Welcome to Lancaster in the good old US of A. We're getting used to it, but it's the final race we'll have in the country for this season. But we say goodbye in style. The Turnkey climb will be climbed over 10 times, so we're bound to see spectacle. Whether that'll be riders suffering or riders battling for an epic victory we don't know yet. Probably both.
Welcome, to the third manche of the Superprestige.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 5° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 0 Beaufort
Start Line: Dry weather, not what we were expecting. But that doesn't mean we'll see a boring race. The Turnkey climb is a spectacle on itself. Its gradients of up to 20% will bring us a hard race nevertheless.
The leader of the Superprestige Vague looks ready to defend his lead. Let's see if he can do it. The big question in the media: can Vague answer Cook's attack when it comes?
Lap 1: And we're off! This profile is basically this: lead-up to the Turnkey, go up, go down, play around in the field, cross the finish, lead up to the Turnkey. So we start with a sprint towards the foot of the climb. Being too far back means you'll have to dismount early and you could lose the entire race there.
Hira wants to break away early, but the pace is so high, everybody's sprinting. We're already approaching Turnkey.
Elliot Cook shows up out of the pack and shoots to the front. Vague, Mazzarelli and Cornelis are like moths to a flame and move forward as fast as they can. I have a feeling this race will open up real early...
Cook with a monster pace on the Turnkey. The peloton is ripping in pieces. If this is a preview of the race to come, we're in for an amazing race today!
After a quick start, we've already reached the top of the Turnkey climb. Cook crosses the top and starts going downhill. Vague is right on his tail. This boy won't let Cook go easily this time. Mazzarelli is there, too. Cornelis, Bauer, Carlisle, Schiltz - wow, we did not expect him here, great start from the young rider from Luxembourg - Akdeniz, Lipawsky...
The downhill is somewhat tricky, but in these conditions, it's doable. Cook is definitely doing it. Vague is not taking any risks, though, so he keeps his distance.
Lap 2: Let's skip ahead to the Turnkey climb. Fantastic scene for a cyclo-cross, we must admit. And Cook again! He has an itch to scratch today, that's obvious. Vague lets Carlisle do the work this time. Bernard has a flat tire, what a bad timing!
Lap 3: Cook is taking it easier now, we see. The pace drops, but the damage has been done. The cards have been dealt, now let's see it played out.
We're happy to see Max Power do so well here today again. He's riding around in about 25th place. The Turnkey hill is not his style, but his form is definitely on the rise!
Lap 4: Josiah Bennett now with the initiative. Verboven sneaks along with him, smart move by the young Belgian.
Lap 5: Hafthor Eldfjallsson is doing a lot of work, trying to move up some more places. Maybe he's fighting for a top 10 in the Superprestige Trophy at the end of the season?
Lap 6: The race is approaching the midway point and the riders are trying to recover a bit. Bennett and Verboven are 10 seconds ahead of the chasing group.
Oh and Jack Smith with a nasty fall here! It doesn't happen to him often, but he's gone down now. He's getting up but he'll need a new bike, he'll have to run about 500 meters. That'll cost him some time.
Lap 8: We're at lap 8 of the 12. Vague tries to sneak away on the U-turns section. Cook sees this but has problems keeping up, he's taking his corners too wide, that's not so good.
Verboven sees that Vague is coming and gets out of the saddle. He speeds up the Turnkey. Bennett is surprised and makes a mistake changing gears. With this gearing, he won't get up the Turnkey, be sure of that!
Verboven gets to the top. Cook caught up with Vague. Mazzarelli and Carlisle don't want to miss the boat and catch up quickly.
I have a feeling the group with Vague are not giving it 100%. They should be getting closer to Verboven, but the little Belgian just keeps pushing the pedals and he gets further away again.
Lap 10: Verboven is not 20 seconds away. Vague is putting the responsibility on the others, he's safe from Verboven for the points. His gamble is not working at the moment, though. Carlisle and Cook stay cool. Mazzarelli takes the head but he's not giving it all, we can see.
Lap 11: Only two laps remain. Verboven has 21 seconds. He's still increasing his lead. Can he do it? We couldn't dream of it 5 laps ago, but now we're going into the final 10 minutes and he's still going strong.
Will we see a stunt today? And Cook attacks on the Turnkey! Vague, Carlisle, Mazzarelli, all on his tail. He looks back and drops the tempo slightly. Is he over his top form already? He can't shake them loose here, i seems.
Vague takes courage from this and moves up to the front of the group. He does most of the work now.
Lap 12: Verboven is 20 seconds ahead. One lap remaining. Most of the crowd are cheering for him, now. Power is still in 25th position, so he's receiving a lot of applause, too. But our focus goes to the chasing group, now. It will all be decided on the final Turnkey climb.
Vague is getting ready, his face is all to familiar. In the U23 we've seen this face many times before: he knows he can shake off his companions in a single swift move. But can he still catch Verboven?
The Turnkey climb. 18 seconds behind Verboven. Vague gets out of the saddle, he's getting ready to attack. And he's chosing for a slow acceleration. He's just moving up the pace slowly, this is killing Carlisle, he's dropping!
WOOOW. Elliot Cook flashes by Vague, IN THE SADDLE! Vague looks absolutely stumped, he tries to follow, but he's been caught off guard. Cook is gone. He's making it look so easy, too. What a fine show of form here. Beautiful to see.
But Verboven is the first on top. Still it's amazing. Cook has brought back the 18 seconds deficit to 5 seconds. But 5 seconds are still 5 seconds!
Cook throws himself in the descend. But where is Vague? There he is. 22 seconds behind Verboven, can this be right? Cook put Vague on 17 seconds with that single blow? Amazing.
Verboven is making no mistakes. There is the finish line, he can't believe it. After the U23 race in the Netherlands, he wins his first professional cross, congratulations! Cook crosses the line 3 seconds later. But definitely the rider of the day. Vague is 17 seconds behind, he still can't believe it. He's saved his classification, but if we think we know Vague, he's getting worried about Cook's dominance uphill.
We're happy to see some sympathetic riders finally make some progress this season. Schiltz finishes 13th on this tough course, Hafthor Eldfjallsson 15th, Hammarling, who has recently expressed his doubts about cyclo-cross, managed a 25th place today. Even the biggest part of the African team NamDeb CycloX Project finished today. Only Bakari didn't finish. He was spotted making a selfie with a fan on top of the Turnkey. Probably proud he made it to the top 6 times before quitting the race.
Let's look at the full result.
Full Result
1
Rudy Verboven
61'13"
2
Elliot Cook
0:03
3
Francis N. Vague
0:17
4
Matt Mazzarelli
0:21
5
James Carlisle
0:25
6
Lachy Bauer
0:37
7
Dries Cornelis
s.t.
8
Craig Hepptern
s.t.
9
Arda Akdeniz
0:45
10
Josiah Bennett
s.t.
11
Matt Claveren
s.t.
12
Sylvain Lipawsky
0:57
13
Christian Schiltz
1:00
14
Nicky Van Drenthe
1:17
15
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
s.t.
16
Pierre Lavigne
s.t.
17
Gregory Bernard
1:21
18
Shay Gormley
s.t.
19
Jack Smith
s.t.
20
Nic Hashir
1:28
21
Marcus Flinch
s.t.
22
Michael Bollinger
s.t.
23
Naveed Alinejad
1:34
24
Thijs Van Lookeren
1:38
25
Mikel Hammarling
s.t.
26
Max Power
s.t.
27
Tariq Faizullah
s.t.
28
Sven Van Vliet
1:56
29
Rik Van Fleming
2:01
30
Vladimir Stoyevski
s.t.
31
Jannik Stolz
2:32
32
Nathan Starc
s.t.
33
Sven Welling
s.t.
34
Lars Van Hennep
s.t.
35
Frederick Muller
s.t.
36
Lars Lejeune
s.t.
37
Kimi Hakinnen
s.t.
38
Ali Acord
s.t.
39
Mustafa Moli
2:58
40
Timi Kokkonen
s.t.
41
Milan Vermeulen
3:24
42
Blazej Dobransky
3:42
43
Ketso Tembi
4:12
44
Abdullah Saboor
s.t.
45
Mohuti Sow
4:36
And what does that give us in the Superprestige ranking, after 3 of the 10 races?
Hey guys, It's Josiah,
That was probably my best race supporting Lachy but more importantly instigating the winning move with Verboven, he was just too good to hold on to. Not a bad race though, Lachy got 6th and I got a top 10! Let's keep the good times rolling, and keep hoping for an upset, one day soon, Ronnie came within 2 seconds of the WC a few weeks ago, now let's go one better!
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 didn't quite know where my mind was after speeding up 12 times the Turnkey climb. Congratulations to Rudy Verboven, a very daring performance by him. The profile surely suited him and the two best guys are ahead of me today. Somewhere then down following I like to think it's me.
The podium ceremony was nice, Verboven did Flanders and Belgium proud today. 3 out of 4 times in the USA, we had a belgian rider on the top step. We certainly exported our sports in the right way here, and Belgium is certainly still on top of this sport.
Some may think the race has been a huge blow to my moral. Seeing as how Cook kicked up the pace and dictacted much of the race, it surely can't be to my liking and it didn't go in my favour. I would have liked a more conservative approach, seeing how many times we had to take on the Turnkey. It'd have allowed me to have more power in the final climb. But like I said, I knew he wouldn't make it easy here for anyone. He's like a berserk when it comes to riding uphill.
I certainly didn't underestimate the Turnkey climb. It was the make or break of the race. The more I climbed it, the better I felt and more confident I was climbing it. Had it rained here today, I'm sure the climb would have been disastrous for almost 3 out of 4 riders in the peloton. In those conditions though, it was a real hard pace. Lap for lap, our group got smaller and it was a question of who hang on. No question of who came back. Once you were dropped, you were gone for good.
However, the way Cook rushed past me, I couldn't have helped myself with much tactic, he was just way ahead of me today. With a form like this, he'll be the guy to beat come Valkenburg. But it's a long way till then and I'll need to step up my game for this to happen... says the youngster, leading Superprestige Classification.
In the end, Lanchaster has been about scoring points. I'd have loved to win but when Verboven was out of reach, I wanted to get an advantage on the other guys. I bluffed a bit, wanted to play it smart, wanted to force them to work. As the coverage showed, it wasn't easy - and it surely didn't work out honestly.
Still, Cook has been a bit down in the classification and I did good at extending my lead here. With Lipawsky outside the Top 10 and Carlisle finishing 5th, I now have a lead of 5 points. That's a good sign, and I definitely want to keep the lead for the time being.
Next up will be a short trip to South America. The sandy affair in Rio as the leader of the Coca-Cola Trophy will be a bit of a highlight, the PR guys from the sugardrink-factory have pleaded that I show up. It's sorta a given now that I lead, although I had originally planned on skipping that race. Maybe if I fall back too far in Rio, I might head back home instead of going to South Africa since I'll then be allowed, officially, to focus mostly on Superprestige and Classics. Guess we'll find out, first I'll look forward to race in Antogfasta or like whatever the name is of that race in Chile.
See you mud-side,
Francis
Edited by Shonak on 08-01-2015 21:09
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Well America I came, I saw and I conquered. Once again I feel I have sowed the seeds of doubt into everyones mind about how I roll. Don't get me wrong I am just a little disappointed that I have missed the winners step again but unlike some of my Belgian colleagues I don't need the adoring cheers of the crowd to keep me motivated. I got the buggers beat and they know it.
Franny is wetting his pants about my climbing and that certainly has been the aim, the little sprog thought he could sit on my wheel but I think he realises now no-one sits on Cookie Monsters backside. One thing I cannot abhore is snooty wheel-suckers, I found this so often on the British road circuit and it was in evidence here in Lancaster. Credit to Jimmy C, he is starting to show me something actually - he took up the mantle. Of course he couldn't live with me at the end either but hey I'll help him out one day.
Grandad was around again, unlike others I am not counting him out of the superprestige events. Let's face it he has everyone, me included stumped in the World cup competition and he is still steadily accumulating points in the superprestige races despite his old legs not being able to cliumb for toffee. He is the technical god and will be one to beat when we get down and dirty down in South America and certainly when we get back home in Europe.
This Lancaster race was a bit of a strange one, I felt the circuit was short so we really I wanted to put the hammer down early and see what was what. I did wonder if I could do an Dries Cornelis style epic but it didn't quite pan out so I saved my last bullets for the end laps. By then some unknown had slipped away up the course, I think we all miscalculated this kid as he really went too far down the ways to get him back. Was touched by the Yanks giving me a hell of a cheer when I went to get my prize for second place - guess they enjoy a showman.
Still I produced an insane climb at the end - this does give me food for thought for the future. It was huge motivation to see the others struggle that I am finding is what I enjoy the most putting on the pain.
An interesting week coming up as the circus goes down to South America - I wonder if they have an appetite for cross guys, certainly they love their road cycling and have a nice track scene - so I imagine we will get some curiousity. I'll give the World cup race in Chile a go - the challenge is to knock the old git off his perch, I think there is a climb in there so I will see you there. Then there is those Coca-Cola races back to back I think Franny fancies those we shall see I think I am okay in the sand.
Time for the first official South-American cross in history! Chile hosts the event in Antofagasta. World Champion Cornelis leads the World Cup with enough points to spare and once again he finds a profile where he can defend his lead.
Dubbed by the riders in the peloton as 'Voodoo Chile', this race is already a sign of the new era of cyclo-cross. It's a most stunning environment to ride around in. There is also a lot of local interest and local bicycle hero Agustin Alvarado has been permitted to start the race with the UCI-approved riders. A gesture from the UCI towards the town of Antofagasta, to support the vital role they play amongst other towns to bring cyclo-cross to an international level.
We were finally getting to some real cross temperatures, only to go back to the 15° C in Antofagasta now. What effect will that have on the riders? We'll find out tomorrow!
Race Information
Country: Chile
City/Place: Antofagasta
Classification: World Cup
Starting Time (Elite Men): 17h30
Favorites: Nicky Van Drenthe, Francis N. Vague, James Carlisle, Dries Cornelis, Rudy Verboven.
Record: New
Race History: This is a new race. Everyone's curious what this race will bring. We're eager to find out!
Route Information
Technical: 2
Sand: 0
Uphill: 3
Cobblestones: 2
The ground is firm and quite rocky, and without any rain, we'll definitely see a fast cross. A sprint finish will be hard to avoid, so the ones with fast legs have the edge here. There are some technical difficulties, but they are restricted to some U-turns and the downhilling.
The climbs could be used to power away, but they are nowhere near the length of hills like the Blaarmeersen, or the Turnkey climb. They are short, steep climbs, which can be dealt with purely on power.
Christian Schiltz' season continues to come along nicely. An unspectacular 23rd in Portland at least meant his first World Cup points, scoring 3. He also scored his first 3 Superprestige points of his career at the next race in Lancaster, in an all together more impressive fashion.
Eyebrows were raised as Schiltz got right into the mix on the first Turnkey ascent. Cook, Vague, Mazzarelli and Cornelis - all major names in the Cylo-cross game - and perhaps it will not be too long before Schiltz is more regularly amongst them?
He slipped back a little, but a finish of 13th is his best position yet. And it included beating Gregory Bernard on the latter's favoured hilly terrain!
The Superprestige is clearly the series of racing that is the best to be competitive in. It is super, and it is prestigious, what more could you ask for?
After 9th in the first North American Superprestige race, Hafthor was keen to keep up that good form. Saving his trademark strong burst until a few laps in, this worked out very nicely indeed, and he was able to keep it up for much of the race.
Then in the final lap it all come down to this. Eldfjallsson, Van Drenthe and Lavigne. The three of them together, only two could score points. Hafthor may be explosive but he is no out and out sprinter, and there was no chance for games with the likes of Gormley not far behind at all. He got the job done, securing 15th place and a solitary point to add to his previous 7.
The American circus is now at an end, and Bakari certainly appeared to enjoy himself - not put off by the fact that he is clearly so much worse than the rest.
There is a clear determination rising in the Gabonese rider though, with a trip to his home continent on the horizon. The Struibaai Cross is second only to the Arenberg Classic on Bakari's priority list this season - and he is desperate for a good ride there.
Ahead of the Antofagasta Cyclo-Cross race, many eyes lie upon the traditional fast man of the peloton. Rik Van Fleming hopes for a stand-out performance with the goal of mixing it up with the stars this season. "It's the ideal opportunity to take a win."
Francis N. Vague is much more quite about his chances. "The legs feel very well but it'll be an all different race. Positiniong in every turn, elbows in the heat of the moment, some danger with the rocky parts... it'll be an hour of Champs-Elysses quarrels. I expect many crashes and fights." But Vague was lucky so far, except for his race in the first race of the season where he crashed in the sand. He hopes his streak continues, eyeing for a podium this time around. He will also receive additional of Sven Welling, who is aimed to be his protector in the early laps. Cyclo-Cross may be a sport for each individual alone but you certainly can help yourself with some teamwork now and then.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Right after the USA trip, we meet Matt in an Antofagasta's hotel and we speak about his last efforts.
Hi Matt. Firstly: a late happy birthday! Thank you, glad that you remembered it!
It couldn't have been otherwise! Well, you're keeping up the streak of only top 10-s all round the season, "hangover-cross" aside, you're well-figuring in every single race. Was that expected? Not quite. I mean, yes, but that Lancaster cross was toootally disapoointing. Only 4th while I was aiming to my first win. Hopefully Antofagasta's weather conditions will be a plus for me, even though that kind of cross doesn't really suit me.
What about your rivals? I like their kind of racing. Vague is the most solid young rider I've ever seen. Cornelis is unbeatable when in good shape, Cook is a bit unlucky but I see him as strong as Vague and I think that just like me, a win is just yet to come.
What about your rivals? I like their kind of racing. Vague is the most solid young rider I've ever seen. Cornelis is unbeatable when in good shape, Cook is a bit unlucky but I see him as strong as Vague and I think that just like me, a win is just yet to come. I would keep an eye on Lipawsky, Carlisle and Verboven too though. Each one of them has got his own speciality and they can easily prove that they can beat the whole field when all when all the conditions are in their favor.
About your bad luck in often getting fourth places, when do you think you can give us a big win? Each race can be. I would like to get a win in Aosta, but the sooner the merrier of course. Why can't it be this?
Time time will tell us, good luck Matt! Thank you, see you after race!
Welcome in Chile for the race in Antofagasta. We're overwhelmed by the beautiful location of this event. Even if the race is boring, we'll have plenty to look at during our time here.
We've gotten used to warm temperatures, but now we're here and it's 14° C. Short sleeves and sunglasses are everywhere. The sun is pretty low and it can block your sight.
The terrain is as dry as can be. We'll see a very fast race today. Not too much to be raced uphill, not too many turns and no sand to make the selection. Miss your start and you're desperately behind. But if you're strong enough, you might just move up enough. We'll be racing for World Cup points here. Cornelis isn't the fastest around, so it'll be hard to take 3 for 3 here!
Start Line: No Christian Schiltz today, I think that's the most noticable absence. The young Luxembourg rider is improving race after race so we'll miss him today. We so often focus on Vague, Carlisle and Mazzarelli, but there is a lot of young talent in this peloton. Not all develop at an early age such as Vague. I think Schiltz has lots of potential left.
Robert Wells is still out with an injury. It's expected he makes a return in Rio, I guess we'll have to wait for that.
But let's focus on who is here. Local hero Agustin Alvarado will be starting at the back, to much applause from the crowd here. It seems as if half Antofagasta is here, the crowd has come in large numbers to watch this exotic sport of cyclo-cross.
Lap 1: Eldfjallsson shoots away extremely fast. After his recent results, he starts one row closer to the front today, and it doesn't disagree with him! He's taking the turn first, with Verboven in second and Van Drenthe in third. Cook and Cornelis with a bad start.
Rik Van Fleming moves to the front of the race now. He's actually making the pace at this point of the race. Is he working for team mate Rudy Verboven, who has his wheel? We think so.
Cornelis is forced to chase hard after a terrible start. Cook tries to move up with him. He can afford to force Cornelis to do the work, since he has a leadership position to defend.
Lap 2: Rik Van Fleming is still pulling hard at the front. Smith, Van Drenthe, Eldfjallsson, Verboven, Lipawsky and Carlisle are following closely.
Cornelis is not rushing himself. He has 8 laps in total to come to the front. He seems relaxed, that must be his experience. Cook looks fairly relaxed, too. He's just along for the ride, so it seems.
And now they catch up with Vague, who is not turning the pedals smoothly at the moment.
And a fantastic spectacle unfolds underneath our very noses as Agustin Alvarado and Amadou Bakari challenge each other for every corner and every inch of ground. It looks like a fight for the victory of the day, but then at the back of the peloton.
Lap 3: Lipawsky has a flat tire! Bad moment, but he can change his bike in 250 meters. This rocky underground can be dangerous if you're not looking carefully where you're riding.
The riders are completing these laps in a furious pace. No time to recover.
Lap 4: And now Van Fleming disappears from the head of the race. His team mate Verboven should be thankful for the work he did here.
Oh, Cornelis, Akdeniz and Cook dropped Vague there, he's really out of shape today. What an off-day by the young talent.
Meanwhile, the fight between Bakari and Agustin Alvarado has turned into a fantastic race. Both men have passed 5 other riders in the process. It's like Bakari was waiting for this all season, something to motivate him to really race. Not just to ride, but to race.
Lap 5: The front group is riding hard. Some for points, others for victory, but they're working together. Cook is just refusing to join the chase with Cornelis, he's driving him mad. Akdeniz is unable to relay as well, he's happy to be here at this point.
Meanwhile, Van Fleming has dropped further back. Vague and Lipawsky caught up with him, but now he's recovering and he's able to keep their pace.
Lap 6: Cook with a small steering error! Cornelis had been waiting for this, he sprints away! Cook - seemingly furious with himself for allowing this - sprints after him. Akdeniz cracks and dramatically slows his pace.
Cornelis has caught up with the front group now. He moves to the front and looks at everybody's faces, he's checking out the compeition.
Eldfjallsson and Van Drenthe can't follow the pace. Cornelis moves to the front and they drop out immediately. The pace is very high now.
Meanwhile, Cook is having some problems in the head wind, riding alone. He's only 5 seconds from the front group, but he doesn't have the punch to bridge is immediately. He passes Eldfjallsson and Van Drenthe, who both seem to need some time to recover.
Lap 7: Two more laps, so let's take a look at the time differences.
Local hero Alvarado has completely imploded now and dismounts his bike. He bows towards a raging crowd and jumps the fence, he's done today. Bakari has left him behind roughly a lap ago, but Bakari is on fire at the moment and isn't interested in stopping now!
At the front, Cornelis is looking around doubtfully. Is he happy with a sprint finish? I don't think so.
He rattles the cage, everyone on board? It seems so. On this terrain, it'll be hard to drop these guys if they're still here now.
Lap 8: We're going into the final lap. Nobody's attacking anymore. Guys, take a look around! If you take Verboven to the finish, you'll lose, it's as easy as that. It'd be quite the stunt if Verboven should make it 2 in a row this week.
Cook is still around 5 - 6 seconds behind the front group, it must be frustrating. He's very strong today, though, else you don't keep the same pace as 5 guys combined.
Vague is trying to shake of his companions, but Van Fleming has a super final round, he's not letting go at all.
Since there are no more attacks, we're waiting for the final straight line, which is 250 meters here, plenty of road to sprint!
And there they are. Smith in first, Cornelis, Verboven, Mazzarelli and Carlisle.
Smith is very slow and gets passed immediately, no win for him today. Meanwhile Cook turns the corner, too, he's still going strong.
Verboven overtakes Cornelis and is sprinting in the lead now, Mazzarelli follows his wheel.
And it's Verboven! In-cre-di-ble! Two for two, who would ever thought that at the start of the season? Rudy Verboven takes the win, Mazzarelli finishes in his wheel. Cornelis has done a good job, finishing third, and taking another 35 World Cup points.
Cook manages to finish 6 seconds behind the winner and deserves a special mention, what a mentality. Stronger riders would have given up the chase. Van Drenthe beats Eldfjallsson for place 7. Akdeniz finishes 9th.
The sprint for the remaining spot in the top 10 is unsurprisingly won by Rik Van Fleming, who has no match in Vague or Lipawsky when it comes to sprinting.
(...)
And now the crowd is roaring wildly, we turn to see who's there. Unbelievable, it's Amadou Bakari. He'll finish over 6 minutes down on the winner, but he's finishing! The crowd gives him a warm round of applause, they certainly enjoyed the battle with their local hero. Well done, Amadou, congratulations.
Vos and Hepptern roll in as the last two riders. This concludes today's race. Chile was definitely a success in this new era of cyclo-cross. A surprising winner, even after his victory Wednesday, in totally different manner. A nice battle for the World Cup, some strong mental riding from Cook, a very surprising off-day by Vague, hopefully there's nothing wrong there, and a first professional finish from Amadou Bakari. From Chile, we bid you good day!
Not much point in searching for explanations. My body feels fine, my legs are swell. I stepped over to the podium ceremony, watching it from the distance. I sweat but breathed fine. A cold shower was the best I could come up with, dodging interviews on the way. I could only spare a few seconds for some chilean kids, wishing for an autograph.
When a rider like Van Fleming finishes ahead of you, really that's all you need to know. About the race, the challenges, about yourself. That Belgian Champion paced the hell out of this event and took everybody by surprise. He's reknown for his wheelsucking, what's going on over at Topsport Vlaanderen? Particularly strange case. The result stands as it is though, Verboven takes another win. Glory, Glory for Belgium. Not much left for me to pick up though today in return. Instead, just getting outsprinted by that sucker Van Fleming.
The rocky, flat surface allowed for a fast pace. I was cautious about avoiding crashes here in the first few laps since I didn't want to endanger my Rio Cross coming up. I also may have ridden with one, two gears too low today and a bit too less pressure in my tires.
With very little climbs and hardly any other challenges in this race, a lightweight like myself has a hard time following guys like Cornelis and Verboven when it matters though. I shared a ride with Lipawsky and we were just riding for it. What more can one do, when he never comes close to the speed of others.
At the end of the day, I was 24 seconds down. 24 seconds can be a whole lot in such a race that's almost pancake flat. Maybe it was an off-day, but maybe I'm also just not used to this brute force of racing as of yet. As a natural CX rider I might miss a bit edge in terms of grinding my gut out on that dusty, road-like ground, setting and keeping the pace high and getting every slipstream advantage that's possible to achieve. You have seen me ride; how I jump up and down, take the turns, manevour around riders and barricades alike. Uh, I hope they feature lots of that stuff down in Rio.
See you sand-side
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Hey guys it's Ronnie.
Today was so crappy for me, I don't want to remember it, nobody does. I am amazingly still on the podium, mainly because Josiah was feeling amazing so let me sit on his wheel and take the maximum points. I have no doubt he would have done a lot better if he wanted to.
There's not much to say except hopefully one of us can do well in the sand,
Ronnie
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
Well looks like I did a big FU to myself in Chile. It was a strange one, I just went to the startline without any real expectations. Feeling as if actually I could have done something just a bit better then my finish here - but it was a real confidence boost frankly that I could follow the master for so long
I'd done some good recon of the course as I am becoming accustomed to doing - it is probably the Britishness in me. I have noted that a couple of these other suckers sort of turn up but don't really bother looking at the course. I think with the money on offer now some of these amateur off roaders are going to need to get a bit more professional. Something I never thought I would be writing to be frank, as I am big believer in enjoying yourself. But to really get the best of it it is great to have that anticipation of what you are going to do in the race. I get the impression some of these guys are just turning up and riding round.
This was one I think that caught a few off guard, the schedule has been tight with all the travelling and whilst today looked like it could be a bit of a group dash without any major difficulities - I think it was a harder course then it looked. I got a cold one from the beginning myself but found i had good legs out there. This is not my competition and Grandad was back to his hollering and whining today. I enjoy winding the old grump up but perhaps I pressed the button a bit much as of course he dropped me when I had a bit of bad luck. Bastard.
I could have just dialled it back but the red mist descended I thought to hell with this I am going to try and catch the old git. Probably cost him the chance of doing a decent sprint, though I here Verbevon has a good kick to him. Good for him, he has had a nice run out here and made a name for himself, getting some real wins under his belt.
The Coca-Cola boys have invited me and Franny for a big TV interview before the next sandy thrasher in Rio, they have got a lot of TV contracts so I guess I'll have to behave myself. I'll be standing next to the baby Franny so I cannot see any way that I'll be coming out of it that well. The little sprog is the media darling and I am of course the black sheep - let see how it comes across.
We're getting ready for the third Coca-Cola Trophy race. Brazil is the place to be at the moment. The weather is hot, so the race has been moved to 19h. We're curious about this new race and especially the location. On the famous Copacabana beach, the riders will enjoy a beautiful scenery.
Race Information
Country: Brazil
City/Place: Rio De Janeiro
Classification: Coca-Cola Trophy
Starting Time (Elite Men): 19h
Favorites:
Record: New
Race History: November is the month of new races. Rio is no exception. A first organisation. Rio was one of the first priorities of the Coca-Cola Trophy, and now they have it in the bag. Let's see how they organise it.
Route Information
Technical: 3
Sand: 5
Uphill: 2
Cobblestones: 0
The race takes place on the Copacabana beach, so needless to say, sand will be a factor. In a classification on time and the leader Vague definitely not a sand expert, things could get interesting.
Coca-Cola has confirmed that there will be 3 additional bridges added to the route, to add some more obstacles than the sand. But don't let it fool you, the winner will be a sandflea here, nothing more, nothing less.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 18° C
Precipitation: Sunny, Dry
Wind: 1 Beaufort
I'm really sorry I haven't had the chance to talk to anybody yet, I've been training really hard though and it paid off with my win. Which was kind of ironic being in the series I wasn't targeting. I am doing all right in rankings of the tournament 10th in World, 12 in Coca-Cola, fortunately the first part of the season suits me less then the second half. So expect me to be out there at the front in the other races.
I have to say though, I'm very happy with my win, but my real point is about what I just realised.
On the whole these last few weeks, I was stupid, I just rewatched the footage of every race and you look, Cook and Vague only care about each other and Cornelis, Cornelis know to mark everyone, but Cook and Vague don't, Verboven has worked this out, you saw him win, but they won't see it coming when riders like Mazzarelli, Welling, Hashir, Verboven, Smith and I make our moves, one day they'll be looking the wrong way and you think what's happening Vague and Cook, with their big press conference, they aren't training, they are preparing for the media. You just wait, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not this week, maybe not this month, but second grade riders (including me) and Cornelis will become the hype, Cornelis will take one or two crowns and one of those second-teir guys will see first in the other(s).
I don't care if those guys are annoyed at me after this interview, but they need to wake up to everyone else, or we'll see some racing without two of the best.
Dries Cornelis is looking more determined than ever to win his first race in the Coca Cola Trophy. 'My Coca-Cola Trophy has been quite disappointing so far. I say it's desperate time for a change. Rio seems like a good place for that.
The difference with the leader of the trophy is very large though, with 1'28''. 'I understand it will be hard to actually win the trophy now, but I hope there will at least be some day successes left. If I start winning now we'll see where I end up.'
The two leaders are very close to each other. 'It's very close for now indeed. I think James Carlisle may make use of the rivalry at the top of the classification and actually gain more time. But obviously I'm speculating once again.'
So I was riding down the beach with Josiah, when we bumped into Sylvain Lipawsky. Via some translation from Joey, we decided to go for a quick Brazilian cuppa and a chat.
Anyway we got onto the topic of his recent interview, and I must agree with him. In fact, on the way back I saw precious little Franny sitting there with his PR manager and agent, presumably preparing for the interview. I mean, Cookie is nowhere to be seen, but at least he has a sense of humor and some fight in him. I know the whole Coca-Cola trophy is one big commercial event, but this is not good, a huge race and they are all about media one-ups.
Sylvain only reinforced my beliefs in the fact that the sport will be missing two huge big talents soon, and they can respond however they want, this is not good. They only care about each other, and the two ways you can watch a race are only watch them which detracts from a fantastic race going on around them, or ignore them, which would be a real shame.
Anyway, merci for the chat Sylvain and best of luck in the sand, though looking at him cruising along the shore I don't think he will be having too many problems.
So come at me Franny, or don't, I don't really care.
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
Ahead of the Rio Cross, Coca-Cola invited its two leading riders to a little Interview stunt in a tent that looks like a giant Coca-Cola bottle. Actually, it is a giant Coca-Cola bottle. Situated right at the Copacabana, Cook and Vague enjoy a wonderful sunset, as Rio gets all pumped up for the big event in the evening.
The two rising stars of the CX scene this year are being interviewed by one of Coca-Cola's many spokesman. Even a little crowd has gathered around the bottle to listen to every word of the two competitive riders. At the Copacabana, the crowd can enjoy right now multiple run-downs and highlight clips of the previous two Coca-Cola races on huge screens. Vague's win is of course included, the slip-up by Cook in the descent that day, their tactical games with Carlisle at Tekapo Lake and much more footage.
How do you guys feel ahead of the Rio Cross?
FNV: Lots of sand in my shoes recently when I rode the cross for a few laps. I still have to shake my shoes all the time to get rid of it. Except that, I’m pretty game for the race. It should be a blistering affair with some really fine action. Maybe some lower ranked names will turn out to be quite some specialists.
EC: I think they missed a trick not having us climb up to that big statue thing, I'd have enjoyed that. Of course thrashing about in the sand will be fun. I am feeling good and confident coming out of a good section of races in America. Looking forward to racing, I bumped into Amadou Bakari in a thong down on the beach today, need to get that memory out of my head.
You are both leading the Coca-Cola classification, will it be more important to defend the lead against the other riders or do you intend to shake off the other guy today?
EC: *rolls eyes* I am standing here next Franny here and I am expected to answer that. Very well, what I will do is talk him into an alliance and then attack him brutally on the last lap putting 20 seconds into him. Wouldn't be the first time. Does that sound good?
FNV: That sounds actually pretty swell, indeed. It would mean that you won’t attack for most of the race and I can relax at least for once. You can be my little workhorse and do all the work for me.
So, what do you think is your opponent’s greatest strength?
EC: Franny has great technical skills and he is light as a feather so can get up the climbs on my wheel most of the time. But most of all he has a good attitude I think, he don't take himself too seriously.
FNV: The Cookie Monster is a fun guy who loves competitive racing. This attitude makes him a great entertainment factor in races, since he’ll always look for some great action. Add to that a bit the surprise factor: He’s always good for that one crazy move that makes or breaks a race.
What similarities do you guys share?
EC: We are both friggin awesome of course. Nah we are quite different I think, Franny is well versed in the cross specialist skills you know the spawny things like doing poncy bunny hops and fancy dismounts. I think also Franny has a bigger ego, he craves the top step of the podium like he craves his first lay. *suddenly realises he is on TV* Ahem I mean first girlfriend.
FNV: Uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about here… uh uh, I had girlfr… well, uh… what was the question again? Oh, yeah right; well I think both of us have the legs for the uphill-types. Seeing as how we blasted through some doors this season, we must have been pretty much surprise to some.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
After a commercial break, the footage returns we see Francis N Vague standing there with the interviewee. Here comes Elliot Cook casually zipping up his flies, he has also donned a baseball cap with the words Pepsi Max written on. A unknown suited gentleman comes and whispers something in Elliots Cooks ear and he simply turns his cap backwards.
Have you heard of the other guy before each of your breakthrough performances?
FNV: I’m generally well informed about most of the cross scene, having it followed for such a long time. Basically since I grew up. So I actually even followed the British Cyclo-Cross rise before most people knew about it. I did some stalking on Cook after our first races, I mean… I read him up, and he – you – have that bit of drifter persona and background, with all that track and road circuit history. I hope he’ll stay in Cyclo-Cross since he adds a lot of value to the scene and certainly must have struck a bit gold here with his talents.
EC: I was sort of vaguely away of some of the Brits and had heard of Dries Cornelis before I started this season. Francis though was just some faceless Belgian babyface at the beginning of the year. I learnt a lot though about him in out first race. That was a strange one, we both rode together for about 10th or something but boy I was impressed then and I still am.
Both of you are new to the elite pro ranks, has this come as a surprise to you guys that you are already able to perform on such a high level consistently for two months?
EC: Not really, the cross scene always struck me as a place for those who couldn't make it on the road. It certainly is that in Blighty, I mean Jackie (Smith) and Jimmy C have barely got any sort of result on the British crit circuit. The money has attracted a lot of people, but for me it is about having a good time, I think I could do something on the road but I cannot be bothered with all that now. To clarify those roadies have to be uber professional and sometimes go to places I just don't want to go and I am not talking about riding up mountains in Tenerife either.
FNV: Cyclo-Cross really profits from a smooth transition. I’m used to having to perform every race from the past amateur seasons. You know, Juniors end up naturally competing in the U23, and U23 riders usually fit right into the elite pro races. Oftentimes it’s even the same race we end up competing, just at different times. So, I wasn’t really surprised that I had a shot at a race like Blaarmeesen, because I know the laps, difficulties et cetera. But of course, sitting here now, talking about me being the leader in Coca-Cola Trophy and Superprestige – I just wouldn’t have imagined that. However, yeah – it’s also obvious that this is a new year for Cyclo-Cross. Many big former names have retired in the last couple of years, Dries Cornelis and some others are the last relics then. It’s strange that the whole talent shows up the same year but I guess the door just has been a little blocked at times.
What’s appealing for you guys that you favor the Coca-Cola Trophy over the World Cup?
FNV: I’m really a traditional guy, especially when it comes to Superprestige. However, I welcome the many changes the past years have brought. Coca-Cola Trophy is a great replacement for the BPost Bank Trophy. The festival get-up in Tekapo Lake was outstanding and lots of fun. However, with the competition being all new right now and the many new races it brings along, I just really like to have the chance and opportunity to get my name into the history books. It’s a bit like a moon landing, if you get my drift… you see, World Cup and Superprestige have been around for ages, but if I could end up winning the Trophy this year, than a whole ton of history would start right there with oneself – and that thought got a pretty nice ring to it.
EC: Well a good percentage of Coca-Cola races have climbs, but I enjoy the classification. It is unique to cyclo-cross and makes a nice change from battling it out for points. It allows for temporary alliances and all sorts of new tactics.
Another biggest attraction is your podium girls have a lot more to offer than the old has beens that greet the world cup winners. Why do you think I was so mad at Jimmy C down in New Zealand - the gals there were hot.
FNV: [laughs], So you think the World Cup guys have selected their podium girls for the preference of Dries Cornelis?
EC: Yes I have heard his sweat is quite the turn off, eventually when I do get up there I know these poor gals have to gives us a quick peck. So I will be whacking some aftershave on before I get out there. Plus we all know Dries is a great bike rider but one ugly dude. He probably likes to talk to peers every now and again - he'll be one of them I guess soon enough.
Great Britain versus Belgium seems to be the new conflict of Cyclo-Cross with so many riders from both nations. How do you guys fit into it?
EC: I am really not bothered about that - I am proud to be British but I am not proud to be a British crosser. Those guys are a bit ra-ra for me, I would prefer it sometimes if I was riding for some nowhere country like Denmark or Luxembourg or something.
Belgium - I was expecting these guys to be very dominant but other than Franny here I am not that impressed. That weasal Verbevon is just a fat thighs sprinter who got lucky a couple of times. Of course there is also the old man, but your boys *looks at Franny Vague* cannot rely on him too long they guy is going to be collecting his pension soon.
FNV: I’m still searching for that role honestly. There’s a lot of stuff going on in Belgium right now I heard. No need to split the country ‘bout any of that though. I’ve been traveling, training and racing all the time. Hardly enough time to read newspapers. I chat with my friends and the guys from the fanclub now and then, and they are really excited for when I come back to Belgium to race. But honestly, if the world goes down in Walloonia, I wouldn’t even know about it for a week. I’m just all wrapped up, and focusing on this CX stuff right now. But I imagine that Great Britain must be really proud of Cook. Sure, he’s not with either of the two traditional british teams, but he’s a bit of a showman, and I think the crowd really digs his style, so he’s not half as unpopular with the crowd, has he likes to think or pretend.
You guys seem to care an awful lot about each other, do you think you neglect other riders in that way? It has come even to that point that other riders talk provokation in your direction?
FNV: Honestly, I'm not sure what those guys think they are talking about. I've always kept in mind every other rider here. Maybe they just want me to talk about them when a race is up? Like who are the favourites, then I say: "Oh that guy, and that guy, and that guy..." If's that gives some sort of accomplishment, whatever... And I talk about them in a respectfull manner, too. Of course, right now people want to see Cook and me, after all we are really in a mix of things right now and leading this classification. I don't expect to keep it at top for much longer, since Rio is a really sandy race but I'll do whatever it takes and if that means that I have to play the game of those trashtalkers to beat them into submission before the race even starts, fine. Then again, maybe I should just forget some of those guys, you know.
EC: Yeah every dog has his day, and when they do they feel like barking about it. Some loud mouth Yank hollered at me the other day, I think I can recall him sucking wheels to a couple of top tens in the US - anyway I tell him do your talking out on the circuit.
The guy next to me is the walking encyclopedia, he'll tell ya all you need to know. I do my research out on the course. I saw that Sylvian dude, you know that dick who won that snoozefest in New York... is he a Frenchie? ... walking round with a pack of Mints I should watch all this Cola everyone is drinking if I were you. *Elliot slurps from his glass of water*
To be fair I judge what I see out on the course and Francis Vague has got to be my closest rival in this competition. Jimmy Carlisle aint a threat I know that one, you Matty Mazzarati or whatever he is called who will come 4th and no-one else is in contention at the mo. That may change tomorrow though, lets see what they do out here in Rio.
Edited by Smowz on 12-01-2015 13:41
Hi folks, it's Matt here. I've decided to put up a blog, after what I've heard in the last few hours from the other guys. Well, I'm just back home after a nice walk in the Copacabana beach with my good old friend Mario Guido where I had some drinks (soft drinks ffs), met a couple of cx riders like my new hero AMADOU BAKARI, Lipawsky's brothers and Lachy with whom I had some really nice chats. We spoke about the latest races, the tactics, Bakari's awesome performance in the last race and Bakari's girls. Well, as I was saying, I was surfing a bit the cx related sites and that Cook/Vague interview popped up. I'm a bit disappointed about what both, especially what Cookie said, he seemed to me a bit too cocky to be honest, not sure if it was because of its poorly concealed alcohol addiction (still better than mine though hehe) or something else. The fact is that I hate being understimated by someone that hasn't won a race yet. I can't hide that he's undoubtably an amazingly skilled rider whom season after season manages to be at the center of attention, both in good and bad ways. Although I'm usually a jocular guy, I think he's gone a bit too far with all that self-celebration, c'mon, who are you, or better, who do you consider yourself to be? God on earth? Stop it dude! There must be a reason why you haven't won anything yet! Everyday 50+ cyclocross riders train hellishly hard, and get dirty with mud (just like -I hope- you do) to eventually get trated like this as a reward? You make it look like you and the other one are the only ones who do it! Grow up, asshole, and best regards.
Edited by matt17br on 12-01-2015 16:21
Christian reluctantly chose to skip Antofagasta World Cup to prioritise the Coca-Cola trophy, but the definite plus side was that he has been able to spend more time on Rio! As the first cyclist to arrive on Copacabana beach, he received a lot of attention from the locals, and the girls in particular, and he certainly enjoyed himself on those few days!
But now the rest of the Cyclo-Cross circuit has rolled up, and it is time to settle down and focus on the action. Two Coca Cola races over 5 days and the target is simple, race consistently and improve his overall standing.
Slowly but surely, things are clicking into place for Hafthor after an 8th place in Antofagasta marked the best race of his season so far. Could we be seeing a return to his 2012 form, where he was a regular in the Top 10 across the season?
The course suited him as it required plenty of power, and Icelandic cyclists do like to think of themselves as the strongmen of the peloton. Couple that with a fast start, and Eldfjallsson was never more than 10 seconds away from the front all race. 20 World Cup points earned, many more to come.
He finished! He finished! Amadou Bakari has done the unthinkable and finished an actual race. Spurred on by the presence of one-off local rider Agustin Alvarado, Bakari simply refused to let himself be beaten by this imposter. And what do you know, hitherto unseen pace and skill was displayed as Bakari not only finished the race, but did not come last either - Bert Vos and Craig Hepptern defeated, and now suitably demoralised.
Many of his fellow riders were very happy for Bakari too, and Amadou was pleasantly surprised when a group of riders approached him after landing at Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport. It was one of the Kiwi riders who spoke to him, offering him a present as a reward for finishing the race. How kind! It turns out that they were some kind of minty sweet, and Amadou found them very tasty indeed. They were not something he had ever encountered before. There was some sort of vague gesturing from the Kiwi bearing the gift, pointing in the direction of some of the other riders who were collecting their suitcases, but Amadou's English is not great, and he did not understand them.
Having arrived in Rio there was only one thing to do: thong on and off to the beach. He saw a number of cyclists while there, many seemed to be jealous with Bakari's attire. After some nice sunbathing, Amadou grew thirsty. Remembering that the Kiwi had said something about Coca Cola, he set off for the bar, chewing another mint as he approached the counter and made his order...
Lancaster Challenge - Report
Antofagasta - Preview 
Rio Cross Challenge - Preview
