Three riders of Tormans Cyclo Cross Team made the yellow and blue jersey shine on the podium in appalling conditions in Gullegem this Tuesday. Less than one month after her historic victory in Essen, British rider Zoe Bäckstedt impressed once more between her competitors in the Elite Women’s category, before Belgian duo Quinten Hermans and Joran Wyseure imitated her in the men’s race.
Behind Shirin van Anrooij, who led the race from the first lap, the 17 year old British rider made a good impression on the course covered with mud and heavy rainfall. In the penultimate lap, the European junior champion managed to pass Maghalie Rochette who was racing in 2nd position at that moment. But the Canadian rider received the opportunity to close the gap to Bäckstedt after a crash of the British rider. After an effort of almost one hour, Zoe Bäckstedt concluded her fifth race on ten days on the third step of the podium.
In the men’s race, Quinten Hermans and Tom Pidcock shared the race lead in the first half hour before the Briton made a gap at the beginning of the fourth lap. The second race half can be described as a battle man to man, with behind them a remarkable effort of young Joran Wyseure. Before the final lap, the 20 year old managed to move up from a top 20 to third position and to join his teammate Hermans, who punctured before. In the end, Wyseure crossed the finish line in 2nd place, 16 seconds after winner Pidcock. With his 3rd place, Hermans secured the presence of all three riders from Tormans Cyclo Cross team on the podium in Gullegem.
"Each year, the race in Gullegem is one of my best performances of the season, however, I surprised myself today! This podium is definitely my best performance in the Elite category, even though I already finished on the podium twice in the beginning of the season in Stockholm. It is in this kind of races, with a parcours which suits me and with a less impressive start list that I have to grab the opportunity. I appreciate the circuit, less explosive, because I can fully use my power. I could progress and pass my competitors on my own pace, until I joined my teammate Quinten. The race was exciting until the end, because Quinten and I had to give all we had to prevent Felipe Orts from getting back to us. I'm extremely happy with this 2nd place, a very nice present for my 21st birthday next Sunday!"
"I was nicely surprised by the strong impression my young teammate Joran made in the final. Today, our hard working talent showed once more that he is growing in the shadow of other riders. The small gap between him and Pidcock proves the quality of his performance. Myself, I would have loved to battle more with the winner. When he punctured, I chose to continue at the same rhythm. When he joined me again, I also had a puncture. Pidcock accelerated just before, so I tried to reach the pits as fast as possible through the mud. It took me a lot of energy, but the gap had been made and Pidcock was gone! I had to admit that I felt the busy Christmas period in my legs, especially after yesterday's hard training session. This week, my focus is on the national championships!"
