Felipe Orts Shines with a Top 10 Finish in His Season Debut at Meulebeke

On Saturday, in the Belgian town of Meulebeke, the wind was undoubtedly the main protagonist of the race, which marked the debut of Felipe Orts in the 2025-2026 cyclocross season.

The wind blew hard and consistently throughout the event, leading to a very conservative tactical approach from a peloton that, for the first time this winter, gathered all the big names, some of whom had already participated in previous races before this Berencross.

Spain's seven-time champion, Felipe Orts, was among the debutants. After a summer focused on gravel racing, it was uncertain how he would perform in the mud (though there was little of it in Meulebeke) after concluding the best season of his life last February.

However, any doubts were quickly dispelled. True to his style, he read the race like no other. While some, like his teammate Joris Nieuwenhuis or Belgian Michael Vanthourenhout, tried to break away from the start, they were repeatedly thwarted by the strong headwind, especially in the finish area, which favored those who stayed within the protection of a larger group, as Orts consistently did.

Additionally, his technical mastery came into play once more. Undoubtedly, he is the best barrier jumper in the international cyclocross peloton. He may not be the best sand rider, stair climber, or the most skilled in muddy conditions, but the rider from La Vila Joiosa excels in all areas, making him one of the top specialists in the world.

Orts even made a bike change on a circuit where most riders used the same bike from start to finish. He rode between tenth and fifteenth place during the first third of the race, remaining calm when others opened gaps ahead and always choosing the right wheel to close the spaces.

After the halfway point of the ten-lap race, it was time to take on a more prominent role, and so he did, becoming the first rider ever signed by a Belgian team. He joined the leading group and waited until the seventh lap to launch an attack that led to the final selection.

Only Vanthourenhout and another winter regular, Laurens Sweeck, went with him. They rode two more laps with the rest of the peloton not far behind, but increasingly scattered. In the ninth and penultimate lap, after playing a bit with his rivals by appearing more fatigued than he was, Orts launched a second surge that gained him a few meters. Though not decisive, it forced Vanthourenhout, Sweeck, and everyone else behind them to accelerate again, gradually wearing down their energy.

Although cyclocross is far from a team sport, it was at the start of the final lap that Joran Wyseure capitalized on the Crelan-Corendon's numerical superiority at the front. The Belgian accelerated, not necessarily the strongest of the day, and everyone else hesitated. Felipe and Vanthourenhout, already worn out, looked at the others, and the others, all from Crelan-Corendon, looked back at them. "We won't take down our own with friendly fire," they seemed to say.

Ultimately, true to his style, it was Michael Vanthourenhout who took up the chase, but by then, many others had rejoined the group from behind to contest only three podium spots.

Following Vanthourenhout, Sweeck attempted a couple of times to drop his compatriot to launch an attack on his teammate without risking the victory for his team. Behind them, in fourth place, was Orts' teammate, Joris Nieuwenhuis, distancing himself slightly from the others to at least secure fourth place.

In the end, the victory went to Joran Wyseure, followed by his teammate Laurens Sweeck and Michael Vanthourenhout. Felipe Orts, for his part, starts the season with an impressive eighth place, marking his best result ever on this circuit (he was 18th in 2021) and, most importantly, giving the impression that, as happened last year, he will be in contention for victory many weekends.