The victories in cyclocross have so far been distributed among only three riders: Wout Van Aert (eight victories), Lars van der Haar (four) and since Sunday in Ruddervoorde, Kevin Pauwels has also been added to the list after a string of podiums. Today he took his second win of the season in the Jaarmarktcross in Niel.

However, he did not have the best of starts and was chasing for a long time. "I was not immediately in front from the start and made a lot of mistakes in the first lap," he told Het Nieuwsblad. "That cost me a lot of positions." In the fourth lap, however, he came to the fore and when Sven Nys about halfway through the race made a mistake in the sandbox, Pauwels rode away. "I saw that Sven made a steering error and got stuck," he said. "It was my moment and I accelerated. I maintained that pace and stayed ahead. Now Lars and Wout were not there, I should take advantage of it. To win is slightly easier if they are not there."

Pauwels also looks forward to next Sunday's Superprestige race in Gavere where he won in 2011. "I would like to continue this momentum. That's an important race which also suits me. I will do my best in every way," he said.