Home > News

Canadians clock solid results at Superprestige-Diegem

On the international cyclocross circuit, Canada's Michael van den Ham continues to pull steadily ahead in the ranks, finishing Sunday's Superprestige-Diegem with a solid position in 34th place.

Michael van den Ham, seen here at the Winnipeg cyclocross nationals in October, was the top Canadian at Sunday's race.
Michael van den Ham, seen here at the Winnipeg cyclocross nationals in October, was the top Canadian at Sunday’s race.

On the international cyclocross circuit, Canada’s Michael van den Ham continues to pull steadily ahead in the ranks, finishing Sunday’s Superprestige-Diegem with a solid position in 34th place.

The event, of course, saw ‘cross titans from across the globe competing on the Belgian terrain.

The podium was swept by some of Europe’s top athletes, with Mathieu van der Poel once again claiming the gold medal position with the best time. It was barely a bike throw that put him ahead of second place finisher Kevin Pauwels, with both riders clocking a time of 59:06. In third place, meanwhile, was Lars van der Haar after a hard battle through the course, rolling across the finish with 59:09.

Van den Ham was the top Canadian at the competition, his 34th-place finish coming at the end of a race that saw him clock 1:04:55. The unforgiving European cyclocross race, it seemed, was a testament to what van den Ham told Canadian Cycling Magazine about the Belgian terrain being a proving ground of sorts, something that tests any North American rider. The Canadian ‘cross specialist’s finishing time put him ahead of riders like Aaron Schooler, who finished 39th, and Mark McConnell in 48th place .

At the same event, the Junior men’s race also saw some Canadian names on the list. A tight competition that saw Jappe Jaspers of Belgium clock a winning time of 39:07:00, followed in second place by Jens Dekker of the Netherlands with 39:09:00 and Spencer Petrov of the United States with 39:29:00, Canada’s Brody Sanderson rolled to 48th place out of the world-class field with a time of 45:11:00. Countryman Gunnar Holmgren also mae the list, the 16-year-old finishing 57th with a time of 49:33:00.

Elite Men
1. Mathieu van der Poel: 59:06
2. Kevin Pauwels
3. Lars van der Haar: 59:09

34. Michael van den Ham: 1:04:55

Junior Men
1. Jappe Jaspers: 39:07:00
2. Jens Dekker: 39:09:00
3. Spencer Petrov: 39:29:00

48. Brody Sanderson: 45:11:00
57: Gunnar Holmgren: 49:33:00