Welcome to the second race of the Coca-Cola Trophy. As in New - Zealand, the circus travels with the trophy. Lots of interested faces in the crowd today. Seattle seems more open to CX than the New York crowd, it would seem. We also have a lot of Belgian supporters who traveled here to support their hero. Spotting the fanclubs of Dries Cornelis, Rik Van Fleming, Francis Vague but also of Matt Mazzarelli, James Carlisle, Jack Smith and Elliot Cook, we can only hope this race will fulfill their expectations.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 6° C
Precipitation: Rain, light.
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start line: It's fairly cold here for the time of year. Only 6° C. The light rain adds to that cold. The terrain is tough and has come loose a bit due to the rain. The -already dangerous - downhill of the Greenland Hill will be the terror of the course. Ironically, the Greenland Hill has been turned into a brown hill after the Junior, U23 and Women races earlier today.
At the start line, we see the leader of the Trophy, James Carlisle. He's confident for today's race, for sure. With enough climbs, he should finish with the top riders. His biggest rivals today are Cook and Vague, who are just 7 seconds behind in the classification.
Let's get this race started.
Lap 1: Mario Guido with a real fast start today! Vague makes easy use of this fast start and drifts along in his wheel. As expected, Cook marks Vague well, he's keeping close to him.
We know perfectly where Max Power is. Follow the roar of the crowd and you have him. At the moment, though, he's only in about 25th place. We're not sure he's at the height of his powers again.
We're going for the stairs, now. Robert Wells dismounts freakishly fast and runs up faster than anyone else today. He's leading the race now. Rik Van Fleming is in second, Guido has already dropped back to a 6th place.
The first two jumping bars are next. Right after the descend, they should come onto them with a lot of speed. Wells doesn't take the risk and dismounts to run. Van Fleming follows his example. The bike artist Vague jumps them and wins a few meters that way. Gregory Bernard with a fast start for his capacities. He jumps, too, and actually goes into the lead, now.
Some of these bridges are real steep. Don't underestimate them, especially the ones where you come out of a corner and you have to climb them practically from standing still. That gets in your clothes.
The Greenland Hill now. One of the toughest hills around, because of the terrain being so tough. Nic Hashir on the power! He's the first one at the top. Bernard in second, Vague in third. Cook is in 7th position and Carlisle is riding around in 10th position at the moment. Cornelis has missed his start and seems to be in around 18th position.
The downhill is tricky! Nobody's making any moves to overtake the rider in front of him, here. Just following is enough for now. Robert Wells with a slipper, but he managed to stay upright, just barely!
(...)
The final jumping bars. So close to the finish, they can be important later on. At 39 cm, not a lot of riders will risk jumping them. Especially with this muddy underground.
Vague jumps and goes into the lead. He's not going full gas just yet, though. Let's see what we have at the start of the second lap.
Lap 2: We'll have 8 laps, today. Let's take a look at the leaders after this first, pretty fast, lap.
Robert Wells, Gregory Bernard, Francis Vague, Elliot Cook, Nic Hashir.
Sylvain Lipawsky, Matt Mazzarelli, James Carlisle, Alfonso Munoz: 6 seconds.
Lachy Bauer, Dries Cornelis, Jack Smith, Josiah Bennett, Rudy Verboven: 14 seconds.
Christian Schiltz, Marcus Flinch, Mario Guido, Rik Van Fleming: 20 seconds.
The stairs won't make the difference at this level of the cyclo-cross. Not just yet, anyway. But now we're heading for the jumping bars. It continues raining and the ground gets increasingly dangerous to jump. Only Vague jumps the bars. In the background, Eldfjallsson is riding around as last, besides Bakari. He's clearly not too motivated for today's race.
Now the Greenland Hill. Wells with another impressive pull. His combination of power and climbing is a real plus here. Nic Hashir makes a small mistake and is standing still. It takes a lot of energy to start back up on this uphill.
Wells has a small gap, and he decides to act on it. He's heading downhill with a sense of risk. He's not the greatest bike handl-- Wells goes down! That looked like a nasty fall. He's hit the fence with his shoulders, it looks painful. The crowd looks worried, too.
Gregory Bernard takes over the lead and starts riding hard, now, to put Vague and Cook under pressure. Meanwhile, Wells is back up again, but he's clutching his shoulder. It looks game over for him. As he tries to grab his bike, the grimace on his face confirms this. Over and out. This might be a serious injury...
We're going through the technical zone, now. Bernard has just as much chance at dropping Vague here than at catching a pinguin with his pants down. Cook, however, is behind a few meters. Vague has seen that and... Overtakes Bernard! I think his race has finally started!
He jumps the bars and heads towards the finish line solo.
Lap 3: On the stairs, Cook has caught up with Vague again. More surprisingly, Mazzarelli has reached the front, now, too. He's looking in fine form again.
On the Greenland Hill, Mazzarelli takes the initiative. Cook and Vague follow. Vague is looking behind constantly. Where is Carlisle?
We find Carlisle 13 seconds behind. He's trying to get to the front with Lipawsky.
Lap 4: Rudy Verboven and Christian Schiltz are working together well here. It looks like they're both riding with the time in mind. Some cooperation has never hurt anyone.
Gregory Bernard has fallen back after his amazing start, now. He's already 21 seconds down on the three leaders.
Jack Smith and Dries Cornelis are slowly returning from the background. This is still too far behind to threaten Vague, Cook or Mazzarelli, though.
Lap 5: Bakari is the first rider to be lapped. He looks pleased about his race today. Only 4 more laps and he would've finished. With only one minor crash today, he's had the best race of the season so far, we reckon. His companion for today, Eldfjallsson, has stayed with him and can go shower now, too.
Cook with an attack on the Greenland Hill! He's clear of Mazzarelli and Vague. Nobody has an answer to this kind of accelaration!
He doesn't risk to jump, but he keeps his gap. Vague and Mazzarelli are both eager to bring him back, they will work together until they catch him, we think. Lipawsky is riding around with some good form and nears, too.
Lap 6: Three laps from the finish and this is the situation.
Elliot Cook.
Francis Vague, Matt Mazzarelli, Sylvain Lipawsky: 6 seconds.
James Carlisle: 10 seconds.
Lachy Bauer, Jack Smith: 16 seconds.
Arda Akdeniz: 21 seconds.
Dries Cornelis: 25 seconds.
Josiah Bennett, Nic Hashir, Nicky Van Drenthe: 31 seconds.
Rudy Verboven, Christian Schiltz: 46 seconds.
Gregory Bernard: 48 seconds.
Everything is still wide open. Cook doesn't make any mistakes and so Vague, Mazzarelli and Lipawsky have a hard time gaining any time on him. This current situation puts Cook in the lead in the Trophy, too.
Vague decides to change his bike. His mechanic gives him the bike and he's off again. This was a change at top speed!
The Greenland Hill is Cook's playground, it seems. At the top, he's 10 seconds ahead. Is he defininitely gone, now?
Lap 7: Just two more laps, now. Max Power and Dobransky have been lapped and are forced to abandon. The rain has stopped, but it's done the damage. The jumping bars are very dangerous now, with the muddy underground.
However, Vague continues to jump. Mazzarelli and Lipawsky don't take the risk and lose a few meters. Vague has seen this and rushes forward.
At the foot of the Greenland Hill, Cook has 8 seconds on Vague. Mazzarelli and Lipawsky follow on 12 seconds.
Vague is riding around impressively, now, he's saved his energy for these final laps, for sure! And an attack by Mazzarellik now! Lipawsky gets left behind. Mazzarelli and Vague are better descenders than Cook, and that's reflected in the time difference back at the foot of the next U-turn, Cook has 5 seconds on Vague and 8 seconds on Mazzarelli. Lipawsky follows on 12 seconds.
Lap 8: We're going into the final round, now. Vague jumps the bars and nears to 3 seconds on Cook.
And here we are; the final climb of Greenland Hill. Cook decides to create fireworks for one final time. Vague is giving it all, but is not nearing an inch. Mazzarelli stays about status quo, now, too. Cook heads into the downhill. And a slip-up! He's lost control of his backwheel, he manages to correct it just in time, he hasn't hit the ground! But Vague has taken use of the situation and we have a two-men lead again. Mazzarelli is 3 seconds behind them.
Lipawsky is 7 seconds behind, he's determined to catch them. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola Trophy leader James Carlisle is following 13 seconds later. At this situation, both Cook and Vague are ahead in the classification.
Mazzarelli has reached the two leaders and we have three men again. Only the jumping bars separate them from a sprint finish now.
We had been expecting it! Vague jumps. Mazzarelli and Cook can't, so they run them. Vague has just gained a few meters, is it enough to win? 300 meters are left. Mazzarelli and Cook start sprinting, now.
Vague takes it home! Mazzarelli came close with a fine sprint, but will have to be happy with a 2nd spot here. Cook gets third but won't lose any time on Vague.
Lipawsky crosses the line 7 seconds later, after a mature cross.
Carlisle loses the lead here today, but manages to limit the damage. He finishes 16 seconds later.
The preparation paid off and Christian Schiltz rode to his joint best career performance at Elite level, finishing 14th in the Seattle Coca-Cola trophy having found a good ally in fellow U23 Rudy Verboven. It helps Schiltz gain 2 places in the classification to 17th. He is still 44 seconds off a Top 15 place though, but at least he is over a minute up on 21st. That will change a lot though with many races still to come, some which do suit Schiltz a bit less than here in Seattle.
And not only did he equal his best result of the year, he also beat teammate Gregory Bernard for the first time ever! A great day all round then.
Hafthor Eldfjallsson simply has no motivation for the Coca-Cola Trophy. After a brilliant race in New York, all of his focus is on a strong performance at the Portland World Cup. There is no point in wasting any time on such a gimmicky concept as this.
A stand out day for Amadou Bakari who made it to the halfway point of the race, without major incident. He picked up some tips riding alongside Hafthor Eldfjallsson, and now just needs to work on his pace to finish a race!
This fine performance was capped by the updated Coca-Cola standings, which see Bakari climb up to a fantastic 43rd position.
Edited by SportingNonsense on 09-01-2015 23:57
His fanclub had hoped for a frenetic performance today and just traveled here from Belgium to Seattle. Vague is seemingly relieved after his second victory of the season, as he hugs his mother at the finish line.
Congratulations Francis, those two last laps were pure excitement. Are Cook and you the guarantee for an exciting finish?
Maybe. In the first half, it was really open and I was feelling well and confident throughout it. Unfortunately, I couldn't follow when he made his move on the Greenland Hill, it actually surprised me a bit. It was really tough to get back then, I had luck that he had an issue in the downhill. It allowed me to get back and I had the advantage on the jumping bars. I didn't dismount at the jumping bars once, so I had the confidence there in the finish, to take the bars as they came. I'm glad it worked out again. When the viewerships finds the races interesting, than it's all the better. Of course winning an exciting race is all the better, people cherish those races much more.
In that lap, did you think that you could catch up to Cook?
He was pretty much away but of course, you need to believe. That you can still reach him somewhat. On top of Greenland Hill, I was focused and determined to a fast, perfect descent. Would I have reached him if he didn't make that small mistake? I don't know. Maybe not, maybe yes. There's no need to dwell on that after a victory like today.
Today you refrained from a real attack though?
That's not true. Each of my jumps was a bit of an attack in fact. I took advantage of that when other riders couldn't anymore. It's a bit the mental side of racing and I like to think that I'm good and strong in that regard.
But if you mean that I didn't attack on the Greenland Hill, well - the situation just didn't play in my favour.
How did you get such extraordinary bike handling. You were the only rider to take every jumping bar.
Lots of training and loving the bike I guess. I grew up with Cyclo-Cross and learning all the tricks and manevours at an young age was just a given then. Apparently in a race like today, it can make all the difference. But you also need the confidence and the mental strength to try it every time. Because it can ruin your race in an instant. I'm glad it worked out each time.
We've seen you looking behind you for James Carlisle.
If I was to race just all by myself, looking at the stem, I might as well should have become a Time Trialist. So yeah, it was important for me to know where he was during the race. At least I am satisfied to have settled the score back from Tekapocross, and even taking the lead from him, so I think I've done good in that regard.
A great crowd here in Seattle, also thanks to some Belgians who flew over. We have spotted your mom, your fanclub...
Yeah, it's great that they are here. The guys are just great, the support of my mom, just thank you. And I'm sure, despite the time difference, many people followed the race in Belgium too. Greetings home! [sends a kiss home] And from the organizational side of things, Coca-Cola has done a great job again. Maybe not so much party like back in New Zealand but really it felt a bit like home. Great atmosphere all together.
You are now the leader of the Coca-Cola Trophy alongside Elliot Cook, who has the same time. Your ambitions for the double pack in Rio & South Africa?
I don't know yet. Neither Cook nor me are the best riders for Rio or the other race and we won't be listed as favourites. Carlisle as well. It'll be tough for us puncheurs to keep up with the specialists and limit the damage but maybe I get a chance to get some time onto Cook & Carlisle. It'd be certainly worth it. For now, I look forward to Lanchaster come Wednesday.
Thank you Francis, enjoy your victory and the podium ceremony.Edited by Shonak on 03-01-2015 13:35
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Oooh, Matt, here you are! Trololololol, that's how I feel usually *laughs*
That was a nice one I reckon. Well! Jokes aside, that was an incredible performance today! Absolutely man! I'm not even disappointed that I lost the sprint because I haven't lost against 2 opponents! And either way I wouldn't have had any chance against Van der Poel.
Van der Poel? Oooops, yes sorry, I obviously meant Vague!
And what about the next race? I'm in a spectacular shape this week and I hope to keep it all around the year. To be fair, it doesn't suit me perfectly so I see other riders as favourites. Nonetheless I still expect a placement not out of the top ten. I'm ambitious, I know, but I don't want to disappoint my fans after the "Australian Beer Gate". I'm absolutely looking forward to the Lancaster Challenge. Other than being a race that suits me perfectly, it's the first race after my birthday! It will be a plain boring party without all that b... oh, wait I'm not supposed to say this, crap, mind what I said!
We sure will, thanks Matt and good luck! Thanks, see you then!
Two weeks after the start of the World Cup in Melbourne, we're ready for another great great race. Dries Cornelis is the leader, the rest will challenge him for the World Cup Trophy.
We're still in the United States, this time in Portland, Oregon. The countryside offers a wide variety of terrain for the riders. Another classic European cyclo-cross route, but this time technical ability will prevail over climbing.
We're approaching real cyclo-cross temperatures, now. Portland is having a cold fall and it seems we're in for a cool race.
Race Information
Country: United States of America
City/Place: Portland
Classification: World Cup
Starting Time (Elite Men): 15h
Favorites: Dries Cornelis, Ronnie Hira, Andrew McLaughlin, Sylvain Lipawsky, James Carlisle, Tariq Faizullah, Matt Mazzarelli.
Record: New
Race History: Portland hosts its first professional cyclo-cross race. It borrows quite some inspiration from the traditional, European races, which is not considered a bad thing. Not at all.
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 0
Uphill: 2
Cobblestones: 0
This definitely isn't the hardest profile around. There aren't many bridges around, but there is a natural inclination in the terrain. However, the climbs are more about power and bike handling than on pure climbing. Steering well is a main factor on this profile.
Instead of jumping bars, there will be tree trunks to jump over. There are considered harder than bars, especially these trees. It's a shame Francis Vague is not on the startlist, it would've been interesting to see if he'd jump them or not. It is expected that nobody risks a jump tomorrow, but we're gladly proven wrong.
Besides the usual obstacles, there are two ditches to be crossed, too. Skillful riders can attempt a jump, but if the ground is hard, it can be catastrophic for their tires. Wet weather will soften the terrain and make this powerful, though.
We'll be looking for a skillful rider to take the victory here. Uneven terrain, jumps, nasty bends, loose terrain are only a few of the difficulties ahead in this race. Concentration may be the greatest virtue tomorrow.
Hello all, it is me Mohuti Sow. I finished 11th in a race and I am very happy. It was a great surprise for myself and my team mates because I did not expect to do so well against such a tough field but I did and I will see if I can do even better in the future!
It's me Frederick. I am doing quite well in the Coca Cola Trophy, even if I say so myself. I am placed just otuside of the Top 20 but I have finished 15th and 16th in two of the races. I hope the whole of Namibia is proud of me! I am also minutes ahead of Starc which pleases me and the rest of the NamDeb Team.
On a completely different matter, I am pissed off by this New Zealand kid posting about the birth of his baby. It's a baby, there is one born like every 10 seconds. Big whoop. You don't hear me saying what I have been doing with the females in Europe because no one cares. And naming a cyclist you have known for a bit as the godfather. Man you are stuffed up.
Feeling pretty chilled about things here stateside - must say have enjoyed the west coast somewhat better than the east coast perhaps the guys out in Lancaster can change my mind?
I certainly wasn't in much mood for blogging after New York which was a damp squib in every way to explain it. The event was a 'superprestige' one but I think I speak for everyone when it felt very much like a points gathering exercise and there was not a lot of prestige about thrashing around in the mud being laughed at by a few street sellers. We knew this year was a bold new direction that would have peaks and troughs this was undoubtably a low. I got pretty disheartened at the end Sylvian Lipawsky took the win which may be a pointer for a guy to look at for when the weather turns to crap.
Didn't have much time to look around the big apple either, which I guess most would see the appeal - I ain't much of a big cities man either. Portland though has been more my cup of tea and I guess the course really suited me too.
Portland was a really cool mix of hills and technical - I beginning to find my top end strength. I don't think any of these buggers can follow me when I really go and yes that even includes Franny. Very pleased with my effort here in the Coca Cola thingee. The Coke guys have pulled out all the stops and I think they have created something I like - whilst Franny and that Italian sounding dude caught me up I finished with the same time. Again the goal in this early Coke events is to build time and I have I think.
The old geezer Cornelis screwed another start, the guy though is just incredible been working on some technical stuff after the portland slippige and he is the guy to watch. He always picks the right lines out on course, I am wondering whether you have a natural gift for it like Franny - but this guy is a real dynamo on those jumps guess it is the gift of youth.
Deciding to go back across America and give my first race of the year a miss. I did okay in the first world cup event, but this really is not going to be the competition for me and I am eager to get a bit of rest after that hit out in Portland. I have heard good things about the course in Seattle but the weather looks a bit grim. I have had a few nice runs in this inclement weather - I know we are going to get it in Europe that is part of what cross is. But this Seattle course is a not right for me and I don't think I am going to get much out of it.
Nethertheless this is a scummy move from me - so a big sorry to Seattle but I need to try and get one over on Franny at Lancaster and I hear he aint going to Seattle either so kind of needed. I recall what happened when wheelsucker Carlisle missed an event a week ago the bugger caught me cold in New Zealand I am not going to let that happen again.
Newsflash: Rik Van Fleming hopes for a spark of form
It wasn't the season of Van Fleming to this point. Although he had some nice laps now and then, he ultimately didn't come close to his desired goals. Surely sprinting for a Top 20 placing at best isn't what Van Fleming targets. It's even more embarrasing when he sprints for the places in the lower ranks, but that's the nature of Van Fleming.
Naturally, he'll hope to show himself better (and more) in Portland this time around, by doing nothing else than hang onto the top riders. "I look for a fast start and want to keep myself up there all the time. Without remorse. Of course I won't be leading anything and I ain't going to attack, but I just want to hang in there for as long as possible. I'm a classic CX rider, so I know how to take a jump and ride on tricky terrain."
As he rides for Topsort-Vlaanderen, he will hopefully enjoy some flandriennes support along the lines. However he fears that other riders are getting ahead in the ranking order. "Verboven has shown some great rides so far. It's good for me that our strengths lie on very, very different terrain and we are completely different riders, but who knows how long I'll be able to keep myself ahead of young aspiring Milan Vermeulen."
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Arda Akdeniz's tactic looked good as he finished 7th and he is 5th overall.He is only 51 seconds off the lead which is a great thing.He finally overcame the sadness after several great results.A great day all-round for him.
Edited by Forever the Best on 05-01-2015 19:27
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
Welcome to the World Cup. With Cornelis leading the classification, the others can't give it rest, not today. Give Cornelis a finger, and he'll take an arm, that much is known.
The weather is for true cyclo-cross fans, despite the lack of rain. Expect a real battle for the victory today! Welcome in Portland.
Start Line: It's a strange line up, with Vague and Cook missing from this race. Both new to the prof-ranks, they have already made a name for themselves and are already considered potential winners at about any race they start in. Robert Wells is a non-started after his fall yesterday.
Cornelis is wearing his World Champion jersey today. It's the only jersey to take preference on the World Cup jersey. So no leader jersey today, but he'll want to stay in the lead nevertheless.
With plenty of technical obstacles, Cornelis finds a profile suited to his needs.
Lap 1: A flying start by Rudy Verboven, followed closely by Max Power and Mustafi Moli.
It's early in the race, but there are plenty riders keen to attack. Josiah Bennett, Mustafi Moli and Max Powers are all powering through and trying to separate theirselves from the pack.
(...)
Halfway the lap, Only Max Power and Mustafi Moli are ahead in the race. Bennett couldn't keep the tough pace, he seemed tired. The two leaders are just 5 seconds ahead of Dries Cornelis, who is very eager to defend and extend his World Cup lead!
OOH what happened there? We're seeing a replay of Kimi Hakinnen bumping into Timi Kokkonen's derailleur. It's a questionable move, especially knowing the flaming rivalry between the riders. Timi Kokkonen has to dismount and gets set back to the back of the pack.
Lap 2: Only 8 laps today. The cold is already taking its toll on some riders. Mustafi Moli can't keep up with Power, who is on fire at the moment.
Cornelis is in third and connect with the front, now. It seems he's getting ready to really start the race, after this first lap, which was a bit of recon.
We called it! Cornelis is off. Power looks absolutely stunned as Cornelis passes him, jumping the ditch. Jack Smith attempts to follow but immediately pays the price.
Lap 3: James Carlisle, Sylvain Lipawsky and Matt Mazzarelli have put their heads together and are working on bringing back Cornelis. He's already 14 seconds ahead now. He's riding around flawlessly so it'll be hard to catch the technical wonder on this technical profile!
Kimi Hakinnen has been disqualified by the UCI after his questionable run-in with fellow Finnish rider Kokkonen. He doesn't seem aware of this, though, he's still in the race.
Lap 4: Cornelis has build up a lead of 23 seconds already. I'm afraid this is over. I wouldn't be sure but this is Cornelis we're talking about. Trademark move in action, possibly one of the last times in this twilight of his career.
Lipawsky, Mazzarelli and Carlisle are still trying to bring him back, but there are almost no straight roads to make some pace, so working together holds few advantages here. With Cornelis taking every jump, he gains seconds over those three each time.
Lap 5: Ronnie Hira has accelerated in the background! He's left Bernard and Smith behind, in an attempt to reach the threesome of Carlisle, Mazzarelli and Lipawsky.
Power is completely fading away now. We've seen a nice attack by him, but he's not back to his former self just yet. Meanwhile, Tariq Faizullah is riding an amazing race again. He's really one of the big surprises this season.
On another note, this race is a real test for Eldfjallsson, who is looking to sharpen his technical skills on training lately. He's not doing a half bad job so far. He's around 30th position at the moment.
Wow, these time differences are huge already. Luckily for the competition this is not a time classification. Only the points count today. And, of course, the victory of the day!
Matt Mazzarellu has his eyes set on this race. He attacks! Lipawsky follows his every move! Carlisle bridges the gap more slowly.
And this time it's Carlisle's chance to attack! Mazzarelli is on his tail.
Lipawsky catches up and immediately makes his move. On a very tough technical section, he tries to use the tight corners to solo away. Well, at least for the remaining 40 points.
Lap 7: Ronnie Hira is defending his classification with strength, but he has a problem nearing Carlisle and Mazzarelli. Meanwhile, Lipawsky has taken 5 seconds on them.
Sven Welling takes a nasty crash after misjudging one of the ditches. He gets up and looks determined to finish, though.
Lap 8: We're already going into the final lap. Looking at some of these time differences, not a lot can happen anymore. We'll be waiting for Cornelis to finish.
He's just riding around amazingly. Jumping the ditches, the tree trunks. He's not making any mistakes. The only true winner today. He's going to take an option on the World Cup after his second victory here!
And, yes, here he is. He raises his arms and looks very happy about his victory today. Sylvain Lipawsky manages to keep off his opponents and finishes 2nd.
The sprint for the third place is won by Carlisle! Mazzarelli looks disappointed by this, as he falls off the podium this way. Hira finishes 5th and is already a minute down. What a show of force by Cornelis. Or rather, a show of skill.
Because of the monster pace by Cornelis, we won't see a lot of finishers today. He's rolled up a lot of riders here!
We'll have to cut this broadcast short here, see the site for the full results!
Gregory Bernard had come off from some great results with 6th in Hobart Sunny and 9th place at Tekapocross but today wasn't like that.He was 14th and he got beaten by team-mate Schiltz which is encouraging him to do better.Bernard started fast but messed his tactics as he blew up and finished 14th.Oh and he seems to be not bad with Schiltz.A bad day but he can bounce back.
Wait,Portland race just finished and he was 7th.A balanced race in total whch he was happy about as he bounced back.
Edited by Forever the Best on 05-01-2015 19:37
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
Ronnie that was another solid show from you, going solo from lap 5 and retaining your 2nd place overall. Talk us through.
Thanks, it was certainly an exhaustive experience, but I didn't think Smith and Bernard were going to tow me, and I knew I couldn't outsprint them, so I made a move.
You didn't manage to catch Carlisle and Mazzarelli in the end, how did you feel?
I wasn't surprised I couldn't, going solo against a pair with a minutes deficit is never easy.
You retained your 2nd overall, do you have any ambitions for the classification?
No not really, classifications weren't our plan except for maybe with Michael, but I think now we are focused on a race win, and hopefully frequently attacking at the start, though I will defend this with my life!
Thanks for speaking to us Ronnie!
A pleasure.
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
The World Cup race in Portland is an ideal opportunity to look back at the American week with Dries Cornelis. 'You might think I'm only happy at the moment, but that's not true. I can still sense the disappointment of the cross in Seattle, where I only came 9th and effectively got eliminated for the Coca Cola Trophy.'
You did show some serious dominance though. 'You mean yesterday? Yes, I wanted to show that I'm still capable of doing what I'm known for: long, strong solo efforts. It didn't work out in Seattle, but yesterday, I was flying and felt I'm maybe even better than the last years.'
Your rivals still seem to acknowledge you as a favourite despite your age. 'Well, they should. I'm still the world champion, and leading the world cup with a big margin as well.'
Iranian Naveed Alinejad seems to be approaching his breakthrough. His best result so far was achieved in Portland yesterday. 'My first top-20 ever with the pros is a moment I did celebrate a little. My legs felt stronger than ever yesterday and I think it's unfolded well.'
His team mate was more successful though. 'When that team mate is called Dries Cornelis that doesn't mean much. I'm very glad for him, and I'm still as honoured as I was that he's helping me in my development as well.'
Naveed is confident he can improve his results. 'This top-20 was only the start of everything. My next goal is to ride in the top-20 consequently and to end in the points stabily. When that's achieved, we'll see what happens next.'
Well I caught the Seattle race this evening and we had this cool feature where you could replay the whole race watching Cornelis all the way. You have to say this guy is just simply the best technical rider, less flashy I think than Vague but just so efficient and clean through all the obstacles.
I think the guy started the season with all us newbies thinking he could just order us about a bit and just ride away over and over. But now he is just getting his head down and grinding everyone into the dirt. He has great recovery too, after battling out in the mid regions in the Coca-Cola races he certainly is stamping himself all over the world cup. Hard to see anyone really stopping him bar a serious injury but I think Cornelis is too good for that.
Some of the other guys are starting to take crazy risks - I am not the best descender or technical rider. I sense I am starting to get more comfortable with the specialist cross skills, but I will always be a cross convert. Still I am just slowly pushing my limits rather than going too far. I know I dish the dirt on others but I think I race fair and a saw some very poor knocks in Seattle.
I am concentrating at the moment in keeping my weight sensible - I think I will need to beef up a bit back in the cold of Europe else I will come down with something. Been trying to avoid Franny Vague where I can we were riding some of the off road climbs in the area recently and think the young pup is looking to build his climbing stamina, don't think he liked being dropped back in Portland.
Next up I will be looking for some stronger bullets but I will be firing less off I think - it is all about points in Lancaster and I am feeling raring to go. Perhaps with a bit of luck I can get on the top step of that podium.
Still in the States, for our fourth consecutive race here. It's the end of the crazy States-week. Only a week ago, the riders were getting ready for the New York cross. Now we've gone from the Big Apple to Seattle to Portland and now the final stop: Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
After tomorrow, the riders will head down to South - America so race in Chile on Sunday.
Race Information
Country: United States of America
City/Place: Lancaster
Classification: Superprestige
Starting Time (Elite Men): 13h30
Favorites: Francis Vague, Elliot Cook, Matt Mazzarelli, Lachy Bauer, James Carlisle.
Record: New
Race History: November is the month of new crosses. This is no exception. Lancaster came up with an interesting and fresh race for the Superprestige. A lot of big names will be eager to put their names on this race as the first winner.
Route Information
Technical: 3
Sand: 0
Uphill: 5
Cobblestones: 0
It's a short lap, we expect a time of only about 5 minutes each lap. The profile is easy: we mess around a bit in the field before heading into the forest. There it's one big climb, with steep sections of 20% and tough terrain that can turn into mud easily with a bit of rain. After the riders reach the top, the head downhill in a technical descend.
After that, the riders mess around a bit more in the field. There are some U-turns, but that's just to make the course long enough for UCI regulations. It's widely expected we'll have 12 laps. That means 12 ascends of the deadly Turnkey climb. Anyone alive at the finish line deserves our utmost respect tomorrow.
Hey guys, it's Lachy here,
I'm in Lancaster here for what looks like a race for me. No sand, no cobbles, only minor technicalities and lots of steep hills. Looking forward to it as a race to target my first podium, and all 5 of us have a license to be free as we are not targeting the overall.
Actually news on next season, we are in talks with a World-Class CX rider who is going to return from a nasty injury, meaning we can target the overall instead of specific races with me Ronnie and Michael.
See you at the race!
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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
Hi Guys,
The USA hasn't been too kind to me. I've finished a couple of races but most of the time i get lapped out of the racing. I'm really looking forwards to getting back to Europe where the courses better suit my needs. But if i don't get some more results in the next month or so i might start reconsidering my place at this level of the sport.
"TDF"
Hi!
It has been the best week ever. Just making it back to the bike in time to race in the States was reason enough to celebrate. Then i had a great few laps in Portland. I felt good so decided to use the fans to give me a boost. I lead a lap and was at the front of the race for a few more afterwards. Ultimately i'm still not in a full racing condition but these laps have really helped.
The fans have been incredible. People easily forget how popular CX is in the states. New York aside the races have been packed out by fans who really like the sport and it's been a whirlwind of media attention. I love it and it makes me want to race even harder.
I'll take things a bit easier in Lancaster and Chile because i've got winning ambitions for Rio. The sandy route there will be perfect for me so i'm going to give everything to win it. The doctors say i'm good to go and it's great to be back at strength, and just needing a few more days to shake out the final aches and stiffnes.
Francis, your opinion on the course?
It will be a great finish to the American Races. With the many multiple times climbing and the rather short race lap, it can be a bit of a race of elimination. It'll be important to let not go early and too muhc, though one can reconnect in the flatter parts of the race. The 20% climb is a pretty seismic insanity, same goes for the downhill part. It's a race I look forward too, and I think skipping Portland was the right decision.
Speaking of Portland, have you seen the race. Some thoughts on it?
Yeah, I did. Cornelis just blasted through the entire peloton. I'm pretty sure he focuses by now mostly on the World Cup, since he lost some time in the Coca-Cola Trophy and he's some points down in the Superprestige Classification as well. But still, he's always a danger and looking at Portland and his previous victories, his form is definitely on a high. The race may suit us puncheurs better than him but with his talents, he's always a guy for the victory.
Elliot Cook and you both left out Portland to race at Lanchaster; the right decision. Why did you do that?
Well, for me at this point the Superprestige Classification appears to be just the smarter choice. I'm still young and I have ridden quite some races till now. Putting myself out of the World Cup in this way was of course a tough decision, and one I didn't take lightly, but I hope I'll profit from it in the long run. As for now, a short break was really welcome for me, especially since I could fully focus on Lanchaster now. Looking at the courses' difficulty and the past uphill races, I will definitely want to uphold my climbing reputation.
Elliot Cook said that he will be probably riding less aggressive this time around?
Yeah, you not really gonna believe that, right? At least I'll believe it only once he crosses the finish line. He's been attacking sometimes like a mad man, and he even skipped a race to be in full shape for this race. I expect a tough race, especially one from Cook.
Do you want to win today or you focus on keeping the lead in the Superprestige Classification?
Well, preferablly I want to do both [smiles]
Edited by Shonak on 07-01-2015 13:55
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
The UCI sentences Kimi Hakinnen to a fine of 1500 Swiss Francs after posing unsporting behaviour, striking another rider's derailleur on purpose in the Seattle race. He finished the race 14th but was disqualified before the finish. Kimi Hakinnen receives an additional 500 Swiss Francs fine for ignoring the UCI officials in their attempt to take him out of the race.
Seattle - Report
"Hammer Time"
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
