The Junior Men’s World Cyclocross race laid down a lot of markers for the weekend at Hoogerheide where we saw Belgian domination with a fearsome display of teamwork to lock out the podium places. We also saw two important things that would affect how the weekend would develop – a pile up out of the gate and how the course cut up and rutted just after one lap.
The slick conditions brought technical skills to the forefront, and slips and crashes played a large role in the outcome of the race, as did a large start line crash. Although Dutch favourite Joris Nieuwenhuis made an impressive effort to claim the win, the Belgian phalanx of Thijs Aerts, Yannick Peeters, and Jelle Schuermans proved too strong a defence to crack, and took the podium in that order after Aerts attacked on the final bell, and held his lead until the end.
Enjoy the exclusive photo gallery by our man in Hoogerheide, Wei Yuet, above.
Results
| Rank | Name | Nat. | Age* | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thijs AERTS | BEL | 18 | 45:55:00 |
| 2 | Yannick PEETERS | BEL | 18 | 46:05:00 |
| 3 | Jelle SCHUERMANS | BEL | 18 | 46:07:00 |
| 4 | Joris NIEUWENHUIS | NED | 18 | 46:08:00 |
| 5 | Kobe GOOSSENS | BEL | 18 | 46:17:00 |
| 6 | Johan JACOBS | SUI | 17 | 46:30:00 |
| 7 | Eli ISERBYT | BEL | 17 | 46:37:00 |
| 8 | Yan GRAS | FRA | 18 | 46:53:00 |
| 9 | Sieben WOUTERS | NED | 18 | 47:05:00 |
| 10 | Hugo PIGEON | FRA | 18 | 47:14:00 |
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