Rudy Verboven, you first professional win here, how does it feel? Fuck yeah! Woooot wooot wooot wooot! Yihaaaaaa! Yipikaye Motherfucker!
Yes, we'll have to censor that later on. Maybe you can describe us your race instead? Well, early on a group of 7 formed. I know Mario Guido is faster then me, so I had to drop him, but the other guys helped me with that with their attacks. I lost some ground, but I never panicked and by setting a good pace on the hills, I managed to get back. Finaly, it was Schiltz and me gonig in to the last lap. I knew he was planning an attack so I just waited for it and countered him in the sprint. I knew I wasn't going to lose this race.
You never won anything in your first season on the road, now you win one of the first cyclocross races of the season. How do you feel about that? It's strange of course. I do realise this was just a U23 race and most riders were busy in the UK, but still, a win is a win. I still consider this a winter hobby for now, my real passion remains the cobbled hills in Flanders. But I will definitely celebrate and remember this victory!
Finaly one question in Dutch: Als je in januari moet kiezen tussen de Cyclocross-kampioenschappen en het begin van het wegseizoen, wat wordt het? Ik ben blij dat je die vraag niet in het Engels stelt, zodat mijn Euskaltel-manager het niet verstaat. Dat wordt een heel moeilijke keuze natuurlijk, maar ik kies voor de weg, de Tour Down Under moet mij wel liggen dit jaar. Maar goed, januari is nog ver weg natuurlijk.
~~~~
Mario Guido, congratulations on finishing your first race. How did it go for you? Well, it was a hard of course. I really need to improve a lot, I can't even follow in a U23 race. I think I may have underestimated cyclocross. But yes, what doesn't a kill me makes me stronger
So wait, you don't think you have any future in cyclocross? I know it's still early in the season, but you can't say that this has been a great success. Maybe if there's a race that suits me more? But I must go now, I made a my girlfriend come.
Welcome Down Under! Today we'll see which riders are still suffering from jetlag and who can step up to take the final classic of the early season. Hobart features a sandy profile, but with plenty of climbing and technical obstacles. Running is limited to three stairs but the constant process of jumping, getting off the bike, climbing the stairs, going throug the sand, climbing the hill etc etc will tire out the riders. With the start of the World Cup tomorrow, some younger riders are wise to hold back from energy. Or go all the way and pray that tomorrow won't be as tough as usual.
Start Line: It's early morning but the sun is shining and it's 14° nonetheless. By the time we'll finish, 16° C is expected. This is warm to race in, but not too hot like we've had before, when we raced by day here.
At the start line, many happy faces. The season start has not disappointed a lot of riders so far. Many of these young guys have gotten some nice top 25 spots and even podium placed and victories. The older riders are less happy, with this new wave of talented riders, they've seen their chance at many victories this year diminished a lot. Dries Cornelis in particular is hoping to shine in his World Champion Jersey as soon as possible. Maybe today it's his turn. If he can win today, he has won this race a total of 3 times, which would put him right below Gasthuys' record of 4 victories.
Other potential candidates include Shay Gormley, who hasn't finished outside the top 15 in his debut year and won the opening race, Michael Bollinger, veteran and two time winner Jack Smith, James Carlisle and up-and-coming Elliot Cook.
Lap 1: We're off! Andrew McLaughlin, still amazed by his fantastic ride in Hertford, takes the lead early on. Bohdan Hanchor is in second. Jannick Stolz with a terrible start once again, he's getting passed left and right.
McLaughlin hits the sand first - Oh and he's chosen a wrong line and falls down. Most riders are dismounting to run through this tough sand. Maybe later on we'll see riders riding through it, but with this big peloton, that's next to impossible.
Dries Cornelis is the first to jump back on the bike after the sand, he starts the first climb of the Sunnyside hill. Jack Smith is on his tail. A little bit behind is a group of four: Sven Welling, Rik Van Fleming, Thijs Van Lookeren and Tariq Faizullah. Some of the riders are keeping back some energy with one eye on tomorrow. Especially young riders like Gormley, Vague and Verboven are somewhere in 30th position, not like their usual self.
After the first climb, we're racing through a technical section, with lots of U-turns and some bridges. Lars Van Hennep, Philipp Smart and Ali Acord are almost near the back of the peloton, they completely missed the train.
Cornelis looks highly motivated today. For the first time this season, we see a World Champion as in his glory days. He's moving through the technical zone with ease. Jack Smith is hanging on. They already have a 6 second gap now. Sven welling is chasing them solo, having broken free from Van Fleming, Van Lookeren and Faizullah.
(...)
Halfway the lap, we have Jack Smith and Dries Cornelis still in the lead. They have a 12 second lead on Sven Welling and Christian Schiltz, who has made a surprising move just earlier, outside of camera range. Upon reaching the chasers, he went up and over them to find Sven Welling. They are ahead of the rest of the pack, which is spread all across the field.
Both Cornelis and Smith take the jump. It's not so high so they're not taking any big risk. Meanwhile, the crowd is growing larger. Our Australian fans have woken up and more people are coming in minute after minute.
(...)
Cornelis and Smith are headed towards the finish now. Let's measure some differences. It has been quite an opening lap this time. Cornelis had a definite plan, it seems!
We'll have 9 laps today.
Lap 2: So we have Cornelis and Smith in front. 18 seconds behind are Christian Schiltz and Sven Welling. 23 seconds behind we have Michael Bollinger, Tariq Faizullah and Gregory Bernard. 28 seconds behind the leaders are Shay Gormley, Francis Vague, Elliot Cook, James Carlisle and Matt Mazzarelli. The youth has been taken by surprise by this early move from Cornelis and Smith, it seems. Vague isn't taking turns with Welling ahead of the field, though.
Bakari is riding around in 31th position at the moment, his highest position as yet of this season. Rudy Verboven sits in his wheel. He could do so much better. Our sources tell us he's resting for tomorrow's race, let's hope that's so, that or he's in very bad shape.
In last position is actually Artem Sakalau, he's having a bad day and it doesn't look like he'll finish. He's still young and has room to improve, but it won't be today.
We jump to the front again. Cornelis and Smith have really found each other. They're taking relays and it doesn't look like either one has any plans to attack soon. You don't want to fall alone on a profile like this.
Sven Welling and Christian Schiltz have come a bit closer and follow on only 5 seconds now. Welling is doing most of the work here.
Just when it seemed they would join at the front, there is another sand strip and they're struggling now. After the sand we measure their loss: 12 seconds behind. They lost almost 10 second in a sand section of 100 meters. What a dramatic turn of events!
Smith is having a fantastic day, he's flying up the hill now. Cornelis has no problems following in his rainbow jersey.
More interesting is what happens behind them now. If they don't react soon, the victory is gone!
Lap 3: 14 second behind the leaders we have a joined group now. Christian Schiltz, Sven Welling, Michael Bollinger, Tariq Faizullah, Gregory Bernard, Sylvain Lipawsky, Shay Gormley, Francis Vague, Elliot Cook, James Carlisle and Matt Mazzarelli are not working well enough together now. The group is too large. We have a few team mates here, so this could turn tactical.
Sylvain Lipawsky is using the technical turns to escape! Sven Welling is quick to react and goes with him. Cook, riding in third, bluffs, he won't follow. And so Lipawsky and Welling are away together.
The natural order has been restored as Bakari has just been overtaken by Vladimir Stoyevski, who's having a terrible day. Bakari is the last rider once again.
Meanwhile, Jannick Stolz is slowly moving to the front. After a dramatic start, he's bringing Ronnie Hira, who's getting better as the race progresses.
Lap 4: Rik Van Fleming is cracking, it's not his day. Most people expected more from this man this season. We just heard that Blazej Dobransky has abandoned. 'The man that always finishes' must've had a good reason, as this is only the 3rd race in his entire career that he couldn't finish. We can't wait to hear his part of the story.
Sven Welling can't keep Lipawsky's pace and falls behind. Lipawsky is alone in his chase for the victory. Smith and Cornelis have already taken a 32 second lead. With Lipawsky losing Welling, I think his chance for a possible connection to the front have dropped to zero.
Milan Vermeulen has taken a pretty tough fall downhill. But he's up and racing again.
Lap 5: More riders abandoning, amongst them Bakari, Pierre Lavigne and the fast started McLaughlin. The race is taking its toll. That and the jetlag, I reckon.
The two leaders are ready to tackle the stairs now. Cornelis dismounts smoothly and runs up. Jack Smith follows -- but he misses a step and hits his knee on the wooden step, that has to hurt! Cornelis has seen this! He's at the top, gets on his bike and now he's accelarating! Smith hurries to the top and jumps on his bike. He can't let the World Champion go!
34 seconds later, Lipawsky passes by. He's not gaining any ground. In fact, he's losing a bit of ground to the riders behind him.
An attack by Michael Bollinger and James Carlisle! Bollinger is being cheered on by his crowd here. Nobody wants to gap the difference himself.
With the sand coming up, Smith has found Cornelis again. I don't think Cornelis went full gas. It's still a long way to go to the finish on this tough profile.
Lap 6: Some time differences:
Cornelis and Smith are in front.
Sylvain Lipawsky follows on 36 seconds.
James Carlisle and Michael Bollinger are 39 seconds behind and are ready to catch Lipawsky for the battle for place 3.
Francis Vague, Shay Gormley, Gregory Bernard, Matt Mazzarelli and Elliot Cook are 51 seconds behind the two leaders.
Christian Schiltz is losing touch with them and follows on 1 minute. Meanwhile, Jannick Stolz and Ronnie Hira are moving up slowly. They're only 14 seconds behind Schiltz now.
Nathan Starc is making a good impression today. Despite his weakness in sand, he's obviously improved technically lately. He has a shot at a top 30 today. That would be his best result so far this season.
Vague is showing amazing skills on the uphill. Cook is slowly getting on fire, too. It seems he has raced off the jetlag now. He's coming out to play.
Lap 7: Eldfjallsson crosses the finish line, he's already 3 minutes and a half behind the race leaders, but the crowd is applauding him heavily. He's constantly in trouble on the technical bends and has hit the ground more than once in the sand, but he's fighting to finish nonetheless, the crowd approves.
Matt Mazzarelli attacks on the uphill now! Bernard and Cook react! Gormley is blocking Vague, unintentionally, of course.
The situation as we're headed towards the one-but-final lap. All riders within 2 minutes of the race leaders:
Cornelis, Smith.
Michael Bollinger, James Carlisle: 47 seconds.
Matt Mazzarelli, Elliot Cook, Gregory Bernard: 57 seconds.
Sylvain Lipawsky, Shay Gormley, Francis N. Vague: 1 minute 03 seconds.
Jannik Stolz, Ronnie Hira: 1 minute 24 seconds.
Christian Schiltz, Tariq Faizullah, Arda Akdeniz, Lars Lejeune: 1 minute 35 seconds.
Sven Welling: 1 minute 40 seconds.
Milan Vermeulen, Lachy Bauer, Alfonso Munoz, Rik Van Fleming: 1 minute 46 seconds.
Ali Acord: 2 minutes.
A surprising ride for Lars Lejeune, who is doing everything on sheer power today. What a day! He'll finish top 20 here. After his 12th place in Hertford, that would be a real fantastic achievement.
Lap 8: Only two laps to go. Cornelis and Smith are still keeping the pace high. -- Cornelis attacks! Smith has his wheel, he won't let him go!
Hammarling abandons. After his great race in Hertford, that's sad news. Let's give him some time, though. When the winter arrives, he'll get on top of it.
And now Smith attacks Cornelis in the technical area! He has balls, that guy! Cornelis has no trouble to keeping the wheel. Oh but now he makes a mistake and Smith speeds away!
In the background, we see a devastating attack by Elliot Cook on the longest climb of the Sunnyside hill. Bernard and Mazzarelli have problems following, they're left behind with an excruciating acceleration from the Cookie Monster.
Gormley, Vague and Lipawsky are visibly saving energy for tomorrow's race. They're looking behind to Stolz - who's left Hira behind now - more than to the front. I think they're just racing to keep their top 10 now.
Lap 9:On the line, Smith has been caught by Cornelis again. We head into the final lap. It'll be a battle of experience today.
Bollinger and Carlisle cross the line 57 seconds later. What a display of strength by Smith and Cornelis, they're still riding away steadily. Bollinger and Carlisle will fight for place 3, but they can't allow themselves to slow down, Elliot Cook is on his way now!
On the climbs, Cornelis and Smith are equally strong. They're constantly riding side by side now, sprinting to get into the corner first, to get into the sand first, to jump first. It's a game of wit!
Bollinger is not moving too fast uphill. Carlisle moves on to the attack! A reach for the podium!
We're headed towards the final 150 meters now. Two ex-winners will battle for the victory of the day. One of these will bring their total victories of this race up to 3 to challenge Gasthuys' record. One of these will take his first victory of the season, after being close before.
They're sprinting to head into the final first. Cornelis wins the sprint, they're now approaching the famous 'Waiting-climb'. Will Cornelis slow down just enough to force Smith to put his foot on the ground? Yes - he does! Smith saw it coming but there's nothing he can do!
Cornelis is away now. 100 meters left. 50 meters. World Champion Cornelis takes his first of the season, what a victory! Gone from the first sand section, what a display of strength! Smith rolls in 4 seconds later, he looks mad and disappointed.
Carlisle has a flat tire! Oh this is bad. He still has 130 meters to go. Bollinger is right behind him, turning the corner now. Bollinger sees Carlisle is struggling with a flat tire and sprints for his life. He can still catch him now!
Carlisle is sprinting hard, but his tire slows him down! 20 meters to go! Ooooh and Bollinger takes the podium, 1 meter before the finish line, what a dramatic finish for James Carlisle. He curses out loud, gets of his bike and sits down, exhausted and angry.
Elliot Cook comes in fifth, looking quite happy.
Bernard takes the sprint before Mazzarelli.
Gormley takes 8th, Vague 9th and Lipawsky 10th.
It's been an amazing race to watch. See you tomorrow for the opening of the World Cup, the brand new race in Melbourne!
Matt... matt! *with two (blonde) groupies and two bottles of 'strayan beer* ...wait a sec dude... *drinking and belching* ...here I am!
What's this smell that you're carrying with ya? It's the smell of the success! *drinking another sip*
Looks like you're drunk as fuck! Well, jokes aside, are you conscious enough to tell us about your last race? Where did I end up?
7th behind Bernard in a sprint, podium is in the order Cornelis, Smith, Bollinger.. Ahh, now I'm starting to remember! Let's see, uhmm well, it was a sunny and dry morning, the rain fell in torrents except at occasional intervals, of course when I was riding in those zones, rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the drunks that struggled against the drunkness. Then I got drunk.
That's a poetic tale... Yes thank you, Edward Bulwer-Lytton is nothing compared to me!
But, but... you were intended to be a cyclocross rider, weren't you? Yea, the weather has been nice lately
Ok, I understand perfectly, see you after the hangover What game is over?
Interview by Sven NysEdited by matt17br on 27-12-2014 17:25
Well the old man's got me here - I'll tip me hat Grandad Cornelis got it right here and I have to admit he had a really nice battle with Smithy. I defo raised a smile when he done him in - in that finale and real pro move that. Smithy is very prolific and he has the ego to boot so to see him get beat in a two up like that is just nice.
From me I once again felt my way through the sand a bit, my running isn't the best so there really was no point trying to go with Smithy and Grandad. They would have eaten the Cookie monster for breakfast - still could have gone with that second move Jimmy Carlisle is certainly a weaker rider than myself and I am bit pissed with myself. I just wanted a nice clean run at the climb though and it always feels good to put the afterburners on a put everyone in a world of hurt. Couldn't quite get back to the second group but it was nice to do a bit of a chase down.
Was a bit surprised that I burned off Franny Vague there, something must have happend to the kid here, has he been boozing again? Lars has been out in Hobart every night and looked wreaked at the finish today - the dude needs to slow down already! I have been keeping mself sensible I am really targetting what the Tekepocross climb and I want to try and keep my weight as it is for that.
Going to be another sandthrash type thing tomorrow over in Melbourne - some of the boys wanted to take it easy here and go for that one. I dunno whether that is the right tactic as I cannot see Grandad easing off there - not going to throw in the towel myself though it is a pretty flat sand type track so I am told could be a different race slightly. I am going to have to think about my tactics - I don't really see much benefit in holding back at this stage of the season even if the 'World Cup' doesn't suit me season round, I do think this could be a good race for me.
The trio of early season classics are over and as a new breed I have to say there is a concerning money lust amongst us - some of the boys even have been bragging on over some amateur thing in Holland. Guys amateur events count for nothing... nada... you gotta go out there and beat the best and Dries Cornelis is the best at what he does at the moment in my opinion. I bash the British boys over the head a bit but they know their history (Hell smithy is an antique anyway) and race for the right ways mostly.
Phew! Once again, a proper wet Vague gets called up a lone interviewer. This time it's only sweat though. The belgian reporters are focused on Cornelis today, naturally.
9th today, you are back in the top ranges after Hertford?
Seems like it. I've been only following this race and bid my time for a possible move. When Cook attacked, I was a bit unlucky to get trapped behind. Gormley as a reknown sand-specialist had more incentive to follow, I was glad to just tag along. Right from the start, this race seems to have been a race for the last podium spot; Cornelis and Smith were way above competition.
Comparing the first sand classic of the year, Duinencross, any gained knowledge?
Hardly. This has been different to Duinencross. The only similiar thing was that Cornelis still is the guy to beat when it comes to this terrain. I've held up well enough and the race told me that without race initiavie I can finish decently too.
Your aim for Melbourne?
Feeling good. I'm nearing my Blaarmeesen shape, having lost the gained kilos after the celebration feast by now. The race was hard but lacked race action. I havn't done any proper accelerations, so my legs don't hurt as usual. The only annoying thing is the usual sand in my shoes.
I'll see how the race goes tomorrow. It lacks the proper hill difficulty I look for in a race but scoring points and doing a decent start into the World Cup will probably be the target. It's going to be another sandy affair so I might just tuck onto Cornelis wheel and look for how long I can hold it [laughs] Tekapocross then will be a feast for attacking though and definitely a bit of an early season highlight.
Newsflash:
Dobransky did not finish race for 3rd time in his life
Only my third race. But what is this good to me. My third race. A disgrace. People say I'm getting too old. Heck, I might admit myself. Over 40. Over 400 races.
My brake broke. I got too much sand into my gear. Flat tire. All in one lap. I picked up my bike and was determined to walk with it to the next bike exchange, to pick up another one. Natural, like I've always did. Unfortunately I had to get up that hill, slipped away... broke my nose as my pedals hit my face... Blood over my jersey. I told them laughing stock of Aussies to piss off and was determined to finish nonetheless. Suddenly, one of the pissed of laughing Aussies at the fence threw his beer cup on my face. I decided to give this bastard a real beating and throw my bike on him, afterwards I climbed the fence...
I might get up some hefty fee now but screw it! That Aussie needed his punch in that prick face!
Edited by Shonak on 27-12-2014 16:26
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
The UCI hereby officially fines the rider Blazej Dobransky 1000 Swiss Francs. Additionally, Dobransky is banned for one official race. Dobransky will not start tomorrow in the World Cup race in Melbourne.
The rider receives this punishment after posing aggressive behaviour towards a fan in the Hobart Sunny Classic, thus damaging the image of the sport.
If another such incident should occur, Dobransky will be banned for 3 months.
Edited by Ian Butler on 27-12-2014 16:50
Time to get the second competition going. The World Cup is about to start with a brand new race in Melbourne, Australia. In a combination of sand and cobblestones, the riders will battle for the first 50 points of the World Cup. The winner of today will come to Portland a bit more relaxed and with the World Cup Jersey around his shoulders.
We've had four different winners already this season. Do we have another name tucked away to come out at the right moment? Will we finally see Carlisle take a victory, and what about Sylvain Lipawsky? Most importantly, can anyone challenge Dries Cornelis, who seemed to finally have found his super legs?
Race Information
Country: Australia
City/Place: Melbourne
Classification: World Cup
Starting Time (Elite Men): 09h30
Favorites: Dries Cornelis, Shay Gormley, Jack Smith, Michael Bollinger, James Carlisle, Ali Acord, Kimi Hakkinen, Ronnie Hira.
Record: New
Race History: The Melbourne Beach Race is new on the calendar. Three years ago it was raced for the first time, for the local amateurs. With the World Cup expanding, Melbourne put the plan and - most importantly - the money on the table. It got the job done and here we are!
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 3
Uphill: 1
Cobblestones: 3
The Melbourne Beach Race doesn't offer us the most dramatic of routes. There are no obstacles such as stairs or jumping bars, but it is an overall route suited for powerful riders. With long, flat sections through dirt, sand and cobblestones, time trialist have the edge here. There are only a few bridges and almost no natural inclination.
The course seems made for Dries Cornelis. Will he take his second victory in two days, completing the 31th perfect weekend of his career? There are plenty to challenge him, though. James Carlisle will enjoy a route like this. BKCP-Powerplus will have an interesting day with the power of Welling and the technicality of Vague. Only the sand could be a problem to challenge the much more experienced Cornelis.
We expect a fast race. It's the second day of the weekend, so we'll have to keep that in mind, too. There is one long sand section which will have a big impact. Good sand riders can ride it almost halfway there and then dismount, while making a single mistake there forces you to get off your bike instantly. Will the riders pick the high ground or below? The steep sand will give us an interesting race!
Originally planned as the ultimate sand race, the UCI asked the cross to remove most of its sand sections and go into the ciry with it's paved sections. For the real sandfleas, it'll be waiting on the Oman race. But, true, this profile offers more chances to those strong riders not especially strong on sand, but good enough to make up for it on other terrain. Bring it on, we say!
I am coming with a paragraph of my personal life(inspired by A Day In The Life)before writing about my race.
Good personal life
I am looking to her eyes after the race after a great 6th place.She looks very beatiful.I saw many people after the race,namely Christian Schiltz,as I apologised for my words and congratulated him for his good race.Then I saw James Carlisle,the arrogant,always moaning guy.I remembered his words about blocking and said to him 'Blocking is part of the race.'Then I went to the beach with my girlfriend and we had a beatful time.It was brilliant.
And here comes my racing blog:
Let me tell you about Hertford.I thought it might be a good race for me but I found myself way back when 2 laps finished.And thenI felt horribly after halfway,legs stopped going and I abandoned at the second last lap.I left the race in order to be better for Hobart Sunny Classic .After the race my girlfriend made me a soup to make my illness gonebefore the Hobart Sunny Classic.
Then,it was for Hobart Sunny Classic.I hoped for a top 10-15.I already had a better start.When Jack Smith attacked Dries Cornelis followed I was on my limit.Lipawsky and Welling attackd but I stayed calm.Then Welling cracked as we caught and passed him.Then Bollinger and Carlisle attacked but we had no answer.Then we caught and passed Lipawsky.Then Cook went away but I had no answer as I sprinted to 6th ahead of Mazzarelli.It was a great race.I am looking forward to the World Cup in Melbourne but I have no ambitions here.
BYE,Gregory
Yeah the plan was to take it easy today, I've had a long flight from the UK like everyone else. My goal this weekend is to score points in the Melbourne World Cup tomorrow so I thought I would get my legs spinning and practice the sandy sections for the race tomorrow. It's not a parcour for me anyway.
Fancy your chances tomorrow then?
Hmm yeah why not? The route is made more for the power riders, there is easier sand than today and also some cobbles. The long flat sections will definitely play into my hands and I'll hope for a top 10 finish
Firstly, tell me about Hertford, you skipped it to go down to Australia, do you think that was a good decision and how about your brother's performance.
I think that skipping Hertford to go down to Australia earlier will give me a big advantage on the riders who stayed there and we would have supported Pierre anyway. It is unfortunate that that is the one race that rains, considering my love of wet conditions, but it'll rain again. Pierre did amazing anyway, 9th in his first go at leadership, he is just 21 years old. So I think we'll see him again in the coming years.
How about Hobart, are you happy with your race there?
I attacked with Sven, hoping that we could catch the front, but when I worked out we wouldn't, I just slowed down, saved some energy for tomorrow, I still got 10th place and it'll be worth it if it means going up a couple of positions tomorrow.
Ok, how about this Melbourne route, you aren't listed as a favourite, but you need those world cup points?
There'll be plenty of other races to win the cup, I'll just follow wheels, Pierre will support me up front and I think I can get a top 5. Just to keep myself in a reasonable points position.
And your tip for the win tomorrow?
Gormley, we haven't seen much of him since Duinencross, but I think he's strong enough to win.
ok, finally a sand race, a few cobblestones, but no climbs, no descents, no snow, hopefully no rain, it'll be warm and there is sand. I might even go for the win today haha, I'll make an attack and see how it goes, but I'm not expecting too much, but I'm riding through sand, trying to make sure that I've got this section perfect.
Mostly I just want to make my manager happy, he was a little annoyed at me after Hertford because I 'abandoned' (well I slowed down a lot and got overtaken, so that I didn't actually abandon), but I was so scared of the rain, I knew I would crash.
Hobart didn't go too badly, I finished in 26th, but this race will be one of my only chances to perform this season, so let's see how it goes.
See you later, Ali
I was 17th in Hertford and 23rd in Hobart, but still my manager and team, refuse to support me and all my teammates just do their own thing, I could have got a top 10 in Hertford if I had some proper support around me. So I hope my manager realises that he has to get the team together and doing something. I can't wait for next season, then I can get away from this team. ok well I'll see you all in Melbourne, but I
I'm saying now that I want my team to support me here, because it's a flat course with cobblestones and that suits me.
The past week has really seen Christian Schiltz start to establish his presence in the Elite cyclo-cross scene. Although not a professional race, he caught the attention of many by riding to 2nd place at the Under 23 Gieten Classic, and followed that up in Hobart by really featuring in the race for the first time.
After two anonymous Top 30 finishes, Schiltz went on the attack with Sven Welling to ride as high as 3rd in the race for a lap early on. The eventual 14th place finish is a good sign ahead of the first World Cup race of the season, and the start of Schiltz' main target this year: the Coca-Cola series.
Despite reaching the giddy heights of 31st, Bakari again was unable to finish. There is good news though, as Blazej Dobransky became the 2nd rider this season to be beaten by Bakari, after the Czech veteran made a fiery exit from the race early on.
Australia and Ice do not mix, and the jet lag took it's toll. 39th today for Eldfjallsson but the support of the locals was very encouraging, and Hafthor hopes to deliver more in Melbourne. Unfortunately an event which has 'Beach Race' in it's name does not lead to much hope of anything spectacular in this first World Cup of the season.
The predicted rain has not come, so we'll see a dry race today. This makes the profile even "easier". Riding away from start to finish is very hard today and there's a chance we'll have a group to fight for the victory. But, of course, the sand can create big gaps on a short time, so we'll have to see who's in top form today.
It's the start of the World Cup, so you can expect a top cross. We don't expect many riders to keep the points in mind this early in the cup, though. Everyone will want to fight for the victory today. But only one man can win. Dries Cornelis is the man to beat, but there are many standing in line to do so, let's get this show going.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 15° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start Line: A very focused Shay Gormley at the start line. He has had a fantastic start of the season, but is looking to score that second victory. In a profile fit for powerhouses, he will see his chance today. Vague is looking a tad nervous. The sand will play to his disadvantage, but with this much talent, who cares about a little sand. Last time Vague wasn't listed among the favorites, he won the race, so keep your eyes open today.
Besides the usual suspects, we can really expect a good showing from Ronnie Hira. With the next race in New Zealand, he'll be in top form. The cobblestones, technicality of the route and the good weather must come as a blessing. The riders are getting ready to start. We'll see a fast and furious start.
Dobransky is a non-starter today. He's actually the first rider to get suspended after such behaviour. A good measure by the UCI, we believe.
Lap 1: An old school start in Melbourne as the mayor fires the gun! Boom, and they're off. Hafthor Eldfjallsson rushes forward out of the third starting line, what a speed! It's strange he's so eager to rush towards the sand, given his "love" for the sand.
Mario Guido seems keen on a fast start, too. They're going into the first corner side by side. Oh and neither is bulging, they're going to crash! No, Eldfjallsson pulls the break and so Guido is at the front alone now.
We don't see anyone important in any major problems. Cornelis in around 10th position, which is good for his age in this young peloton. Verboven right behind him.
As we near the sand, Guido has already been overtaken by Sven Welling. It seems he wants to make this race hard from the very start! Vague, his only team mate, can be found only four places down. A very fast paced start from the BKCP-Powerplus team. The favorites have to be careful now. If Sven Welling goes on a good day, you might not see him again if you let him go.
(...)
Halfway the lap, we have a group of nine. Welling is still pulling hard at the front, with team mate Vague nestled in his wheel now. The names: Sven Welling, Francis Vague, Jack Smith, Dries Cornelis, Ronnie Hira, Ali Arcord, Elliot Cook, Willian Burbank, Shay Gormley.
Thijs Van Lookeren is desperately trying to connect with the head of the race, he's about 4 seconds behind.
Now the main attraction. A big heap of sand, who can ride it the furthest? About halfway, there is a big U-turn, so you'll have to dismount about there anyway. Welling goes in first. Now he may not be the best sand rider, but he's got plenty of experience and power!
At this point in the race, when the first one dismounts, everyone gets off. They're riding wheel to wheel, all nine of them. Van Lookeren is still at 4 - 5 seconds.
Welling with an impressive ride through the sand. Vague has to dismount and holds up the other riders. Welling has a gap, now. Obviously Vague isn't going to ride now. Smith passes him and ups the tempo.
(...)
We'll have eight laps today. That's long, we'll go for a time about 65 minutes that way. World Cup is always preferably a bit longer than too short.
Lap 2: With Welling caught, we have nine leaders again. They have 12 seconds on Van Lookeren, who seems to be cracking. This is an important moment in the race. It's going very fast and it looks like the strongest riders are at the front today. These nine may be gone for the victory!
The gap to the rest of the field is rather large. We've seen a minor crash from Gregory Bernard, holding up other riders. He's riding around in 32th position now and is trying to move up again.
The long, flat sections make for a close race, but doesn't give us much action at the moment. The pace is so high I can't see anyone attacking out of the group. A big group is chasing, but they're already 20 seconds behind. Sylvain Lipawsky is the main motor behind the chase. As a favorite for the overall World Cup classification, he can't afford to lose too many points today.
Lap 3: A fairly boring race without any important action.
We have the first abandon of the day. Bakari has fallen down while changing bikes and decides it isn't worth it to keep going. Even for his standards, he's had an off day.
At the front, Welling is not the only one to turn on the gas anymore. Gormley, Smith and Acord are taking relays. They're probably already thinking about the World Cup points now. Cornelis is constantly last in the group and leaves a small gap every now and then. He's not looking very sharp today.
Sven Welling goes to the front with the eye on the sand again.
And an attack! Shay Gormley jumps over Welling and heads into the sand very quickly, hoping to create a gap. He does make the gap. It's not very wide, but now Welling has to dismount! How long can Gormley stay on his bike?
He is at the U-turn and is still on the bike, what a sand specialist he turns out to be today! He even tries to stay on the bike as he takes the turn. And he succeeds! Amazing bike riding by the Irish powerhouse here today!
Lap 4: Time to measure some differences here.
Shay Gormley.
Ali Acord, Francis Vague, Jack Smith, Ronnie Hira: 6 seconds.
Elliot Cook, Sven Welling, William Burbank, Dries Cornelis: 10 seconds.
Sylvain Lipawsky, Lars Van Hennep, Thijs Van Lookeren, Rudy Verboven, Jannik Stolz, Sven Van Vliet, Nicky Van Drenthe: 31 seconds.
Lars Lejeune, Ewan Wilson: 36 seconds.
So almost halfway the race, we can already pick a winner out of those nine at the front. Unless Lipawsky can gap 30 seconds here, but I don't see that happening today.
Gormley with another spectacular ride throug the sand!
Lap 5: Ali Acord with a slip-up. Luckily he managed to stay upright and now he can keep up with Cook, Welling, Burbank and Cornelis.
Gormley is having a tough moment. Vague, Smith and Hira are only 3 seconds away, they'll catch him soon. We're coming onto a dirtroad section now. The chasing group with Cook is about 8 seconds away from the race lead. The only section where it goes uphill a bit. OOOh and Cornelis with a spectacular move forwards!
With a mental "Eat My Dirt", he's broke away from his group. He catches up with Smith, Vague and Hira immediately. And he goes past them, too! Only Vague with an attempt to clutch on! Oh but he's hurting, you can see his face going red from the effort.
Ronnie Hira needed some more time but he's pushing the pedals now, too. Cornelis and Vague reach Gormley, who looks behind and must be extremely surprised. This was a blitz move, reminding us of the young Dries Cornelis.
Ronnie Hira found the connection with the front. This changes the game quite a bit. A new time measure at the finish line:
Lap 6: So here are the differences of the front riders:
Dries Cornelis, Ronnie Hira, Shay Gormley, Francis Vague.
Smith: 7 seconds.
Acord, Welling: 9 seconds.
Cook, Burbank: 15 seconds.
Sylvain Lipawsky, Stolz, Van Vliet, Van Drenthe, Verboven, Van Lookeren: 32 seconds.
Van Hennep, Lejeune: 42 seconds.
While we're still trying to get over that amazing attack, we see more riders with technical problems. The sand gets in the gearing system and can mess up your bike. Meanwhile we're trying to find Bollinger, who was listed as one of the main players of the day.
Now we see him. He's at around 23th position. He just doesn't seem to have enough power to keep the fast pace.
The four leaders are keeping the tempo high, I think everyone is recovering a bit from that attack.
Lap 7: Two more laps now. The high tempo is taking its toll as Ketso Tembi looks very close to abandoning.
And we have a very surprising abandoning from World Cup favorite Matt Mazzarelli. He had been looking like hell even before the race. We heard about using alcohol yesterday evening. That's a real waste. He practically ruins his chances at the World Cup with this unprofessional behaviour. But that's all on him.
Meanwhile, Cornelis is moving to the front again, I think he's ready to attack again. Where will he plan his next attack?
The big sand section is next. Cornelis heads into the sand first. He's real strong today. Hira follows him closely. Vague has to leave a little gap, Gormley makes a mistake and dismounts.
In the back, Smith and Ali Acord managed to sneak away together from Cook, Burbank and Welling.
Lap 8: Final round! Cornelis and Hira still lead the race. Vague and Gormley can't get any closer, they're at about 10 seconds.
Things will get heavy here in this final lap. We have two contestants for the first place, unless Gormley and Vague can make it back to the front. Doesn't look like it, though.
We're past the hour now and you can see that. Vague and Gormley are young, Cornelis makes a much better impression this late in the race.
A couple of U-turns now. Cornelis turns on the heat and puts a lot of pressure on Ronnie Hira. Hira doesn't seem to crack but he's hurting bad. His face grimacing in pain.
Going to the sand now. Cornelis is keen to keep the front until the end, now. It's his way of racing. He will pressure Hira into a mistake. And when Cornelis means business, you can make sure he won't give up until he does.
Hira is an expert on sand, he's right on Cornelis' wheel.
Cornelis dismounts, Hira didn't see this coming and is forced to dismount, too. But he moves too slowly and Cornelis has a small gap. He's running fast now.
Cornelis comes out of the sand, jumps up and heads into the final 75 meters. It's game over. Cornelis is the big winner of the weekend, taking his 31th perfect weekend, what a career, what a race today!
Hira finishes on 2 seconds. Vague has managed to outsmart Gormley for the remaining podium spots and - not unimportantly - the 35 points.
Also note that Ketso Tembi finished. He was close to abandoning earlier but the lad has pulled through on character!
We have to cut our broadcast short, for the full result, we direct you to our site. Until Wednesday, for the Tekapocross aka the Kiwi Race!
Great race today in the World Cup competition. I didn't feel like doing interviews, especially since it's Cornelis time once again in the spotlight. He's 31th perfect weekend. That's some score, congratulations to him.
Sven Welling and I are both satisfied with the race. Since it suited him much better, we went for a full storm attack early on and looked to split up the peloton. This is a riding style that really suits him and seeing him finish Top 10 again, is a great sign of our two-man team strength! We managed fairly well in our effort. When the parcour isn't so tough, we just wanted to drop many riders early on, to keep the race clean cut and small.
It's a simple tactic but it worked out great for us. The important moment for me though was when Cornelis rushed past us and I decided - against my better judgement - to follow him immediately. Ronnie Hira played it smarter and he managed to hang to Cornelis 'till the end. I myself was at times on my limit, but I had still enough tank to outsprint Gormley at the finish and score some valuable first points.
It was a tough race that was made only hard by the riding styles. In that regard, BKCP - Powerplus showed some serious power, so we can be proud of that.
With Mazzarelli abandoning (I have seen him yesterday walking around the circuit like he's king of the world... sigh), the competition is already a bit smaller. Cornelis has won and he is the man who will be hunted from here on out. Seeing as how the race is more or less tailored for guys like Cornelis and Gormley, it's hard to see today as a real defeat. Sure, I lost points to Cornelis and need to catch up, but Cornelis hasn't been impressive in most uphill challanges so far. Looking at guys like Cook and Lipawsky, there might be some furious riding the harder the races get. Some uncontrolleable chaos? Why not, yes please.
Today has been a won 3rd podium rank. I rank the gained points much higher than any lost point that may come back to haunt me one day.
Looking forward to Tekapocross now. It'll be proper opener to the Coca-Cola Trophy I believe. Give the kids their sugardrinks!
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Rudy Verboven, can we call this a good start in the World Cup for you? Yes, 12th is pretty good, considering this was not really my profile, with all the sand and stuff. I was planning to save my self for tomorrow, but it went well, so I'm happy today.
Are you already looking forward to tomorrow then? Definitely, tomorrow we should have a race for me. I need to look at the other profiles, but the Coca Cola cup can be my first podium of the season. I heard there was a cobble uphill section to finish, marvelous!
And how are your plans for the World Cup? I need to look at it race by race. Sure, being on the tables is nice for itself, and if I can get some good results, rankings will follow. But I know my season is over when starts to freeze, so I'm not aiming for a good overall classification.
~~~~
Mario Guido, congratulations on winning, eh finishing, sorry, your first race! Yes, it is great! I love a my country! Viva Italia!
So, what was that start all about. I met hot Australian chick yesterday. I said I was professional. She didn't believe me, so I told her to watch the race. Of course, I needed to show myself, and my only chance was at the start. Mission accomplished! High Five!
~~~~
Right, moving on to Kimi Hakinnen. Still waiting for the ice, Kimi? Yes. F'cking Southern Hemisphere.
Haha, that Kimi, saying f'ck on live tv. See you tomorrow in New Zealand, if I don't get fired over this!
Yeah, this was meant to be a race for me to target, I basically just stuck with Dries, he's such a machine. The dismount caught me by surprise and I just couldn't run that fast. Second is amazing, though I wasn't really targeting the World Cup.
You showed great tactics and resolve to stick with the world champ that long, also falling behind midway through. Tell us how it was in the chasing group.
Yeah honestly when I first fell off I thought that was that, try go for the top ten. Fortunately this race suited me and I managed to catch Dries, and drop everyone else. I'd like to think I did a fair share of the work.
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
I was angry today, it seems as if someone has the ear of the officials and what do you know he wins again. This 'beach' race turned into a mixture of cobbles and sand and no real surprises to see Grandad romping away with it giving another guy an education in the finale.
Dries Cornelis is the big cheese and now he has the measure of us new youngsters and everyone else - he is just bossing everyone and it makes me sick. I respect the old man he is the best but today I just felt the late course change was change specifically at his direction or so I think anyway. He gets a flier in the world cup - not sure I can be bothered with those races they are full of that cobbled shyte anyway. It is worth riding a few I suppose I just felt today I was in great form and had it been raced over the original parcours I could have given it a real go.
Anyway enough on that we have a really good race for me coming up in Tekapo and I can take out my frustration out on the course. I think Franny Vague is looking back on his best so I am looking forward to that duel. I gotta think about my tactics here and being the first race in the Coca-Cola trophy I will have to muse about the timings. I think we will see a lot of guys following trying to save time - could be quite cagey early on. The hill looks pretty fierce and there doesn't look to be much in technical sections. No doubt Grandad will find someway to play his games - lets face it he is on great form so he will take some stopping. I think his old legs are suspect on hills lets rip him up!
After the last few disappointing races Matt Mazzarelli decides to release an interview to finally tell his fans what actually is happening.
Matt, what's up with you this week? It's happening that I'm an asshole! That's what's happening man! I really wasted all my world cup ambitions getting drunk! Probably I'm yet to get used to the fame, that autographs thingy was too much for me, but, to be clear, it's not fan's fault, it's mine! After all that stuff that happened I began to drink hard with my friends and, liking the feeling, I've almost never stopped drinking for 2 days! But you can bet it I'm training hard to get to the next race with the shape of the belgian races, especiallu considering that I wanna win that CocaCola competion, now that most of my World Cup ambitions are probably gone...
And what did your fans though about this? I love them. They supported me from the start 'till the end of this fuckin' situation. Indeed, wait a sec, I'm gonna make you read some letters that they sent me! [...]
Here is one:
Dear Matt,
Get better soon please, you're the new symbol of cyclocross and since the first race I fell in love with your racing style.
I know that the impact with the huge success you're experiencing may have been a bit too immediate, but you have to get used to that dude!
Haha Matt, you're so lucky, indeed, you're making cyclocross get really popular! That's a very good thing, but you have to behave nice, or you will easily ruin Cyclocross image. I guess that you're right Sven, that's the only way to get over this situation, now let's look forward to the next race, I can't wait.
What are the expectations for the next race? Win it. That's my only goal. I don't know exactly what kind of race it is, but my only pupose is going for a win. I already feel better, I could even race now. I want that trophy. Any other placement would be a waste of time.
Make sure to make that happen then Matt, best luck for all your races, and don't get drunk! Haha thank you mate, I'm feeling your support!
Interview by Sven NysEdited by matt17br on 29-12-2014 10:59
While the riders are enjoying the good weather in Australia, it seems the weather is changing gradually in Europe. Temperatures are dropping to 7° C. There is a possibility of freezing temperatures by the time the riders return here, which won't be until December. In the USA, the temperatures are around 12° C at this point.
Rumors
There are rumors about the French Cyclist Federation being in talks with the UCI Cyclo-Cross to host a new race next season. The talk on the streets is that the race would take place in the mountains of France, most probably (partly) on the skiing course of Alpe d'Huez. Nothing has been confirmed yet, so we'll keep you posted.
Edited by Ian Butler on 29-12-2014 11:26
Hi,
It's been a busy and compact season. Most of the races so far havn't suited me but i did somehow pop in a podium finish along the way. These races in the Southern Hemisphere arn't good for me and if the temperatures stay higher the Americas trip won't be great either.
Sorry for a short update but i don't get much time these days as i am busy trying to get myself a road ride.
TDF
Hola!
The UCI granted me exemption from the no-needles policy which has massively decreased my recovery time. It's still going to be a race against time to make the startline in New York. I wish i could have made it Down Under where the sandier courses and warmer temperatures would have been excellent for me.
Looking ahead and talking with the team and doctors November could be rather interrupted as i continue recovery. I will be at the startline in New York (probably) but most likley drop out after a lap. Seattle and Portland look ok at the moment but i will only focus my efforts fully on one of them. The doctor then recommends skipping Lancaster and Chile to be in decent shape for the sands of Rio. Give 200% in Rio and pass on South Africa and i should then by back properly for Decembers run across Europe.
After tomorrow's race, we'll have fully started the season. The Coca-Cola Trophy starts with a new race, but what a race! Uncountable hills and one very large hill, this is probably the route of the year for the climbers. Only the good climbers will be able to ride the big one all the way to the top in the last lap, so expect big differences at the finish line.
With the Coca-Cola Trophy being a time competition, the differences will matter, and all favorites will have to ride full gas until they cross that finish line!
Race Information
Country: New Zealand
City/Place: Tekapo lake.
Classification: Coca-Cola Trophy
Starting Time (Elite Men): 20h
Favorites: James Carlisle, Elliot Cook, Francis Vague, Dries Cornelis, Rudy Verboven, Gregory Bernard.
Record: New
Race History: Another new race on the calendar. The Coca-Cola Trophy went looking for new, exciting locations for its trophy. Five out of the eight races are brand new, as is this one.
Route Information
Technical: 2
Sand: 0
Uphill: 5
Cobblestones: 1
The Tekapocross takes us around the Tekapo Lake. Well, no, not around, because we'd have a cross of a few hours. But it offers a beautiful sight for the crowd and the riders to enjoy. Interestingly, this is the first evening cross of the year. It'll be beautiful, but warm. At around 8 pm, temperatures of about 20 degrees are expected, so don't dress too warmly. UCI will allow water bottles in the technical zone, though.
The profile is very hilly, and it's mainly about that. Some technical skill is required for the downhill, but they are rather straightforward and wide, unlike the Blaarmeersen descend. The big hill, dubbed unoriginally as the Coca-Cola hill, will offer a great spectacle. In dry conditions, most riders should ride it all the way to the top. But the slope just keeps going, and we will see big differences at the finish line, no doubt about that.
What else can be said. There is no sand, almost no cobbled ground. Hardly any road, too. The only road is the finish line, where we'll see an uphill sprint. Not the steepest slow, but it'll make for an interesting finish, where those who are already dead may lose a few more seconds near the end. This is not a profile for out-of-form cyclists.
The wind can blow harshly around this lake, especially on the mid-section of the race, which is between two larger tops. Sudden gusts of wind may surprise you.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 20° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 3 Beaufort
Hobart Sunny Classic - Report
Nicky Van Drenthe
Hammer Time
TDF
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
Tekapocross - Preview
