Fortune favors the bold: Belgians agree that downpours were key to Michels' and Vanthourenhout's titles

What did the Belgians say to the weather gods above the French city of Pontchâteau after a disappointing morning at the European Cyclocross Championships? It certainly seemed to help. The men's U23 and the elite men's categories faced a deluge, transforming the fast and dry course into a muddy battleground. Advantageous terrain for the Belgians, resulting in gold for both the U23 and the elite men.

In the early afternoon, the U23 men were the most affected. During the race, they faced a torrential downpour, enough to wash four hundred cars. This proved to be a blessing from above for the Belgians. Jente Michels powered through the mud to his first European title. The 20-year-old Belgian from the Alpecin-Deceuninck development team beat his fellow countryman and teammate Emiel Verstrynge, on a day when everything finally seemed to go right. At least, that's what Michels shared after the race.

Michels and Verstrynge broke away early in the race and were not seen again. Thanks to a massive cloudburst, the course suddenly turned into a pool of water. And the two Belgians could work well with that. "It's nice to ride on this course in the mud, because then you can really make a difference. Normally, you expect to ride here in a larger group and for me, it's better to have a tough race, like today," Michels said to IDLProCycling.com.

Michels wonders if he would have beaten Verstrynge otherwise

The fact that he won and not his one-year-older buddy ("he's a very good friend of mine") was simply due to a flat tire. "Entering the last lap, I felt in the first two turns that I had a puncture. From that moment, my race was over," Verstrynge laments afterwards. Michels gratefully took advantage. "People on the sidelines indicated that Emiel had a puncture. I looked back to see how big my lead was and from that moment on I was confident that I was going to win. It's not the nicest way, it should have been a beautiful finale. But for me, it ultimately turned out positive."

Michels' victory comes with a side of humility about his own prospects, it seems. He apparently did not have much faith that he would beat Verstrynge under normal circumstances. "Emiel is very strong in the final lap and I don't typically shine in the final stretch. Something often happens at the end, or others are better. It would not have been easy to beat Emiel. Today was a perfect day, after something always went wrong in the last few years." In the flash interview after the finish, however, he was a bit more certain: "I think that overall, I was the strongest today."

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Belgian national coach speaks of luck with the weather for Vanthourenhout

Rain continued to fall in the elite men's race as well, making the course even muddier. This was to the advantage of Michael Vanthourenhout, who broke away early in the race and was never seen again. A surprise for national coach Sven Vanthourenhout, who had told this website on Saturday that he had little expectation of his namesake. "Michael proved he could sustain the lead, which initially, I was skeptical about, I hadn't put him at the top of my list. It was crucial that Eli Iserbyt didn't close the gap and it was very nice to see that also others from different teams did not ride towards Vanthourenhout. The race's early stages required a united effort, and the team delivered. Beyond that, it was up to each rider to shine individually."

That it then continued to rain and turned into a grueling race was to the advantage of his winner, according to the coach. "The conditions were really in his favor. He got a ten second lead and then extended it to seventeen. After that, there was a tipping point with Lars van der Haar coming back into the race, but Michael had the weather in his favor at that moment. It was a copy of last year's European Championships in Namur when a huge shower fell halfway through the race. I don't think I have ever seen Michael go so deep, because that is also what I have to make clear to him every time; that you really have to dig deep for a title. He sometimes forgets that, but today's race has affirmed that for him."

Michael Vanthourenhout is building a "fine track record"

At the press conference, Michael Vanthourenhout himself explains that he chose to set his own pace and lines. After positive signs from the midweek Koppenbergcross, he had the confidence he could maintain his lead. "The rain was good for me; I even surprised myself. Would I have won without the rain and mud? I like it because it makes the course more difficult. Of course, it changes the race compared to if it had stayed dry."

This does not diminish the achievements of Michels and Vanthourenhout. The latter is now a two-time European champion in a row and has also claimed some other impressive victories. "Michael is gradually building a fine track record in his own way. In just over a year, he has won three titles (he also won the Belgian Championship earlier this year, ed.) and that's very strong, especially in a generation like this. You have to seize your moments when they come, and that's what he does," concluded a praising national coach.