Planet CX

Yesterday I watched the Super Bowl with Maureen. She is from Charleston, SC, thus it was mandatory she was a Saints fan. Actually, she likes the name of the team, so she was rooting for them. She cooked up jambalaya. On rice. With bourbo. And lemon. It was [...]

Bruce Fina, who, along with Joan Hanscom, has worked to bring the Elite World Cyclocross Championships to Louisville, Kentucky, in 2013, as well as the Masters World Championships to Louisville for 2012 and 2013, recently gave an interview on the Belgian cyclocross.info website. “We’ve been working on this plan for a few years, and we have the city of Louisville behind us,” said Fina. “I have to thank Peter Van den Abeele of the UCI for putting his trust in us. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Fina talks about how other athletes have made the trans-Atlantic trip to race ‘cross in the U.S., as former world champ Erwin Vervecken did several times. “I was a manager for six years for the U.S. team, and it’s really difficult to travel across the ocean and race cyclocross,” said Fina. “We will make a very competitive course and will try to make all of our races as close to the European standard as possible.”

“We want to invite all of the Belgian fans to come over and see all of their heroes take on the Americans on their home soil,” said Fina. The organization will be putting together travel packages that will add in American sites to the trip to entice fans to travel to the U.S. for the races, adding another revenue generator for the organization and country.

Perhaps an enterprising cyclocross promoter might put together a set of races after Worlds to draw both fans and riders to extend their stay. After all, while some top Europeans may still need to return to Europe to contest the GVA Trofee and Superprestige cyclocross series, riders from across the world as well as the Juniors and U23s may not have the same incentive to immediately return to Europe. More racing could encourage them to extend their trip.

Listen to the full interview with Bruce Fina.

Related stories:

1. Breaking Story: UCI Confirms Louisville World Champs in 2013, Masters Worlds in 2012 & 2013
2. 2013 Cyclocross World Championships – Louisville Potential Venue
3. A Video Preview of the 2013 World Championships Venue in Louisville?

I am selling both of my Ridley X-Night frame sets as a pair.

52cm size. Max saddle height range: 75cm (center of bb to top of saddle) or lower (you can re-cut the seat mast).

Custom paint: Matte carbon finish with sky blue and white accents.

In excellent condition, limited paint dings, no cracks or damage.

More photos of both bikes on my flickr page.

$3000.00 for both frame sets and extras. Price is non-negotiable.

Email me directly or give me a call: 503.841.8006

And I am feeling the 1960’s right now so watch these choice videos.

I don’t have a lot of history with Tom Jones. But the man has a decent pair of pipes. “She’s a lady” is more my style but I could not find a decent video of it. Enjoy this and avoid the Lolitas and Delilahs.

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This is straight out of a bad episode of the Prisoner. I cannot understand a word the announcer is saying. (”the legend of EX-ana-doo”) And the fake whip!? I must admit, I love-hate this stuff. Not going on the ipod interval mix anytime soon.

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Finally; this is too good for words. How have I not heard of the Equals before?! WTF WTF WTF! I’ve replayed this video over and over again. I can’t even handle it! They are just bouncing up and down and I can barely understand the sing-mumbling. Soooo good.

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Oh, right. This is supposed to be a bike racer blog… I am sure all of the die-hards have seen this photo: The “NEW” Clement CRUSADE PDX clincher tyre.

My thoughts?

Portland does not need anymore help. (CrusadePDX infers to me: lapped riders, orange cones and Why not a more thoughtful name? And, I hope the Crusaders don’t sober up anytime soon to sue Clement. We already lost the World Championships to Louisville.

I will also say this: if they make a tubular version and can keep it from rotting out in one season, THEN you can speculate it as a “rhino-killer”. I keep getting more and more emails about repairing rotted out Dugast Rhinos.

Though I still love them and will keep buying them.

In 1980, Frenchman Gilbert Duclos-Lasalle finished 2nd to former World Champion Francesco Moser in Paris-Roubaix.  The 25 year old Duclos-Lasalle withstood constant attacks from the Italian in the closing stages before finally conceding.  Sometimes steely resolve alone cannot change the course of history.  While Moser went on to win his third consecutive Queen of the Classics by nearly two minutes, Duclos-Lasalle would come up empty as a Paris-Roubaix favorite for another eleven years.  While each year his target was victory, what he did not plan was how his destiny would be written, from being second best in his youth to the oldest winner in history.  While one victory is enough for many, Duclos-Lasalle said he still felt the desire to race, and to win, and to prove his point, he defended his title in 1993.  The man he beat that April Sunday was Franco Ballerini.  Clearly the stronger rider, the 27 year old Ballerini was outwitted in the sprint by the more experienced Frenchman.  The photo finish declared Duclos-Lasalle a winner by eight centimeters.  After having raised his arms in triumph, Ballerini was inconsolable as second best.  When asked by a reporter if he had made any errors, a distraught Ballerini replied “yes, I made the mistake of becoming a bike racer.”  
 
In the 1990 Paris-Roubaix, Steve Bauer lost to Eddy Planckaert in a photo finish.  He never came close to winning Paris-Roubaix again.  Each year is a new opportunity for a rider to start with a clean slate, to change their history, to rewrite their fate in the record books. A rider can cement his legacy, or create one, with one historic ride across the stones that connect Compiegne to Roubaix.  Paris-Roubaix does not need to rely on poetry to market itself.  It lays dormant all but one day a year, rising up the second Sunday of every April to mock those riders who avoid it, and unleash a storm of brutality on those who dare tread on it. It is often said that to win Paris-Roubaix you need to rely on good luck and pray you don’t suffer from bad luck.  But what of the man who is unsatisfied with his legacy? What if he consciously decides it is up to him to change his destiny, luck or not, and redefine his place in history?
 
After his narrow defeat, how many nights did Franco Ballerini lay in bed staring at the ceiling, wondering if he had what it took to face Roubaix again, and would he ever have another shot at victory.  He could hear the demons whispering, asking him what he would do the next time he flats at a crucial moment, or finds himself in the winning break. What if you have to sprint for victory again, Franco? Is luck, good and bad, just a part of Roubaix, or do the real champions develop a mindful approach and create that winning scenario in their head, turning disaster into victory? How many times can tactics be second guessed, strength analyzed, and weaknesses criticized when missing out on what at the time may seem like your one chance at etching your name into history.  Would the sport forever remember Franco Ballerini’s 2nd place photo finish as his almost moment?
 
In 1995, the Mapei-GB team had an all-star roster at the start of Paris-Roubaix that included Johan Museeuw, fresh off his second win in the Tour of Flanders and the undisputed captain; Andrea Tafi was beginning to show signs of strength that would net him victories in Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, the Giro di Lombardia and Paris-Tours over the next eight seasons; Gianluca Bortolami was the defending World Cup champion and Wilfried Peeters was the ever faithful lieutenant.  Ballerini had woken from his nightmare and managed to finish 3rd in the 1994 Paris-Roubaix, and was again looking for his shot at redemption.  He seized his moment on this day, and rose above the mental blocks and the nightmares of two years earlier.  He took control of the race, and his destiny.  I remember receiving the first issue of VeloNews following his victory.  A glorious photo of Ballerini graced the cover, alone in the dust and on the cobbles, on his way to cementing his legacy in a race he had dreamt of winning since he watched Francesco Moser on TV in 1980.
 
Perhaps there is some analogy to be taken from this, some higher meaning.  Can riding this course that we know as l’Enfer du Nord be considered a redemptive pilgrimage, an annual penance through purgatory?  Each sector methodically removes more sin, the suffering across the minefields slowly purifying the rider until reaching the holy waters of the Roubaix velodrome, the vestige of its winners glistening from the stalls where the finishers weep.  After this symbolic cleansing, are we not now ready to face any challenge? Perhaps, but I don’t think so.  Even the devil has a hard time glorifying hell.
 
When Ballerini rode his final race in 2001, it was fittingly Paris-Roubaix, and it was for Mapei.  He finished 32nd, 8:13 behind winner Servais Knaven.  As he crossed the finish line in the Roubaix velodrome, he unzipped his jersey to reveal his undershirt that read “Merci Roubaix”.  This was his chance to say goodbye, to thank his supporters, those who never lost faith that he would return and win, to those who felt the heartbreak of those eight centimeters.  He had been to hell and back, had felt the heartbreak of losing, and ultimately seized the chance at rewriting history in the race that would ultimately come to define his career as a rider.  His untimely death has taken away the opportunity to say goodbye to him, to thank him and to let him know we never lost faith in him.  For me, the legacy is Franco Ballerini, 2-time winner of Paris-Roubaix. And that is forever. Merci, Franco.

In a strange scheduling twist, this year’s British Cyclocross Championships came after Worlds. The unusually cold weather and snow that has hit much of Europe this winter, and was responsible for the original British championship’s postponement, was gone as just about all of the competitors opted to race bare-legged.

Helen Wyman (Kona-FSA Factory Team), who seemed to struggle in Tabor’s snow during the World Championship, found redemption and repeated as Women’s National Champion. The victory marks her fifth national title, matching Caroline Alexander’s record. Just the day before, Wyman rode an impressive race in Belgium to take fifth place in Krawatencross, just off the pace of the lead foursome.Wyman put over a minute and a half into her nearest rival, Nikki Harris (AVB Cycling Team). European ‘cross scene regular Gabby Day (Cyclefit RT) rounded out the podium, 13 seconds off of Harris’ pace. A puncture early in the first lap knocked Day out of contention for the win, but she chased Harris relentlessly, closing the gap to within 10 seconds as the race reached its end, before fading off of that all-out pace.

In the Elite Men’s race, Stuart Bowers (Hargroves Cycles) took the holeshot, but the furious early pace quickly boiled the race down to Ian Field (Hargroves Cycles), Paul Oldham (Hope Factory Racing), defending champ Jody Crawforth (Arctic – Premier RT), Dan Booth (Cult Racing) and Ian Bibby (Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta).

Nick Craig (Team Scott UK), who won the Veteran’s National Championship the day before, eventually joined this front group and would go on to snag an impressive fifth place. Ian Bibby proved to be the true instigator – his relentless attacks whittled the front group down and finally, on the last lap, he was able to get a gap over his rivals. He kept the gas on all the way to the line, just holding off Crawforth’s hard chase and ferocious finishing kick.

Crawforth took second, with Oldham just outpacing Field for the final podium spot.

See also: Helen Wyman’s most recent journal posts on the Roubaix World Cup and snowed-out British Nationals.

Full Results:

Elite Women:

Position	Number	First Name	Surname	Team	CompMins	Compsecs	AtMins	AtSecs
1	1	Helen	Wyman	Kona/FSA Factory Team	42	4	0	0
2	4	Nikki	Harris	AVB Cycling Team	43	35	1	31
3	9	Gabriella	Day	Cyclefit RT	43	49	1	45
4	8	Adela	Carter	Crosstrax	45	29	3	25
5	5	Hannah	Barnes (J)	Candi TV /Marshalls Pasta	45	49	3	45
6	7	Corrine	Hall	Team Corridori	46	4	4	0
7	20	Nicola	Juniper	PCA CiclosUno/Squeezy/Isaac	46	27	4	23
8	3	Joanne	McRae	Arctic – Premier RT (NC)	47	59	5	55
9	31	Lauren	Creamer (J)	Wolverhampton Whs/Fred Williams	48	53	6	49
10	26	Anna	Buick	Thetford MTB Racing	49	52	7	48
11	27	Hannah	Bowers	Votwo.co.uk/SBR	49	57	7	53
12	14	Caroline	Goward	Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Scott/GSI	50	57	8	53
13	17	Penny	Rowson (J)	The MischiefCard.com RT	51	27	9	23
14	28	Erin	Billington (J)	Welland Valley CC	52	4	10	0
15	10	Delia	Beddis	Dulwich Paragon CC	52	8	10	4
16	15	Christine	Howard	Matlock CC/Impsport/Farmers/Wards			at	1 lap
17	23	Rebecca	Keogh (J)	Solihull CC			at	1 lap
18	11	Vivien	Cox	Team Empella Cyclo-cross.com			at	1 lap
19	24	Andrea	Halman	Swindon RC			at	1 lap
20	29	Chloe	Parrington	Welland Valley Wheelers			at	1 lap

Elite Men:

Position	Number	First Name	Surname	Team	Hours	Mins	Secs	at mins	at secs
1	53	Ian	Bibby	Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta RT	1	0	1	0	0
2	1	Jody	Crawforth	Arctic – Premier RT	1	0	3	0	2
3	43	Paul	Oldham	Hope Factory Racing	1	0	10	0	9
4	35	Ian	Field	Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Scott/GSI	1	0	26	0	25
5	71	Nick	Craig	Team Scott UK	1	0	31	0	30
6	17	Daniel	Booth	Cult Racing	1	1	9	1	8
7	79	Lee	Williams	Team Wiggle	1	1	21	1	20
8	75	William	Bjergfelt	Sportbeans/Wilier	1	1	21	1	20
9	34	Stuart	Bowers	Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Scott/GSI	1	1	54	1	53
10	52	Jamie	Newall	VC Meudon	1	2	41	2	40
11	84	Rob	Jebb	Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale	1	2	59	2	58
12	56	Steven	Ward	MTS Cycle Sport/Indbuild	1	3	7	3	6
13	41	David	Collins	Hope Factory Racing	1	3	35	3	34
14	57	Stuart	Wearmouth	MTS Cycle Sport/Indbuild	1	3	35	3	34
15	26	Ben	Eedy	Team Empella Cyclo-cross.com	1	4	36	4	35
16	73	Daniel	Duguid	Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful	1	4	37	4	36
17	82	Lewis	Craven	Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale	1	5	28	5	27
18	85	Stuart	Reid	Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale	1	5	29	5	28
19	50	Lee	Shunburne	Matlock CC/Impsport/Farmers/Wards	1	5	30	5	29
20	40	Rob	Parkin	Heanor Clarion CC	1	5	36	5	35
21	32	Michael	Raven	Extreme Sports Therapy	1	5	45	5	44
22	9	Gareth	Whittall	Beauvale CC	1	5	53	5	52
23	89	Matthew	Denby	www.zepnat.com/Xero/Bioracer	1	5	59	5	58
24	81	Michael	Cotty	Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale	1	6	4	6	3
25	42	Keith	Murray	Hope Factory Racing	1	6	25	6	24
26	45	Gary	Lingard	London Phoenix CC	1	6	25	6	24
27	48	Paul	Bethell	Macclesfield Wheelers	1	6	25	6	24
28	49	Chris	Metcalfe	Matlock CC/Impsport/Farmers/Wards	1	6	25	6	24
29	76	Crispin	Doyle	Swindon RC	1	6	53	6	52
30	5	Matt	Holmes	Arctic – Premier RT	1	7	9	7	8
31	4	Darren	Barclay	Arctic – Premier RT	1	7	15	7	14
32	38	Michael	Warner	Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Scott/GSI	1	7	19	7	18
33	65	George	Richardson	Pendragon Sports/Lecol/Colnago	1	7	27	7	26
34	60	Tim	Baldwin	Paul Milnes/Bradford Olympic RC	1	7	41	7	40
35	16	Simon	Maudsley	Crosstrax	1	7	48	7	47
36	67	Daniel	Lewis	RAF CC	1	7	50	7	49
37	99	Peter	Middlehurst	Individual Member	1	8	42	8	41
38	55	Malcolm	Lewis	MTS Cycle Sport/Indbuild	1	8	47	8	46
39	27	Richard	Lister	Endura/Thule/24/7/Kinesis/MI Racing	1	9	23	9	22
40	91	James	Furniss	www.Zepnat.com/Xero/Bioracer				at	1 lap
41	37	Matt	MacDonald	Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Scott/GSI				at	1 lap
42	96	Peter	Goode	Individual Member				at	1 lap
43	6	Gavin	Hardwicke	Ashfield RC				at	1 lap
44	58	Ben	Spurrier	Team Mule Bar				at	1 lap
45	72	James	Thompson	Sheffrec CC				at	1 lap
46	15	Colin	Miller	Coventry RC/Ridecov.co.uk				at	1 lap
47	63	Nicholas	Onslow	Pedalon.co.uk				at	1 lap
48	59	Kyle	Burleigh	Nottingham Clarion CC				at	1 lap
49	21	Anthony	Glover	Derwentside CC				at	1 lap
50	70	James	Dalton	Salsa Factory RT UK				at	1 lap
51	69	Euan	Adams	Red Kite Cycles/Torq Bar				at	1 lap
52	88	Chris	Bradley	www.Zepnat.com/Xero/Bioracer				at	1 lap
53	18	Elliot	Dinsdale	Cult Racing				at	1 lap
54	93	Robert	Wimble	www.Zepnat.com/Xero/Bioracer				at	1 lap
55	62	Karl	Norfolk	Pedalon.co.uk				at	1 lap
56	97	Andrew	Kerr	Oxonian CC				at	1 lap
57	51	Andrew	Dilkes	VC Meudon				at	1 lap
58	80	James	Cotty	Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale				at	1 lap
59	11	Mark	Davies	Cardiff JIF/Cyclopaedia				at	1 lap
60	3	Robert	Hunt	API-Metrow				at	1 lap
61	2	Joseph	Lally	CC Abergavenny/Doleq				at	1 lap
62	22	Lee John	Allen	Dinnington RC				at	1 lap
63	24	David	Rees	Dulwich Paragon CC				at	1 lap
64	23	Ian	Daws	Dream CC				at	1 lap

U23:

Position	Number	First Name	Surname	Team	Hours	Mins	Secs	at mins	at secs
1	6	Jamie	Harris	Cult Racing	0	54	38	0	0
2	11	Stephen	Adams	Langdale Lightweights RT	0	55	57	1	19
3	1	David	Nichols	Arctic-Premier RT	0	56	12	1	34
4	22	Robert	Burns	Wolverhampton Whs/Fred Williams	0	56	24	1	46
5	19	Billy-Joe	Whenman	Sportbeans/Wilier	0	57	8	2	30
6	15	Thomas	Lowe	Raleigh Avanti RT/Michelin/High 5	0	57	28	2	50
7	5	Andrew	Nichols	Cambridge University CC	0	57	44	3	6
8	2	Sam	Allen	AW Cycles.co.uk/Giant	0	57	47	3	9
9	12	Robert	Watson	Paul Milnes/Bradfoed Olympic RC	0	57	54	3	16
10	13	Matthew	Zietz	Pearsons Cycles	0	57	59	3	21
11	9	Daniel	Bill	Team Echelon – SPIUK	0	59	16	4	38
12	21	John	Whittington	University of Bath CC	0	59	38	5	0
13	10	Luke	Allen	Team Empella Cyclo-cross.com	1	2	31	7	53
14	16	Jeremy	Hicks	Rugby Velo	1	3	28	8	50
15	4	Luke	Beswick	Buxton CC/ Sett Valley Cycles				at	1 lap

Juniors:

Position	Number	First Name	Surname	Team	Mins	Secs	at mins	at secs	AtLaps
1	16	Luke	Gray	Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Scott/GSI	39	10	0	0	0
2	1	Thomas	Moses	Glendene CC/Bike Trax	39	49	0	39	0
3	31	Kenta	Gallagher	Scott UK	40	5	0	55	0
4	14	Perry	Bowater	CC Giro	40	6	0	56	0
5	4	Alistair	Slater	Bourne Wheelers CC	40	37	1	27	0
6	25	Hugo	Humphreys	Mosquito Bikes RT	40	43	1	33	0
7	24	Luke	Grivell-Mellor	Mid Shropshire Wheelers	40	52	1	42	0
8	10	Taylor	Johnstone	Team de Ver	41	0	1	50	0
9	17	Andrew	Hargroves	Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Scott/GSI	41	40	2	30	0
10	30	Steven	James	Pedalon.co.uk	42	42	3	32	0
11	7	Oliver	Webster	Crosstrax	42	46	3	36	0
12	29	Jack	Clarkson	Pedalsport CC	42	46	3	36	0
13	33	Martin	Woofindin	Sport City Velo	43	2	3	52	0
14	3	Alec	Briggs	Arctic-Premier RT	43	36	4	26	0
15	28	Ben	Roff	Orange Monkey MTB Team	43	36	4	26	0
16	20	Joseph	Home	K Home International	44	46	5	36	0
17	9	Bradley	Burbridge	www.cyclingbargains.com/Infinis/Metaltek RT	45	37	6	27	0
18	6	William	Brown	Cleveland Wheelers	46	15	7	5	0
19	34	Wilf	Sinclair	Sutton CC/De Ver Cycles	47	8	7	58	0
20	26	Samuel	Anstice	Newport Velo Youth CC	48	38	9	28	0
21	32	Jake	Blakemore	Solihull CC			at	1 lap	1

Related stories:

1. British National Cyclocross Championships Postponed
2. Wyman Takes Her U.S. Debut – Star Crossed Women’s Report
3. Get Your Bid In: Bring Masters Cyclocross Worlds to the US in 2011

The training has been going well lately. Our living situation is dialed in and I have more then 1 days worth of groceries in the fridge. Life is good. 

I finished up the first phase of my base on Monday and then had 5 days off. While, not quite off but pretty chill, other then getting back to the best gym in Tucson and working myself over. Kettle bells are way better for swings then dumb bells. Jump squats also work way better with the proper equipment. 

Meg, Winston and I logged in some running miles too. I have been trying to run twice a week this year for my training. It helps keep the muscles in good shape, builds bone density and keeps the weight off. Plus Winston loves it so it's gotta be good. 

I played some golf too. Had my best round going in a while but ran out of daylight the other day. I was crushing the drives though and hit 300, that's big for me. 

Meg and I went to the Desert Museum on Friday. That place is so cool. I hate to look at the snakes but can't help myself. They blend in so well, you gotta be careful when you step of your ride in the desert, there are plenty of venomous creatures waiting to get you like this one.

  

The cactus there are really friendly. 

 

I like this one. Notice my sweet helmet hair. 

 
 They even have mountain lions here. If you live in the west you gotta fear the mountain lion. You don't see them often but if you do it could turn out bad. You can kind of see him here, not much zoom on my phone. 

 

Tucson has been really rainy this year. It has already rained more in the last couple weeks then it usually does when I'm here for months. You don't see the washes running too often in the winter. 

 

Luckily when it rains in the desert it doesn't do it all day(usually). This is a classic Tucson picture. That is a lift kit. Meg is 5'6" so that thing has to be close to 10' tall. 

 

Sram just launched a new site for it's XX stuff, check it out at: http://sram2x10.com  They have a list of bikes speced with the XX, Specialized has 6 production bikes with it and the closed competitor only has 2. That means they give you 6 super light high end production bikes to chose from. Man I'm lucky to be on the Big S. 

Finally, here a classic Flipper shot from our Stellenbosch SA Camp. 

 

I wonder when it's going to be hot and sunny again.....

My good bud and local cross 'evangelist,' Paul McCarthy, has created an ingenious invention for us 'cross heads: Cross Propz Portable Cyclocross Training Barriers. Let me tell you about 'em....

by Dan Seaton

Zonhoven, Belgium – The Superprestige series, on hiatus since a muddy meeting in Diegem just after Christmas, resumed today on sandy, windblown hills in eastern Belgium. On a course dominated by a gigantic—and for several riders, dangerous— 15 meter deep sand pit, Sven Nys took his second victory of the weekend with a masterful attack on the final climb of the race.

From the start, it seemed like it would be Nys’ race to lose. The Belgian Champion tore out of the starting gate and immediately grabbed a lead, stringing out the field behind him on the way into the first of two treacherous plunges into the pit. Nys, skillfully navigating through the deep sand on the two descents into the pit and the accompanying runs back up the steep walls, managed to open a small gap over the rest of the race. Behind him, a number of top riders were delayed by slow traffic on both the way down the hills and the unrideable trips back up, where only a narrow path provided decent traction.

Nys was soon joined by the rest of yesterday’s podium, Zdeněk Štybar and Kevin Pauwels, who joined forces with World Championship runner-up Klaas Vantornout to cover the gap Nys had opened. But the pace slowed on the final climb of the lap, allowing several groups from behind to  make contact with the leaders. Niels Albert, Sven Vanthourenhout, Bart Aernouts and Gerben De Knegt were the first to reach the front, while American Jonathan Page and Radomir Simunek would connect on the next trip around the course.

For the next lap and a half a group of 10 riders led the race, with Štybar, Vantornout and Albert all taking turns setting the pace. Then, bombing his way through the third trip over the series of sandy descents and runs, Klaas Vantornout managed to earn a gap that, initially, only Albert, De Knegt, Nys and Štybar could close. At one point the front group would stretch their lead to nearly 15 seconds, while Page, Thijs Al, Erwin Vervecken and a handful of other riders struggled behind them. But the pace didn’t hold, and by the midpoint of the race, the lead group was again up to nearly a dozen riders.

Though the lead would change hands a few more times through the middle of the race, with Štybar, Albert and Nys all trading attacks, the decisive moments wouldn’t come until two laps before the end of the race. Klaas Vantornout again benefited from his aggressive bike handling and got a gap over the field coming through the first trip into the pit. But at the top of the second descent, Vantornout’s wheel washed out, and he careened over the handlebars, landing on his feet several meters ahead of his bike. Vantornout stood in the middle of the descent, frozen for a moment, either by surprise or concern about the group just behind him, before jogging back to his bike and continuing with the race, rejoining the back of the lead group.

At the same time, Jonathan Page, who had trailed the chase group of Al, De Knegt, and Simunek for much of the second half of the race, finally managed to connect with them, giving the American a shot at a top-ten finish.

Vantornout, meanwhile, bounced back from his tumble and dropped the hammer at the front of the race. Vantornout’s effort immediately blew Bart Aernouts off the lead group, and another brave trip through the pit left him with a bit of a gap over Štybar, Nys, Albert and Pauwels. But the lanky Belgian rider couldn’t sustain the pace, and was soon swallowed by the chasers, making it a five-man race for the win.

It was Nys, bouncing back from several difficult laps in the middle of the race, who made the decisive move. Nys went full throttle part way into the final climb of the race, then screamed down the twisting descent. The surprise move left him just a few bike lengths ahead of the competition, enough to hold off a hard charging Štybar in the final meters of the race. Kevin Pauwels finished third, rounding out the repeat of yesterday’s podium. Vantornout apparently paid for his early efforts in the final moments of the race, missing the podium, but holding off Albert for fourth.

Vervecken, whose terrible luck in Lille yesterday left him barely able to avoid getting lapped in his home town, recovered today, holding off Aernouts for sixth. Sven Vanthourenhout took a solo eighth place behind them.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Page managed to sneak around Simunek and De Knegt in the final few turns before the finish, wrapping up ninth place, his best Superprestige result of the season.

Page said that despite a slow start, he was able to push the pace through several technical sections. “Because my engine wasn’t running well, I made up time where I could,” he said. “[The descents] were more safe than I expected. I won’t lie to you, they were steep, but the sand is so fine that once you get going and let her fly a little bit, they weren’t so bad.”

“It was a hard day at the office,” he continued. “Today I had to be mentally tough. It was a very poor race at the beginning. It took me half the race to get going. But I did ok, I kept with it, I started to go better and better. I’m glad I didn’t give up.”

Štybar, whose second place finish left him tied with Albert for the overall Superprestige series lead going into the final round in Vorselaar next Sunday, told reporters that he simply couldn’t match Nys’ hard charge at the end of the race. “Sven was too strong,” he said. “I gave everything to get back, but could not. The race had been too hard.”

Albert meanwhile, who looked poised to claim the Superprestige title after a broken derailleur sidelined Nys in Diegem, said he had nothing left this late in the season. “I trained hard for this, but after the Belgian Championships I have never once had a good feeling in my legs,” he said. “I can still win the Superprestige title, but with this form I am sure I can’t do it. All I want is a vacation.”

Nys, who told reporters yesterday he was taking antibiotics to treat a minor illness, said today he chose to ride a tactical race. “During the first half of the race I found that I could quite easily come back if there was already a gap,” he said, “but the reason why I kept a low profile in the second half was that I was looking for the right moment to attack.”

Nys found his moment and showed that, despite the bad luck in Diegem, he remained the man to beat on Belgian soil. He said the win, which came at the expense of all four of the season’s most consistently strong riders, was one of his season’s biggest accomplishments.

“I think this is a great ‘cross”, Nys said. “This is in my top three along with the Belgian Championships and Koppenberg.”

While Nys celebrated, Vantornout mourned the missed shot at his first major win of the season. “At the end I was really pretty dead,” he said. “I felt the whole time that I was the only one who could get a gap. I’m pretty disappointed.”

Elite Men’s Photo Gallery:

U23 Photo Gallery:

Full Results:

Elite Men (38 starters)

1. Sven Nys 1.03.19

2. Zdenek Stybar (Tsj) 0.01

3. Kevin Pauwels

4. Klaas Vantornout

5. Niels Albert 0.112

6. Erwin Vervecken 0.18

7. Bart Aernouts 0.36

8. Sven Vanthourenhout 1.10

9. Jonathan Page (VS) 1.38

10. Radomir Simunek (Tsj)

11. Gerben De Knegt (Ned)

12. Thijs Al (Ned)1.58

13. Peter Dlask (Tsj) 2.25

14. Enrico Franzoi (Ita) 2.33

15. Dieter Vanthourenhout 2.55

16. Ben Berden 3.19

17. Mariusz Gil (Pol) 3.29

18. Tim Van Nuffel 3.38

19. Thijs Van Amerongen (Ned) 3.47

20. Winant Van Gils (Ned) 4.56

21. Eddy Van Ijzendoorn (Ned

22. JanVerstraeten 5.22

23. Tom Vanoppen 5.52

24. Martin Zlamalik (Tsj) 6.17

25. Geert Wellens 6.31

26. Stijn Huys 7.16

27. Tom Van den Bosch

28. Jimmy Tielens

29. Gianni Denolf @ 1 lap.

Overall Nissan Superprestige Competition (after 7 races)

1. Zdenek Stybar (Tsj) 95 points

2. Niels Albert 95

3. Sven Nys 86

4. Klaas Vantornout 78

5. Kevin Pauwels 77

6. Bart Aernouts 61

7. Erwin Vervecken 50

8. Gerben De Knegt (Ned) 47

9. Radomir Simunek (Tsj) 44

10. Sven Vanthourenhout 39

11. Enrico Franzoi (Ita) 36

12. Dieter Vanthourenhout 23

13. Rob Peeters 22

14. Philip Walsleben (Dui) 19

15. JanVerstraeten 12

16. Bart Wellens 11

17. Jonathan Page (US) 9

18. Francis Mourey (Fra) 7

19. Martin Zlamalik (Tsj) 7

20. Thijs Al (Ned) 4

21. Wilant Van Gils (Ned) 3

22. Thijs van Amerongen (Ned) 3

23. Mariusz Gil (Pol) 3

24. Peter Dlask (Tsj) 3

25. Ben Berden 2

26. Steve Chainel 2

27. Eddy van Ijzendoorn (Ned) 1

28. John Gadret (Fra)

U23

1. Jan Denuwelaere 51.01

2. Kenneth Vancompernolle

3. Tom Meeusen 0.17

4. Lars Van der Haar (Ned) 1.04

5. Robert Gavenda (Svk) 1.28

6. Vincent Bastiaens 1.44

7. Lubomir Petrus (Tsj)

8. Michi VanEmpel (Ned)

9. Kevin Cant 2.30

10. Wietse Bosmans

11. Kacper Szczepaniak (Pol)

12. Kevin Eeckhout

13. Karel Hnik (Tsj) 3.02

14. Mitchell Huenders (Ned)

15. Marcel Meisen (Dui) 3.18

16. Vinnie Breaet 4.23

17. Arnaud Jouffroy (Fra) 4.32

18. Corne Van Kessel (Ned) 4.42

19. Jelle Braeckman 4.51

20. Twan Van den Brand (Ned) 5.15

21. Pawel Szczepaniak (Pol)

22. Sven Beelen 5.25

23. Kristof op 5.36

24. Johan Verstraeten 6.00

25. Tijmen Eising (Ned) 6.20

26. Dries Pauwels 6.30

27. Geert Van der Horst (Ned) @ 1 lap

28. Ritchie Denolf

29. Stijn Mortelmans

30. Jonathan Bervoet

31. Sonny Volders

32. Niels Koyen

33. Robin Poelvoorde

34. Dario Stauble (Zwi)

35. Bart Barkhuis (Ned)

36. Sieën Verstraeten

37. Rutger La Haye @ 2 laps

38. Simone Samperisi (Ita)

39. Niels Dirix

40. Joachin Janssens

41. Raf Risbourg

U23 Overall Nissan Superprestige Competition (after 7 races)

1. Tom Meeusen 100 points;

2. Jan Denuwelaere 67

3. Kenneth Vanccompernolle 65

4. Jim Aernouts 59

5. Michi van Empel 55

6. Robert Gavenda (Tsj) 54

7. Vincent Bastaens 48

8. Kacper Szczepaniak (Pol) 45

9. Lars van der Haar (Ned) 42

10. Pawel Szczepaniak (Pol) 38

11. Stef Boden (35)

12. Timen Esing (Ned) 24

13. Ludomir Petrus (Tsj) 24

14. Arnaud Joffroy (Fra); 21

15. Joeri Adams 19

16. Mitchel Huenders (Ned) 17

17. Corné van Kessel (Ned) 15

18. Wietse Bosmans 15

19. Marcel Meisen (Dui) 13

20. Kevin Kant 12

21. Elia Silvestri (Ita) 11

22. Jiri Polnicki (Tsj) 11

23 . Kvin Eeckhout 10

24. Pascha Weber (Dui) 9

25. Sven Beelen 8

26. Twan van den Brand (Ned) 8

27. Matthieu Boulo (Fra) 7

28. Marek Konwa (Pol) 3

29. Karel Hnik (Tsj) 3

30. Vinnie Braet 1

31. Boy van Poppel 1.

Juniors (43 starters.)

1. David Van der Poel (Ned) 40.17

2. Laurens Sweecckx 0.33

3. Jens Adams

4. Michiel Van der Heyden (Ned) 0.53

5. Gianni Vermeersch1.08

6. Gert-Jan Bosman (Ned)

7. Xandro Meurisse 1.19

8. Mike Theunisse (Ned) 1.39

9. Jori Hofman 1.43

10. Emiel Dolfsman (Ned) 1.59

11. Floris De Tier 2.02

12. Tim Merlier 2.36

13. Jesper Baelen 2.40

14. Jon Ander Insausti (Spa) 2.56

15. Mxim Panis 3.03

16. Nicolas Samparisi (Ita) 3.08

17. Dieter Sweeck

18. Joey Van Rhee (Ned) 3.48

19. Douwe Verberne (Ned) 3.55

20. Timo Verschueren 4.03

21. Kenzie Boutté 4.21

22. Lorenzo Samparisi (Ita) 5.13

23. Jeffrey Mellemans 5.36

24. Lorenzo Pepermans

25. Matthias Ballet

26. Nick Van Dijke (Ned) 6.46

27. Jellen Schiettecatte 7.48

28. Rogin Van den Bruel

29. Michael Dhondt @ 1 lap

30. Bryan Borowski (Ned)

31. Olivier Vandevyver

32. Joni Geeraerts

33. Robin Delanghe

34. Sibe Smets @ 2 laps

35. Stijn Gielen

36. Alexander Verslegers

37. Birger Vandael

38. Niels Verdijck

39. Ruben Van Dingenen

40. Baert Van Dongen (Ned)

41. Hendrik Sweeck

42. Nick Smeers.

Juniors Overall Nissan Superprestige Competition (after 7 races)

1. David Van der Poel (Ned) 86 points

2. Mike Theunissen (Ned) 84

3. Laurens Sweeck 79

4. Michiel van der Heyden (Ned) 77

5. Gert-Jan Bosman (Ned) 69

6. Jens Adams 62

7. Danny van Poppel (Ned) 50

8. Gianni Vermeersch 45

9. Emiel Dolfsman (Ned) 45

10. Xandro Meurisse 41

11. Jens Vandekinderen 29

12. Tim Merlier 17

13. Mihael Boros (Tsj) 16

14. Emilien Vernet (Fra) 15

15. Dieter Sweeck 13

16. Matej Lasak (Tsj)

17. Jesper Baelen 12

18. Joeri Hofman 12

19. Bart De Vocht 11.

20. Jon Insausti (Spa) 11

21. Douwe Verberne (Ned) 9

22. Tomas Papstrka (Tsj) 8

23. Floris De Tier 8

24. Stan Godrie (Ned) 5

25. Jeroen Meijers (Ned) 5

26. Michael Vanthourenhout 4

27. Frederik Geerts 4

28. Lars Forster (Zwi) 3

29. Dennis Heering (Ned) 2

30. Lukas Muller (Zwi) 2

31. Daniel Vesely (Tsj) 1

32. Robin Wennekens 1

33. Maxim Panis 1.

Related stories:

1. Worlds Repeat: Albert Holds Off Stybar at Hoogstraten Superprestige – Updated – Full Report – Photo Gallery
2. Alaphilippe, Meeusen Take Juniors, U23 in Zolder – Updated: Photo Galleries, Full Results
3. Narrow Wins for Vos, Nys at GVA Trofee Krawatencross – UPDATED: Video Highlight, Photo Galleries, Full Results

The weather in Austin hasn’t been much better than the rest of the midwest, but bad weather here is nice weather in most other places. Today was nearly 60 degrees. I got on my bike to go watch a bike race. I knew it wasn’t going to be much better than watching [...]

From Cycling News, Clement's PDX. Looks like a Rhino with slightly shorter knobs. More spacing than the nasty weather standby Michelin Mud. More competition in the mud tire category?

by Dan Seaton

Lille, Belgium – Though the World Champions’ jerseys may have been handed out last week, cyclocross keeps rolling for another month, with prizes in two big series—the GVA Trofee and Superprestige—still up for grabs. Today it was the GVA Trofee, which last met in Baal on New Years Day, that picked back up with the seventh of eight stops in the series, Krawatencross.

Though temperatures moderated some from the unusually cold conditions that racers have had to contend with in Belgium since mid-December, heavy fog rolled in early and racers steered in and out of the trees, emerging from the mist and disappearing again as they made their way through each lap. The course, a flat, but winding affair on the grounds of what is normally a summertime family playground, mostly packed dirt mixed with long stretches of sand, alternated between sloppy, saturated beach and hard, fast track through the forest.

Vermeersch, Jouffroy Claim Early Victories

In the Juniors, Belgian Gianni Vermeersch took a 12 second victory over Jens Adams, while David Van Der Poel held off Diether Sweeck for the final spot on the podium.

Later in the morning, new World Champion Pawel Szczepaniak led a large field through the early laps of the Under-23 race before fading badly and finishing 25th. French rider Arnoud Jouffroy, who finished third at Worlds, took up the charge, pulling away from the field in the second half of the race to take a seven second victory over series leader Tom Meeusen. Jan Denuwelaere won a three-way sprint over Vincent Baestaens and Lubomir Petrus to take third.

Vos Takes Women’s Race with Last-Minute Dash

In the women’s race, Marianne Vos, fresh off her second straight World Championship in Tábor, stormed back from a last-lap mechanical to take the victory over Daphny van den Brand and local favorite Sanne Cant. Vos’ last-moment win, in her first race since Worlds, was a show of force after a tough fight between four of Europe’s best women racers: Vos, van den Brand, Cant, and Sanne van Paassen.

Vos may have finished the job, but van den Brand fired the first shot, surging off the line and quickly racking up a substantial lead over van Paassen and Vos, who rode in second and third place. But by the second lap, the three Dutch riders up front had come together in a single group, working together to hold off Cant, who’s effort was boosted by a hometown crowd.

Cant trailed the three leaders by perhaps as much as 15 seconds after the first lap, but surged through some of the wettest sections of the course while the leaders bided their time, connecting with the front by the end of the lap to make it a four-woman race.

Further back, British Rider Helen Wyman connected with and then shed series leader Pavla Havlikova and Reza Hormes-Ravenstijn. After a strong start, Wyman simply couldn’t match the speed of the women at the head of the race, and rode most of the way to her fifth place finish solo, some two minutes back from the leaders.

Meanwhile, the leaders traded shots. First the three Dutchwomen tried unsuccessfully to crack the Belgian Cant, then each individually took turns venturing a few meters off the front. But nothing stuck, and with one lap to go, it looked like it would come down to a four-way sprint for the win. Van Paassen ran into trouble and fell out of the lead group, then Vos’s front shifter jammed, forcing her to pit while Cant and van den Brand headed for the finish ahead of her.

Vos managed to tap some deep reserve of strength and blasted her way back into the race, first connecting with van den Brand and Cant, and then sprinting past them in the final few hundred meters. Vos hit the finish line half a wheel ahead of van den Brand, the exertion of the race’s final few minutes showing clearly on her face. Cant, who simply couldn’t match the power of Vos and van den Brand’s final sprint, took third, with van Paassen in fourth, some thirty seconds behind the leaders.

“I wasn’t able to get away” said Vos after the race. “We all tried, and sometimes we got ten meters or something, but then we came together. In the last lap I tried another time, but it didn’t work out, then I had some problems with my gear and had to get another bike. I thought the two were gone, Daphny and Sanne, but I just tried to come back and at the finish I was able to get the wheel of Sanne.”

A seventh place finish left Havlikova with the overall lead in the GVA Trofee, two points ahead of Wyman and three ahead of van den Brand going in to the decisive round of the series in two weeks.

Nys Squeaks By Stybar

In the men’s race, a timely move in the final moments of the race set up Sven Nys to edge out newly minted World Champion Zdeněk Štybar for the win. The two riders shot to the front of the race during the first lap and were never seriously challenged, eventually stretching their lead to nearly a minute over third place finisher Kevin Pauwels, who himself sprinted away from Niels Albert and Sven Vanthourenhout in the final meters of the race.

Nys and Štybar grabbed a gap just as the course opened up after the first series of tight turns, powering through the wet sand on a half-frozen beach that wrapped around a small pond in the middle of the course. For a few moments, Enrico Franzoi was able to hang on to the leaders, but soon fell back into a chase group with Gerben De Knegt and his teammate Radomir Simunek.

While Nys and Štybar were pulling away from the rest of the race, disaster struck for Erwin Vervecken, who started well in fourth place, as he broke his derailleur and was forced to run the better part of a lap to reach the pits. The mechanical trouble so early in an already fast race put to rest any hope of a finish in the top-10 for the former World Champion, in his final season of competition.

Only Pauwels managed to challenge the two leaders. Pauwels, who had a slow start, was gaining ground on the pair through the first several laps, and came within just a few bike lengths of them before suddenly fading and falling back to race together with Albert.

Albert himself had to fight his way from deep in the field after a slow beginning. He hopped from group to group, eventually teaming up with Vanthourenhout and Bart Aernouts to chase the leaders. The Albert group managed to close the gap to the front to about 10 seconds before their effort fell apart. Aernouts fell off the pace first, then Vanthourenhout, while Pauwels and Albert joined forces but continued to lose ground.

While the chase group behind them evolved through its several incarnations, Nys and Štybar continued steadily on.  Nys claimed a three point bonus by winning a second-lap sprint, then, several laps later, Nys capitalized on a bobble in the sand by Štybar, opening a quick, but sizable gap.  But Nys was forced to slow through a technical series of turns on the back half of the course, and by the end of the lap the two were back together.

“In the first half I was really suffering,” said Štybar. “I couldn’t really find my rhythm, and one time I made a mistake in the sand, and at that moment Sven was quite far away. But then I could close the gap and from that moment, I got a better feeling. In the second half I think I was on the same level.”

From the midpoint of the ten-lap race, Nys and Štybar, apparently gaining enough ground every lap to feel like at least second place was locked up, simply rode together. Nys, who looked uncharacteristically off balance at the World Championships last week, was back to his typically graceful style, looking relaxed and confident, while Štybar seemed to push his bike harder, bobbing and moving, appearing more aggressive, if no faster, than Nys.

But Nys won the tactical battle, backing off just enough in the final few turns to force Štybar to the front as the two approached the finish. Forced into leading out the sprint, Štybar could not hold off Nys, who came around him just as the two reached the finish line. Behind them, Pauwels pulled away from a disappointed Albert in the final hundred meters of the race to take the last spot on the podium, distancing Sven Vanthourenhout—who had reconnected with them in the final laps—in the process.

Despite the convincing victory, Nys told reporters afterwards that he was not feeling his best going into the race. “My head is clogged,” he said, “but not my legs.” Nys said he was forced to resort to an antibiotic for the first time in two years. “If you can win one of the big competitions, it’s worth the risk,” he said.

Nys added that he felt that both he and Štybar lacked the finishing punch they may have had before all of the trials of the season. “That was a typical late-season sprint,” he said, “but I felt like I was slightly better than Štybar. I felt the whole race like I might be a little better, but I couldn’t shake Zdeněk.”

Nys’ win and the bonus points he picked up in the intermediate sprint give him an all but insurmountable 14-point lead in the overall GVA Trofee standings, while Štybar’s second place leaves him tied for second with Albert. Kevin Pauwels and Bart Aernouts, holding fourth and fifth, are some fifty points down from third.

For Nys, abandons in both the first round of the World Cup in Treviso and the Diegem Superprestige in January all but wiped out any hope of overall victories in those series. The GVA Trofee remains the sole possibility for a major series victory this season for the man who has dominated all three of cyclocross’s biggest prizes in recent years.

After the race there were special honors for Vervecken, who grew up in Lille. Vervecken told fans that he tried his best to make a race of it, but the early mechanical left him impossibly far behind. He thanked the local fans for an outpouring of support at his final appearance in his boyhood home. “Everybody was here,” he said. “And not just my fans, but people who would otherwise never come to a ‘cross. I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Check cxmagazine.com for more soon, including full results and photos.

Elite Women’s Photo Gallery:

Elite Men’s Photo Gallery:

U23 Men’s Photo Gallery:

Highlight Video:

Full Results:

GAZET VAN ANTWERPEN TROFEE VELDRIJDEN – KRAWATENCROSS LILLE

Elite (40 starters.)

Uitslag

1. Sven Nys (Baal/Landbouwkrediet) 1:04:09

2. Zdenek Stybar (Cze)

3. Kevin Pauwels 00:56

4. Niels Albert z.t.

5. Sven Vanthourenhout z.t.

6. Bart Aernouts 01:12

7. Bart Wellens 01:44

8. Dieter Vanthourenhout 02:18

9. Rob Peeters z.t.

10. Gerben de Knegt (Ned) 02:31

11. Radomir Simunek (Cze) 0:2.40

12. Enrico Franzoi (Ita) 02:46

13. Klaas Vantornout z.t.

14. Thijs van Amerongen (Ned) 02:58

15. Thijs Al (Ned) z.t.

16. Wilant van Gils z.t.

17. Tom Van den Bosch 03:16

18. Jan Verstraeten 03:24

19. Philipp Walsleben (Swi) 04:21

20. Eddy van Ijzendoorn z.t.

21. Patrick van Leeuwen (Ned) 04:30

22. Stijn Huys z.t.

23. Jimmy Tielens 04:35

24. Christian Heule (Zwi) 04:59

25. Martin Zlamalik (Cze) z.t.

26. Marco Bianco (Ita) 05:59

27. Ben Berden 05:15

28. Erwin Vervecken 05:20

29. Quentin Bertholet 05:44

30. Gianni Denolf z.t.

31. Tim Van Nuffel at 1 lap

32. Sten Raeymaekers

33. Geert Wellens

34. Ken Smets

35. Tom De Kort

36. Jan Soetens

37. Bart Verschueren

38. Lukas Klouck

Sprint:

1. Sven Nys 3 punten

2. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) 2

3. Kevin Pauwels 1

Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee Overall (7 races)

1. Sven Nys 171 ptn

2. Niels Albert 157

3. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) 157

4. Kevin Pauwels 105

5. Bart Aernouts 103

6. Gerben de Knegt (Ned) 98

7. Dieter Vanthourenhout 85

8. Klaas Vantornout 81

9. Radimir Simunek (Cze) 61

10. Enrico Franzoi (Ita) 57

11. Erwin Vervecken 55

12. Rob Peeters 53

13. Sven Vanthourenhout 42

14. Tom Van den Bosch 34

15. Thijs van Amerongen 34

16. Mariusz Gil (Pol) 32

17. Christiann Heule (Zwi) 32

18. Francis Mourey (Fra) 31

19. Thijs Al (Ned) 29

20. Bart Wellens 28

21. Wilant van Gils (Ned) 21

22. Ben Berden 20

23. Philipp Walsleben 17

24. Jan Soetens 14

25. Jonathan Page (USA) 11

26 Petr Dlask (Cze) 10

27. Jan Verstraeten 10

28. Marco Bianco (Ita) 7

29. Ian Field (Gbr) 4

30. Quentin Bertholet 4

31. Steve Chainel (Fra) 4

32. Martin Zlamalik

33. Tim Van Nuffel 2

34. Bram Smidt (Ned) 2.

35. Eddy van Ijzendoorn (Ned) 1

Sprint Classification

1. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) 15 ptn

2. Sven Nys 12

3. Niels Albert 8

4. Klaas Vantornout  3

5. Gerben de Knegt 3

6. Kevin Pauwels

U23 (52 starters)

1. Arnaud Jouffroy (Fra) 0.53:34

2. Tom Meeusen at 00:07

3. Jan Denuwelaere at 00:11

4. Vincent Baestaens z.t.

5. Lubomir Petrus (Cze) z.t.

6. Jim Aernouts 00:54

7. Michi van Empel (Ned) z.t.

8. Kevin Cant z.t.

9. Kenneth Van Compernolle z.t.

10. Stef Boden 01:21

11. Robert Gavenda (Slk) z.t.

12. Wietse Bosmans 01:24

13. Kevin Eeckhout 01:35

14. Kacper Szczepaniak (Pol) 01:43

15. Karel Hnik (Cze) 01:47

16. Geert van der Horst (Ned) 02:18

17. Tijmen Eising (Ned) 02:29

18. Mitchell Huenders (Ned) 03:08

19. Corne van Kessel (Ned) 03:26

20. Kobus Hereygers (Ned) 04:19

21. Jonathan Bervoets 04:31

22. Kristof Cat 04:54

23. Niels Koyen 05:02

24. Dries Pauwels 05:27

25. Pawel Szczepaniak (Cze) z.t.

26. Ritchie Denolf  05:37

27. Stijn Mortelmans z.t.

28. Sonny Volders 06:21

29. Raf Risbourg 07:02

30. Ruben Verstraeten 07:011

31. Michaël Peeters 08:03

32. Rinzie De Proost 08:08

33. Ingmar Uytdewilligen z.t.

34. Edwin Arts at 1 lap

35. Sieën Verstraeten

36.Wim Thijs

37. Robin Poelvoorde

38. Kenny Maes at 2 laps

39. Vincent Van Hooste

40. Rutger Lahaye

41. Thomas Verbeeck

42. Kevin Neirynck at 3 laps

43. Simone Samparisi (Ita)

44. Jean Baptiste Taleux at 4 laps

45. Kenneth Goossens

46. Joachim Janssens

U23 Overall GvA-Trofee

1. Tom Meeusen 156 ptn

2. Jan Denuwelaere 121

3. Jim Aernouts 111

4. Robert Gavenda (Slk) 103

5. Kenneth Vancompernolle 97

6. Stef Boden 93

7. Lubomir Petrus (Cze) 76

8. Arnaud Jouffroy (Fra) 66

9. Kacper Szczerpaniak (Pol) 63

10. Pawel Szczerpaniak (Pol) 60

11. Vincent Baestaens 59

12. Tijmen Eising (Ned) 52

13. Micki van Empel (Ned) 51

14. Kevin Cant 48

15. Wietse Bosmans 46

16. Mitchell Huenders (Ned) 43

17. Joeri Adams 38

18. Jiri Polnicki (Pol) 28

19. Twan van den Brand (Ned)

20. Corné van Kessel (Ned) 26

21. Marcel Meisen (Swi) 23

22. Kevin Eeckhout 21

23. Karel Hnik (Cze) 19

24. Sasha Weber (Swi) 18

25. Vinnie Braet 14

26. Dave De Cleyn 13

27. Thomas Vernaeckt 11

28. Marek Konwa (Pol) 10

29. Kristof Cat 9

30. Sven Beelen 7

31. Lars van der Haar (Ned) 6

32. Geert van der Horst (Ned) 5

33. Boy van Poppel (Ned) 4

34. Zeb Willems 3

35. Michael Winterberg (Zwi)

36. Dries Pauwels

37. Twan Lammertink (Ned) 1

37. Sonny Volders 1

38. Kobus Hereygers

Women (29 starters)

1. Marianne Vos (Ned) 0.37:50

2. Daphny van den Brand (Ned) z.t.

3. Sanne Cant 00:03

4. Sanne van Paassen (Ned) 00:31

5. Helen Wyman (Gbr) 02:10

6. Rez Hormes- Ravenstijn (Ned) 02:16

7. Pavla Havlikova (Cze) z.t.

8. Nicolle De Bie-Leyten 02:22

9. Joyce Vanderbeken 02:33

10. Nancy Bober 03:57

11. Veerle Ingels 04:06

12. Karen Verstraeten 04:20

13. Ellen Van Loy 04:27

14. Lana Verberne (Ned) 05:35

15. Christine Vardaros (USA)06:34

16. Katrien Aerts 07:12

17. Nathalie Nijns 07:57

18. Katrien Thijs 08:23

19. Steffy Van den Haute 08:23

20. Dorien Raeymaekers 10:46

21. Jo Blanchaert at 1 lap

22. Marijke De Pauw

23. KimVan Renterghem

24. Valerie Boonen

25. Caitlyn La Haye

26. Sarah Vloemans

Stand GvA-Trofee

1. Pavla Havlikova (Cze) 75 ptn

2. Wyman Helen (Gbr) 73

3. Daphny van den Brand (Ned) 72

4. Sanne Cant 69

5. Sanne van Paassen (Ned) 60

6. Joyce Vanderbeken 49

7. Marianne Vos (Ned) 47

8. Linda van Rijen (Ned) 44

9. Sophie de Boer (Ned) 40

10. Reza Hormes-Ravenstijn (Ned) 40

11. Saskia Elemans (Ned) 31

12. Veerle Ingels 26

13. Nancy Bober 26

14. Arenda Grimberg (Ned) 25

15. Gabriella Day (Gbr) 20

16. Ludvine Henrion 16

17. Christine Vandaros (USA) 15

18. Nicole Leyten-De Bie 14

19. Nikki Harris (Gbr) 13

20. Ellen Van Loy 13

21. Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) 11

22. Pauline Ferrand (Fra) 10

23. Linda Verbeme (Ned) 10

24. Karen Verhestraeten 9

25. Jana Kyptova (Cze)

26. Cynthia Huygens (Ned) 7

27. Lucie Chainel (Fra) 7

28. Ilona Meter (Ned) 6

29. Christel Ferrier (Fra) 6

30. Katrien Vermeiren 5.

31. Rocio Gaminal (Spa) 5

32. Steffy Van den Haute 5

33. Katrien Aerts 5

34. Patsy Larno 4.

35. Nathalie Nijns 4

36. Katrien Thijs 3.

37. Sabrina Schwiezer (Swi) 2

38. Dorien Raymaekers 1

Juniors (41 starters)

1. Gianni Meersman 0.41:01

2. Jens Adams at 00:12

3. David van der Poel (Ned) 00:19

4. Diether Sweeck z.t.

5. Tim Merlier 00:38

6. Mike Teunissen 00:41

7. Inausti Jon Ander (Spa) 00:46

8. Hendrik Sweeck 00:50

9. Toon Aerts 01:30

10. Mike De Bie 02:39

11. Daniel Peeters 02:48

12. Timo Verschueren 03:05

13. Niels Ooms 03:13

14. Nicolas Samparisi (Ita) 03:35

15. Nick Van Dijke (Ned) 03:39

16. Jeroen Eyskens 03:45

17. Mike Van Aken 04:14

18. Stijn Gielen 04:25

19. Lorenzo Pepermans z.t.

20. Lorenzo Vanderschueren 04:40

21. Jordy Van Staeyen 04:55

22. Denis Stultiens z.t.

23. Dieter Van de Putte 05:55

24. Robin Delanghe 05:29

25. Jellen Schietecatte z.t.

26. Bart De Zutter z.t.

27. Lorenzo Samparisi (Ita) 07:35

28. Michael Dhondt z.t.

29. Birger Vandael 08:15

30. Tjebbe Lievens 08:30

31. Niels Verdijck at 1 lap

32. Bart Van Dongen (Ned)

33. Jens

Beginners (58 starters)

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) 0.27:43

2. Yorben Van Tichelt at 00:02

3. Daan Soeten 00:03

4. Daan Hoeyberghs 01:23

5. Toon Wouters 01:33

6. Matthias Van de Velde 02:04

7. Pjotr van Beek (Ned) z.t

8. Jens Van Rompaey 02:20

9. Gillian Verstraeten 02:28

10. Jens Couckuyt 02:29

11. Quinten Hermans 02:31

12. Tim Ariesen (Ned) 03:18

13. Bjorn van der Heyden (Ned) 03:35

14. Jochen De Vocht 03:48

15. Robbie van Bakel (Ned) 03:51

16. Jelto Veroft 03:53

17. Jeffrey Jansegers z.t.

18. Patrick Mulder (Ned) 04:11

19. Glenn Vissers 04:16

20. Onno Verheyen 04:18

21. Kenny Schellens 04:19

22. Brent Van den Bosch z.t.

23. Dieter Jacobs 04:27

24. Stig Callay 04:37

25. Stef Goormans z.t.

26. Thybo Notredame  z.t.

27. Jorne Cockaerts z.t.

28. Jochen Vervoort 04:58

29. Kyle De Proost 05.00

30. Arno Brocatus 05:02

31. Kevin Panhuyzen 05:05

32. Koen van de Ven (Ned) 05:10

33. Pepijn Martens 05:14

34. Kevin Ysenbaardt 05:18

35. Neals De  Graef 05:20

36. Hans Raeymaekers 05:40

37. Lenny Mortier 06:06

38. Nick Van Roy 06:10

39. Yves Coolens 06:11

40. Niels Buysen 06:16

41. Alexander Hanquet 06:20

42. Jasper De Meyer 06:23

43. Niels Boons 06:28

44. Nicholas De Laet 06:39

45  Evy Kuypers (Ned) 06:41

46 Tjendo De Baere z.t.

47. Arno Verberckmoes at 1 lap

48. Siebe Jacops

49. Brent Van Looy

50. Tim Truyers

51. Caren Commissaris

52. Tom Bosmans

53. Shana Maes

54. Dieter Fleurackers

55. Stijn Neirynck

56. Michiel Van Echelpoel

57. Jeffrey Cools

58. Jonathan Van Weverberg

Related stories:

1. Nys Wins At Home Again – Updated: Video, Photo Gallery, Full Results, Reactions
2. Albert wins, Nys flats in Gavere – UPDATED: Full Report, Photo Gallery, Video
3. Compton Wins Again, Another Men’s Podium Sweep at Boulder Cup – Updated: Photo Gallery, Video, Full Report, Results

Cyclocross Worlds were a week ago, and although there are still a few more weekends of good racing left in Europe, the season’s wrapping up. Right on cue, various mash-ups are surfacing. The Cyclocross Crashes Compilation, below, is a good one. Frankly, with how hard these guys race, it’s amazing that mishaps like these don’t happen more often.

Related stories:

1. 200 Laps of Dismounts, Mounts, Crashes, and Beer? The Little 500 Returns
2. Meeusen Crashes but Wins U23’s in Kalmthout – Updated: Photo Gallery
3. Cross Crusade Video Recaps – The Cyclocross Diaries #2 & #3

Now that the chaos of the 2010 Cyclocross World Championships is over and fingers and cameras have thawed out, we’ve had a chance to sort through our photos from the big event. Up next is a final men’s race photo gallery from Joe Sales. Of course, we’ve saved a few favorites for print, but here’s Joe’s pics from the event.

Related stories:

1. Worlds Repeat: Albert Holds Off Stybar at Hoogstraten Superprestige – Updated – Full Report – Photo Gallery
2. Lars Boom to Skip 2010 Worlds
3. A Photo Gallery from Toronto Day 1

Got in the van this afternoon with Bromont and headed South. It snowed 4 more inches of wet snotty snow and I was sick of it. Plus, there are some dehumidifiers down this way that want to be moved to Kansas. And, the “horrible” Texas weather looks to be clearing up. [...]

First, sounds like Boyne City is getting a mtb race at Avalanche Mountain. Format sounds like it is to be determined, but for those that haven't ridden out there, the 5 mile lap is roughly 4.5 miles of climbing and a nasty fast 0.5 mile descent. From the website:

Jonny Bold, National Champ in the 45-49 race, and recent podium finisher at Masters Worlds, has offered up some thoughts on the future of cross in the US as we head towards hosting the first World Championships outside of Europe. Have an opinion? Leave a comment below.

‘Cross Worlds are coming to town! That is the coolest thing ever. While I’m excited about 2013 [Elite World Championships in Louisville] like everyone else, I’m really pumped about 2012 (and 2013). That’s when Louisville, KY hosts Master’s Worlds.

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about pushing our Natz into January “like the rest of the world.” I disagree with that, and here are some of my thoughts as to why…

We’re not the rest of the world – our winters have the potential to be below zero in January. Heck, it’s even possible for it to get that cold in December (2009 in Bend). While lots of you will be quick to say, “Ahhhgh toughen up,” it’s not about that. I loved racing in the extreme conditions of Gloucester, Maine and Bend in ‘09. We are a huge country, Belgium is not, and neither are most of the other European countries. Travel in winter is sketchy, but if we’re talking about driving, well then we can leave earlier, drive more carefully etc. But if we’re talking about air travel – let’s face it lots of us fly to Natz – then the travel is out of our control. Storms delay flights, or cancel them.

This reason alone is why it’s frustrating and sometimes pointless to even compare the cross scenes, at the pro level, on either side of the ocean. We have big UCI races in the US just about every weekend, but it’s NOTHING like Belgium where they can drive to just as many even bigger races. Flying all over the place will just ruin you and leaves no time to actually train.

I’m all for racing after Natz, but I think it should be at the local level. If we’re just racing locally, it’s not the end of the world to change plans at the last minute. In New England, we’ll get entrants no matter what the conditions.

Also with the Worlds coming to town, would it be reasonable to ask amateurs to travel one week to one corner of the country, and then to another six days later? Six days apart is the actual race dates, but you gotta show up a day or two early. Everyone would have to fly from Natz to Worlds. Not great. Especially in this economy; when taking one big trip is a big deal, two might be unattainable.

That brings me to another point. Everyone shouldn’t go. This isn’t gonna be popular, but don’t mistake me for someone who gives a shit. There are too many entrants at Natz. It’s a friggin’ joke, a circus. Why is it that USAC requires us to qualify for Mountan Bike Natz, when a big field at mountain bike natz is 45-50 guys, but for ‘Cross it’s open to any and all?

It seems to me the only answer could be MONEY. Now, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make money, but the governing body shouldn’t pimp out its national championships. We should have national championship caliber racing at the national championships. We should not be playing bumperball with lapped traffic, two laps into the race. The first few guys to get lapped in masters races at Natz are just awful bike riders. Slow, unpredictable, clueless, usually heavy, terrible bike handlers. Guys racing for National titles shouldn’t have their races threatened by this situation. (Marky Mark McCormack, 2007, Kansas).

This isn’t little league where all the kids play two innings so they don’t cry or shoot up a school. At Natz in Bend this year, Coates and I went through at least 40 lapped guys. USAC should limit the field, require qualifying, pull riders about to be lapped at both pits, the start/finish, and maybe two or three other designated spots on the course BEFORE they get lapped.

Anyway, the point of this isn’t to rant about USAC. I could go on forever on that one. The point is to say, let’s practice a little self discipline. In Belgium, I discovered that there are lots of good racers, but the very fastest guys are the only ones to show up for Natz. I know, I raced in their Natz. The guys that don’t stand a chance of being top-25 or 30 don’t bother going. At Masters Worlds, the fields were about 55-60 riders and it truly was international. Fields any bigger than that are pointless. Now I know it sucks and it’s a bit elitest to say “just fast guys should be at Natz.” Lets face it, in this country “Natz” has become the biggest party of the year. Cross certainly has the coolest culture and I love a party as much as the next guy BUT, you know who’s partying? The back half of all the fields. The front half are buckled down, focusing on finishing off their season with a good result. Then we party afterward.

If Natz are bad, then won’t Worlds be worse? We can’t just allow anyone to enter who wants to. With some fields near a ridiculous 200 rider count at Natz, you can safely assume that lots of foreigners are gonna want to try out ‘cross in the USA for Worlds, so we’d have over 200 riders in some fields. Thats awesome that it’s that popular and also very cool that it’s in our yard, but it would be hugely irresponsible to allow the race to swell with that many entrants and turn it into another circus.

Before you suggest we make the laps longer so it’ll be less likely to lap riders, think about what ‘cross is. The risk is making it less exciting, and drawn out laps will change the whole dynamic. ‘Cross will “jump the shark” and go the way of mountain biking in the 90’s if we tweak it like that. Six to eight minute laps work well for the spectators, commentators and racers.

So I’m trying to say that I think Natz should stay put or, if anything, happen earlier. It’s always such a shock to the system to have everyone trying to peak for the biggest race of the year and then just shut it down right after. There are thousands of us racing cyclocross, how many continue on to Europe after Natz? Maybe ten? 20 tops on any given year. Why not have it in mid-November so everyone can play with that peak fitness for a while? The races after Natz would be really exciting too. Local series like our New England Verge series could have races after Natz without asking promoters to have races after Christmas, risking low turnout and lost income. Right now we look at the second week of December as the finish line. If we have Natz in November, then there will obviously be racing after Natz, and since we’re back to racing locally at that point, the possiblity of continuing on farther will be much better, I think.

That’s another thing: with Natz where it is, the following weekends are filled by major holidays. Some of us will be psyched to race again Jan. 7th or so, but the majority will shut it down. In Europe they have Natz, and then Worlds and then they keep racing after that. Are we gonna do that too? No, we’d try like crazy to hold our fitness into January, do Natz and then stop, just like we do now. Also, if you have Natz in November, you might see a lot more pro roadies trying to hold their form for ‘cross Natz, since it’s a reasonable time frame vs mid December. Either way, Natz shouldn’t be the last race of the year, but if it’s mid December or mid January, it will be (in this country).

Also, lots of U23s and Juniors never get to race in their National Champion kits. If you win Natz in your last year of the Juniors or u23s, then the following year you can’t wear it. If it’s in November, those few would at least be able to wear the Stars and Bars a few times in races.

I’m just sayin’…open your mind.

-Jonny Bold

What do you guys think of such Bold words?  Drop a comment below!

Related stories:

1. A Check-In With Ryan Trebon: Thoughts on the 2010 Worlds
2. The Last Words and Tweets from Racers at Tabor
3. Spectacular Bold Takes Elite Men’s Competition at Mud-Filled Spectacross

Maldagem, Belgium – Just three days after claiming his World Champion stripes, Zdenek Stybar was back on the race course flaunting his new kit. Post-Worlds celebrations may have gotten the better of Stybar, however, who only managed to muster a seventh place.

Perhaps making up for his late season disappointments was Niels Albert, who took the Parkcross win after pulling out of the World Championship race midway through on Sunday. Albert has dominated for much of this season’s cyclocross calendar, including four World Cup wins, most recently in Hoogerheide. But an incident with a fan led to a broken rib and may have been the difference in his quest to defend as World champ and for the overall World Cup title. The win in Maldagem marks his 16th of the season.

Sven Nys led the Parkcross race up until the last lap, when he crashed and faded back to fourth. Albert took the win three seconds in front of Kevin Pauwels and another 13 in front of Bart Wellens (both Telenet-Fidea).

“I didn’t have any thoughts of revenge from Worlds,” said Albert. “When I did this race last year after winning the world championship, I was only 13th. I know what it feels like in your first race touring around the rainbow jersey.”

“Festivities here and there have taken their toll,” assented Stybar. “This jersey gives me a very special feeling, of course. The coming days are much more important. That’s why I’m going training seriously for a couple of days. I want to prove myself in some races.”

Video Highlights:

Full Results:

1	Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus	1:02:56
2	Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team	0:00:03
3	Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team	0:00:16
4	Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet	0:00:44
5	Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb Revor	0:00:52
6	Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Sunweb Revor
7	Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team	0:01:20
8	Tom Meeusen (Bel) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team
9	Kenneth Van Compernolle (Bel) Sunweb Revor	0:02:24
10	Marco Bianco (Ita)	0:02:37
11	Kevin Cant (Bel) AVB Cycling Team
12	Stijn Penne (Bel) SDC – Rogelli Cycling Team
13	Gianni Denolf (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus
14	Kenny Geluykens (Bel) Scott USA Cycling Team
15	Bert De Wispelaere (Bel) Wielerteam Morel & Zn – De Pinte
16	Dries Pauwels (Bel) Empella Czech Team
17	Patrick Bassez (Bel) Edegem Bicycle Club V.Z.W.
18	Sam Govaert (Bel)
19	Jean Baptist Taleux (Fra)

Related stories:

1. Stybar Succeeds in Gazet Van Antwerpen Trofee, Albert Retains Overall
2. Albert Bounces Back in Hoogerheide, Štybar Holds Overall Title – UPDATED – Full Results, Photos
3. Worlds Repeat: Albert Holds Off Stybar at Hoogstraten Superprestige – Updated – Full Report – Photo Gallery

by Josh Liberles

Bend, Oregon – Based on just-completed research, cyclocross events can be significant money-makers for US communities. The USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships this past December brought 2,460 visitors and $1.09 million in direct tourist spending to Bend, according to a recent economic impact study commissioned by Visit Bend and performed by Central Oregon Research Services. This equated to $462,000 in labor income and 17 full- or part-time jobs.

Trying to convince your town to support cyclocross? This study is great ammunition to champion your cause.

“We could not have asked for a better turnout for these championships during one of Bend’s slowest tourism periods of the year,” said Doug LaPlaca, president and CEO of Visit Bend. “Not only was the short-term economic impact significant, but the editorial coverage and word-of-mouth exposure will have significant long-term benefits for the community as well.”

Visitors came from 43 states and stayed for 3.6 nights, on average.  Apparently some of the ‘cross community has some cake, too; those in town for the Championships were twice as likely as typical Americans to have household incomes over $100k.

The event could even have impact on the area’s hurting real estate market. According to the study, 10% of respondents were “definitely” interested in purchasing real estate in Bend as a result of their visit, while 39% were “possibly” interested. 42% of the participants had never been to Bend before.

“If we can get someone to visit Bend one time, we are confident that not only will they return, but they will encourage their friends and family to visit the destination as well,” said LaPlaca. “What’s more, with such a high percentage of event attendees indicating that they were likely to consider moving to Bend or buying real estate as a result of attending Cyclocross Nationals, there is an additional long-term real estate benefit to hosting events such as this.”

With the World Championships coming stateside for the first time ever – Masters in 2012 and 2013, Elites in 2013 – will you contribute even more than this to Louisville’s economy? Take the poll on the right of the CXMagazine.com home page.

Related stories:

1. Not Yet Registered for Bend? – Late Fee Looming for Nationals Registration
2. Killer B’s Swarm Nationals in Bend – UPDATED: Full Results
3. Bend Prepares for Cyclocross Invasion

This Sunday is my next speaking engagment.  Its at the ECOPOP fair - basically a celebration of everything GREEN.  On their facebook page, they describe this event as "ECOPOP / bio lifestyle fair / is the first mainstream fair about everything that comes close to bio - eco - sustainability or organic stuff..."  What an honor to speak there!  I am going as a spokesperson for Organic Athlete and In Defense of Animals.

I am actually very excited about it even though i havent really settled on what i am to talk about.  It is at 3pm in Kortrijk, Belgium for anyone who wants to send me good vibes or, better yet, show up and pretend to be entertained!!

On another topic, I just received my international press/media ID card in the mail this week.  It is nice to now have all access to events. Then again, i have always had all access to events without the card so I guess not much will change now that i have it. Even so, it's fun to have. 

There are only three races left to the season then it's off the cross bike for a bit of time.  It will be strange to ride a road bike again after all these months. I wonder if i remember how to clip into the bike with my road shoes.  What will be stranger than getting on the road bike after a few months will be getting on a mountain bike after MANY years!! That's right. I am once again making use of my pro mountain bike license.  My first mtb race is March 21st, and April 4th is my first UCI mtb race. Depending on how they go, I may or may not race the Houfalize World Cup in Belgium. We'll see....  Either way if feels invigorating to be doing something other than the usual road racing over the summer.

With the mtb races so soon after cyclocross season, I'll be skipping the usual post-season break off the bike.  There is also another event that i want to have some fitness for - Tour of Cyprus which is from 25-28 March.  They have two separate events - one for cyclotourists where you ride your own speed, and the other is for racers - men and women, everyone together.  Jonas and I are doing the latter, which means that we will be standing at the start line every day with pro riders and pro teams like Turkish national team, Greek teams, etc. I still havent seen the start list so I am a little nervous, especially since most of the stages are climbing-heavy.

But even if we finish behind the race, we will at least finish before the cyclotourists which gives us more time to sit around and do nothing, maybe drink a couple extra glasses of wine while we wait for everyone to arrive.  To greet the cyclotourist riders upon their return is Jonas with his camera. He is one of the official cameramen for the event.  He is even upgrading his camera for the event.

My next race is this Saturday in Lille, Belgium. It is the penultimate round of the GVA Trofee.  It is the most sand-heavy event of the season. It will be a total Challenge Grifo XS tubular kind of day! CLICK HERE to see a video of the race. After my race i will be interviewing the new U-23 World Champion Pawel Szcepaniak of Baboco-Revor. Coincidentally he rides on the same bike as I - the Zannata Z45 Cross bike designed by 5x World Champion Roland Liboton.  

Thanks for reading! And by the way, we almost hit 10°C here in belgium - a first in many months!!! I think i even saw what resembled a sun.

A friend of mine, Nick Frey, who is currently riding for Jamis/Sutter Home professional team, has started a business making bamboo frames. He’s in production now. You should check out his website- Boobicycles.com. It’s not fully up and running, but I’m sure it will be soon. The frames are beautiful.

By good bud Brian Patrick of OnSight Media knows cross…as he’s ALWAYS in the thick of it, boots on, feet in mud, trotting around our courses with his hi-end cameras in tow shooting us in all our snotcicle-hanging glory.

He’s released a DVD that’s compiled the 2007-2009 State Championship races here in Colorado plus some bonuses like the 35 Opens from Blue Sky Velo’s race at Xilinx this year.

Local folks can head to Boulder Cycle Sport to pick up your copy for $20.

Remote or lazy folks can order on line here. Same price plus S & H.

 

Come re-live the glory…and the snotcicles…all in the comfort of your own home and flat screen.

With the exciting news of the 2013 UCI Cyclocross World Championships as well as the 2012/2013 Masters Cyclocross World Championships heading to Louisville, Kentucky, are you planning on making the trip to Louisville?  Planning on attending in 2012? Starting to save up for 2013? Don’t care? Go to USGP every year anyway?  Or getting the big hat and floral dress ready to party at a different kind of race? Take our poll on the right and let us know.

It’s never too early to get your costume ready. Here’s how some folks do it for that other big race:

Related stories:

1. New Poll Added – Racing Dirty or Clean?
2. New Poll Added: What Was Your First Form of Bike Racing?
3. New Poll: Women’s Pay; Old Poll: Mud Clearance Is Key

by Dan Seaton

Tábor, Czech Republic – Though talk of an American World Championships had been circulating for almost two weeks, rumors became fact on Friday, when the UCI’s Management Commission voted to accept a bid by the city of Louisville to host the 2013 World Cyclocross Championships.  While in Tábor for the 2010 Worlds, Cyclocross Magazine had a chance to discuss the prospects for ’cross’s first Worlds on this side of the Atlantic with two of the sport’s biggest stars.

Newly crowned World Champion Zdeněk Štybar, who appears on the cover of the current issue of Cyclocross Magazine, told us that he appreciated the support of his American fans and looked forward to bringing the sport’s highest level of racing to them.

“You know, I have done interviews for [Cyclocross Magazine] with Christine [Vardaros], so I really look forward to doing the championships and some other races there,” he said.

Štybar echoed an often-repeated sentiment among European racers since the news broke, that he hoped the Americans could rise to the challenge of putting together the biggest cyclocross event that North America has ever seen. “I just hope they can organize it really well and that it will go on,” he told us. Štybar, who spoke to us while leaning on a brand new bike painted with special World Champion’s graphics, added that he was already motivated to make the trip.

“I hope I can go,” he said. “I will do everything to be there at the start.”

Sven Nys—who may be cyclocross’ most recognized star—recently replaced Erwin Vervecken as the athlete representative to the UCI’s Cyclocross Commission, and as a result, has been involved in discussions about how to grow the sport in America for some time. Nys told Belgian newspaper Gazette Van Antwerpen recently that he would postpone a possible retirement from competition in order to race Worlds in the US.

The gesture, which came a week before the vote on the location of Worlds for 2013, may have played a part in ensuring the success of the American bid.

In a conversation with Cyclocross Magazine, Nys confirmed his interest in a World Championships in the US. “I’m going to try to go,” he said, “because it’s something special for cyclocross. It’s good for the promotion of the sport that it’s in another place than Europe. And of course I want to be there for maybe my last year. I’m really excited about the World Championships in the US.”

Though American racers had mixed success at this year’s World Championships, Nys told us that Europeans recognize that both the competition and calendar in the US are quickly emerging as equals to that of Europe.

“We know in Europe that there is something growing in the US about cyclocross. And I have a good feeling about it,” he told us.

But Nys added that a future Worlds is not the only race he would like to do overseas. “Maybe I can come a few years before,” he said, more than hinting at the possibility of an early-season appearance before Louisville. “I’d like to come also for something like the races in Las Vegas. I’d like to come, but it’s a little bit difficult because I do the mountain bike races before and the Worlds in Canada, and then the first big, important races in Europe are really fast after the races in Vegas. So we’ll see what comes next, but I’d like to come.”

You can replay our live coverage from Saturday and Sunday and find all of our reports and photos in our 2010 Tabor Cyclocross Worlds Coverage Center.

Related stories:

1. Nittany Lion and Charm City Ready to Kick Off East Coast UCI Racing
2. CrossVegas Live Coverage
3. Driscoll Surprises, Compton Dominates at CrossVegas

This photo was blowing my mind today.

Quarq power meter.

Shimano Di-2 component group with 48 tooth chainring(I ran the 48 tooth chainring at cx vegas!)

Ridley X-Knight frame (world champ pedigree!)

K-Edge chain watcher.

My sponsors last cx season were legitimate. Top equipment.

That’s all I got.

This box is obsolete. It’s about time!!!

Have a gander of Pete's presentation to a great group of folks who came to hear about racing in Belgium...and as you'll learn, a history of American Cyclocross as told by storyteller, Pete Webber. Thanks to the wonderful sponsors and OnSight Media (Brian Patrick) for hosting and documenting the event.

Continue watching the rest of the videos...

The 2009/10 Tennessee State Cyclocross Championship Race rolled, er, slid its way into Winged Deer Park this past Sunday amid what was touted as the "Storm of the Century". Overnight, rumours ran rampant about massive snowfall amounts, enough to lose Gary Coleman in. Bread and milk shortages, random senseless acts of senselessness and up to but not including total anarchy.

I woke up Sunday determined to stay snowed in. My January so far has been total shit and there is no way I was going to take a chance on having fun on the last day of it. My fate was sealed when I turned on my computer to watch some of the live coverage of the Cyclocross Worlds going on in the Czech Republic. After watching that for a bit, I loaded up my Vassago Optimus mountain bike ( I figured there was a better chance of taking it with the conditions than there would be on my cross bike) and headed out.

I got there in time to get registered and ride a few laps of the totally covered-in-snow-and-slop course and at that point almost went back home. It was tough. By normal standards it was nothing too technical and would have been fast. Add 5 inches of snow and it was like riding in deep sand and someone ran the Pamplona Bulls through with a bad case of diarrhea. I talked myself into staying and chatted with some of my friends until time for the race to start.

I got a crappy starting spot and came off the line in nearly last place. Fighting for a good position before we entered the course off of the starting straight, I managed to get a decent spot. There was zero places to pass. I went out in the deep snow, out of the racing line (if you can call a shit colored wet line in the snow a racing line) and ohboy that was tough. There was absolutely no settling in on this course. No place to recover. By the second lap I was so far deep in the red zone, I thought I was going to puke. I had made it up to 7th behind my buddy Rich Kidd and had brief moments of thinking about challenging him. Rich is strong and a good bit younger than me so I doubted I could make a pass stick but I still tried to get close enough.

I dug too deep too long though and settled in somewhat in the last half-lap and cruised on home in 7th.

I was happy that I did go out and try. I had fun and that's something that I really needed.

Many, many thanks to Dwayne Letterman and all the volunteers that work selflessly to set-up and take down the courses and all the other myriad of tasks that go into putting on a MSG race.

Please RSVP to me with how many people you are bringing.

Jared Roy
jaredmroy@hotmail.com
970-389-8456

Must not be much going on in the 'cross world this week so this old story resurfaces once again...

Niels Albert is the Flemish Tiger Woods? Supposedly several girls have reported the story that they are his ex-mistresses, six. Albert doesn' deny the story and says that it happened in a period between two other relationships. One of his girlfriend was even a Nys supporter. If that isn't strange...fast bikes, fast cars, fast women.

With Stybars World title he now says, " My two life goals have been achieved. Winning the World cup and Champion. I think wining the World Cup is more important than the World Title." and now he has his sights firmly set to try and take a third title in the SuperPrestige from Albert who is leading him by 3 points with 2 races left to go. One being this weekend in Zonhoven, Belgium.

Sven Nys also made Flemish news today saying that the Worlds were, " very dramatic" and that he is gradually realizing that his generation is retiring. He went on to say that the Belgium's can't expect to win medals with riders like Albert & Meeusen. Svens podium appearance Sunday with eyes like fireballs was also sorta reminiscent of St Michielsgestel 2000 when Mario De Clercq was second and Nys was third on that day to lucky Richard Groenendaal. Although Nys had no shot at this title.

Cyclocross Magazine’s coverage of the World Championships in Tabor isn’t over yet.  Staff members have been scouring the interwebs for anything ‘cross related, just to keep the season alive a little longer. CXM has been virtually attached to phones, pdas and laptops searching for each little bit of information coming from your favorite racers. So here are some of the tweets and posts, quotes and quips from some of the top ‘cross racers in the world – along with some commentary from the very tired but still caffeine-buzzing staff.  And in case you missed it, you can replay our live coverage from Saturday and Sunday and find all of our reports and photos in our 2010 Tabor Cyclocross Worlds Coverage Center.

Tim Johnson (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com, 14th place in Tabor):

“Listening to Richard Fries’ dress rehearsal for L’Ville Worlds…great job, can imagine some jaws were dropping and heads a’tilting to the side.”  Long-time American cyclocross announcer Fries got the call-up to emcee the show in Tabor. Sounds like TJ’s planning on being with us a little longer at least.

“Gooooood morning Tabor. My alarm clock was beaten to the punch by UCI dudes sucking blood outta my arm. Merci buckets.”  And you thought your alarm was tough to deal with.

After the race, Johnson let all the supporters out there know that he appreciated the effort. “Done and done! Moved up as I could, had hoped to hit top-10…almost. Course was nuts, thanks for the yelling here, tweets and good vibes!”

Amy Dombroski (Luna, 14th place in Tabor):

“12 hours and 7 minutes til kick-off…lights off now, lights bright tomorrow…like a flippin shooting star on acid.” There’s a level of excitement not often seen.

“Dun, done. Mega race today- THANK you all for ALL the support and g’luck wishes, I pedaled a pedal stroke for everyone.” In addition to being a badass on the ‘cross course, Amy D has quite the flair for writing. Here’s hoping we can keep her contributing posts to CXM!

Jonathan Page (Planet Bike, 30th place in Tabor):

“Bad luck AGAIN! I am pretty disappointed but have come to realize that it seems to follow me! On lap 2 my chain got caught between the crank and the chainrings. I could NOT get it out. Then had an open front quick release, so had to stop again. Tried to make up time by taking risks and only ended up crashing. Not my day. Sorry all…” Heads hit laptops across the world when that chain jammed.  We’re frustrated FOR you JP!

Laura Van Gilder (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes, 31st place in Tabor)

“Epic race. The well-wishes helped keep the fire burning. It was an honor to represent the US, already looking forward to next ‘cross season to build the skills. Thanks everyone.” I’m beginning to sense a theme here. Shouldn’t we be thanking them?

Ryan Trebon (Kona/FSA, 50th in Tabor):

“Hopefully I can finish more than two laps tomorrow, unlike last year. I’ll be on the look out for low flying objects.” Those aren’t low-flying objects to the rest of us, Treefarm.

Jeremy Powers (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com, 41st place in Tabor):

“Ahh last race of season looms…Proud to be able to represent the USA tomorrow at the world championships & can’t wait til 2013 in the USA!” Louisville has no idea what’s headed it’s way, does it?

EuroCrossCamp:

“Yannick Eckmann snags 14th today at World’s in Tabor! Other ECXC Alum finishes: Zach McDonald & Danny Summerhill in the top end of the bracket at 28th and 29th, respectively, Cody Kaiser 33rd, Chris Wallace 39th, Jeff Bahnson 44th, Skyler Trujillo 53rd & Matt Spinks 57th.  No, this isn’t from a racer, what can we say, Yannick and the rest of the young ‘uns deserved a mention.

Marianne Vos (Nederland-Bloeit, World Champion (Duh!)):

“Blue – Red – Black – Yellow – Green, is all I can think about right now… No I’m not drunk, I’m just really happy with my new rainbow jersey!” One of the fastest bike racers in the world is also one of the most humble.  Congratulations Marianne!

Meredith Miller (Cal-Giant Berry Farms, 12th place in Tabor):

“Keep my arms relaxed. Keep my arms relaxed. Keep my arms relaxed. Pedal, pedal, pedal.” I can’t think that clearly during the local practice.

“Fantastic day in Tábor! Congrats to Marianne Vos for a stellar ride!! Just outside of the top 10 for myself. First CX worlds so I’m happy!!” Yeah…we guess that’s acceptable for a first stab.

Sanne van Paassen (ZZPR.nl-Destil-Merida, 9th place in Tabor):

“Not good enough at this beautiful parcours to excel. Jammer, became 9th. But still three races left this season with the chance to score!” We have no idea what Jammer means either.

Related stories:

1. Bold Words – Thoughts on Nationals and Worlds in the US
2. The Ice Weasels Cometh – A Favorite of Racers and Spectators
3. Spectators and Racers Tackle Mud, Heat and Sun at Spectacross

I went up to Seattle for a couple days to help a pal last Wednesday. I met up with old pals and new, then spent Thursday evening playing video games with my little brothers and dad. I dialed in their bicycles and went for a little shred around the neighborhood with them. The trip was brilliant and now I am rolling hard into a new week.

I drove through Olympia and thought about this video. Though, this may actually be Portland. And, yes I’ve been to a Hazel show. Shit was crazy times.

Women’s cycling! PRO women’s bicycle racing!

Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 Team from Jim Fryer/BrakeThrough Media on Vimeo.

I was a fan of PROMAN. And I was a fan of Peanut Butter and Co. Now I can enjoy both flavors at the same time!

I’ve been fascinated with hummingbirds for a long time. I had a bike riding experience that left a imprint that never left. One of the first years I rode the Coor’s Race in Colorado, I had driven to Boulder to train and acclimate. Foolishly, I decided to ride the complete Boulder Mountain Road [...]

Before you forget that still-muddy skinsuit you left in a corner of the basement after your last race and put your bike away for this “offseason,” Dave Drumm has some tips that will help preserve your rig and have it ready to roll when it’s finally another ‘cross season already.

This is the tenth installment in our series of from-the-crew-pits tips. Some will be straight-forward, others more involved, but they’ll all help you to keep your cyclocross bike humming smoothly along. Catch up on the last article about the daily maintenance and inspection routine.

by Dave Drumm

Cyclocross season has ended for almost all of us and it’s time to hang up the bike. Before you do, there are a few things you can do to ensure it’ll be ready to roll when the time comes. First thing’s first: clean your bike. Before you hang it up, clean it well and give it a good inspection as outlined in the previous Mechanical Mondays post.

Once the bike has been cleaned, dried and inspected, it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. The level of detail depends greatly on your mechanical fortitude. If you have the trust in your abilities and the right tools for the job, strip the bike to the frame and clean and inspect everything. Remove the brakes, stem, front fork, crank and bottom bracket.  As you pull each piece, inspect it, clean it (including the BB shell) lube and reassemble.  Make note of suspect parts like headset bearings and bottom brackets as you go and replace as necessary or keep a detailed list of problems that you’ll need to address before the start of the next season. If parts are worn, it’s a good time to think about upgrades.

If  stripping your bike down to the bones is a challenge you care not to tackle, give the bike bike a good once-over. Make sure everything is clean and moving freely. Using electrical tape, mark the seatpost height where it makes contact with frame. Remove the seatpost and flip the frame upside down. If water comes out, let the bike dry overnight before cleaning, lubing and reinserting your seatpost. If you have a carbon frame and seatpost,  be sure to use a carbon paste for this and not regular bike grease.  If a lot of water comes out, it’s a good idea to remove the bottom bracket and inspect an clean and lube the BB shell threads. If you don’t have the tools and know-how, you can always call a friend and do this over a beer or two. You don’t want moisture trapped in a frame that is going to sit stagnant for a length of time. Once you are sure that the frame is moisture-free, put a dab of grease on the BB threads and reinstall. Lube your seatpost with a small amount of grease or carbon paste and reinsert it.

Lube the chain with your normal chain lube and give a quick spray of WD-40 to moving bits of your Derailleurs. Lube your cables using the technique I mentioned in the previous Mechanical Mondays post. Inflate your tires to around 40psi. Your bike is now ready for storage.

Store your bike in a dry area. If you have tubular tires, it’s a very good idea to store them in an area that is moisture-free and without drastic temperature changes. It’s also important to keep tubulars out of direct sunlight – UV rays can damage the tires by drying out the tread and casings. Prolonged exposure to moisture can cause your sidewall casings to rot. So keep them inflated and in a dry, somewhat dark and temperate place, like a basement or closet. If you remove your tubular ‘cross tires, make sure that you store them with air in them and that they remain round – do not fold them. Garden hose hangers work well for this.

If you clean and lube your bike and store it in a dry area, it will be ready to go when you are. For me, cyclocross season is officially over and the prep for a busy road season begins.

Dave Drumm
Equipment Manager, Head Mechanic
Webcor Builders Pro Cycling Team
http://jetsetbikemechanic.wordpress.com/

Related stories:

1. Gut-Wrenching Mechanical Mondays: A Very Low-Tech, End of Season Tech Tip
2. Gut Wrenching Mechanical Mondays: Hoods Up for Better Control
3. Gut-Wrenching Mechanical Mondays: The Conical Brush

With Cyclocross Worlds coming in 2013, the stakes have been raised for ‘cross in the States. Perhaps drug testing will as well? With dietary supplements, the risks aren’t just false positives but true health risks. Be safe and know what you’re taking. To help you do so, USADA has released a video on dietary supplement safety. Full details below.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – February 1, 2010 - The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) today launched a public education video called “American Roulette” under its Supplement Safety Now (www.SupplementSafetyNow.com) initiative. In the brief video, Dr. Pieter A. Cohen of Harvard Medical School characterizes taking dietary supplements as playing American roulette based on his study of the issue. His findings were published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine (Oct.15, 2009).

“The problem is that we have a lot of dangerous supplements, but we don’t know which ones they are,” explains Dr. Cohen in the video, located at www.SupplementSafetyNow.com.

Dr. Cohen stresses that when consumers buy dietary supplements, they are potentially buying a cocktail of dangerous and toxic ingredients that are unlabelled. “In the ideal world, it’s just a cocktail of dietary ingredients. But by law, tissue and glandular extracts can be included. We have also found a wide range of contaminants: the wrong plant, toxic plant material, heavy metals, bacteria, fungus, as well as prescription medications.”

The potential consequences of consuming the wrong dietary supplement, warns Dr. Cohen, include liver failure, the need for a liver transplant, heart attack, stroke and addiction to the substance.

Like USADA and its partners in the Supplement Safety Now public protection initiative, Dr. Cohen, who’s also an Internist at Cambridge Health Alliance, finds significant cause for concern with the current regulatory environment of the dietary supplement industry, and has joined the effort to affect positive and healthy change so that consumers can have confidence in all nutritional supplements.

USADA launched Supplement Safety Now (www.SupplementSafetyNow.com) in partnership with the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the U.S. Olympic Committee and other national sports and health organizations, urging Congress to refine the regulatory framework to ensure that all supplements sold over the counter, in retail stores and online, are safe and free of dangerous steroids and other drugs.

To date, joining the MLB, NFL, the USOC, NBA and NHL in their support of Supplement Safety Now are: USA Swimming, USA Triathlon, USA Gymnastics, USA Track and Field, USA Cycling, U.S. Lacrosse, U.S. Tennis Association, the PGA Tour, the NCAA, The Center for Drug Free Sport, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Swimming Coaches Association.

About USADA

USADA is the non-profit, independent and non-governmental entity responsible for the testing and results management process in the U.S. for athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, upholding the Olympic ideal of fair play, and representing the interests of athletes. USADA is dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs. The agency manages a drug reference phone hotline and Global Drug Reference Online, conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as curriculums, themed brochures and nutrition and dietary guides, easy-reference wallet cards for the prohibited substance list, periodic newsletters, and protocol and policy reference publications, all of which can be found at www.USADA.org.

CONTACT:

Erin Hannan, Communications & Outreach Director

Phone: (719) 785-2009

E-mail: ehannan@usada.org

Related stories:

1. New Product Spotlight: Extreme Endurance Dietary Supplements
2. Shoe Week Supplement: Keep Your Kicks Dry with Dry Guy
3. Reposting for Safety: Felt F1x Cyclocross Bike / Fork Recall

Well, if you read my last post, you know that I have been sick. So, I did not go up to Tennesee for the TN State Championship.  I was bummed, but there was no way I could pull a decent result without spending any time on the bike the past several weeks. But I was itching to get back on my bike.  So, even though I had been sick and had not been on the bike in the past 2 weeks and only once in the past 3.5 weeks, I heading up to the final race of the Rome winter mini-series.  My LBS (Cycle Theraphy) is the main sponsor of this race and one of the local guys has a few acres where they put this on.  It was a lot of fun.  Not a huge turnout, but we have to start somewhere.  And in the past there have not been any races in Georgia after the 1st weekend of December.  But with the milder winter, it is a great time to do some races.  Hopefully this will pick up speed.  Bob Kuhn, with HUP United really helped pull this series together.

So, I didn’t have any high hopes, but I wanted to race and wanted to support the local scene.  Of course, we had tons of mud again like we have had most of this season.  I’m starting to feel a little more comfortable with the bike handling in the mud, but it really sucks the power out of your legs.  It was like riding in quicksand yesterday.  I did a brief warmup and starting the first race (CX4).  I was comfortably in the lead group after the start.  Then one of the guys made a hard push and broke us up.  I tried to stay with the leaders, but the extra effort killed me.  My legs felt like crap and I couldn’t catch my breath.  So, I bascially sat up  for the last half of the race.  Just spinning to get through it.  At least I was not DFL.  AND the fans were doing hand-ups…beer, etc. and somebody starting pinning cash on the course tape.  I was able to get $10 in handups.  Not bad.

Then I took a break and caught my breath.  I watched the A/B race and then decided to give it a go in the masters race.  Several of the masters raced the A/B, so not many in the actual Masters race.  We were combined with SS race as well.  I got the hole shot and was just cruising when a SS guy passed me.  I grabbed his wheel and held on for a while.  He manged to pull me clear of the other Masters.  I finally let him go and then just tried to keep my pace steady without over doing it.  I rode pretty clean and only had one miscue where I went through the course tape.  I got back on course PDQ but a couple of the guys tried to come back to me.  So, the last lap, I had to push pretty hard to hold my lead.  My legs and chest held on and I won by about 15 seconds.  They did cash in the A/B men and women races, but I got some nice swag for my effort in the Masters race.  I didn’t win anything for the series since I only did 2 of the 4 races. But it was great to be out there.

Racing is done in Georgia, but there are a few more races up in Tennesee.  I’m not sure yet if I will be able to make it up for those.  My lack of training the past several weeks and my family is starting to grumble.  Plus I coach my little girls travel softball team and we start playing tournaments in March.  So, it might be time to hang it up for this season.  We’ll have to see how it goes.  BUT I am stoked about Master’s Worlds and the World championship being in Louisville in 2012 and 2013.  So, I am really going to redouble my efforts to start the season in shape and try to get ready for Masters.  I’m hoping this will help bring Nationals down south as well.

Talk to ya’ll later.

DS

Amy Dombroski wraps up here ever-extending cyclocross season in style at the World Championships in Tabor, taking 14th. Read her Euro recap below and, if you missed them, her reports on the Hoogerheide, Roubaix, and Zolder World Cups.  You can replay our live coverage from Saturday and Sunday and find all of our reports and photos in our 2010 Tabor Cyclocross Worlds Coverage Center.

The off-season…it reeks of glasses of wine, cookies and ice cream, gigs, skiing, late nights and mornings…for an entire WEEK!  On my way to Portland for the final USGPs, then Nationals, I was intending on celebrating the close of a season with a stop at VooDoo Donuts and a lil song and dance at Dante’s. I realized that there was no way I would be able to shut it down after Nationals. I bought a flight to Belgium, unsure if I would stay for a few races, or extend the season until Worlds.

It just so happens that I absolutely love it over here, so my season was to be doubled. Each race I felt more comfortable in my surroundings and became more amped for the next mud-fest. After a few races in Belgium, I went to my UK home, where Simon and Stella took right good care of me. Snow came and came and eventually went. Finally I was able to see the real beauty of the Peak District in England and instantly fell in love. Staring down the barrel of the final three weeks until Worlds, my final preps were the Roubaix and Hoogerheide World Cups. It’s funny how build-ups to races happen…there is always more time, more time, until the big gun show is just 11 hours away, then where did all that time go? Did I do everything I could do in my power to prepare? Honestly?

After a day checking out the great city of Prague, Waldek and I crossed the border to his home of Poland. We spent three days there – getting in some proper cold-weather-training for Tabor in -8 to -10 degree Celsius temperatures.  Also some proper calorie replenishment with home-made pierogies and cookies and cheesecake and potato salad and scrambled eggs and sausages galore. On one of my training days, I awoke to -18 degrees at the house. Fortunately above the cloud layer, higher in elevation, it was a balmy -10. So we drove higher above the clouds and into the mountains to drop Waldek’s dad off to rip some alpine turns, while Waldek took out the Nordic skis, and I departed from the Nordic center on my bike. All the ski-carrying people clumping around in their boots turned to stare at me in disbelief as I descended, huddling my face in a fleece neckwarmer, feeling like an ice cube on wheels. But it turned into a great interval session, as I timed each repeat to end on the Czech/Poland border. It’s not every day you get to sprint for country lines!

On Thursday, Wally and I drove to Tabor for my first scope-out of the course. I quickly realized it would be a fine balance of finesse and power, as I was frequently tanking it on black ice patches. Saturday’s recon went better, and I found course conditions more to my liking – very similar to Bend Nationals in that the ground was still hard and frozen, but sand was applied to slippy corners, making for a fairly tacky surface. However, overnight this changed again as temperatures dropped to minus-teens and some snow fell. Sunday was slick, beckoning for more sand to be applied.  Start time was 11am, so even though the skies cleared and some sun began to peak, it was still early and that fine balance was on call. The morning and coupla hours leading to and through the race were a rush, and before I knew it I had a glass of wine in my hand, congratulating Joan and Bruce on the mega-ness of 2013 Worlds in Louisville.

Watching the men’s race was amazing as drunken spectators were littering the course. Stybar was incredibly smooth.  I saw Sven do a face-plant, which was a relief because I had done so many and felt like a rookie. But to see his stone-faced composure, void of panic, was something to admire. Driscoll rode a wicked strong race, steadily picking people off to earn a 19th. I am now in Frankfurt, after Mo [Bruno-Roy] and Matt gave me a ride from Tabor. I am right chuffed I brought my running shoes because after walking 200m to a German pub for proper fritters, I found an amazing bike path around multiple ponds – who woulda thunk at an airport hotel? Tomorrow morning I begin my jet ride home to Colorado after almost two months on the road. I hope to not see snow on the ground, please.

Fan-flippin-tastically amaaazin trip and I am so happy those two Brits talked me into buying an outrageously expensive ticket to Brussels. It has been a trip of a lifetime and I need to thank everyone who made the season possible stateside, as well as everyone who helped me out so much when I was away from home.

Related stories:

1. Two Races Down, Five Months to Go – Christine Vardaros Checks in from Belgium
2. A Video Recap of Cross Crusade Craziness at Alpenrose
3. Helen Wyman Takes Two in Europe

When the now defunct Belgian newspaper Het Volk first organized Omloop Het Volk in 1945 to capitalize on the growing popularity of bicycling racing in Belgium, and the Tour of Flanders specifically- started by rival sports daily SportsWereld-it did not intend its image to develop into that of a preparatory race for the more famous Ronde. But it has successfully established itself as De Ronde’s little brother, and proudly opens the race calendar in Belgium, and the classics season, at the end of every February.

While the region of Flanders is approximately 30,000 square kilometers, the heart of cycling in the Flemish Ardennes comprises a considerably smaller area. Inside the natural and man made borders- the E40 highway on the northern edge, the E429 on the southern edge, the Dender River to the East and the Schelde River to the West-one can draw a rectangle connecting the towns of Zottegem, Oudenaarde, Ronse and Geraardsbergen. This tiny area of 240 square kilometers is the beating heart of all things cycling in Belgium. If a bike race wants to amount to anything in Flanders, it will lead its riders on a chase across and over the most demanding terrain inside these boundaries, and the 2010 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad does exactly that.

Partnered with Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, the final weekend of February doesn’t as much ease into the classics racing season as it slams head first into it. Over the next five weeks, every race is in preparation for the biggest races in April, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Very few riders have found success in the April monuments without having suffered through the cold, rain and snow of the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen, Dwars door Vlaanderen, de Vlaamse Pijl, Gent-Wevelgem and the 3 Days of de Panne. While there is no direct formula to predict what races provide the best preparation, what it does show is that in order to excel, one must be wholly committed to racing the northern spring classics.

The early season form needed to race well in the Omloop can translate into a successful spring campaign for the most ambitious, and hardened, specialists. While no rider has ever won the Tour of Flanders and Het Volk in the same year, of the eight times the same rider has finished second in the Omloop and then gone on to finish on the podium in the Ronde, five of those have been winners, including Dutchman Jan Raas twice, in 1979 and 1983. Coming into form too quickly, however, seems to be a jinx. Of the six times a rider has won the Omloop and done the podium of the Ronde, he has failed to do the double. Eddy Merckx, Peter Van Petegem and Johan Museeuw are the only riders to win each multiple times. A wholly Belgian affair? Consider this: only eight non-Belgian riders have won the Omloop- three Italian, three Dutch, one Irish and one Norwegian. For some, the cobbles are in their blood.

When the Belgian daily newspaper Het Nieuwsblad assumed control of Het Volk in 2008, and hence the organization of the race, it brought the finish back to Gent, where it has started every year, and where it finished until 1995. From 1996-2007, the race finished in Lokeren, and typically created a less than exciting finish. With 12 climbs and six sections of cobbles packed into 110 of the final 129 kilometers, the race now dares those with aspirations in April to come to Gent prepared. Some will hold form, others will flame out. The best will animate the Classics looking to etch their names into the history books.

The 65th Omloop is 204 kilometers with five of its 12 climbs on cobbles with an additional 12.3 kilometers of cobbled roads. With the most exciting part of the race coming over 110 kilometers, the final 60 kilometers will be explosive. The race also runs in a different sequence than the Ronde. While the typical procession in the Tour of Flanders that is the Haeghoek cobbles (2000 meters), Leberg, Berendries, Valkenberg (absent in the 2010 RVV) Tenbosse, Eikenmolen (also absent from the RVV) and the Muur van Geraardsbergen is its finale, for the Omloop this represents climbs 1-6 with the Muur coming with 95 kilometers remaining. Where the cobbled sections are spread throughout the Ronde, five of the seven sections in the Omloop come in the final 50 kilometers. The Taaienberg, Eikenberg, Wolvenberg and Molenberg come over 16 kilometers and also includes the Donderij (1100 meters) and Holleweg cobbles (2400 meters). The riders then have the Paddestraat (2400 m) and Lippenhoevenstraat (1300 m) in the slightly uphill, more difficult direction followed by the Lange Munte (2500 m) with 20 kilometers to go. While Flanders forces the strongest riders to explode on the final hills to make their decisive move stick, the Omloop is not all about the hills, and this is a pleasant change to the parcours.

Another crucial factor is the weather. The race was cancelled in 1996 and 2004 due to bad weather. Wind, cold, wet and snow are always part of the race, and always a threat to dictate the outcome. The list of hard men who have won the Omloop is a testament to that notion. I asked Peter Van Petegem if it was difficult getting motivated to race such a difficult course so early in the season. “I’m Flemish, so no, it was not difficult. I dreamt of these races growing up in Brakel, and I am proud to have won it three times. But you’ve got to love the stones, eh?”

While a race of 200 kilometers is considered a semi classic, the Omloop breaks down pretty simply- 75 kilometers to warm up and get into the heart of the Flemish Ardennes. 12 climbs and 11.5 kilometers of cobbles over 110 kilometers to wear down your opponents, reel in the break, then launch an attack. Then a final 20 kilometers to make it stick. It’s a wise to move to bet against a group hitting the Sint-Pietersplein together.

I remember buying a copy of VeloNews in early March in 1996. Tom Steels was on the cover after winning Het Volk in atrocious conditions. The start of the Spring Classics had been won by a Belgian hard man. This represented to me a passage from winter to spring, and the early beginnings of another glorious season of cycling. These images have inspired me to ride during the cold winters that have followed since and push my tolerance for harsh conditions to higher levels. There is no better place to be than Belgium in the spring time, even when spring comes early.

The Climbs of the 2010 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Climb Length Avg. Max Surface
1. Leberg 1130 meters 3% 13% paved
2. Berendries 936 meters 7% 12% paved
3. Valkenberg 537 meters 8% 12% paved
4. Tenbosse 453 meters 6% 8% paved
5. Eikenmolen 610 meters 5% 12% paved
6. Muur van Geraardsbergen 1075 meters 9% 20% cobbles
7. Pottelberg 1300 meters 6.5% 7.5% paved
8. Kruisberg 1875 meters 4% 9% cobbles
9. Taaienberg 530 meters 6% 15% cobbles
10. Eikenberg 1252 meters 5% 9% cobbles
11. Wolvenberg 800 meters 4% 17% paved
12. Molenberg 462 meters 7% 14% cobbles

Peter Easton has attended the Spring Classics every year since 2003. Catch up with him on the road with Velo Classic Tours and one of his ten itineraries to the Classics: www.veloclassic.com

Photo Courtesy: Cor Vos ©2000 via Sabine Sunderland

My friend Sander, and author for Wielrennen Blog in the Netherlands, who was responsible for the article below I translated on the UCI banning the Diablo, sent me the film from Sporza on the Eindhoven ICE SKATING RINK. Ha! A couple of things to notice: Examine Sven's tire pressure on the low angle shots. More importantly, when you hear the pads squeal on his carbon Dura Ace Rims and he braking and turning, not how the wheel moves not one inch. Incredible.

Check out some of the great video coverage from Tabor, Czech Republic this past weekend. In case you missed it, you can replay our live coverage from Saturday and Sunday and find all of our reports and photos in our 2010 Tabor Cyclocross Worlds Coverage Center. Videos below:

Zdenek Stybar Highlights, Set to Music:

Elite Men’s Highlights:

Elite Women’s Final Lap:

U23’s Final Lap:

Junior’s Final Lap:

Related stories:

1. Czech Champs Sweep Roubaix World Cup – Updated: Videos, Full Results, Men’s and Women’s Photos
2. Vos Wins Third World Title, Compton Sidelined By Leg Cramps in Tabor – UPDATED
3. Tabor Cyclocross World Championships Start Lists – Juniors and U23

Reigning US Masters 55+ National champion Kevin Hines wasn’t ready to hang up his cyclocross bike after Nationals in Bend, Oregon. Instead, he and Corner Cycle teammate Jonny Bold (current 45+ National champ) took off for Mol, Belgium to try their luck at going one bigger – they lined up for the Masters Worlds. To prepare for the event and get some extra racing, they planned to hit a local race in Holland, which they missed due to a scheduling conflict, as well as the Belgian National Championships, which they were pleasantly surprised to learn was open to non-Belgians.

by Kevin Hines

Americans Racing Belgian National Championships

We had planned to ride the Belgian Masters National championships on Sunday in Kasterlee, Belgium. Conditions were frozen with some snow and a lot of ruts and mud where the sun had shined. There was very technical single track with some elevation. We showed up over an hour early and planned on Jonny racing first. They had shifted the schedule around, and I was due to race in about 45 minutes from the time we arrived. I pinned up and got my bike, 15 minutes to warm up on road. I started 40th out of 40. I came off the pavement in about 15th and drilled it through the frozen wet soccerfield, got up to about seventh before the single track.

I got up to fourth by the end of the first lap, with the leaders were in site. They had slowed on the pavement, trying to get one an other to pull. Lap two, in the woods, I moved up to third. The leader crashed on a frozen corner, and I jumped in to second.

The rider in front did try to block me with his bike, and I slid around him. I made the pass for the lead in a frozen rutted corn field. Second place sat on me up the pavement and would not pull through. I drilled it and got a small gap. Going into the last lap, the top four of us were together with me pulling. Second and third jumped me coming off the pavement, I immediately passed the third place rider and waited to move on the leader in the muddy frozen corn field. I got him in a corner and got a small gap on the pavement. 300 meters of pavement with an uphill. I beat him by about four bike lengths. The third-place rider, Marc Verloo, the defending Masters Belgian National and World Champion, was not happy with me and the outcome. They did let foreigners race, and they did do a separate podium for me. By what I understand, I am the first non-Belgian to win a cyclocross championship in Belgium…and it will not be allowed again. At least I made history.

Worlds.

Second row start. I came off the pavement top-15 and got in to third by the end of the first lap. I had to do some very aggressive passing and running around riders–they are a lot more aggressive in Europe than in the States. On the second lap, I passed the second-place rider in the sand section and focused on the leader, Verloo. I got him in a sandy corner. I came through the start/finish in the lead with the current World champ on my wheel. He jumped me going into the sand. Three laps to go. I am thinking this guy is a multi-time World and Belgian champ for a reason. I tried numerous times to pass him and was unsuccessful. Verloo would slow in the technical sections and climbs to slow me and create a gap. He was successful in keeping me behind; at one point we slowed down to what felt like a crawl. We had a good gap on the rest of the field.

On the last lap, I had in my mind where I would put the move on him. I was unsuccessful and had to dismount, I remounted and got back on him but he was the stronger rider to the line.  I did not feel my best on this given day and I did learn a lot. I will be back for that jersey.

Read Cyclocross Magazine’s coverage of the 2010 Masters Worlds here.  And In case you missed it, you can replay our live coverage from Saturday and Sunday and find all of our reports and photos in our 2010 Tabor Cyclocross Worlds Coverage Center.

Related stories:

1. Masters Worlds to Be Awarded on “First Come, First Serve” Basis
2. Crossniacs Organizing Trip to Masters Worlds
3. UCI to Reduce Promoter Fees for Masters Worlds

With all that's happened in the cyclocross community these past few days I feel like I need another weekend just to recuperate! I was riding Saturday with the Wolverine crew and all everyone could talk about was either the Masters & Elite World Cyclocross Championships coming to the USA in 3 years or who was going to win the up coming 2010 Cyclocross World Championships in Tabor'. I've never heard so many people talk as excitedly about 'cross in my lifetime. For me I think about cyclocross 24/7/365 but these are people who don't even know who Klaas Vantornout is, let alone... also, you how many people came up and asked me if I was planing to race Masters Worlds...um, hell yes !!! so for once I've finally got a 3 year plan. I'm calling it PROJECT13 and training officially began today...


Well it's no secret as most probably already know by now Worlds were won by Zdenek Stybar, the undeniable favorite...and about 30min's into the race he simply got to the front, rode away and dissolved any doubts about who has been the best rider this year.

I wonder how that must have felt to ride those last few laps & know you have it won already? he even got to slap some hands during his last lap...

Alas with one fail swoop from Stybar the Belgium Juggernaut had been derailed for the second time in 3 years. Stybar not only proved that he could handle the hometown pressure but that that he is a deserving champion as well. He'll have a fun filled few days to sit back and enjoy the victory before he gets to wear the new sweater in competition at the GVA in Lille.

Stay tuned because there's more 'cross coming up this weekend. It's not over till they say it's over...

In discussing our affection for and dedication to the Spring Classics, I shared with Radio Freddy how my local winter can so easily keep me inside, but when it comes to Belgium, there is no combination of weather patterns that can keep me from attending the Classics, with 2010 being my 8th consecutive year. Each December every effort is made to wade through the constant deluge of meaningless newsflashes to find something, however minute it may be, to catch my attention. Pure speculation does not make for worthwhile reading. Fortunately, amidst the mind-numbing reality of facing a cold New York winter, I didn’t have to search far for something to grasp onto.

While the heavy rain slashed against my window for a second consecutive day, I received an email from my friend at the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad with details on the 2010 Tour of Flanders and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (formerly and still known to me as Het Volk). The course map looked like a first graders art project-complete with numbered and colored triangles. During an interview with Het Nieuwsblad before last year’s Tour of Flanders, I was asked what motivates me to come to Belgium each spring for an event that is so nationalistically Belgian. I explained that for me, the Tour of Flanders is the most beautiful of the Classics. While Paris-Roubaix is unmatched in its uniqueness, the Tour of Flanders certainly, in so many aspects, stands alone.

The 94th Tour of Flanders is 255 kilometers and includes 15 climbs, 9 of which are cobbled and an additional 13.6 kilometers of kasseien- Flemish for cobbles. In 2009, the race was 260.7 kilometers and included 16 climbs (9 cobbled) and covered 21.6 kilometers of cobbles. Sure, less pavé is disappointing, but unlike Roubaix, Flanders is not won on the cobbles. Victory comes on the hills, and the ability to endure the pain it requires to conquer them in rapid succession.

This year the race action begins after the Dorp van De Ronde in Desselgem, the ceremonial village of the race that is awarded to a different town each year. First comes the 1800 meter cobbles of the Huisepontweg, and the climb of the Den Ast, before heading to Zingem, and then towards Oudenaarde. But this is where the race takes a different twist. Instead of its usual route to the Molenberg, which is sometimes preceded by the Lippenhoevenstraat, Paddestraat and Kerkgate cobbles and then the Wolvenberg, this year’s route skips this processional and heads far to the southwest across the 2000 meter Varentstraat cobbles to the edge of Flanders and Wallonia and the Kluisberg and Knokteberg climbs. It then reconnects to the familiar route from the Oude Kwaremont to the Eikenberg. This includes the Paterberg, Koppenberg, Mariaborrestraat, Steenbeekdries and Taaienberg, and is as beautiful a stretch of road as exists in bike racing. Traditionally, the race will next climb the Boigneberg or Varentberg, before the Haeghoek cobbles, which leads to the Leberg. Sometimes the Steenberg and Foreest climbs are included here, but not since 2005. Instead, following the Eikenberg, the race will head onto the Holleweg cobbles (which is typically ridden at the end of the Kerkgate cobbles, which typically comes after the Molenberg and before the Wolvenberg- got all that?)

From here, the race will follow the narrow undulating roads that criss cross the Flemish Ardennes, where the riders will cover the first half of the Kerkgate cobbles in the slightly uphill direction to the village of Mater, before heading to the Molenberg.

The Molenberg traditionally causes a panic in the peloton. The sharp turn to enter the narrow cobble track benefits those who get there first, and penalizes those who don’t. At this point in the race-208 kilometers- it will be even more important to stay at the front, and any correction that is made over the Molenberg may cause a permanent split. At the top of the Molenberg, the race goes right instead of left, twists and climbs past Peter Van Petegem’s house, and enters the Haeghoek cobbles. This is the same approach as the Middelkerke-Zottegem stage of the 3 Days of De Panne.

The village of Brakel is the fourth in a series of important centers that links the race, following Bruges, Desselgem and Oudenaarde, and preceding Geraardsbergen. The Valkenberg was reintroduced in 2005 after an eight year hiatus, sandwiched between the Berendries/Tenbosse duo, which has been paired since 1997. This year, the course will bypass the Valkenberg and the Eikenmolen, which has played into the strengths of Stijn Devolder each of the past two years. This has been replaced with the traditional route through Parike on the way to Geraardsbergen and the Muur, the Bosberg and the final 10 kilometers to Meerbeke.

So what does all this mean? The inclusion of the Kluisberg and Knokteberg before the Oude Kwaremont will loosen the legs before the succession of cobbled climbs. The twist after the Eikenberg is interesting, as it places more significance on the Molenberg, and a faster execution across the Holleweg/Kerkgate cobbles. A flat or mechanical on either of these two sections and it could be too difficult to reconnect. The other major change is the exclusion of the Valkenberg and the Eikenmolen. The combination of climbs provides just the right amount of tricky terrain to keep the pace high and the race interesting. Too many climbs and the middle ones are neutralized. Too few, and the race isn’t hard enough for the top riders to show their strength and force a selection. The finale now places more weight on the Tenbosse, the scene of Johan Museeuw’s blistering attack in 1998. By eliminating the Eikenmolen it places more attention on the race’s centerpiece, the Muur. My guess is we will see a dozen riders enter Geraardsbergen together, and half that will regroup by the Bosberg. Perhaps an attack on the run in to Meerbeke, ala Tafi in 2002 or Boonen in 2005, or we may be treated to a 3-up sprint, like 1999 with Museeuw, Van Petegem and Vandenbroucke.

Thinking about the noise that builds in the village of Geraardsbergen, the crazed excitement of the fans as the first riders appear and the ensuing cheers for any Belgian rider, all helps to motivate me through the following months. As for the promoter’s intention, and the possibilities that it presents, for me, this is speculation well worth thinking about. Next up, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

The Climbs of the 2010 Tour of Flanders
Climb Length Avg. Max Surface
1. Den Ast 450 meters 5% 11% paved
2. Kluisberg 925 meters 7% 14% paved
3. Knokteberg 1260 meters 7% 13% paved
4. Oude Kwaremont 2500 meters 3% 11% cobbles
5. Paterberg 361 meters 12% 20% cobbles
6. Koppenberg 682 meters 9% 22% cobbles
7. Steenbeekdries 700 meters 5% 9% cobbles
8. Taaienberg 530 meters 6% 15% cobbles
9. Eikenberg 1252 meters 5% 9% cobbles
10. Molenberg 462 meters 7% 14% cobbles
11. Leberg 1130 meters 3% 13% paved
12. Berendries 936 meters 7% 12% paved
13. Tenbosse 453 meters 6% 8% paved
14. Muur van Geraardsbergen 1075 meters 9% 20% cobbles
15. Bosberg 986 meters 5% 10% cobbles

So I thought I found this sweet new bike path to ride on today, but then this happened:

Cyclocross Magazine’s European superstar reporter captured some behind-the-scenes racing before the women’s race and after the men’s race today in Tabor in the photo gallery below.

Stay tuned for continued coverage of the worlds from our 2010 Tabor Cyclocross World Championships coverage page. 

Related stories:

1. Rad Racing GP Post-Race Party to Support Rad Racing’s Youth Programs
2. Polish Rule the U23s in Tabor – Updated: Final Lap VIDEO, More Photos, Full Results
3. Behind the Scenes and In the Pits: An Interview with Cyclocrossworld’s Stu Thorne

Oh dear. Yes, it is as good as you've heard...or maybe have seen. I got my little paws on the GoPro Helmet Hero Cam HD and so far zoopa cool! I will be shooting when I can over the next few months and experimenting with splicing in audio to try and create some sweet keepsakes of rides we go on. I put together a brief video to show you all of what's involved with the HD Hero cam. Not awesome production quality on my part but you'll get the point of how this little gem works.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Here are a few very simple taster shots I snapped earlier today with the fam tooling around at the Boulder Reservoir. I can not wait to get this thing into the woods!

Braaap!

Tábor, Czech Republic – With thousands of fans and several years to anticipate racing the Cyclocross World Championships in his home country, Zdeněk Štybar had plenty of time to feel the pressure of chasing his first Elite world title in Tabor. “We tried not to talk about the race because there was a lot of pressure from outside. We tried not to think about Worlds,” Stybar’s girlfriend revealed. But on an slushy, slippery course, with his whole country’s expectations on his shoulders, the 2009-10 World Cup winner quickly showed that he’d be the rider to beat with a fast start and masterful lines that left the rest of the field slipping, literally, while he raced towards the rainbow stripes.

Belgium’s Klaas Vantornout, who has been a fast starter for much of the season, took the holeshot, followed by countryman Sven Nys and Štybar. Nys then took up the pace-making and led an early break, trailed by Vantornout, Štybar, Steve Chainel, Radomir Simunek, Francis Mourey, Gerben de Knegt and Bart Aernouts. Vantornout soon hit the front again and opened a small gap, followed by Nys, while Štybar suffered an early flat. After a quick pit exchange, and with the help of his countryman Simunek’s work, Štybar was quickly back with the leaders.

Meanwhile, American Jonathan Page started quickly as well, climbing into the top-20 before a second lap crash that left his chain stuck between chainring and cranks cost him nearly twenty places. Moments later, once Page finally got moving again, an open front quick-release lever forced him off the bike again, slowing him further. Page, who was considered a contender for a spot on the podium after a strong finish at the final World Cup in Hoogerheide, saw his hopes fade away in the aftermath of one disastrous lap.  At the same time, his countryman Tim Johnson was moving up, sitting in 29th. The other three US riders were also moving up, with Jamey Driscoll in 35th, and Ryan Trebon and Jeremy Powers outside the top-40.

Johnson made great progress on the running sections, passing riders with his newly screw-enhanced shoes. (Johnson got the tip from his roommate Luke Keough, who employed the tactic during the U23 race to stay on his feet.)

Back at the front of the race, Kevin Pauwels, Simunek and Nys worked hard to shut down any accelerations by an aggressive Vantornout, who was was motivated by the fact that he was not mentioned as a pre-race favorite despite an excellent season. Pauwels and Switzerland’s Christian Heule were able to bridge up to the leader, with Štybar and Francis Mourey close behind. Pauwels took a spill coming into the barriers, and Heule and Vantornout quickly had a gap. Štybar picked up the chase along with Mourey and Simunek, trailed by the threatening Belgian duo of defending World Champ Niels Albert and three-time champion Erwin Vervecken.

Coming into the fourth lap, Štybar took over from Heule at the front and quickly attacked, getting the gap he needed within a few turns. He’d go on to post the fastest lap of the day, in 7:23. Heule was left to chase, with Vantornout on his wheel, but couldn’t match the Czech favorite. Nys soon joined the group to add some needed horsepower, leading the group of four that now included Czech Martin Bina. After hopping the barriers, Nys would take off in solo pursuit of the leader.

But it wasn’t Nys’ day. Moments later he went down in a turn, letting the gap quickly expand as Vantornout and Bina took up the chase. While Simunek and Mourey continued to push the pace from behind, trying to rejoin Vantornout’s group, Nys recovered from his crash and returned to the head of the chase. Simunek was riding consistently and was still within reach of the group, while Bart Wellens, hoping to prove the merit of his inclusion on the Belgian team, surged to try and break into the top five.

Nys, Vantornout and Bina continued to pursue, but each seemed hesitant to attack. Nys hopped the barriers again to try and gain another gap, but a bobble soon after left him stuck behind Bina, with Vantornout pulling away. Vantornout poured it on to secure second as Nys seemed to come apart, with the earlier effort, pressure and the conditions forcing him into mistake after mistake.

Nys’ troubles allowed Bina to rejoin him and then attack the Belgian star for the last step on the podium. With first and second place virtually decided, the excitement was in the race for third. Nys and Bina repeatedly attacked each other but stayed together until the finish. In the end, Nys was able to hold off Bina in a sprint to land on another World’s podium, his third consecutive bronze medal.

Štybar crossed the line uncontested leading Vantornout by 21 seconds, while Nys’ last minute effort forced the Czech Bina into fourth place in front of his home crowd. Mourey was next across, followed by Zlamilik, Heule and Simunek—making for four Czechs in the top eight. Gerben de Knegt was ninth and Bart Wellens rounded out the top-10. Erwin Vervecken, racing in his final Worlds before retirement, raced to 16th. Niels Albert, a favorite coming into Tabor, dropped out midway through the race.

Štybar was both elated and relieved with his win. “I wanted to win at home. The last two laps, I had cramps in my legs, but I told myself the pain will go away, all that matters is that I win in front of the home crowd,” the new World Champion said. But he wasn’t expecting to have such a gap, explaining, “When I looked at the screens I saw only me, I didn’t know where the others were. When I heard how many seconds I was ahead, I was surprised.”

Vantornout was satisfied with his finish and season. “I had a very good season,” the tall Belgian said. “I was second in the Belgian Championships, I was second here. It was the strongest I could go.”

Sven Nys had thought of himself as a favorite before the race, and was disappointed with third. “I’ve been third at Worlds three times in a row…[To win,] everything must be perfect,” he said. “I did a lot of crashes, and where I’m normally good, like in the corners, I made a lot of mistakes. When Stybar went, I wasn’t in front, Heule was, and I don’t think he was the right person [to bring Stybar back]. I tried to fight every lap, the power was there for me, but the feeling and the technique were really bad.”

As with the women’s race earlier in the day, it was a good and bad day for the American team. Two Americans in the top-20, with Tim Johnson and Jamey Driscoll in 14th and 19th, respectively, was a highlight. Johnson told us he was happy, if not completely satisfied with his finish.

“I’m happy with the way things worked out,” he said. “I would have been thrilled with a top-ten—that’s what I was trying to do. I was able to catch people like Aernouts, Franzoi and Vervecken, people in the top ten, I was feeling good off that. I have to be happy with this race.”

Driscoll, whose 19th marked a new high point in his young career, was also pleased. “I was having a good day handling my bike, and I moved past people because they were on the ground and bobbling,” he told us. “That was encouraging. Top-twenty was what I was going for if I didn’t make mistakes, and [I got it] and I’m really, really excited about it.”

While the two Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com riders marked a high point for the Americans, Jonathan Page never recovered from his early mechanical and finished a disappointing 30th place. “I just had bad luck,” he said. “I had a pretty good start, I was behind Niels Albert, but he slipped and then I slipped. My chain got stuck between the crank [and chainring] and I couldn’t get it out and it all went to hell. I’m disappointed that I didn’t finish the job today for my family and everybody who worked so hard for me.”

Powers and Trebon, who finished 41st and 50th, respectively, were philosophical about their results. “We talked about being set up for how the race would be, not how it was at the start,” said Powers. “So I used 34 Rhino [tires] for the muddy conditions and that was a good decision.  I’m happy with the way the season ended.”

Countryman Trebon said errors hampered his chances. “I made some mistakes and crashed hard twice and hurt my knee and my hip,” he said. “I lost all my confidence and went backwards. It’s ok though, it is what it is. A finish is a finish.”

Stay tuned to Cyclocross Magazine for continue coverage of the 2010 Cyclocross World Championships in Tabor.

Joe Sales’ Photo Gallery:

Bart Hazen’s Photo Gallery:

Sven Nys in Full Flight:

Full Results:

Place	Bib	Name	Country	Time
1	14	STYBAR Zdenek	CZECH REPUBLIC	1:08:58
2	3	VANTORNOUT Klaas	BELGIUM / BELGIQUE	+00:21
3	2	NYS Sven	BELGIUM / BELGIQUE	+00:38
4	16	BINA Martin	CZECH REPUBLIC	+00:40
5	8	MOUREY Francis	FRANCE / FRANCE	+00:56
6	17	ZLAMALIK Martin	CZECH REPUBLIC	+01:02
7	21	HEULE Christian	SWITZERLAND / SUISSE	+01:07
8	15	SIMUNEK Radomir	CZECH REPUBLIC	+01:18
9	24	DE KNEGT Gerben	NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS	+01:49
10	7	WELLENS Bart	BELGIUM / BELGIQUE	+02:13
11	30	FONTANA Marco Aurelio	ITALY / ITALIE	+02:25
12	10	BAZIN Nicolas	FRANCE / FRANCE	+02:26
13	9	CHAINEL Steve	FRANCE / FRANCE	+02:28
14	42	JOHNSON Timothy	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+02:28
15	22	WILDHABER Marcel	SWITZERLAND / SUISSE	+02:37
16	6	VERVECKEN Erwin	BELGIUM / BELGIQUE	+02:45
17	26	VAN AMERONGEN Thijs	NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS	+02:47
18	29	BIANCO Marco	ITALY / ITALIE	+02:54
19	43	DRISCOLL James	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+03:07
20	23	FLÜCKIGER Lukas	SWITZERLAND / SUISSE	+03:09
21	11	GADRET John	FRANCE / FRANCE	+03:11
22	35	SUAREZ FERNANDEZ Isaac	SPAIN / ESPAGNE	+03:13
23	12	COLOMBATTO Laurent	FRANCE / FRANCE	+03:14
24	54	PFINGSTEN Christoph	GERMANY / ALLEMAGNE	+03:17
25	4	PAUWELS Kevin	BELGIUM / BELGIQUE	+03:29
26	36	HERMIDA RAMOS José Antonio	SPAIN / ESPAGNE	+03:32
27	31	URSI Fabio	ITALY / ITALIE	+03:34
28	58	DRUCKER Jean-Pierre	LUXEMBOURG / LUXEMBOURG	+03:42
29	19	AUSBUHER Kamil	CZECH REPUBLIC	+03:52
30	41	PAGE Jonathan	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+04:05
31	56	PARBO Joachim	DENMARK / DANEMARK	+04:15
32	25	AL Thijs	NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS	+04:15
33	20	BAMBULA Ondrej	CZECH REPUBLIC	+04:21
34	57	PRESSLAUER Peter	AUSTRIA / AUTRICHE	+04:31
35	38	FIELD Ian	GREAT BRITAIN / GRANDE-BRETAGNE	+04:43
36	46	BARENYI Milan	SLOVAKIA / SLOVAQUIE	+04:50
37	5	AERNOUTS Bart	BELGIUM / BELGIQUE	+04:56
38	18	DLASK Petr	CZECH REPUBLIC	+04:57
39	55	SICKMUELLER Johannes	GERMANY / ALLEMAGNE	+04:59
40	59	BAUSCH Gusty	LUXEMBOURG / LUXEMBOURG	+05:00
41	45	POWERS Jeremy	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+05:13
42	40	OLDHAM Paul	GREAT BRITAIN / GRANDE-BRETAGNE	+05:33
43	27	VAN GILS Wilant	NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS	+06:07
44	39	CRAWFORTH Jody	GREAT BRITAIN / GRANDE-BRETAGNE	+06:12
45	33	RUIZ DE LARRINAGA IBANEZ Javier	SPAIN / ESPAGNE	+06:19
46	37	ZABALLA GUTIERREZ Constantino	SPAIN / ESPAGNE	+06:37
47	32	DAMIANI Luca	ITALY / ITALIE	+06:48
48	49	METLICKA Vaclav	SLOVAKIA / SLOVAQUIE	+06:50
49	52	TSUJIURA Keiichi	JAPAN / JAPON	+07:27
50	44	TREBON Ryan	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+07:37
51	48	HARING Martin	SLOVAKIA / SLOVAQUIE	+08:39
52	47	GLAJZA Robert	SLOVAKIA / SLOVAQUIE	-1LAP
53	64	AIKEN Rodger	IRELAND / IRLANDE	-1LAP
54	60	BURUCZKI Szilard	HUNGARY / HONGRIE	-1LAP
55	63	BOLDBAATAR Bold-Erdene	MONGOLIA / MONGOLIE	-3LAP
56	62	ARIUNBOLD Naranbat	MONGOLIA / MONGOLIE	-4LAP
57	66	PEKATCH Dror	ISRAEL / ISRAEL	-5LAP
58	61	ANGHELACHE George-Daniel	ROMANIA / ROUMANIE	-5LAP
	1	ALBERT Niels	BELGIUM / BELGIQUE	DNF7
	34	MURGOITIO REKALDE Egoitz	SPAIN / ESPAGNE	DNF7
	50	GIL Mariusz	POLAND / POLOGNE	DNF6
	51	DARVELL Magnus	SWEDEN / SUEDE	DNF6
	28	FRANZOI Enrico	ITALY / ITALIE	DNF5
	13	LABBE Arnaud	FRANCE / FRANCE	DNF3
	53	WALSLEBEN Philipp	GERMANY / ALLEMAGNE	DNS
	65	LAYHE Andrew	IRELAND / IRLANDE	DNS

Related stories:

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2. Vos Takes Solo Win in Zolder – Updated: Rider Reactions, Photo Gallery
3. Van Den Brand, Nys Bounce Back in Loenhout – Updated: Rider Reactions, Photo Gallery, Video

Tabor, Czech Republic – Joyce Vanderbeken, former Belgian champion, perhaps summed up the day in Tabor for a lot of riders, “I was afraid. I lost a lot of places because of it.” But Marianne Vos was clearly able to put fear aside as she won her third Cyclocross World Championship, her sixth title in all cycling disciplines, in Tabor with a dominating performance that left the rest of the world’s best in her wake. Vos used her superior handling skills and a supreme level of confidence to dive into corners and power out of them, gaining time on her rivals with every turn. 

Vos was the best straight off the line, grabbing the lead in an early break that included German Hanka Kupfernagel, Dutch racer Daphny Van Den Brand, and a trio of French riders, Christel Ferrier-Bruneau, Caroline Mani, and Pauline Ferrand Prevot. Vos tore through the course, riding like she was on rails while others racers slipped, many taking confidence-breaking falls in the icy conditions.  With chilly morning temperatures and light snow falling on the course, only Vos looked comfortable on her bike.

Initially, Kupfernagel and Van Den Brand were able to match accelerations and stay with Vos, but she soon proved to be too strong. While Van Den Brand dropped off during the second of five laps, Kupfernagel held on for another lap or so. But despite her best efforts, coming into the third lap Vos had a nearly ten second advantage over the German.

Throughout the season only American Katie Compton, who continued to struggle with cramping and left the race after only one lap, and Van Den Brand have been able to match the 22 year old Dutchwoman Vos.  And with Compton out of the race and Van Den Brand clearly struggling, Vos simply rode away from the rest of the field.

Kupfernagel battled hard to hold the gap to Vos, but was completely overpowered, losing more than ten seconds every lap.  Though the top two steps of the podium may have repeated 2009’s result, the story was dramatically different than the narrow win Vos took in Hoogerheide, with Kupfernagel 45 seconds off the pace and Van Den Brand in third, fifteen seconds behind her.

While the battle for first was won early, the battle for the final step of the podium was waged for the whole race. Van Den Brand held off a determined Katerina Nash, who did everything she could to secure another medal for the host country.  Nash was named as a top contender by the other racers after her strong performances in Roubaix and Hoogerheide, and, as a favorite of both Czech and American fans, was boosted by a wave of support that followed her around the course. Thought it looked for a time like Nash might reach Van Den Brand, some late bobbles appeared to rattle her, and the Czech rider ended up in fourth, some twenty seconds back from Van Den Brand.

Vos, in rainbow stripes for the second year in a row, was positively jubilant at the finish. “I was good from the start,” said Vos. “I didn’t make any mistakes and felt good. I could keep the pressure on in the corners, and that made the difference.”

“It’s a big difference this year [from last year's title] because I was the best on the course,” she continued. “Last year I wasn’t, so I think this year feels better.”

Kupfernagel, who’s season started slow and has had relatively few real high points, seemed satisfied with the silver medal. “Today the first laps were difficult, but I felt good by the third lap, and I’m happy with second place after this season,” she said.

At 35, Kupfernagel has more experience than almost anybody in the elite ranks of women’s ‘cross, and told reporters that the sport has blossomed in the past few years. “Women’s ‘cross gets more developed and stronger every year,” she said. “There were five favorites today and, with the conditions, I think no one could say who would be the winner. And for the future of women’s ‘cross, that’s a good sign.” Kupfernagel has already targeted next year’s World Championships in St Wendel, Germany, near her home, as a long term goal.

Van Den Brand, who was characteristically fiery at the end of the race,  said, “When I came off the finish I was disappointed, but now I’m glad. I wasn’t good today, Marianne was better. It was good she won.”

Sanne Cant, the only other Belgian to join Vanderbeken for the World Championships, had similar luck on the day. “The first round wasn’t good, then I crashed three laps before the end and fell again,” she said. “My chain was stuck and I had to run to the pits. I think I had the legs for a top-ten but for the crashes and the running.”

Today proved to be a bittersweet day for American fans. While Nash, who races most of her season in America and is the current USGP Champion, had a good day, US National Champion Katie Compton—America’s best hope for a women’s medal—did not fare as well. The leg cramps that have Compton plagued on-and-off for most of her career derailed her training and preparation into the last World Cups and still lingered today. Compton took the start but was forced to pull out before the second lap.

“I was optimistic that I could race and finish,” said a very disappointed Compton afterwards. “I did ten minutes on rollers, then did some massage and stretched my legs and hoped for the best on the start line. I had a bad start, because I missed my pedal and the leg pain came pretty quickly. I was able to push through it and at least ride one lap, but it got to the point where I just couldn’t do anymore and I pulled out before the stairs because I wasn’t going to get up that hill one more time.”

The rest of the American squad put in great performances though, with both Meredith Miller and Amy Dombroski reaching the top-15. Early on Dombroski seemed poised for a spectacular performance, threatening to break into the top-10 at times, but the conditions proved difficult for her, and she fell back into 14th place. Meredith Miller was the top American finishing in 12th, a bit of a surprise given the conditions and her background as more of a road racer.

“I’m not happy,” Dombroski told us. “I had a pretty terrible start. I was having trouble keeping focus. Some laps I was fine, riding good lines, but other laps I couldn’t get out of my own way.”

Maureen Bruno Roy finished in 25th place and Laura Van Gilder came across the line in 31st. Van Gilder’s performance was impressive when you consider she came over to Europe late without racing any European races in preparation.

Bruno Roy said that, as one of the few elite racers who also works full-time, she found it difficult to prepare for racing after the US National Championships. ”It’s been tough to build any additional fitness after Nationals,” she said. “You really hit a plateau and you’re just trying to maintain fitness. I maintained enough fitness, but this is another level of racing. Right now I feel like I’m a bit of a one-speed rider, it being late in the season. You can’t jump a level in that amount of time.” Nonetheless, she said she was pleased with her race and happy with her European campaign. She added that she looked forward to a return to this side of the Atlantic next season if her schedule would allow it.

Van Gilder, who at 45 was the oldest racer at the World Championships, told us that she nonetheless is continuing to improve and learning to be a better racer.  ”I knew the course would be challenging, and it was,” she said. “It was icy, and I went down a couple times, and I think that made me overly cautious. That made the difference today.  I’m disappointed, but I think I have transitioned to a higher level this year.”

Stay tuned to Cyclocross Magazine for more rider reactions, photos and video.

Photo Galleries

Joe Sales -

Bart Hazen –

Full Results:

Rank	Bib	Name	Country	Time
1	1	VOS Marianne	NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS	0:42:59
2	26	KUPFERNAGEL Hanka	GERMANY / ALLEMAGNE	+00:45
3	2	VAN DEN BRAND Daphny	NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS	+01:02
4	35	NASH Katerina	CZECH REPUBLIC / REPUBLIQUE TCHEQUE	+01:20
5	22	LECHNER Eva	ITALY / ITALIE	+01:41
6	13	FERRIER-BRUNEAU Christel	FRANCE / FRANCE	+01:47
7	14	MANI Caroline	FRANCE / FRANCE	+01:53
8	17	FERRAND PREVOT Pauline	FRANCE / FRANCE	+02:11
9	3	VAN PAASSEN Sanne	NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS	+02:28
10	15	CHAINEL-LEFEVRE Lucie	FRANCE / FRANCE	+02:31
11	21	LAST Annie	GREAT BRITAIN / GRANDE-BRETAGNE	+02:37
12	10	MILLER Meredith	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+02:55
13	29	SCHWEIZER Sabrina	GERMANY / ALLEMAGNE	+03:00
14	9	DOMBROSKI Amy	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+03:16
15	24	CANT Sanne	BELGIUM / BELGIQUE	+03:18
16	4	VAN RIJEN Linda	NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS	+03:23
17	41	GAMONAL FERRERA Rocio	SPAIN / ESPAGNE	+03:30
18	16	DEMARET GUICHARDOT Maureen	FRANCE / FRANCE	+03:39
19	20	HARRIS Nikki	GREAT BRITAIN / GRANDE-BRETAGNE	+03:49
20	27	BRANDAU Elisabeth	GERMANY / ALLEMAGNE	+04:02
21	28	ZWICK Martina	GERMANY / ALLEMAGNE	+04:04
22	34	LEUMANN Katrin	SWITZERLAND / SUISSE	+04:09
23	18	WYMAN Helen	GREAT BRITAIN / GRANDE-BRETAGNE	+04:09
24	25	VANDERBEKEN Joyce	BELGIUM / BELGIQUE	+04:27
25	11	BRUNO ROY Maureen	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+04:28
26	7	GRIMBERG Arenda	NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS	+04:37
27	19	DAY Gabriella	GREAT BRITAIN / GRANDE-BRETAGNE	+04:51
28	37	KYPTOVA Jana	CZECH REPUBLIC / REPUBLIQUE TCHEQUE	+05:00
29	6	DE BOER Sophie	NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS	+05:00
30	36	HAVLIKOVA Pavla	CZECH REPUBLIC / REPUBLIQUE TCHEQUE	+05:25
31	12	VAN GILDER Laura	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+05:53
32	5	HORMES Reza	NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS	+06:10
33	39	MIKULASKOVA Martina	CZECH REPUBLIC / REPUBLIQUE TCHEQUE	+06:14
34	38	PIRZKALLOVA Zuzana	CZECH REPUBLIC / REPUBLIQUE TCHEQUE	+06:15
35	31	MORITA Masami	JAPAN / JAPON	+06:36
36	40	HANSEN Nikoline	DENMARK / DANEMARK	+07:06
37	42	WASIUK Marzena	POLAND / POLOGNE	+07:16
38	30	TOYOOKA Ayako	JAPAN / JAPON	+07:28
39	33	FUKUMOTO Chika	JAPAN / JAPON	+08:57
40	32	SHIMURA Michiko	JAPAN / JAPON	+09:48
41	23	THOMAS Vicki	CANADA / CANADA	+10:31
42	44	DOSA Eszter	HUNGARY / HONGRIE	-1LAP
43	43	VOJTASOVA Zuzana	SLOVAKIA / SLOVAQUIE	-1LAP

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This weekend is the big one, and we know many of you can’t get enough ‘cross coverage. So for one last time this season, we’ll bring you the racing action live, straight to your computer. Pro ‘cross guru Jacob Sisson will be bringing you live, real-time coverage of this weekend’s World Championships, both Saturday and Sunday. The racing starts early (or late if you’re on the left coast) both days, with Juniors racing at 5:00 a.m. EST with the U23 race at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, the schedule repeats, with Women at 5:00 a.m. EST and Men at 8:00 a.m. EST. Wake up, stay up, or relive it after the race (before catching Universal’s delayed online video of the Men and Women on Sunday).

With star photographers Joe Sales and Bart Hazen and Euro reporter Dan Seaton roaming the streets of Tabor, you can be sure we’ll have the most comprehensive coverage of the Cyclocross World Championships!

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Marilyn Ruseckas led the US charge at Masters Cyclocross Worlds in Mol, Belgium. Americans brought home three medals, with Ruseckas claiming the top step and the World Championship rainbow jersey (Kevin Hines took a silver and his teammate Jonny Bold a bronze). Here’s her recap of the experience and the race.

Adam Whitney (Masters 35+) and I traveled to Europe from January 14th-26th, 2010 to race the Masters World Championships in Mol, Belgium. The trip consisted of 1,032 km of travel by camper through the Netherlands and Belgium. For 13 days and 12 nights, the weather was cold and the atmosphere foggy, but the riding was excellent in this world center of cycling.

We stayed in Noordwijkerhout, Holland the first and last days. There we found sweeping singletrack in the dunes and rode a bike path through a National Park from one coastal resort town to the next.

In Bakel, Netherlands we raced a Dutch National ‘cross race. The course was muddy due to snow and rain and consisted primarily of singletrack. As the only Americans, Adam and I both did well. He placed 28^th of 57 Masters and I placed 10^th of 26 in the Women’s Open category.

Outside of Brussels, we stayed at Filip Sport in Hoeilaart for 3 days. We went to the Vlaams Wielercentrum Eddy Merckx velodrome in Gent for an exciting evening of indoor track riding. We rented fixed gear bikes and got instruction from Hugo Suy, a Belgian cycling columnist. The wooden track had a 50.5 degree bank, which took some courage to enter.

Filip introduced us to Paul Hoskens, a Belgian pro mountain bike racer, who took us on a trail ride through the forest (Foret de Soignes). We rode for hours passing by an old castle in the fog with ornate sculpture and manicured hedges.

Next, Hugo took us on a road ride, including part of the route of the Tour of Flanders. We rode several famous climbs, including The Muur in Geraardsbergen, a cobbled climb that was also in the Tour de France.

All this riding proved to be good training for the Masters Worlds. The weather was dry for the race, but the short course had its challenges regardless. There were sections of deep sand that were not always rideable. I had a big lead in the first lap of my race. Then in the second lap, Lucia Pizzolotto (ITA) came alongside me. Adam witnessed her drafting me on the paved start/finish stretch as we headed back into the sand. I cleaned a tricky sand section and, looking back, I saw her dismount. I got a gap and finished in first with 7 seconds to spare.

Adam’s race was very competitive. He finished 38^th and the winner was the French national champion.

Heading back, we went to Hoogerheide, Netherlands to watch the final World Cup race and to see all our American friends compete. The event was impressive in size and quality of talent. Being there capped off our European experience.

Thanks to Rob Vandermark, Jennifer Miller and the staff at Seven Cycles for all of your help to make this trip a success. Thank you for putting us in touch with Filip Lauwers and thanks to Filip for taking us to the velodrome and for introducing us to Paul and Hugo, making our experience very personable. All of their family’s hospitality was first class as were the rides they took us on.

Thanks to our family and friends for their support. Thanks to Stan’s NoTubes for the tire set up that we also used on our rides.

And thanks for reading!

Marilyn Ruseckas
2010 Masters World Champion, Women 50+

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by Dan Seaton

Tábor, Czech Republic – The Szczepaniak brothers, Pawel and Kacper, rode away with gold and silver in the Under-23 World Championship as their Polish U23 team stamped its mark on a dramatic race for the rainbow jersey, taking three of the top five slots. The two emerged at the front of the race during the second of seven laps, part of an early break that also included compatriot Marek Konwa. The Polish block at the front managed to control the dynamics of the race and, more importantly, were able to bottle up Belgian powerhouse Tom Meeusen, who dominated the international U23 ranks this season. While the three-man Polish break held together for most of the race, French racer Arnaud Jouffoy was able to connect with the front of the race, winding up third, but nearly stealing second from the younger of the two Szczepaniak brothers.

Under sunny skies with temperatures near freezing, the snowy course began to thaw a bit and, combined with a sandy treatment that race organizers applied to help improve traction, turned slick and sloppy. As the race made its way from the road into the first turns in the slushy, sandy sludge that covered the course, traffic allowed the leaders to open a gap. Up front was Konwa, followed closely by Pawel Szczepaniak and, further back, Meeusen, Jouffroy, Belgium’s Jim Aernouts and a handful of others.

Meanwhile, the race stretched out behind them as riders slowed to make their way around some of the tight, dangerous corners in the early part of the lap. While many grabbed posts and barriers for balance and to sling themselves around the turns, the leaders rode clear, quickly gaining a significant gap over riders just a few places back.

Although Meeusen was a hit with the huge number of Belgian fans who made the eastward journey to watch the race, bunny hopping the barriers that forced most racers off their bikes just after the first trip through the pits, the young Belgian, who has been heralded as the next Sven Nys, clearly looked off his game. Meeusen dangled, climbing as high as third, but later falling back into fifth. Meeusen made a late charge for the final step of the podium, but France’s Jouffroy countered with one of the fastest laps of the second half of the race, forcing Meeusen into a battle for fourth with Konwa.

But the real fight today was between the brothers Szczepaniak, who came together at the front of the race with three laps to go. However, any thoughts of brotherly love were swept aside when Pawel, the older of the two, attacked as Kacper changed bikes. From there, Pawel simply cruised to victory while a dispirited Kacper slowed, allowing Jouffroy, who trailed by 40 seconds at one point, back into the race. Jouffroy, who first caught Meeusen before continuing on his own, stormed towards the finish and almost stole the silver medal from the Kacper, who rolled across at a more leisurely pace.

The Americans in today’s race, meanwhile, rode to solid, if not stellar finishes. David Hackworthy led the team early, before a crash during the third lap allowed Danny Summerhill and Zach McDonald to come around him. The trio, followed by Jerome Townsend a few seconds back, stayed closely grouped, though not close enough to work together. Summerhill eventually took the lead, opening a bit of a gap over his teammates before a late fall allowed McDonald to come around him and claim top American honors with 28th. Summerhill finished a few seconds behind him in 29th, with Hackworthy and Townsend in 34th and 38th. Luke Keough was 44th.

After the race, winner Pauwel Szczepaniak told reporters that the dominating Polish tactics were not part of any plan. “It was my decision,” he said. “I was always on the front and, with two or three rounds to go, I rode with my brother. But he changed his bike and I went faster.”

He added that the one-two finish was huge for his home country. “This is the first time in history to have two guys from Poland on the podium. It’s unbelievable.”

His brother Kacper, however, was less effusive in his comments. “I am happy with second place,” he said. “I am happy my brother won.”  But his brief, positive comment did not conceal a bitter note of disappointment at missing his chance to wear the rainbow stripes.

Top American Zach McDonald told Cyclocross Magazine that his race was a blur. “I just tried to battle through the whole thing,” he said. “People everywhere were flying around.”

For McDonald, a steady, if not exactly slow, approach worked best. ”I took a few risks in some corners that looked like the ice had melted a little bit and that paid off,” he told us.  ”I was able to rely on one corner every lap to close ten or fifteen bike lengths on the group in front of me. I didn’t push super hard, I just tried to stay calm and not blow everything. I was trying to be tactical instead of rush.”

Summerhill told us that he was feeling positive after a really tough race. “It was a bicycle race,” he said. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to open my legs up a bit better over the past month and a half in Europe, and today was no different. It wasn’t clicking in the first half of the race, but once I got my legs under me I could really hit the throttle.”

The U23 national champion said that he was very happy with his season, and felt good, if not great, with his race. “It was a decent race and nice weather, and now I’m definitely excited to get on that road bike,” he said.

David Hackworthy, who led the Americans in the first laps, said he started slowly but that it paid off. “I pretty much pushed my way through everybody through the switchback corners where it was all congested and everybody was off their bikes,” he told us. “I definitely had a great start and worked myself way up on the first lap.”

Hackworthy also told us he was pleased with the race and his season as a whole. “I’ve been going since September,” he said. “So I’m glad I could come on at the end of the season here.”

If the Americans were looking back at a season of success and encouraging results in international competition, Meeusen was looking at a missed opportunity. “I felt quite relaxed before,” he told reporters at the finish line. “But those three from Poland shot like a lightning bolt from the starting blocks. I wanted a gap, but they blew me away completely.”

Meeusen was clearly frustrated by the result after 12 wins this season in Europe. “Of course, I have to stand a whole season,” he said. “Those guys peak twice a year: at the European Championships and at the World Championships. I’m leaving Tábor with a hangover.”

Check cxmagazine.com for much more, including photos from all of today’s action and our complete coverage of tomorrow’s races, starting just before 5:00 AM EST.

Photo Gallery by Joe Sales:

Photo Gallery by Bart Hazen:

Sporza Video of Final Lap:

Full Results

Rank	Race Nr	NAME / First Name	Team	Time
1	17	SZCZEPANIAK Pawel	POLAND	0:55:37
2	19	SZCZEPANIAK Kacper	POLAND	+00:20
3	7	JOUFFROY Arnaud	FRANCE	+00:21
4	11	MEEUSEN Tom	BELGIUM	+00:46
5	18	KONWA Marek	POLAND	+00:56
6	40	GRAND Arnaud	SWITZERLAND	+00:58
7	44	GAVENDA Robert	SLOVAKIA	+01:00
8	2	WEBER Sascha	GERMANY	+01:09
9	25	EISING Tijmen	NETHERLANDS	+01:20
10	21	SILVESTRI Elia	ITALY	+01:27
11	22	TRENTIN Matteo	ITALY	+01:33
12	27	VAN DER HAAR Lars	NETHERLANDS	+01:33
13	16	VAN COMPERNOLLE Kenneth	BELGIUM	+01:39
14	15	BAESTAENS Vincent	BELGIUM	+01:45
15	36	POLNICKY Jiri	CZECH REPUBLIC	+01:53
16	26	VAN EMPEL Micki	NETHERLANDS	+02:08
17	35	PETRUS Lubomir	CZECH REPUBLIC	+02:09
18	4	MEISEN Marcel	GERMANY	+02:10
19	51	LOZANO RIBA David	SPAIN	+02:17
20	28	VAN KESSEL Corne	NETHERLANDS	+02:43
21	41	RUPP Matthias	SWITZERLAND	+02:47
22	20	COMINELLI Cristian	ITALY	+02:52
23	38	NESVADBA Jan	CZECH REPUBLIC	+02:52
24	8	BOULO Matthieu	FRANCE	+03:01
25	42	SCHERZ Valentin	SWITZERLAND	+03:05
26	12	AERNOUTS Jim	BELGIUM	+03:12
27	23	FALASCHI Bryan	ITALY	+03:39
28	32	MC DONALD Zach	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+03:40
29	30	SUMMERHILL Daniel	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+03:47
30	49	NILSSON Mattias	SWEDEN	+03:50
31	3	QUAST Ole	GERMANY	+03:52
32	37	HNIK Karel	CZECH REPUBLIC	+03:52
33	13	ADAMS Joeri	BELGIUM	+03:52
34	34	HACKWORTHY Dave	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+04:20
35	39	MENGER David	CZECH REPUBLIC	+04:32
36	47	TAKENOUCHI Yu	JAPAN	+04:37
37	50	SCHLECHTER Pit	LUXEMBOURG	+04:44
38	33	TOWNSEND Jerome	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+04:56
39	6	SCHWEIZER Michael	GERMANY	+05:03
40	45	CANECKY Marek	SLOVAKIA	+05:29
41	9	GRAS Irwin	FRANCE	+06:11
42	56	HANSEN Kenneth	DENMARK	+06:14
43	46	MEDVED Matej	SLOVAKIA	+06:21
44	31	KEOUGH Luke	UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	+06:27
45	57	NARAN Khangarid	MONGOLIA	+06:44
46	29	HUENDERS Mitchell	NETHERLANDS	+06:45
47	55	GUDDAL Jonas Schau	DENMARK	+06:50
48	10	RULLIERE Melvin	FRANCE	+07:19
49	53	RUIZ ECHEANDIA Daniel	SPAIN	+07:25
50	48	KOSAKA Hikaru	JAPAN	+08:11
51	54	PUSKAS David	HUNGARY	+08:25
52	5	DANNER Fabian	GERMANY	+08:29
53	58	BAASANKHUU Myagmarsuren	MONGOLIA	+08:34
54	43	STAFFORD Jared	CANADA	-1LAP
55	52	GOMEZ ELORRIAGA Inigo	SPAIN	-2LAP
56	14	DENUWELAERE Jan	BELGIUM	-2LAP
57	59	RYZHKOV Andrey	KAZAKHSTAN	-5LAP

Related stories:

1. Vos Takes Final World Cup, Van Den Brand Holds Overall – UPDATED – Full Results and Photos
2. 2010 Masters World Championships – UPDATED: Video, Full Results, Photos
3. Miller and Wells Make it Two at Jingle Cross – Updated: Full Results, Video, Photos