Kevin Pauwels has taken his third victory of the season. After wins in Zonhoven and Francorchamps, he also emerged as the strongest in the third round of the World Cup in the English city of Milton Keynes. "It was difficult," the World Cup leader told Het Nieuwsblad. "The final victory is still not mine."

For the past couple of weeks, Kevin Pauwels has proved that he is in good shape. After a string of podium places he has now taken wins two weeks in a row. "However, it was a difficult race," he said afterwards. "There were a lot of running sections which is not exactly my thing. In the end, I even got pain in my back, but apparently I was still strong enough to win."

The Sunweb Napoleon Games leader beat his teammate Klaas Vantornout in the sprint. "This win was not a gift," he said. "I had to go really deep to follow Klaas in that final lap. It just worked out well in the sprint and I could finish the race on a good note."

Pauwels also strengthened his leadin the World Cup and is now 35 points ahead of Vantornout. "That final victory is still not mine. There are still three races and Klaas has showed in recent weeks that he is good. Tom Meeusen is also not far behind. The race is not won yet but I admit that it looks good."