Saturday night, a thin layer of snow covered the Doubs region, where the eighth World Cup of sixteen races in total took place this Sunday. After a one year delay because of the pandemic, a World Cup was held for a first time in Besançon. After his first podium of the season, Corné Van Kessel travelled from Kortrijk to the French city, where he was welcomed by his teammates Marie Schreiber, Kevin Kuhn, Theo Thomas and Emiel Verstrynge.
A parcours of more than 3 kilometer swung through the meadow over short and steep hills, off cambers, two staircases and barriers. Snow was replaced by mud, Marie Schreiber’s favorite conditions. The 18 year old rider from Luxembourg achieved her best performance in an Elite World Cup race ever by finishing 20th in the race won by World Champion Lucinda Brand.
After his solid performance one day before in Kortrijk, where he achieved his first podium of the season, Corné Van Kessel also rode a decent race. By finishing 5th, he achieved his best World Cup result of the season this Sunday. Belgian rider Emiel Verstrynge finished 14th and also Théo Thomas (19th) finished within the top 20 on home soil, just ahead of teammate Kevin Kuhn (21st) who crashed in the first lap.
This new race in Besançon was spectacular, partly thanks to the weather circumstances. Our riders performed as expected, with especially remarkable races from our youngest team members and a solid 5th place from Corne van Kessel. After a difficult season start for him in the USA, his performances are getting better and better since a couple of weeks. His first podium of the season in Kortrijk will certainly give him confidence for the upcoming busy month. We also count on Quinten Hermans, who’s currently in Spain for a training camp to prepare this crucial period!
