Michael Vanthourenhout accelerated away from a small group to win the third round of the World Cup in Terralba, Sardinia, on Sunday. The Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriedbouw rider claimed his first World Cup victory and fourth win of the 2025-2026 season after crashing a few weeks ago in Tábor.
Vanthourenhout used his sand skills to make his move to power away from a group of six riders, sprinting off and onto his bike on stairs and held off his pursuers on the unpaved straightaway to the finish line.
“It was a truly difficult week, so it’s good to be back fighting for the win, so I’m happy,” Vanthourenhout said.
“I feel I was a little bit better on the sand sections. It was difficult to fight for the positions and then the last lap, I gave everything.”
Sweeck’s third-place finish cut his deficit to overall leader Thibau Nys down to just four points.
How it unfolded
After last year’s Sardinia round was cancelled, the World Cup returned to the Italian island at a new venue in Terralba, featuring a fast 3.1 km course packed with sand sections, park loops, village streets, and lagoon-side straights. Starting in Marceddì, the 36 riders navigated multiple sand sectors, winding park passages beneath stone pines, a staircase by the church, and a final unpaved run to the finish.
Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing Team) was the fastest off the line to lead the field onto the course, with brakes squealing as the field navigated the course peppered by deep puddles created by previous rainy days.
Over the next six laps, Nieuwenhuis and…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…