Felipe Orts on Fire: Victory and Second Place in Three Days!

Our Spanish sensation, Felipe Orts, is in incredible form! After winning a silver medal at the European Cyclo-cross Championship in Pontevedra, he returned to Belgium over the weekend. On Saturday, he won the International Cyclo-Cross Rucphen after a long solo ride. On Monday, he added a second place at the Jaarmarktcross in Niel, the third race in the Superprestige series. Felipe is captivating both on and off the bike.

For Felipe, his podium finish at the European Championship was the greatest achievement of his career. The 29-year-old cyclo-cross rider is in peak form, and he started in Rucphen with high ambitions. He set out for a long solo ride. In the final stretch, Ryan Kamp closed in from behind, but the Spanish champion managed to keep the Dutch rider at bay and celebrated his victory. Three Belgians, Jens Adams, Niels Vandeputte, and Lander Loockx, rounded out the top five, while Daan Soete finished in 14th place.

Jaarmarktcross

Both Orts and Soete skipped the Rapencross in Lokeren to focus on the Superprestige race in Niel. Last year, Felipe placed 3rd here and enjoys the mud at this "Pearl of the Rupel." Laurens Sweeck went on the offensive early in the race. Felipe spent much of the race in the wake of Eli Iserbyt and Niels Vandeputte, conserving some energy.

In the final lap, our powerhouse moved up to second place. He closed in on the leader, getting within a few seconds, but the win was out of reach. Felipe was content with second place, though. He even gave his supporters a high-five in the final straight, as he’s drawing more and more encouragement with each performance.

Daan finished 16th in Niel, just missing out on Superprestige points. We’re still awaiting the debut of Dutch champion Joris Nieuwenhuis, who is working hard to recover from shingles and is aiming to be ready for the World Cup. Thankfully, Felipe is already putting us on the cyclo-cross map with his outstanding performances!

Photo: Photo News