Sven Nys again proved his good form in the Superprestige race in Spa-Francorchamps but like so often before he had to settle for second behind the dominant Wout van Aert.

"Van Aert rides away from everyone because he is simply the strongest," he told Het Nieuwsblad. "It was a beautiful, spectacular cross today. There needs to be room for such hard races on the cyclocross calendar. Uphill finishes are very rare.

"Wout Van Aert was without a doubt the strongest. I could not follow immediately when he accelerated. He easily built an advantage of a minute. I felt all right. I knew I was the second strongest in the race. I built some reserves and in the last two laps I put the pressure on my opponents."