Felipe Orts considerably improved his result from yesterday and took the podium at Flandriencross Hamme, in what meant the last round of the X2O Trofee of 2024. The victory went to Niels Vandeputte, who beat Eli Iserbyt in the end.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider quickly took control on the first lap, staying out of trouble but not being able to open a significant gap with the rest of the riders. When Eli Iserbyt made a mistake that delayed the rest of the peloton on lap 3, the four-man group of Michael Vanthourenhout, Felipe Orts, Thibau Nys and Vandeputte himself gained a considerable advantage.
On lap 5, Orts took control of the pace at the front, opening a small gap on Vandeputte and Vanthourenhout, although Nys was glued to the Spaniard’s rear wheel. However, when Orts withdrew slightly, both Vandeputte and Vanthourenhout managed to get back in touch. That break brought Lars van der Haar and Iserbyt back into the fight, increasing the leading group to six.
Crossing the finish line for the start of lap seven, Orts, perhaps aware of the dangers of the new additions to the group, attacked hard on the road. However, when he saw the finish line again, the Spaniard’s advantage was only 3 seconds. After Orts was caught shortly after, Iserbyt was the next to move, thinking above all about the X2O general classification and trying to put time on Van der Haar.
On the penultimate lap, Iserbyt hit the ground again, but as he was in the lead it didn’t cost him much, as his rivals had to drop behind him. Taking the bell, a five-man group consisting of Iserbyt, Nys, Vandeputte, Vanthourenhout and Orts were all together.
Through the mud, Vandeputte made his move, taking control of the front ahead of Iserbyt. As the runners emptied, the course was pushed to its limit, but despite the efforts of the Belgian national champion, the victory went to Vandeputte.
