Nachtcross

46:24 Julien Renaud brings up the rear at 2 minutes. 3 riders did not make it to the line.

45:51 Gonzalo Vidal crosses the line 26th, at 1:15.

45:45 Seppe Vanacker crosses the line 25th, at 1:08.

44:46 Niels Roelants crosses the line 3rd, at 0:10.

44:41 Nand Demeyer crosses the line 2nd, at 0:04.

44:36 Joppe Willems wins by 4 seconds.

43:40 Come off the line in the little bridge and you are ankle deep in it.

43:30 The entrance to the hairpin is littered with abandoned bikes.

42:30 The finishing straight is tearing itself apart; next lap it will be brutal in there.

42:20 Nand Demeyer takes Niels Roelants back in the little bridge.

42:00 Lowie Segers punctures in the hurdles and pulls out. Nobody in the pit.

41:50 Half the field is running the finishing straight by now.

41:30 In the sequence of corners Seppe Vercammen gains a place on Pieter Lambrecht.

41:10 Pieter Lambrecht takes Simon Vermeulen back in the wide section.

40:55 Joppe Willems goes past Niels Roelants and takes the lead.

40:20 There is a line through the long straight that gets narrower lap after lap.

40:10 The little bridge is drying out on the side the sun is on.

40:00 The steep side is getting deeper with every lap.

39:20 Seppe Vercammen goes past Jasper Desmet in the long straight.

39:10 Maxime Marchand is too quick for Simon Vermeulen in the deep furrow and lies 16th now.

38:40 Every lap is slower than the last, and today that is no disgrace.

38:30 The mechanics are standing ready with the pressure washer; a clean bike every lap.

38:20 They are riding on a third of their tyres; the rest is packed with earth.

38:00 It is getting harder through the steps with every lap that goes by.

37:30 Get the wet meadow wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

37:20 Joppe Willems dives past Matthias Coppens in the little bridge.

37:10 Lukáš Svoboda has to let Jasper Desmet go in the wide section.

37:00 Niels Roelants has opened a gap and is alone up there.

36:30 The line through the wide section has opened right up.

36:20 Matthias Coppens moves up to 3rd at Joppe Willems's expense.

34:40 The steep side is costing a few seconds more every lap.

34:00 The field is one mud bath; everybody is riding on feel.

33:39 Sil Casteels punctures in the hurdles and pulls out. No spare bike.

33:00 The line through the little bridge has closed up completely; it is going to be a run.

32:40 The entrance to the off-camber is littered with abandoned bikes.

32:10 Niels Roelants goes past Joppe Willems and takes the lead.

32:00 The gap to the first chaser is 4 seconds.

31:30 Clément Marchand takes Rien Debruyne back in the hairpin.

31:20 A front group of 3, and they are watching each other.

31:00 Jasper Desmet takes the other line through the hairpin and comes out ahead of Sil Casteels.

29:30 Ride the wide section instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.

29:10 Jakub Veselý goes past Matthias Coppens in the hairpin.

29:00 The pits are working flat out.

28:40 There are holes in the line through the little climb at the back that nobody is riding out any more.

26:30 Lukáš Novák is too quick for Pau Casas in the steps and lies 9th now.

26:20 There is not a dry thread left on anybody.

25:52 Vic Dierckx goes down hard in the hairpin, loses 50 seconds and rides on battered.

25:10 Jakub Veselý had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Simon Truyens in the wide section.

24:30 All five are hunting a different line through the little bridge; none of them is finding the good one.

24:20 There are 2 of them at the front.

23:40 Get the wet meadow wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

23:30 The water is standing in the deep furrow; dive in too fast and you are down.

22:25 Joppe Willems goes past Simon Truyens and takes the lead.

22:20 Simon Vermeulen dives past Vince Segers in the start straight.

21:40 The derailleurs are packed with mud; shifting has become a gamble.

21:20 The line through the sequence of corners has opened right up.

20:40 The little bridge is tearing itself apart; next lap it will be brutal in there.

20:30 The line through the hairpin has closed up completely; it is going to be a run.

20:00 The line through the wet meadow is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

19:50 There is 4 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.

19:30 The gap to the first chaser is 4 seconds.

19:10 Lukáš Novák has to let Gonzalo Vidal go in the slippery descent.

18:30 Jakub Veselý dives past Seppe Vercammen in the little bridge.

18:20 Joppe Willems dives past Pieter Lambrecht in the sequence of corners.

18:20 Sander Hermans punctures in the mud strip, changes bike and loses 13 seconds.

18:10 Jasper Vanwalleghem punctures in the sequence of corners and pulls out. No spare bike.

18:00 They are nearly all taking the same side through the hairpin now; the other line is finished.

17:40 Joppe Willems goes past Vic Dierckx in the hairpin.

17:30 Nand Demeyer takes Clément Marchand back in the little climb at the back.

17:10 The mechanics are standing ready with the pressure washer; a clean bike every lap.

16:50 Up front Simon Truyens goes past Rune Vandaele — 1st now.

16:50 Simon Truyens goes past Rune Vandaele and takes the lead.

16:40 A front group of 8, and they are watching each other.

16:10 In the long straight Simon Truyens gains a place on Jasper Vanwalleghem.

15:50 The steep side is costing a few seconds more every lap.

15:20 Get the long straight wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

15:00 Rune Vandaele goes past Filip Beneš and takes the lead.

14:20 Half the field is running the sequence of corners by now.

14:10 The little bridge is getting deeper with every lap.

14:00 Come off the line in the sequence of corners and you are ankle deep in it.

13:40 The field is one mud bath; everybody is riding on feel.

13:40 Filip Beneš goes past Rune Vandaele and takes the lead.

13:00 Filip Beneš moves up to 2nd at Simon Truyens's expense.

12:45 Rune Vandaele goes past Simon Truyens and takes the lead.

12:30 The brakes are dragging with mud; everyone is stopping too early in the wet meadow.

12:00 Bikes are changing every lap — the little bridge eats equipment.

10:25 Simon Truyens goes past Matthias Coppens and takes the lead.

10:20 Matthias Coppens goes past Pieter Lambrecht and takes the lead.

10:10 Jasper Vanwalleghem had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Niels Roelants in the wide section.

10:00 Simon Truyens takes the other line through the hairpin and comes out ahead of Nand Demeyer.

9:45 Pieter Lambrecht goes past Sander Hermans and takes the lead.

9:40 The water is standing in the mud strip; dive in too fast and you are down.

9:10 With 8 up front, and Sander Hermans on the front of it.

9:00 Rune Vandaele is too quick for Clément Marchand in the deep furrow and lies 9th now.

7:40 Ride the little bridge instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.

7:30 Jasper Vanwalleghem dives past Vince Segers in the long straight.

7:20 They are nearly all taking the same side through the off-camber now; the other line is finished.

7:00 The gap to the first chaser is 6 seconds.

5:20 There are holes in the line through the wet meadow that nobody is riding out any more.

5:00 All five are hunting a different line through the long straight; none of them is finding the good one.

4:20 The line through the little bridge has closed up completely; it is going to be a run.

3:00 The slippery descent is tearing itself apart; next lap it will be brutal in there.

2:50 The entrance to the hurdles is littered with abandoned bikes.

2:40 Get the deep furrow wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.

2:30 The field is still all together at the front.

2:20 The line through the little bridge is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.

2:10 Every lap is slower than the last, and today that is no disgrace.

1:50 The field is one mud bath; everybody is riding on feel.

1:20 The off-camber is costing a few seconds more every lap.

1:10 Nothing has split at the front yet; Sander Hermans is leading it.

1:00 They are still riding as one big group, and nobody is pulling.

0:40 On a day like this it is not the strongest who wins, it is whoever runs least.

0:20 The line through the hairpin has opened right up.

0:10 Sander Hermans takes Nand Demeyer back in the little bridge.

0:05 Sander Hermans goes past Joppe Willems and takes the lead.

0:00 Nachtcross: wet course, 6 laps. Mostly technique and mud.