Landbouwkrediet – Colnago rider Sven Nys took his 50th victory in the Superprestige cyclo-cross series in Gieten, Netherlands on Sunday aboard his Colnago Cross Prestige.
Nys beat his great rival Niels Albert into third place and iced the cake by moving into the overall lead in the series.
With a 27-second margin over Kevin Pauwels, Nys even had time to collect a trophy featuring the number 50 from fans near the finish and hold it aloft as he crossed the line.
Nys escaped early in the race when Gerben De Knegt crashed on the second lap. Albert struggled to close the gap and rejoin Nys, and before the race was halfway through,
Nys accelerated again, dropping Albert and riding solo to the victory.
“This is a ‘cross for powerful riders,” said Nys. “Normally I don’t love it, because of the lack of technical sections, but today I immediately felt good. I quickly took the lead and did not ever lose it.”
This win puts Nys two points ahead in the overall Superprestige series, a narrow margin that he hopes to defend over the next few months. Three races remain, the next in Diegem, Belgium on December 27.
“The Superprestige was always one of my main goals, but I have lost a few points everywhere,” said Nys. “This time I was able to take points on a course that suited Albert.
I’ll have to be fully focused in Diegem in order not to lose valuable points there. Anyway, it’s better to lead by a few points than to be left chasing.”
