Sven Nys was on track for a top five in the Koppenbergcross but a mechanical decided othewise. "In the last lap, when turning to the right, I cut the corner a little too much," he says. "My derailleurs hit a pole and pull into my wheel. My race was over."

Nys has won nine times on the Koppenberg and wanted to add a tenth victory, but a supreme Van Aert and bad luck decided otherwise. 

"But I was already riding very badly on the circuit," he told Sporza. "This was my worst race of the year. It was very hot and that's just not my weather. I created my own bad luck so I do not have to look for many other causes."

"I am very disappointed, I would have liked to compete for the win, but I was not good enough for the podium. I wasted a lot of energy yesterday in the race in Boom. I hoped that I would be better today but it turned out to be worse. That's too bad. By my withdrawal, I can also forget about a good ranking (in the Bpost Bank Trofee series). This race was hard for me. I would liked to say goodbye to the Koppenberg in another way."