Daan and Aaron Just Miss the Podium at Belgian Gravel Championship

Last Sunday, Westerlo hosted the Belgian Gravel Championship. Known as the "Pearl of the Kempen," the town offered riders a lightning-fast course, where competitors ultimately averaged 38 kilometers per hour. In the end, ten riders contested the win, including Aaron Van der Beken and Daan Soete. Unfortunately, both narrowly missed out on a podium finish.

Under dry and warm conditions, the championship quickly turned into a dusty affair. The 50-kilometer-plus circuit first led riders to Blauberg, with gentle ups and downs through the wooded area. From there, the course passed Westerlo’s Grote Markt and headed north through a series of long, straight lanes in the Tongerlo countryside. Even during reconnaissance, it was clear this would be "half a road race."

Professional riders were allowed to start at the very front, and the strongest immediately pressed the pace. This quickly separated the wheat from the chaff. After half a lap, former world champion Gianni Vermeersch launched an early attack, eventually breaking clear with Tim Merlier and Kevin Panhuyzen. It was a dangerous move, but with Daan’s help, the gap was closed by mid-race. More than 15 riders remained in contention at that point.

Aaron on the Move

Our riders stayed vigilant throughout. Entering the final lap, Aaron repeatedly jumped on dangerous attacks from Niels Vandeputte, Merlier, and others. The lead group was gradually whittled down to ten riders. In the decisive finale, no one managed to break away. Even with a final surge, Aaron could not avoid the inevitable sprint.

As the fastest sprinter in the world, Merlier was the favorite. Daan launched the sprint first, but the double stage winner of the Tour quickly overtook him. Merlier himself eventually tired, allowing Niels Vandeputte to take the title. Daan crossed the line in sixth place, while Aaron finished a hard-fought tenth.

Daan Soete: “You could feel in the finale that no one had the legs for a five-minute attack to escape. I also realized it would come down to a sprint, so I tried to focus on that. The sprint took a long time to start, so I went first to pull things along. Unfortunately, it blocked a bit, but sixth place is still a solid result.”

Aaron Van der Beken: “I can be satisfied with my race: I did more than just follow and stayed very attentive on several attacks. Daan and I executed our team strategy well and rode an alert finale. Unfortunately, neither of us managed to get ahead. I tried something under the red flag, but there was no space.”

Nicole Frain was also active in recent days. She competed in the Gravel, Grit ’n Grind in Sweden, finishing second behind Femke Markus for three consecutive days. Naturally, this earned her second place in the overall classification as well.

Photo: Photo News