Felipe Concludes Impressive Comeback Ride in Niel with 5th Place

On Armistice Day, the traditional Jaarmarktcross in Niel took place once again. The course — featuring thousands of bags of river sand (poured into a massive sandbox), short loops up and down the dikes, and plenty of paved sections — provided the familiar mix that defines this classic in the Rupel region, just south of Antwerp. It turned into a spectacular race in which Felipe Orts completed a remarkable comeback to finish in 5th place.

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After course reconnaissance, it was clear that our riders were ready for this cyclocross classic. Felipe regained confidence after a solid 9th place at the European Championships in Lombardsijde, while Joris Nieuwenhuis looked to bounce back from a difficult weekend. Sports director Richard Groenendaal also reflected on the Europeans: “Some riders looked great in the warm-up but struggled during the race. Others who were frustrated in the sand beforehand suddenly flew once the race began. That’s cyclocross: it’s often a mental game as much as a physical one.”

At the start, Felipe was boxed in on the right side of the road and lost ground, while Joris launched well and even took control of the race early on. However, his momentum was abruptly halted when he dropped from first to fifteenth place. His father later confirmed a crash, and it turned out Joris also suffered a chain issue.

Meanwhile, Felipe was moving in the opposite direction, climbing steadily through the field. Starting outside the top 20, he overtook rider after rider, moving into the top 10 and eventually into 5th position. Despite his impressive pace, he narrowly missed joining the leading group. Behind the front trio and Emiel Verstrynge, Felipe secured 5th place, while Joris recovered strongly after his setbacks to finish 8th. In the Superprestige standings, Joris limited the damage and now sits joint 3rd overall.

Felipe Orts:

“I lost a lot of positions at the start, but once I got into my rhythm, I was riding really fast. Fifth place is fine, though under normal circumstances I can fight for the podium. I’m feeling fresh again and motivated for the upcoming races. Last weekend I felt weak, but no illness was found, thankfully things are back to normal now. I’ve marked Merksplas and Tabor as key goals before a short recovery break.”

Joris Nieuwenhuis:

“I had a good start and felt strong. But after a small mistake my chain came off and got jammed, and I also crashed. I needed a few laps to refocus, but I found my rhythm again towards the end. It wasn’t my best race, but luckily the damage from the crash is minor.”