Sanne Laurijssen takes the Belgian cyclo-cross title among junior girls, Lentel Huys the best newcomer

Sanne Laurijssen is the new Belgian champion among the junior girls. She won in Heusden-Zolder after an exciting battle from Zita Peeters. Among the newcomers, the Belgian titles went to Lentel Huys and Yana Parthoens.

They were more than worthy of each other, Sanne Laurijssen and Zita Peeters. The two ladies soon went out together after Laurijssen took the lead early in the race.

It was immediately clear that Laurijssen had an excellent pair of legs, because rider after rider had to drop out under her pounding. Only Zita Peeters could keep the wheel. The duo rode almost the entire cross with two in the lead. For a moment Melanie Lemmens seemed to return from the background, but the battle never became a three-way battle. After all, Lemmens never came closer than ten seconds.

But in the meantime, Laurijssen was also unable to release Peeters. She tried to get away several times on the snowy course, but without success.

Until the very last round. When Laurijssen accelerated again, Peeters had to leave a gap and the bird took off. This way, Laurijssen was able to progress solo to the Belgian title among the junior girls. Peeters had to be satisfied with silver. Lemmens was third on the podium.

Lenthe Huys is the best newcomer

Due to the snow, we left not an hour earlier, but a minute and a half later than the juniors: the first and second year newcomers. Due to the freezing cold, the asphalt of the circuit in Zolder was still too slippery on Saturday morning, which meant that the start of the newcomers was postponed by an hour.

However, Lenthe Huys did not let the delay bother her. She dominated the cross from start to finish and eventually rode solo to the Belgian tricolor among the first-year newcomers. Lotta Huybrechts, also a first-year, came second. Yana Parthoens came third, but was also the first second-year newcomer to receive a Belgian tricolor.

(tm)