Welcome to Lee Valley VeloPark! We used to have a cyclo-cross here not too far from here, and now we're back in style, with the VeloPark being the surroundings of this new Lee Valley cyclo-cross. The Superprestige is well underway and this will be the fifth manche. After today, we're halfway the classification, and hopefully we'll see every rider fall into their rightful place.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 0° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 0 Beaufort
Start Line: No Francis Vague here. No Rudy Verboven, either. We've been seeing some frowns on the faces of the ice specialists today. A part of the downhill, the bit on tarmac, has been smelted by the organisation. But the temperatures are higher than expected, too. There is still ice left on the profile, but only small potatoes compared to Bristol.
Today we might see a mixture of ice specialists against climbing specialists. Who will gain most out of this diverse profile? We'll find out here! Leader of the Superprestige Carlisle can handle climbs as well as ice, so he will be looking to improve his lead over Cook and Cornelis.
Lap 1: Start! Instead of a downhill start, which was found to dangerous by the organisation, we have a 100m uphill start. This is unseen in cyclo-cross. And we have to admit it's a strange sight. Robert Wells is the first one at the top and now heads into the downhill. Elliot Cook doesn't even come out of the saddle, but he's in third position.
We're heading downhill. Even with some parts smelted, it's still slippery and very dangerous. Ouch, point illustrated as Jack Smith hits the ground pretty hard. He's not moving. This could be serious...
Meanwhile, Cornelis is moving up. Carlisle is right on his tail. Robert Wells is the first at the bottom and now heads into the sand, which is still frozen in ice. No sand today. Hafthor Eldfjallsson is riding around in about 10th position.
Now we have a long passage through the mud. It's half-frozen and very treacherous for some riders. Be careful whhat trail you follow.
And now we're heading for the climb. It's the shortest lap on the entire calendar, it's going fast. Now Elliot Cook overtakes Wells, right before the climb. And he powers through, he has a small gap.
Lap 2: The climb is really long, especially for non-specialists. There are some points where you can rest up, but face it, you're going uphill for about half of this race. Elliot Cook crosses the finish line first. Bernard is 6 seconds behind. That's quite a gap already!
Cook chooses the safe way down, it might cost him some seconds, but he can make up for it plenty on the uphill.
Bernard is no great descender either, he gains a second. Dries Cornelis is in third, only three seconds from Bernard.
Lap 3: We'll have 15 laps today, that's quite a lot, and really a lot of climbing. Cook is still firmly in the lead. Cornelis and Bernard have teamed up and try to connect with Cook now. They're about 10 seconds back, though.
Carlisle is right behind them, with Lipawsky in his wheel.
Shay Gormley won't win today's race. The cold is hurting him, he's already at 20th position.
With Vague not here, the top 5 of the Superprestige might be in the making. Carlisle, Cook, Cornelis, Mazzarelli and Lipawsky already hold a comfortable lead over the number 7, Bauer, and all five of them are currently riding around in the top 10, while Bauer has taken a dramatic start and took a nasty fall on the ice.
Look at those gaps. I think Cook is gone. He's been gone from lap 1, but try to catch this guy. He really looks like he's coming into full steam and who can stop him then? With Vague not here to make him nervous, he's got free reign.
The four protagonists of Bristol are remarkably riding around together, half a minute behind the leader. So to our earlier question what we'd see, the answer is clear: uphill riders have the slight advantage to the ice specialists on this profile today.
Lap 5: Cook's lead continues to widen. He's not making any mistakes and even looks to grow more comfortably on the downhill.
Lap 6: We analysts may have underestimated the amount of climbing in this race. I think everyone has. This is actually one of the toughest climbing races of the calendar. The amount of laps means there is an insane amount of climbing to be done.
Hafthor Eldfjallsson changes his bike now. He goes for different tyres, riskier on the ice, but more comfortable to ride uphill with. A choice he might learn to regret? Then again, he might profit from it!
Cornelis is not having his best day, he's slipping away slowly.
Lap 7: Cook continues to impress. It's amazing. We're not yet halfway and already he has 32 seconds on the group Bernard.
Lap 8: Every time the group Eldfjallsson, Hammarling, Kokkonen and Hakinnen comes any closer after the ice section, they lose the gained time on the climb.
Lap 9: Rik Van Fleming looks to be doing better than we've come to expect of him this season. In his worst season ever, since he turned, pro, he's now coming back into the top 20 of the race. Come on, Belgian Champion!
Lap 10: Karl Hammarling cracks on the hill. He takes a few seconds to recover and then pushes the pedals again. He's not letting go just yet.
And now we see a major regroup. Only one absent from the party: Elliot Cook. He's already 43 seconds ahead of his first competitor. If he manages to stay upright, he's got this, there's no other way.
Saboor is really surprising me with today's ride. If Hammarling cracks any further, he has a shot at the top 10 today.
Lap 12: Cook is now riding around on full steam. The crowd seems to fall into two categories: those who hate him, and those who love him. We hear just as much booing as we hear cheering.
Cook doesn't seem to let it get to him, though, he's powering through. Meanwhile, a tactical game has begun behind him. With the first position obviously gone, they are riding for place 2. Either for honor or for the Superprestige points.
Lap 13: Carlisle attacks! He is looking to save his classification and avoid a sprint. Bernard reacts!
Kokkonen tries to bridge the gap on the power. Lipawsky sneaks along with him. Hakinnen tries to make the jump but sees Eldfjallsson on his wheel and keeps the pedals still.
More and more riders are changing their tyres. The ice is smelting away with the constant weight of the tyres on it. Lap after lap this is more about riding hard, riding uphill and keeping it together mentally!
Lap 14:Two more laps and Cook continues to ride away from those behind him. Even with all the attacking behind him, they don't come closer at all. It's over a minute now. This is one of the most impressive races I've seen this season. Hell, ever!
The battle for place 2 is officially on now. Lipawsky tries to power away on the mud, right before the climb. Bernard tries to withstand him, but he can't keep up this pace for long!
Hakinnen seems frustrated by Eldfjallsson, who's on him like a pitbull. He's playing the team game again, and Hakinnen isn't liking one bit of it!
Lap 15: The final lap! Some may argue this to be a boring race, but for us it's been a spectacle to see. Cook can start his honor-lap. Without any mechanical defect, he's taking his first professional race.
Lipawsky has a small gap on Bernard now. Is this the podium of the day? Carlisle is now keeping the pace high right behind them. If he keeps this up, he might just save his classification, barely.
The sand and the mud form no difficulty for Cook. He's already heading towards the uphill part, while Lipawsky is not even in the sand yet.
Ooh and Christian Schiltz' chain breaks! The young upcoming talent has to let Welling and Van Hennep ride away and loses any chance of finishing top 15. Luckily the technical zone is right there. A bummer for Schiltz, nonetheless.
Hakinnen cracks on the final uphill. Now Eldfjallsson gets out of his wheel and passes him. He offers him one last look and leaves him behind! That must hurt.
And Cook is coming into the final 100 meters. He can't quite believe it himself. He looks behind him, there's no need, lad, nobody there. There's a big space behind you. One man was a class - two classes - above the rest today and his name is Elliot Cook. After all these second and third places, the Cookie Monster is finally unleashed and takes his - long overdue - first professional victory. A real beauty, we might add.
He crosses the finish line now and raises his arms. Now, we wait...
And Lipawsky managed to keep off the rest to finish second. He's finally getting back into form, it seems, great ride. Bernard finishes a strong third.
Carlisle saves his Superprestige by finishing fourth, smart riding by him today. Kokkonen proves he doesn't necessarily needs all that ice to perform well and crosses the line fifth.
Cornelis has let it go a bit in the end run, but still finished 8th, right behind Mazzarelli and Eldfjallsson.
Hakinnen finishes ninth. And who will complete the top 10? Mikel Hammarling. After what we've seen from him in lap 10, we didn't expect him to hold on to the top 10.
Full Result
1
Elliot Cook
62'04"
2
Sylvain Lipawsky
1:12
3
Gregory Bernard
1:17
4
James Carlisle
1:19
5
Timi Kokkonen
s.t.
6
Matt Mazzarelli
1:29
7
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
s.t.
8
Dries Cornelis
s.t.
9
Kimi Hakinnen
1:35
10
Mikel Hammarling
1:47
11
Abdullah Saboor
2:02
12
Josiah Bennett
s.t.
13
Matthias Barthez
s.t.
14
Sven Welling
2:13
15
Lars Van Hennep
s.t.
16
Sven Van Vliet
2:27
17
Christian Schiltz
2:30
18
Rik Van Fleming
2:42
19
Blazej Dobransky
s.t.
20
Jannik Stolz
2:51
21
Pierre Lavigne
2:57
22
Ronnie Hira
3:00
23
Arda Akdeniz
3:12
24
William Burbank
s.t.
25
Guido Visconti
s.t.
26
Nic Hashir
3:25
27
Milan Vermeulen
3:31
28
Michael Bollinger
s.t.
29
Shay Gormley
3:37
Superprestige
1
James Carlisle
60
2
Elliot Cook
58
3
Sylvain Lipawsky
55
4
Matt Mazzarelli
51
5
Dries Cornelis
50
6
Francis N. Vague
39
7
Lachy Bauer
25
8
Shay Gormley
25
9
Jack Smith
20
10
Craig Hepptern
17
11
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
17
12
Timi Kokkonen
17
13
Rudy Verboven
15
14
Michael Bollinger
15
15
Tariq Faizullah
13
16
Josiah Bennett
13
17
Gregory Bernard
13
18
Nic Hashir
11
19
Arda Akdeniz
11
20
Alfonso Munoz
9
21
Max Power
8
22
Kimi Hakinnen
7
23
Frederick Muller
6
24
Mikel Hammarling
6
25
Mohuti Sow
5
26
Matt Claveren
5
27
Thijs Van Lookeren
5
28
Abdullah Saboor
5
29
Ronnie Hira
4
30
Christian Schiltz
3
31
Matthias Barthez
3
32
Nicky Van Drenthe
2
33
Oleksandr Orlov
2
34
Sven Welling
2
35
Artem Sakalau
1
36
Alexey Tesler
1
37
Lars Van Hennep
1
Interesting developments in the Superprestige. The top 5 seems decided, but the order is yet to be fought for. Expect a tough battle in Rasterhoff.
That frigging redback is off my back and it was with some delight that I took it in Lee Valley to really rub the Blighty boys noses in it. I'll say this the odds were well and truly in my favour - the course design guys and the officials seemed to be in my back pocket. About time really, I went hard early and with Jimmy C fretting about his precious SuperPressie points I didn't have the wheelsucker to worry about. The boys in the back are right there is only one name that can live with the Cookie Monster on the climbs at the moment and he is off somewhere suckling at his muma's teet, I think. Perhaps he is getting a different monkey off of his back, I know I have been getting my fill with my old ball and chain since I've been back home.
So yeah I get on the winner's podium - there was a few boo's about, don't know what the hell they are booing. Who else were they hoping was going to be on the winners step? The old maid? Matty Miserable? The French Lip? One of the ice maidens? Or even Jimmy Wheelsuck? I dunno - maybe they are my fans as to be honest the more they boo the better I go! I am finding the climbs hard make no mistake I just know I've got the others number at the moment on the lumpy stuff - getting there on the shyte too.
For me it was a confirmation really in my feelings that I can be something special here in cyclo-cross. I feel at home here and feel very free to express my feelings. I am learning all the time and it just may be possible that I over react at times. I was pretty emotional down in South Africa - I think I and the other rebels had a point - but we will leave it there. The clock is ticking there until we meet the tifosi down in Italia. Something tells me they will not stand for any screwing around.
Speaking of screwing around the old bat (my beloved other half) is banging on about travelling with me to races on the continent. She's a good piece but she is beginning to turn into one of those demonstous wags I've heard about - honestly she took to twitter the other day...
We're in for the final Great Britain race of the season. This race is also considered the halfway point for the World Cup. After today, the World Cup rests for about a month, right until the manche in Torku. The ExCel Center Circuit is one of the rarer evening crosses. Being hosted inside, the race organisors have opted for an evening cross, to draw a larger crowd, mainly. A Sunday evening cross, maybe it's the next big thing? We'll have to see...
Race Information
Country: Great Britain
City/Place: London
Classification: World Cup
Starting Time (Elite Men): 20h
Favorites: Andrew McLaughlin, Sylvain Lipawsky, James Carlisle, Dries Cornelis, Tariq Faizullah, Matt Mazzarelli
Record: New
Race History: Hosted for the first time, ExCel Center Circuit hopes to become a real classic in the international cyclo-cross scene. Most riders agree that whoever wins here first puts their name in the future history books, so everyone will be looking for a way to that top step!
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 0
Uphill: 1
Cobblestones: 0
Hosted inside ExCel London, this course is packed with twists and turns. It's all about technicality. There is a single cross over bridge at the halfway point. There are jumping bars about 400 meters from the finish, so whoever jumps them has an advantage coming into the final straight line.
With the current World Cup classification and this upcoming profile, it might just be the final result Cornelis needs to distance himself from the rest of the field once and for all and take the World Cup as oldest winner ever, at the age of 34. And with Jack Smith out for at least several weeks, it seems the fight for the remaining podium places in the World Cup is far from over!
The race organisors have announced to keep the temperatures at around 10° C for the indoor race. Without any cool wind, the riders will be warm anyway. Though there's no need to dispair for the fans, the seating area will be warmed properly. Here's to a good organisation of this first time ExCel Center Circuit!
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 10° C
Precipitation: None
Wind: 0 Beaufort
So I've been riding the circuit, and I feel pretty comfortable with it. I definitely feel this will be th e time to stop falling and start climbing the ladder in the WC. Meanwhile the last two races have been supporting Me or Josiah, as we have no ambitions in the superprestige other than to get a race win would be great, and Josiah, it turns out, isn't too bad at ice. Wish the rest of us could say that.
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
And yet another race where Sven Welling manages to score. Though he obviously lacks the high-end results of Vague, Welling has ridden a solid week so far. He's sure to extend his run to the ExCel Circuit soon. BKCP - Powerplus certainly like the mentality of their second rider. Soon a third to join? Asked about Schlitz, whom he dropped in the final lap, Sven responded: "Francis has told me great stuff about Schlitz. I'm sure Schlitz would love his new home at BKCP - Powerplus. I welcome him with open arms."
"Those kind of races suit me, so I'm sure I'd have performed either way", says Welling about the week so far. "I try to improve from race to race. My legs hurt little, but they always hurt. I've ridden without pain for a long time."
He has been notably happy about the course alteration. Having seen what has happened to Power and Vague this season already, in his eyes there was no point in causing unnecessarcy risks for the riders.
Instead, Welling has felt all reason to be active and be the smith of his own fortune. "It thought it'd work out, but I lack the class so far to keep the pace high. 30 seconds gap onto Cook in 4th lap was not usual business though. We've all been smitten by his performance today."
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
3rd!!3rd!!3rd!!!!!What a race it was.What a tactical duel.When Cook attacked only I tried to chase but the others all wheelsucked me.When he was already gone I also started wheelsucking the others.It was also very funny to see that arrogant Schiltz struggling once again after saying that he is better than Bernard in the last few races.
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
Welcome to this indoor cyclo-cross event. Part of the World Cup, we're bound to see some great racing today. Dries Cornelis has already taken a major option on the World Cup. Today he can reel it in completely. Let's find out together.
For today, we have Francis N. Vague as special guest co-commentator. We welcome Francis into our studio, thanks for making the time for us. Let's go straight to the race!
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 10° C
Precipitation: None
Wind: 0 Beaufort
Start Line: After a lot of speculation about him, Cook did decide to start today's race. It's to be seen what he can do on this profile after yesterday's impressive ride, though. Cornelis is the man to watch for today. With a profile all about technicality, the 34-year old World Champion sees his chance to decide the World Cup once and for all.
Quick hello from me. Thanks for having me today. Seeing the guys on the startlines hurts a bit, because you'd like to fight it out as well. I like the course today. I've learned that Cyclo-Cross is in a state, where it needs to try out new things, and see if they can be a success. Looking at the crowd, we're definitely on a good path.
Lap 1: It's a strange sight to see astro-turf in cyclo-cross, but I guess that's the modern way. The riders are off to a fast start. Hafthor Eldfjallsson, who expressed his annoyance with yesterday's profile, is the first rider at the turn. Andrew McLaughlin is second, Mazzarelli third. We see Cornelis at place 20, not the best start by the World Champion.
I spot Van Drenthe having some difficulties. He had a nice season start, but has disappeared a bit in the latest races, hasn't he?
The profile is full of twists and turns. From up here, it looks like a game of snake, the peloton on one line. We see Cornelis move up two places at a 180° corner. He seems unpanicked. Carlisle, second in the ranking, is even further behind.
Hira is moving up to fifth position. He's taken one of his better starts this season. He's been working on his start, with success.
Lap 2: Lap 2 and Hafthor Eldfjallsson is still leading the pack. He's moving smoothly between the twists and turns. McLaughlin is comfortably in his wheel. Hira, meanwhile, has moved up to a third place, with Mazzarelli and Sylvain Lipawsky trailing along. Cornelis is in 16th place and is moving up slowly. No attacks so far. (not really a race for real attacks, more waiting for mistakes?)
You need to ride fast nonetheless. Technical perfection matters little when you're as slow as a boy on a tricycle. I doubt we'll see many classic attacks today though. It's more important to ride flawless because it'll be tough to drop your opponents by sheer power and speed. Maybe today is a good day to play the team-card. I've been impressed by Odjfell back in Bristol, they played this one clever. Now, I don't expect a similar team performance, but using your team to force the mistakes on other riders, that'd be worth a shot.
We'll have 12 laps today.
Lap 3: The peloton really is falling apart now. Those who don't have the technical ability to keep up with the pace, are falling behind mercilessly. Next lap we'll press chrono to see who's in contending for today's victory.
McLaughlin takes the lead now. After two and a half laps, Eldfjallsson finally decides to let someone else take the lead. He's recovered well from yesterday's ride and he seems very keen on revenge, after the profile yesterday didn't deliver what was promised - a lot of ice and snow.
Riding with a good portion of fury always seems to be a fountain of endless power. Until it suddenly runs empty that is.
I'm pleased to see Vermeulen up there. He has a bit of a troubled past, but maybe today he can really make a highlight-performance. Schiltz looks very comfortable, he looks very relaxed on his saddle.
I think it'll go between the three front groups today. After all, if you're behind now, it's because you lack the technical ability to win today's race. A race as this doesn't leave much up to chance.
And now Mazzarelli uses the halfway cross over to accelerate! Hira reacts straight away!
Bit surprising to say the least, but welcome action!
Meanwhile, Cornelis is moving up still and is now leading the second chasing group.
Lap 5: Elliot Cook has been spotted at around 30th position. He didn't came here to win, that much is certain. His technical ability has failed him before, but he's grown a lot this season, there is still room left to better his bike handling, too, without a doubt. What do you think about him, Francis? After all, you've seen him in action many times before this year.
Yesterday many people wondered, if Cook is actually already the new King of Cyclo-Cross. Today we learn that it isn't the case. I like him as an opponent very much though, he's entertaining. He has an immense power in his legs, coming from the Track, and knows very well how to takeon those steep hills we've in Cyclo-Cross. But there's more to Cyclo-Cross than your watts per kg.
Cornelis with a record lap time and now he's made the connection to the front group. After a bad start, he's reached the front of the race, he's resting a bit at the back of the group now. Mazzarelli, who didn't manage to break away, is keeping the pace high.
Lap 6: We're almost at the halfway point of the race and Cornelis goes to the lead of the race. Faizullah is in second, Lipawsky rides around in third position.
And now Cornelis is turning up the heat! He's not accelerating, but he's using his trademark from the older days; up the pace gradually. You can hear everyone puffing, trying to catch their breath. He's making no mistakes technically.
Slow start, pace the middle, win solo... It really looks like the classic Cornelis move of old.
Lipawsky takes his corner a bit too wide, and Cornelis is gone. Faizullah is hanging on. The 19-year old from Afghanistan with an amazing performance, he's the only one who can follow Cornelis in this technical terrain!
Cornelis took well advantage of the situation. Through the increased pace he forced his technical mastery on his opponents. It was bound to happen at some point I guess.
Lap 7: Carlisle's front wheel slipped away coming off the cross over. It looked like a nasty fall but he's back on the bike. He looks a bit confused, though. The second in the classification seems to be losing his spot at this moment!
Meanwhile, Hira, Lipawsky and Eldfjallsson are trying hard to close the gap between them and Cornelis and Faizullah. But the gap continues to widen, with the duo already 18 seconds in front.
Oh but now Faizullah has to let Cornelis go! The World Champion is gone! And you can bet your life on it, they won't see him again. After Cook's dominance yesterday, we have a whole other kind of dominance today.
I'm really impressed by Faizullah. I've not seen him much in the Junior Ranks, probably due to him being from Afghanistan. But holding on to Cornelis at this stage, whilst others have had to let go, is a testimony of exceptional talent. He must've really learned his trade on the awful streets of his home country.
The 19-year old Faizullah has done well not to crack completely. He had a tough moment there, but now he seems recovered. He's losing ground on Cornelis, though, so he should look behind. Is he going to wait? After you've been left behind, it's damn hard to keep off a chasing group all the way to the finish...
And now Schiltz attacks Hakinnen, Moli and Gormley. He tries to use the cross over bridge to break away. Hakinnen and Gormley look at each other. Moli is happy just to be hanging on at this point.
Schiltz really wants his Top 10 result today. Clearly everybody sees how he gets more experienced by each race. Especially since the Junior Ranks. It won't be long until he contests for the podium places and the victories.
Lap 9: Cornelis takes more than 15 seconds on Faizullah. The bird has flown. Two crosses this weekend, two solo's.
How do you rate this performance, Francis? Is it even harder to ride away on this terrain than yesterday's, or do you still rate Cook's achievement higher?
I havn't ridden against either of them so I'm in no position to judge that. The riders who got beat today probably have more satisfying answers to the question. The task in itself is by both riders quite outstanding. A solo win really means that you've been one, two steps above anybody else. Though you - and the audience - lack the thrill of the closing laps, where you go man-o-man, you really get to enjoy the ride, enjoy your shivers.
Meanwhile, Carlisle is already a minute and 15 seconds back. He'll finish 15th place or worse, this might mean a blow to his classification...
Hira, Lipawsky, Mazzarelli and Elfdjallsson are doing everything they can to catch the Afghan Faizullah. They're gaining ground on him, now. He's fighting for his life, though.
Elfdjallson is really a different man in the last couple of days. His win was extraordinary and he has planned his peak very well. Or maybe it's already his general class we've come to see here lately? Either way, he still goes strong after the immense pace he set at the start.
Lap 10: Three more laps. We hear some disturbance in the crowd. It seems someone has emptied his beer on Elliot Cook. The security is talking to the man, now. Cook continues to divide the Britain population. But to empty your beer on him, that's not the way to show you disagree with him... Cook seems focused on his race and doesn't let it get to him. Maybe we'll find out more after the race.
His girlfriend is already tweeting about it. Uh-oh, it's not safe to repeat those lines whilst children are watching.
And Schiltz has 10 seconds on Gormley and Hakinnen. Moli has dropped behind, now. So we have Cornelis in the front, Faizullah trailing. Then we have Mazzarelli, Lipawsky, Hira and Eldfjallsson. McLaughlin is between them and Schiltz.
Lap 11: So far, only 2 mechanical problems today. With a man-made profile like this, that was to be expected, though. With not a lot happening, I ask you, Francis, Welling is not riding his best race today, he's more than 3 minutes behind. How has it been riding with him so far this season?
Maybe he has an off-day, which means for him that the injury plagues him. He's a great rider, but like some others, the injuries can ruin all your plans. You wake up, and the legs hurt. We've seen what he is capable of when everything falls into the right place. He has my utmost respect for still loving and being active in this sport. A great guy, and great teammate. I still own him for Melbourne.
Will we see you back in action in Italy? Everyone is hoping to see a duel unfold between you and Cook on the hilly terrain in Aosta. Would you consider Mazzarelli amongst the top favorites for that course?
Mazzarelli will surely want to celebrate his first victory in Italy. I think he has a bit the desire to make Cyclo-Cross really popular in Italy, especially since road cycling suffered a bit in the last decade. Not an easy task. As for me, I've made great progess and feel really well. The numbers are good. With the Superprestige gone for now, I really want to make the most of the Coca-Cola Trophy. Getting time back on Cook will be an objective for the coming Coke races.
Cornelis has more than 30 seconds now. He's pretty much flawless today, nothing to be done against him.
Lap 12: As we enter the final lap, there are still some questions unanswered: Will Hira's group catch Faizullah? He only has 10 seconds left on them, and he's been in limbo for quite a while now. Can he hang on?
With Smith not here and Carlisle way back, who will we see on the podium of the World Cup, next to Cornelis?
Should Cornelis retire at the end of the season? When the terrain is technical, he is still clearly one of the very best around.
That's the question in mind right now in Belgium. He is clearly the best rider still around, at least in such races. Just look at his win count. I'd love he decides to continue, you always want to compete against the best when you're an athlete. Meanwhile, I get the sentiment of retiring whilst you are still on top. Either way, I hope Cornelis will be happy with his decision. If not, there's always room for a comeback story.
The crowd is cheering loudly for the World Champion now. He's still keeping the pace extremely high. I think he's actually enjoying this!
And now Ronnie Hira uses the 240 meters of straight road to attack Lipawsky, Eldfjallsson and Mazzarelli! He goes looking for Faizullah alone.
Dries Cornelis wins the race, he crosses the line and makes a fist. Well done, World Champion.
Incredible ride by the 19 year old Afghan here, it was nice to meet you, Tariq Faizullah! Against all odds he managed to hang on and finish 2nd, what an achievement! Hira crosses the line third and helps his classification a lot!
A bit surprised, but ther crowd loves their outsiders. That's some mighty applause for him. He really gets to enjoy this moment gladly, and Hira played this one clever. There's a good chance of him ending up on the World Cup overall podium in a few weeks. Of course by now, we all know that the top step is reserved for Cornelis.
Well, we've seen a great show today. Next week we're back with the Coca-Cola Trophy in Aosta, Italy. Thanks for being here with us today, Francis. Thanks to all the viewers at home, see you next week!
Full Result
1
Dries Cornelis
64'23"
2
Tariq Faizullah
0:32
3
Ronnie Hira
0:36
4
Sylvain Lipawsky
0:39
5
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
s.t.
6
Matt Mazzarelli
s.t.
7
Andrew McLaughlin
0:48
8
Christian Schiltz
0:55
9
Shay Gormley
1:12
10
Kimi Hakinnen
s.t.
11
Mustafa Moli
1:31
12
Milan Vermeulen
1:35
13
Lachy Bauer
1:40
14
Sven Van Vliet
s.t.
15
Blazej Dobransky
s.t.
16
Gregory Bernard
1:46
17
Philipp Smart
2:01
18
James Carlisle
2:12
19
Michael Bollinger
2:38
20
Josiah Bennett
s.t.
21
Artem Sakalau
s.t.
22
Naveed Alinejad
2:42
23
Arda Akdeniz
2:51
24
Mikel Hammarling
s.t.
25
Craig Hepptern
s.t.
26
Thijs Van Lookeren
2:59
27
Max Power
3:03
28
William Burbank
s.t.
29
Nic Hashir
3:15
30
Vladimir Stoyevski
3:22
31
Matt Claveren
s.t.
32
Ali Acord
s.t.
33
Matthias Barthez
3:41
34
Bert Vos
3:44
35
Rik Van Fleming
3:50
36
Pierre Lipawsky
s.t.
37
Nathan Starc
s.t.
38
Elliot Cook
4:02
39
Alexey Tesler
4:06
40
Sven Welling
4:12
41
Nicky Van Drenthe
4:19
42
Abdullah Saboor
s.t.
43
Marcus Flinch
s.t.
44
Rudy Verboven
4:32
45
Guido Visconti
s.t.
46
Lars Lejeune
s.t.
47
Alfonso Munoz
s.t.
48
Timi Kokkonen
4:48
49
Oleksandr Orlov
4:53
50
Lars Van Hennep
s.t.
51
Bohdan Honchar
s.t.
52
Mohuti Sow
5:02
World Cup
1
Dries Cornelis
203
2
Ronnie Hira
117
3
Sylvain Lipawsky
110
4
Matt Mazzarelli
106
5
James Carlisle
97
6
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
97
7
Jack Smith
84
8
Shay Gormley
79
9
Rudy Verboven
77
10
Gregory Bernard
77
11
Tariq Faizullah
64
12
Elliot Cook
60
13
Kimi Hakinnen
56
14
Francis N. Vague
50
15
Sven Welling
47
16
Mikel Hammarling
44
17
Rik Van Fleming
38
18
Arda Akdeniz
35
19
Nicky Van Drenthe
34
20
Andrew McLaughlin
34
21
Michael Bollinger
33
22
Sven Van Vliet
33
23
Nic Hashir
32
24
Timi Kokkonen
30
25
Ali Acord
29
26
Josiah Bennett
28
27
Lachy Bauer
28
28
Christian Schiltz
23
29
Matt Claveren
21
30
Vladimir Stoyevski
20
31
William Burbank
18
32
Craig Hepptern
17
33
Matthias Barthez
16
34
Jannik Stolz
15
35
Abdullah Saboor
15
36
Mustafa Moli
15
37
Milan Vermeulen
14
38
Philipp Smart
13
39
Thijs Van Lookeren
12
40
Naveed Alinejad
11
41
Blazej Dobransky
11
42
Lars Van Hennep
9
43
Alfonso Munoz
9
44
Lars Lejeune
8
45
Guido Visconti
8
46
Nathan Starc
7
47
Lue Khamse Khamphan
6
48
Frederick Muller
6
49
Pierre Lavigne
6
50
Artem Sakalau
5
51
Max Power
3
52
Mohuti Sow
1
53
Ewan Wilson
1
Well if it wasn't obvious already, it is now. Cornelis has the World Cup within his reach. He just has to finish. Thanks, see you next week!
You rode a great race today, riding with the people near to you overall before surging a couple of times, how do you reflect on that?
Yeah it's nice to get a podium finish whatever, but this is pretty nice considering there is no Vague or Verboven. Lipawsky, Mazzarelli and I knew what we had to do, gain as many places on Jimmy C as possible. Unfortunately that was always a fragile alliance and in the last lap I had to take the initiative or we would be sprinting for it. Not my kind of finish, learning from last year's Ronde.
You are now in second, do you think you can hold that place?
Yeah, I haven't seen the course very in-depth, but I think I can at least hold on to third, I hear it is more Lipawsky's kind of course, but we'll see about that.
The only way either of you three can win is if Cornelis drops out, what would happen then?
Sure when we heard that there would be even more incentive but really it would be sour, and knowing the other two they will understand that too. Hopefully he doesn't and I can get a podium overall, that's all I want.
You weren't a favorite of any kind before the season, what do you make of that?
I think it's been in my favor, many just thought I could obviously do cobbles and bugger all else. But I found a fighting spirit in me, especially in Bristol, so I think to be second with a results list including seventeenth place is pretty special. Even though Vague and Verboven dropped out, I was tied with Rudy at the time.
Thanks for talking Ronnie!
Always my 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
I've decided to skip the next race in Italy. I just don't fancy taking another hammering on a course that doesn't suit me at all. Nor do i fancy having to travel down just to come back overnight to the next race. Again nor do i expect a good result in the next race i'm just not in the mood. It's stupidly tough to breakthrough at the moment against these big name riders. All i can do is hope Torku is icy as f*ck otherwise i don't see a race i can do well in. Frankly i might just pack it all in and go back to the domestic scene soon.
TDF
Hi! I won't be racing again until the FujiCross event after Christmas. This recent run of tough races close together has taken it's toll on me and i am dead. The team has agreed i need a break or risk completly burning out and missing another big chunk of season. I've been making progress though and i will do some training whilst at home.
It will also be nice to spend Christmas with my family and not alone on a different continent. I havn't seen them since i came back to racing in New York and that's been quite a while. Eyes forwards towards the Continental Championships as my next goal.
New WorldCup race, new victory for Dries. 'It's once again a race as I like it. My style is still as it should be and I still have the power. I am confident I can keep this up for the rest of the season, and hopefully even longer.'
The World Cup overall should be almost settled now for the Belgian world champion. 'Indeed, over 80 points lead will be quite hard to give away for me. I'm confident I can sustain a lead until the end, but I'd obviously prefer to expand it even more.'
Today saw the breakthrough of Tariq Faizullah. Dries had some words about him as well. 'This boy is an incredible talent obviously. It's always good to see young riders having their breakthrough. I think this talent breaking through is very good for the sport of CycloCross, as it's a clear sign this sport is globalizing.'
Dries is not thinking about retiring to leave space for these youngsters though. 'I have no idea why I should retire already. Age does come with experience, and despite not losing power I do feel more experienced than ever. I want to win at least one more World Championship in my career, but that's not all. I want to keep going as long as I can.'
First thing I have to say - is don't believe everything you read in the dirtsheets. All sorts of crap has been thrown around about people and I guess sometimes mud sticks. Bottom line guys is that I am 23 year old guy who 'cheated' on his girlfirend. She don't give a damn, hell we don't even have that sort of relationship anyways she probably has been screwing around back here too. But it does sorta explain why she wants to tag along with Cookie when I go on my travels. Anyway some dick threw some of drink/piss/acid whatever it was on me at Excel probably as some retaliation for this - or god knows what?
Who was this gutless coward? I soon found out as authorities arrested him - he was some sort of relation to my gf and bang to rights I pressed charges on this loser. I also felt quite strongly that in what was the most controlled (and lets face it sterile and dull as dishwater) race we have had this season - I get assaulted. There is a precident here and please people calm down and look after our riders!
I rode the event in the end, persuaded by my team coach and yes it was quite educational fannying aorund doing jumps and cornering. I probably learnt more about myself then I did the day before when I gave the field a good kicking. Was that bike riding? No not really - but this is cross the world of the wacky and hats off to the old guy he still has the tricks up his wrickly sleeves.
Vague was around and I guess he will be racing down in Italy - should be interesting to see if he can keep in contention. I intend to give the sprog a baptism by fire not that he would expect anything less!
After his great ride at Manx Missile Sportmanagement's Struibaai Cross, where Dobrasnky finished fourth, just outside the podium, despite his bandages and stitches barely keeping hold of his late injury, he was looking forward to the races in Europe.
Of course, neither Lisbon nor Bristol have been kind to him. However he finished both in a solid way. As he narrowly missed in Lee Valley the points rank by coming 19th, he sealed the deal a day later in the ExCel Circuit, where he accomplished the 15th place.
"I'm satisfied with this race. Struibaai Cross has really helped me to gain back confidence", states Dobransky happily. His recent string of results further motivate him apparently, as he is already in talks with his dutch team Koga Cyclo-Cross to extend the contract for an additional year. "They are the first team I'll have talks with. I hope that youngsters Max Power and Nicky Van Drenthe stay on the team too. Hanging around those young guns, grants me a second youth!"
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
For the first time in its history, Cyclo-Cross will have Continental Championships instead of National Championships. This means that the UCI had to go looking for new jerseys to give the winners. The first proposals have been made public now. The first week in January, all UCI riders will fight for one of these four jerseys.
Africa
Spoiler
America
Spoiler
Eurasia
Spoiler
Oceania
Spoiler
Collection
And, of course, let's not forget what the riders will be battling for in February.
Hi guys, I'm back from the dead right here to tell you about my feelings lately, so I blew the dust away from the keyboard and I started writing!
I'm quite happy about my consistency in the last few races, and this is going to be an advantage for the race in Italy, Aosta (that even suits me almost perfectly). I know, I know that I'm only talking about it since the season started but that's very special for me, you should consider that I haven't grabbed a single win since then and thus I can't wait for it to start!
First of all, I'd like to congratulate myself with Cock... ehm Cook sorry, for winning his first race this year, he sure deserved it after all those placings in and out the podium.
Second, thanks for all the letters that I've received in my mailbox, they're well appreciated and mean much for me, so I'd like to respond to few of the most interesting ones before going ahead with the blog:
Dear Matt, you're damn hot and cool as fuck, please can I marry you? Kisses, Lucy. Dear Lucy, thanks for the kind words about my physical aspect but I'm really sorry to tell you that I'm already busy with another stunning woman...
Hi Matt, can you promise me that you'll put it right in their asses in Aosta? Gratz, Kevin. Dear Kevin, I can promise you that I'll put 100% of my effort into this and as I've already say it is my shape peak for this season so I'm already in "asskicker" mode for a few days. Hope to see you there so that we can say each other "Hello!" and if I win I'll offer you a (nonalcoholic) beer, that's sure!
Hey Matt, how is it going? Can you remember about me?I'm Sven Nys of Sporza and I've sent you this to tell you that I'm finding several difficulties in interviewing you post-race lately, can you pledge that you're going to stay in front of me after the race for some quick interviews more frequently? Sven. Hey Sven, I can't promise anything as I don't find you anymore either in the usual zones, but we have a deal I guess, why shouldn't I like having a talk with you? See you after race in Aosta then!
So that's all for what concerns the questions! I've heard that UCI made some cool nice shirts for the brand new Continental Championships, I'm just a bit sad that the National Championships will completely disappear after this season, probably the only race in which I would be the favourite except Aosta lol.
Many may wonder why I haven't been around the social networks and the internet in general during the last weeks, the answer is easy: I've been training harder and harder and I can gladly state that now I've improved my explosiveness abilities. Means that I can now accelerate faster and for longer periods, so that I can do more successfull attacks, all different than what I've done so far, namely weak and short attacks that most of the riders were easily able to follow. But now, forget that Matt, I'm back stronger (and lighter) than ever! Almost non-existent downside of it is that I'm not going to be that strong anymore running, but that's arguably false as I'm going to be lighter and therefore faster on the steep slopes that are usually the reason why we mount off the bike. Isn't it amazing?
I leave you with my own best wishes (once again, meh) for the upcoming race, how is it called? See you there anyway!
Edited by matt17br on 07-02-2015 19:19
Just recently, the brand new Continental Jerseys were released for the public. Another detail has leaked out and it's brought major criticism from the sponsors.
On the Continental Jerseys, the left breast is reserved for a sponsor brand. There is also a reserved space for this on the back of the jersey and two minor parts on arms and sides. The sponsors have expressed their disappointment in this rule, saying it's the sponsors that make the sport what it is. Opinions among the fans are diverse. Some praise this rule because they think shirts are stuffed with sponsors too much, others are keen to agree with the sponsors.
World Championships - Nationwide?
Only this morning, the UCI president dropped a minor bomb on the World Championships for February. Answering a journalist's question, he said the phrase: "We're thinking about abolishing the nation teams for the World Championships. In cyclo-cross, nation teams never seem to work anyway, so we might run it with the usual sponsor teams." We expect reactions from the riders and especially the national coaches.
Alp d'Huez first proposition declined
It has already been confirmed that Alpe d'Huez will host a Superprestige race for next season. Yet it's first route proposal has been shot down mercilessly. The race wanted to tackle the entire Alpe d'Huez, albeit through different terrain than the road going up. The UCI was clear: the route does not compute with the rules. There are no laps, which is essential to a cyclo-cross race. Also, the UCI thought that such climbing does not belong in cyclo-cross. So the organisers should shapen up and come up with a better idea. Luckily, there's still plenty of time for them to reconsider.
Recently some famous legends of the cross, some of them active, some not, have been setting up a new lobby for the sport of cyclo cross, with the hope of making it Olympic. Initiator, current world champion Dries Cornelis, elaborates about his plan. 'What we've already seen is that the sport has globalized a lot for the past few years, with the elite coming from around the world already. The globalization of this sport has made it a very popular sport all around the world. This group is therefore lobbying at the IOC for the next step: making Cyclo-Cross Olympic. As, in this sport, the group has some very influential and popular legends, such as Blazej Dobransky and John Willis, we feel this group should be the perfect lobby to make the most beautiful sport of the world Olympic. Although we don't have any specific goals our dream would be to see it appear at the next Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang 2018.
After victory there was an inevitable come down for Hafthor Eldfjallsson particularly with the disappointment that the UCI and the uncontrollable weather conspired to make Lee Valley a less icy affair. He perservered and fought on for a 7th place finish, despite questionable tactics of not following the move of teammate Kokkonen.
While struggling to break the Top 10 of the Superprestige standings, the World Cup does seem to be where Hafthor is coming alive. Excel Arena may not have ice, but Hafthor is far more than a one tricky pony. A strong race on the front throughout, a great 5th place finish now sees him into joint 5th of the World Cup standings. This is great to see as the World Cup really is the pinnacle of the sport, alongside the World Championships where incidentally, Hafthor is looking forward to donning the Icelandic kit. Trade teams at the Worlds just would not make any sense.
Talking of not making any sense, the initial plans for the Alpe d'Huez route seem completely bizarre. Surely the race has to take place in the resort itself, at the foot of the ski slopes? In terms of common sense and also practicality, this is the only way that a race in this location can work.
After a shaky start to this British run of races, Christian Schiltz has really knuckled down to return to his more consistent ways. He fought through for a 17th place in Lee Valley despite being hindered by shoddy work by the Corsio mechanics.
Excel saw his focus reap benefits as he finally secured a strong World Cup performance with a Top 10 finish, 8th to be exact. Although missing the selection at the front, he realised that Hakkinen, Moli and Gormley were slowing him down. Unfrotunately he was not able to catch a fading Mcloughlin, but the result does now help him to rise towards a more respectable World Cup standing.
Next on the calendar should be the long-awaited return of Coca-Cola action in Aosta Valley, where Schiltz will look to continue the momentum from both Excel and also the most recent Coca-Cola race in Rio. There appears to be confusion though over whether Aosta will take place on Saturday or Sunday, with a swap with Rasterhoffpark on the cards. This will surely cause havoc with travel arrangements.
Edited by SportingNonsense on 08-02-2015 20:03
BKCP - Powerplus manager welcomes the recent suggestion of the UCI president of abolishing the traditional team approach in favor of a team-based affair.
"It is the biggest race of the season, and the teams pay good money for their riders to represent them. It'd be a welcome return of investment for everybody involved", suggested the team's manager. "However, cycling is a sport that has very strong roots. Simply removing the national aspect is not a real choice. Just think of the fans, you will get a shit-storm by no means measured yet. So I think an adapation is the right call: Why not allow the team sponsor names on the national jersey? Rabobank is featured on the dutch jersey when they arn't even active in Cyclo-Cross top tier anymore. We at BKCP - Powerplus would love to see our sponsor's name on Francis' and Sven's national jersey."
Of course, the team also welcomes Cornelis' recent bid to make Cyclo-Cross an olympic sport. In BKCP - Powerplus' interpretation, this could also help fund more events and young riders in all countries, leading to a prosperous age of CX.
As for the recent continental backslash, the team manager hopes for another suitable solution. "It's alright that they want to represent the continents and bring the world together in such a way, but they have to think of the teams too. It's likely the most successful riders will obtain those jerseys; this is a huge cut in representation for any team. The sponsor needs to be visible and must be allowed to submit his own alternative to the continental jersey. The continental jerseys should be merely seen as a blueprint."
Looking at the upcoming races of Aosta Valley, the manager had a few words to share as well: "Francis will be coming back in a strong way in Italy. The past week hasn't damaged his motivations at all. It might has even made him stronger. The goal of the season was to obtain as many wins as possible, and the quest remains despite the unfortunate bad luck in Lisbon."
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
I made it home and the first thing i saw was the announcement of the Continental Championsips Jerseys. Gotta be honest, the America's one could be better. Being the only pro-rider this one is mine so i'm putting together a proposal to the UCI with some ideas for changes.
My friends were keen to join in suggesting i celebrate my Texas heritage with this design. My parents took some inspiration from history for this idea although i had to remind them there is more to the world than the USA. Shockingly as life-long Texans that took a while to get across.
Personally i'd like something on this idea. It's stylish, American and i think the extra gadgets and protection could come in handy.
As you may have heard, I skipped the last few races in Britain. There was ice on the track and I did not want to risk my road season. I said before the season I did not want to go for a classification so yeah, no harm done. This season is a success already anyway, with 2 wins in important competitions.
My road season with Euskaltel is about to kick off again soon, I'll be riding La Tropicale Amissa Bongo for the first time, followed by the Tour Down Under. I'll plan it so I'll be back in time for the championships, but it does mean you'll see me miss a few more crosses. Still, I had a great time and I hope the cyclocross fans I gained will keep following me on the road as well.
Lee Valley - Report
Hammer Time
TDF
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
