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2023 Cyclocross Koppenberg (C-1)
Oudenaarde, Belgium

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Cyclocross Koppenberg podium history | 2022 edition | 2024 edition | Course map

Weather at the race city of Oudenaarde at 12:30 PM, local time: 14C (57F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the south at 29 km/hr (18 mph). There is a 17% chance of rain, growing to 50% at 3:00.

Complete results: Men | Women

Men:

Thibau Nys takes a solo win.

Les Woodland's book Cycling’s 50 Craziest Stories is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

The race: Here is a machine translation of the race organizer's report.

On a very difficult and muddy course, Thibau Nys managed to crown himself the winner of the Koppenbergcross in Oudenaarde. Teammate Lars van der Haar crossed the line in second and Eli Iserbyt finished in third place.

An enthusiastic start from Thibau Nys, who clearly felt comfortable in the mud. Almost immediately he stepped on the accelerator and took the lead in the race. A small lead was further expanded in round two where Vanthourenhout, Iserbyt, van der Haar and company had to try to get Nys back.

Halfway through the race that seemed to work. A fall by Nys and a strong acceleration by Iserbyt, among other things, seemed to revolutionize the race, but not much later Nys again had a nice lead over the trio Iserbyt – van der Haar – Vanthourenhout.

In the last lap, Iserbyt and van der Haar tried one last attempt to close the gap towards Nys, but their efforts were to no avail. After just under an hour, 20-year-old Thibau Nys crossed the line as the winner and won the Koppenbergcross for the first time. A great moment for the young rider, who was able to follow in the footsteps of father Sven after 11 years. Afterwards he looked back with satisfaction. “I'm not used to these types of competitions. It was a very slow cross, which gives you time to think. I tried to find a good pace and didn't look at the others.”

Complete results:

Women:

Fem Van Empel celebrates her win. Belga photo

Les Woodland's book Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Story - All the bumps of cycling's cobbled classic is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

The race: Here is a machine translation of the race organizer's report.

Fem van Empel was the glorious winner of the Soudal Ladies Trophy Koppenbergcross. The 21-year-old Jumbo-Visma rider took the lead from the start and was never really threatened. “I had mentioned this race prior to the cross season,” Van Empel admitted afterwards.

Van Empel had clearly set her sights on this match in advance. "It's actually my favorite match. The course is beautiful, but very difficult. I'm happy that I was able to win here. It really is a classic among crosses. I am happy that I was able to include it on my honors list,” concludes Van Empel.

Runner-up Denise Betsema was also satisfied with her race. "I really suffered today, but I am happy that I was able to finish second here. That was the highest achievement for me and it really feels like a victory.”

The British Anna Kay completed the stage full of happy faces. "I really didn't expect that I would be able to achieve a podium finish here. It is one of the toughest competitions there is. It gives me confidence for the future.”

Complete results:

Here's a map of the race course: