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Cyclocross Koppenberg podium history | 2020 edition | 2022 edition

Complete results: Men | Women

Men

Eli Iserbyt wins again. Photo: Photopress

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The race: Here's a machine-translation of the race report from winner Eli Iserbyt's Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal team.

No two without three, Eli Iserbyt must have thought when he drove the camper to Oudenaarde. A few hours later he put his money where his mouth is and won the Koppenbergcross for the third year in a row. He now leads in all standings.

We can be brief about the competition story. Eli pulled fiercely in the first lap, Toon Aerts was the only one who could follow. But after an acceleration in the third (of six) rounds, the Kempenaar also had to pass. What followed was a half-hour solo by Eli.

Ten seconds became twenty, twenty became forty. In his last game as European champion for the time being, our leader outclassed the opposition. In the final lap he slowed down a bit, so that Aerts limited the damage to just under half a minute and the classification in the X2O Trophy is still open. But Eli is, of course, sovereign leader.

"I started with mixed feelings," Eli admitted afterwards. "Winning was not a must, on the other hand I really wanted it, because three in a row on the Koppenberg is something. I rate this victory quite high. The fact that I win two tough crosses in a row also means that I am taking another step forward. That makes me happy. Now on to the European Championship. Of course I would be only too happy to extend that title."

Toon Vandebosch finished fifth. His first top five place as an elite rider in a classification cross. "And it's a shame that I still fell in the final lap", the numb Mallenaar stammered past the finish. "Corné van Kessel passed me that way. Otherwise I would have finished fourth."

Michael also competed for a top five place for a long time, but due to the heavy rain and the fierce cold he lost a few places in the final. He finished eighth. Laurens did not finish the Koppenbergcross.

Complete results:

Women:

Clara Honsinger finishes alone. Photo: SRAMroad

The race: Here's a machine-translation of the race report from second-place Denise Betsema's Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal team.

In Overijse, Denise Betsema missed the podium for the first time since the end of January. 24 hours later she immediately put things in order with a tenth podium place of the season. She came in second, after the American Clara Honsinger. Fem van Empel finished in eighth place.

After a good start Denise moved on to the front of the race on the opening lap. Kata Blanka Vas, Clara Honsinger and Yara Kastelijn followed in her footsteps. Until - around half-price - a first gap fell. Thanks to an excellent climb of the Koppenberg, Honsinger drove away from her three companions.

But that was without counting 'tough' Denise, who technically looked better than the American and came back to join. The two of them made for an exciting finale. At the start of the final round, Honsinger ran away from Bets again , but she didn't get more than a handful of seconds.

The entire last lap it seemed as if the American was just about to grab. The difference fluctuated between seven and three seconds for minutes. But in the end Honsinger held his ground. Denise was second, while Kata Blanka Vas was also allowed on the podium.

Tribute
"Too bad", Denise sighed afterwards. "I would have loved to win here as a tribute to Jolien Verschueren, who was my teammate at Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal for a while. But to be honest, Honsinger climbed better than me and is therefore deservedly the winner."

Also handsome, the eighth place of Fem van Empel, our youngster. And yet she wasn't quite satisfied with that. "Yesterday in Overijse I had bad luck in the transition zone, where I was held up. Today I was out for revenge and aimed for a top five place," she said afterwards. "I also started well, although I lacked some grip on the cobblestones. I then decided to ride at my own pace, not to blow myself up."

Fem van Empel: "Want to win here one day"
"I held up well between women like Annemarie Worst and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, but unfortunately that was not enough for a top five place." The Koppenbergcross is also one of Fem's favorite courses. "I hope to go home here with the cobblestone one day. That's why I started today, despite yesterday's heavy Druivencross. But in view of the future, I didn't want to let that experience pass."

Complete results:

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