG CYCLING TALENT D&D | |
| 17 | MAES Shana | DE | DONEN/VONDELMOLEN CX-TEAM | |
| 18 | COMMISSARIS Caren | DE | WSC HOOP OP ZEGEN - BEVEREN VZW | |
| 19 | BLANCHAERT Jo | DE | INDIVIDUEEL | |
| 20 | VERDEYEN Tine | DE | CYCLING TEAM ZEMST VZW | |
| 21 | DE KEULENAER Karen | DE | INDIVIDUEEL |
