Hometown podium for Felipe Orts

The cyclocross in Benidorm has become one of the highlights of the season in the past years. For the riders, it's the perfect moment to soak up some Spanish sun after months of cold and snow in the Benelux. For the fans, our Felipe Orts is one of the reasons for the success of this race. He lives in Villajoyosa, which is only 15 minutes away from Benidorm so he was totally ready to give it his all.

Credits: Photonews

In the first lap, it immediately became clear that Mathieu van der Poel was the strongest rider in Benidorm. Behind him, Joris and Felipe were able to focus on securing the remaining two podium places. The competition for the podium was fierce however and in the opening laps, no one could force a decisive gap.

After 30 minutes of racing, the chasing group hesitated for a brief moment and it was Felipe who took his chance. He launched an attack and opened up a gap of 5 seconds. One lap later, Nys joined him in the attack and with a collegial gesture, he signalled to follow his wheel. The crowd went wild and with the two of them, they got a 20 second advantage in the hunt for the podium.

In the last lap, Thibau was too strong for Felipe but that didn't matter. Felipe finished it off and was clearly the happiest rider in Benidorm with his third place. The crowd kept on chanting his name as this was the perfect closure to this great race.

Credits: Photonews

Joris finished 7th and embraced Felipe immediately after the finish. It shows how much this means to our team. Next week, we're in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide for the last two rounds of this year's UCI Cyclocross World Cup. The ideal moment to show form ahead of the World Championships in Hulst one week later.