HG Cross: Michael Vanthourenhout scores solo victory in Dendermonde as Pauwels Sauzen go 1-2

Michael Vanthourenhout opened up his 2026-2027 cyclo-cross season with a victory in the HG Cross in Dendermonde, playing off the work of his Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw team to force a selection and then soloing over the course's biggest obstacle on the last lap.

Yordi Corsus made it a 1-2 for the team, with Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) out-sprinting Pauwels Sauzen's Gerben Kuypers to prevent a clean sweep of the podium.

Vanthourenhout attacked into the sand section, powering over the tricky deep sand at the top of the hill while the rest had to dismount, and it was all he needed to get the winning margin.

The Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw team dominated the 10-lap race, lining out the 50-rider field from the start.

Gerben Kuypers (Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw) led through the opening lap with Cameron Mason (777TV CX).

At the start of lap 4, Victor Van de Putte (Charles Liegeois CX) led Vanthourenhout, Wyseure, Kuypers, Mason and Ryan Kamp (Bomba Join) but no separation came until much later in the race.

Pauwels Sauzen continued to control the race heading into the halfway point, with Yordi Corsus leading Vanthourenhout and a group of 13 riders with Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon) swinging at the back.

Corsus, Wyseure, Vanthourenhout and Kuypers pushed the pace on the fifth lap, getting a little separation after a surge on the sandy climb. They had six seconds at the start of the next round, with Witse Meeussen (Crelan-Corendon) leading the chase with Van de Putte, Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Kamp and Mason.

By the start of lap 7, the quartet had extended their lead to seven seconds on Kamp and Vandeputte, but the rest of the chase had exploded. With Wyseure still in their midst, the Pauwels Sauzen riders sat up slightly in a technical section to let Kuypers go on the attack, forcing the Crelan-Corendon rider to burn matches in pursuit.

Wyseure made a somewhat frustrated surge in response but lost traction on his rear wheel in a turn and lost his momentum. The four riders went into lap eight with Vandeputte in solo pursuit just six seconds behind, Kamp in no-man's land at 10 seconds, and Mason in a group of three at 17 seconds.

As Wyseure went to the front, Vandeputte made contact with the leaders, and Kamp was closing in, making contact across the pump-track section. The pressure was off, and even Mason and Meeussen were able to rejoin.

Vanthourenhout made an attack at the bell, pulling away with Wyseure and Corsus, but the surge was short-lived. Vandeputte positioned himself in fourth wheel and was a real danger as the top sprinter in the group.

Vanthourenhout had only one weapon against the Alpecin man: his technical skills. He blasted through the sand and rode over the crest, helped by a bobble by Wyseure to open up a gap.

Once there was daylight between him and the chase, Vanthrouenhout opened up the jets and with Wyseure suffering with the Pauwels Sauzen riders on his wheel and Vandeputte sitting on, too, there was no bringing back the lone leader.

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