Brilliant Culverwell dethrones the King

In the Bachte-Maria-Leerne event, the 18-year-old made a perfectly-timed attack and rode on strongly for a solo victory.

His closest three pursuers sprinted in just two seconds later, with the third-place finisher being a name of great standing in this form of racing.

Culverwell had beaten vastly experienced veteran Mario Willems – known as ‘the Kermesse King’ due to holding over 400 victories in this form of racing – for the second time in a week.

Culverwell’s earlier scalp came last Thursday when he placed second to the Belgian’s fourth at the Omloop van Westkerke.

But the Guernseyman was not to settle for second best this time around.

On a course spanning 122km over 18 laps, Culverwell made sure to pursue an early attack featuring most of the race’s stronger riders.

He had from there established himself in a strong-riding break of 15 and continued to ride a smart and sensible race.

With just four laps left, a quartet of riders blasted off the front to contest an intermediate sprint offering a financial incentive.

Culverwell kept his nerve and did not take the bait, soon making a vital attack of his own.

After surging past the weary riders, he managed to escape off the front with around 26km to go and quickly built a noticeable gap.

What followed was a tense chase-down where Culverwell only just managed to stay clear.

‘I could see them chasing me but I knew if I got caught, I would have nothing left in the legs to contest a sprint finish,’ he said.

He powered in and crossed the line both exhausted and elated with a time of 2hrs 41min. 17sec.

‘I was really buzzing with that,’ said Culverwell prior to lining up for another race today.

‘It takes the pressure off, not that there was any to start with, and it’s good to have that result.

‘When you enter a bike race, you want to win – that’s why I do it. More often than not, it does not work out, so my goal in the next race is to enjoy it, but also hopefully get a result.’