Kevin Pauwels and Nicki Harris win Superprestige races in Spa-Francorchamps

Kevin Pauwels won Sunday’s fifth round of the Superprestige cyclocross series on a brutal circuit on and around the Spa-Francorchamps Formula One course. The Belgian bettered Dutch champion Lars van der Haar after doing battle with him for most of the race. The two broke away from a group of favourites a third of the way in, working up a lead of 30 seconds by the half-way point. Over the Muur on foot, with its 50 per cent slopes, up the famous Raidillon, back down through the trees, the two were inseparable, though Pauwels did the lion’s share of the work. Van der Haar suffered stubbornly on the wheel, not fully recovered from the illness that kept him out of Saturday’s World Cup. Heading into the final, it seemed for a moment that luck might be on the Dutchman’s side as Pauwels fumbled with a mucked-up pedal and van der Haar pushed on, gaining a gap. But Pauwels returned calmly, reasserting control. The impasse between the two continued until the final lap when van der Haar gambled with an attack through a chicane in the woods. He drove hard into the turn, then his front wheel disappeared beneath him and Pauwels was away for the win, glad to avoid a sprint. The Belgian had time to celebrate at the top of the final climb while van der Haar recovered to take second. Tom Meeusen bested the rest of the field for third. The Canadians finished in the three last spots, with Aaron Schooler in 31st, Mark McConnell in 32nd, and Cameron Jette in 33rd. Pauwels now leads the Superprestige overall, on equal points with van der Haar but with more wins to his name.

Nicki Harris won the women’s race, ahead of fellow Brit Helen Wyam, who was second, and Belgium’s Ellen van Loy, who was third.

The next race on the Superprestige calendar is on Dec. 28 in Diegem.

Bit of bad luck for me today in Spa, but awesome experience to race on the classic F1 track.… http://t.co/MhA69jt1NV

— Cameron Jette (@CameronJette) November 23, 2014