Kasteelcross

1:03:11 Tibo Vanhoutte brings up the rear at 3 minutes. One rider did not make it to the line.

1:02:50 Cedric Smets crosses the line 29th, at 2:55.

1:02:47 Dries Desmet crosses the line 28th, at 2:52.

1:00:22 Simon Beyens crosses the line 3rd, at 0:27.

1:00:16 Michiel Segers crosses the line 2nd, at 0:20.

59:55 Emiel Segers wins by 20 seconds.

59:30 Hardly anybody is getting off today, and that makes it an hour with no rest in it.

58:50 There is 24 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.

58:40 The lines are fixed on a course this dry; they are all riding the same rut.

58:30 The line through the hairpin has opened right up.

57:50 The course is hard underneath; this is a day for anyone who can keep the power on.

57:30 Michiel Segers moves up to 2nd at Arne Vanwalleghem's expense.

57:00 Rien Nuyts takes the other line through the start straight and comes out ahead of Kasper Goossens.

56:50 The gap to the first chaser is 30 seconds.

56:30 Jelle Desmet has to let Tuur Tanghe go in the little bridge.

56:20 Dry and fast, and that makes it a long hour.

55:00 Ride the wet meadow instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.

54:40 Dust over the little bridge — there is no grip left in the corners.

54:30 The pits are working flat out.

54:00 Matthias Vermote had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Robbe Peeters in the hairpin.

53:00 Tyre pressure is half the race today, and nobody is saying so.

52:10 The finishing straight is tearing itself apart; next lap it will be brutal in there.

51:30 The hairpin is drying out on the side the sun is on.

51:20 All five are hunting a different line through the pit; none of them is finding the good one.

51:00 The sequence of corners is getting looser with every lap.

50:30 Rien Nuyts goes past Simon Tanghe in the sequence of corners.

50:10 It is dusting up in the wet meadow; anyone at the back is riding in a cloud.

49:40 Dry and dusty, and by the end you cannot tell who is who.

49:20 The line through the deep furrow is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

49:10 Emiel Segers has opened a gap and is alone up there.

48:30 The start straight is costing a few seconds more every lap.

48:20 Emiel Segers is out on their own at the front.

48:00 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.

47:50 Half the field is running the hairpin by now.

47:40 Robbe Peeters takes the other line through the mud strip and comes out ahead of Matthias Vermote.

47:20 On a dry course there is little to win in the corners; it has to come from the legs.

47:00 Hardly anybody is getting off today, and that makes it an hour with no rest in it.

46:50 Get the wet meadow wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

46:40 Hardly a bike change all day — there is nothing to wash off.

46:30 The sand in the hairpin is loose and deep — that is where the hour will be decided.

46:00 A day for racing on the pedals; there is nothing to slide away.

45:10 The gap to the first chaser is 24 seconds.

44:30 In the steps Michiel Segers gains a place on Simon Beyens.

44:00 There is 22 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.

43:30 The ground in the wide section has been ridden rock hard.

43:00 The slippery descent is tearing itself apart; next lap it will be brutal in there.

41:59 Jelle Desmet punctures in the mud strip, changes bike and loses 27 seconds.

39:30 The entrance to the hairpin is littered with abandoned bikes.

38:30 The off-camber is getting looser with every lap.

38:20 It is dusting up in the finishing straight; anyone at the back is riding in a cloud.

38:00 Siebe Rombouts goes past Mauro Naessens in the finishing straight.

37:40 The slippery descent is drying out on the side the sun is on.

37:30 Tibo Truyens had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Thibau Beyens in the deep furrow.

37:10 Rien Nuyts dives past Mauro Naessens in the wet meadow.

36:40 The line through the steep side has opened right up.

36:10 The course is hard underneath; this is a day for anyone who can keep the power on.

35:30 Mathijs Steyaert is too quick for Mauro Naessens in the wide section and lies 13th now.

35:10 Ride the slippery descent instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.

35:00 Dust over the sequence of corners — there is no grip left in the corners.

34:20 Arne Vanwalleghem has to let Simon Beyens go in the long straight.

33:50 Tibo Truyens had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Siebe Rombouts in the start straight.

33:26 Matthias Vermote punctures in the long straight, changes bike and loses 11 seconds.

33:10 There are holes in the line through the slippery descent that nobody is riding out any more.

32:30 The sand in the deep furrow is loose and deep — that is where the hour will be decided.

32:10 Emiel Segers has opened a gap and is alone up there.

31:40 Tibo Truyens takes the other line through the sequence of corners and comes out ahead of Jelle Desmet.

31:10 In the slippery descent Cedric Smets gains a place on Brecht Dhaene.

31:00 Simon Beyens takes Matthias Vermote back in the little bridge.

30:10 The finishing straight is costing a few seconds more every lap.

29:50 Dry and dusty, and by the end you cannot tell who is who.

29:20 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.

28:50 The pits are working flat out.

27:20 Thibau Beyens takes the other line through the off-camber and comes out ahead of Siebe Rombouts.

27:10 Brecht Dhaene goes past Dries Desmet in the little bridge.

27:00 It is getting harder through the mud strip with every lap that goes by.

25:49 Ferre Coppens punctures in the mud strip and pulls out. Nobody in the pit.

25:40 Emiel Segers is out on their own at the front.

25:20 Half the field is running the slippery descent by now.

25:10 In the deep furrow Cedric Smets gains a place on Dries Desmet.

24:20 Dry and fast, and that makes it a long hour.

23:50 On a dry course there is little to win in the corners; it has to come from the legs.

23:40 Hardly anybody is getting off today, and that makes it an hour with no rest in it.

23:00 Senne Callens is too quick for Arne Vanwalleghem in the hurdles and lies 4th now.

22:20 Tyre pressure is half the race today, and nobody is saying so.

22:00 Bram Tanghe dives past Simon Beyens in the slippery descent.

21:50 There are holes in the line through the wide section that nobody is riding out any more.

21:40 Bram Tanghe had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Lennert Vanwalleghem in the start straight.

21:20 The ground in the wide section has been ridden rock hard.

20:40 Dust over the mud strip — there is no grip left in the corners.

20:10 The line through the start straight has opened right up.

19:10 In the mud strip Mathijs Steyaert gains a place on Brecht Dhaene.

18:40 They are nearly all taking the same side through the finishing straight now; the other line is finished.

17:20 Robbe Peeters takes the other line through the start straight and comes out ahead of Simon Beyens.

17:10 The gap to the first chaser is 12 seconds.

16:40 There is 11 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.

16:20 Dries Desmet has to let Kasper Goossens go in the slippery descent.

15:10 The sand in the steps is loose and deep — that is where the hour will be decided.

14:10 Mathijs Claes goes past Niels Cuypers in the finishing straight.

14:00 Dry and dusty, and by the end you cannot tell who is who.

13:40 Simon Tanghe takes Dries Desmet back in the sequence of corners.

13:30 In the off-camber Lennert Vanwalleghem gains a place on Michiel Segers.

13:10 On a dry course there is little to win in the corners; it has to come from the legs.

12:50 Half the field is running the little bridge by now.

12:40 Robbe Peeters is too quick for Bram Tanghe in the little climb at the back and lies 8th now.

12:20 There are 2 of them at the front.

12:00 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.

11:40 A front group of 2, and they are watching each other.

11:31 Niels Cuypers goes down in the wet meadow and loses 21 seconds.

11:20 The hurdles is costing a few seconds more every lap.

11:00 There are holes in the line through the little bridge that nobody is riding out any more.

10:30 The line through the slippery descent is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

10:20 The ground in the slippery descent has been ridden rock hard.

9:40 Simon Beyens dives past Bram Tanghe in the deep furrow.

9:30 Dry and fast, and that makes it a long hour.

9:15 Emiel Segers goes past Matthias Vermote and takes the lead.

9:10 Ride the hairpin instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.

8:40 The pits are working flat out.

8:20 Simon Beyens takes the other line through the pit and comes out ahead of Ferre Coppens.

7:50 They are nearly all taking the same side through the mud strip now; the other line is finished.

7:30 The course is hard underneath; this is a day for anyone who can keep the power on.

7:00 Tyre pressure is half the race today, and nobody is saying so.

6:20 Get the wet meadow wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

6:10 Dry and dusty, and by the end you cannot tell who is who.

5:30 Dust over the wide section — there is no grip left in the corners.

5:10 The line through the mud strip has opened right up.

4:30 With 4 up front, and Matthias Vermote on the front of it.

4:10 The gap to the first chaser is 4 seconds.

3:20 A day for racing on the pedals; there is nothing to slide away.

3:00 All five are hunting a different line through the long straight; none of them is finding the good one.

2:00 The entrance to the off-camber is littered with abandoned bikes.

1:10 Hardly a bike change all day — there is nothing to wash off.

0:30 Half the field is running the wide section by now.

0:10 Matthias Vermote is too quick for Emiel Segers in the off-camber and lies 1st now.

0:05 Matthias Vermote goes past Emiel Segers and takes the lead.

0:00 Kasteelcross: dry course, 8 laps. Mostly mud and technique.