Inge Roelandt wins the BAIK X-duathlon 2018 (picture: 3athlon.be/Hans Cleemput)
The BAIK-X duathlon 2018 was an showdown for Kris Deckx and Inge Roelandt. They coped best with the clay ground at Nossegem and took victory in the backyard of Brussels International Airport. Dew caused the course, both on the run as on the bike, to be shaped as a slippery slide. Due to the clay soil it had a sucking effect as well. Not a walk in the park, but something for men with power.
Impressing Sikke
Men with power, that's something for Simon Van Roy. Sikke impressed on the bike. "There was only one outclassing me. Rik Deckx took off and I never saw him again, he has earned the win," says Simon who closed the gap on the bike to a group of favorites and ran to a fourth place. All that happened behind the back of Rik Deckx, who was in the lead after the first 4km run along with BIN-athlete Fabrice Van Espen, Nicolas Auverdin and Laurens Verluyten.
Start at the BAIK X-duathlon (picture: 3athlon.be/Caroline Dhondt)
Verluyten surprises on the bike
Once mounted nobody could follow Deckx. The athlete was surprisingly followed by Laurens Verluyten, not a MTB specialist, but in an early shape. LD athlete Nicolas Auverdin also kept up the pace. In the chase pack Davy Vos had a flat in the last round, making him slip and slide all over the course.
At the final nobody could pose a threat to Rik Deckx. Nico Auverdin overtook Laurens Verluyten in the last 2km of the run and came second for his own BAIK sponsor. Laurens Verluyten came third, Simon Van Roy fourth, Sam Willems fifth and Kevin Strubbe sixth.
Inge Roelandt wins again
The women's race had a lead pack of three after the first run, but on the MTB, even though not her strong leg, Inge Roelandt took off. The 12BO4 athlete won two years ago at Nossegem, but in very different circumstances. In the chase pack Inne Gantois took the second spot and Kristel Polet came third in front of fellow-favorite Birgit Wauters. The other favorite, Delphine Vanneste, winner at Inferno Westende, also had to deal with a flat.
First DNF for 3athlon.be
Hans Cleemput from 3athlon.be in action (picture: 3athlon.be/Caroline Dhondt)
And how did your servant? Battered by the clay ground (and by the lack of training in the past few weeks) he came to the constatation that MTB is something else entirely. His very first cross duathlon lead to his very first DNF. But he says he enjoyed the changing, but tough scenery and the tough course leaving no room for recuperation. And he enjoyed the massive support of the crowd.
Original article on 3athlon.be by Hans Cleemput on 05/03/2018
Translation by @T0v3