Another top 5 and a provisional podium in the NES.
I did not expect this on the sandy terrain but I think training did work out for me as my skills surely has improved since season start.
What I like the most though, is that I have not lost my sprint in last years. I still have the legs to sprint for wins. In Perth I decided to go for the intermediate sprint, which I was able to win. This did cost me some time in the final though, which is what seperates me from the stars in CX. But it gives me a good indication what I need to learn and improve. One day I want to be able to fight for wins in several races and be in the top spots of the individual ranking.
My debut season though is already running awesome. I am close to the top10 in the UCI rankings and celebrated a podium and the top5 here. I hope to keep this form for the next races.
And that is how we do! First victory at this level in the bag and it was dominant if i do say so myself. Going into the final lap i could see those other guys were tiring hard and paying for their earlier efforts. The sand section was my initial plan for an attack but i took a tight turn well and i could feel the gap just open. Stamp on the pedals and they had nothing left to give in response.
Radio made it possible. He pushed the first half of the race hard. It prevented a number of riders from being at all competitive and really put the pain to those that did make the lead group. It's a shame he couldn't get some points to reward that effort but he really did make the win straight forwards. He was the perfect teammate today.
Victory plus enough UCI points to move back into the Top10. And that means a front row start in Twin Peaks. It's a climb heavy course so i'm gonna focus my attentions on the World Cup event in Portland later in the week. We'll see what happens in SF and take it as it comes.
Radio
Mixed emotions coming out of Perth. Happy for Goldie to take the win but real dissapointment i couldn't get anything personally. You could say a Top10 is good but when there's only 20 riders it's not that special, in fact it's exactly mediocre. I know Goldie is happy with my ride but i'm not so much.
The Oceania races were ok for me. No major dramas and continued good progress. The Americas are gonna be mostly about off the bike press work i feel. A lot of the local eyes will be on me so i'll try and get myself towards the front if i can to show off my special jersey.
Looking at the level of competition my best chance for success is either gonna be a race where 30 people crash out or having an NES event finish in a flat sprint. I'll keep working away though. Getting some big respect for Max who went through this without really having a team around him to help out! If i fell out with Blue Bell CX i'd probably go back to the States.
San Francisco hosts this new evening cross Twin Peaks in style. The Twin Peaks are the top location for this new cyclo-cross event. It's an evening cross, starting around 8 pm, with artificial lights all around the parcours.
Expect a great atmosphere and an even better race for this second manche of the Superprestige, where Elliot Cook find a perfect profile to defend his lead over Mazzarelli, Vague and Schiltz.
The riders coming from the first NES event will, in most likeliness, not play an essential role here. The route requires a great deal of strength, and most riders coming from Perth will lack this after their hard race on Sunday.
Race Information
Country: United States of America
City/Place: San Francisco
Classification: Superprestige
Starting Time (Elite Men): 20h
Favorites: Dries Cornelis, Elliot Cook, Francis N. Vague, Matt Mazzarelli, Christian Schiltz, Sylvain Lipawsky.
Record: New
Race History: After a failed experiment with the Central Park cross in New York last year, San Francisco stood up and claimed the void spot in the Superprestige. 12 months later, we're ready for our first edition of Twin Peaks.
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 1
Uphill: 4
Cobblestones: 0
Twin Peaks starts with a lengthy - yet not so steep - downhill. After the initial starting sprint, the riders take a sharp turn and go down one hillside gradually. Risktakers can definitely create gaps here.
Once down, the riders contour the Twin Peaks. A bit further is the first climbing challenge. As the name suggests, this race features 2 main climbs. They aren't of the usual short and steep kind we know in Flanders mostly, but these are lenghty climbs, comparable to a (lesser steep albeit at least just as long) version of the Blaarmeersen climb. Not for power punchers, but for real climbers.
They head down a bit more and contour again, this time with some sand thrown into the mix. Just a few dozen feet of sand, it won't suffice to determine the race.
The riders take the second climb, which looks like an exact copy of the first climb on the profile. The final kilometer is tricky, though. Once up the hill, the riders enter the 'Twin Peaks Maze', a carefully constructed kilometer full of twists and turns, with some small ups and downs. The riders' bike skills will be put to the test here. The final 200 meters make for the most dangerous sprint on the calendar. With a slightly skewed ground, the sprint will sap the riders' strength just to stay upright and on your line.
Experts had expected the UCI to step in and make the organisors change the final 200 meters, but to everyone's surprise they allowed it, so let's see what it gives!
It is yet another experiment, but we expect a hard-fought-for victory by a complete rider!
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 9° C
Precipitation: Rain, light
Wind: 2 Beaufort
Perth was an exhilarating battle and my first race where I could really test myself from a tactical standpoint after my years away. I do think I blew up in my own face, not by underestimating my rivals but myself.
I started perfectly, dodging the crashes and sticking to BluBalls like glue. I was watching, I just wanted to consider the situation before the intermediate sprint where I made my presence felt. In the end I got more than expected with four points. Dad's too good in a sprint and I was lucky to hold off Goldie.
More of the same anxious waiting until I had enough - attack in the sand quite easily followed by Goldie and Iban the Asp. I shook Faizullah which was pleasing but overall it meant I wasted energy. Goldie put in a fantastic corner a minute later and we were juice. Aspque just stuck on my wheel but he was a dead nut, I finished him off, crossing the line in equal parts ecstatic and disappointed.
Ecstatic because it was sort of affirmation after the early-season 11ths and 12ths that I actually can compete with Dao and Goldie on my kind of course. This plus the intermediate points put me in a position to take the overall if Goldie abandons for bigger things as he's been saying, and I think Dao could be looking for that too. It'd be me, the Basque Aspque and Faizullah battling it out and I anticipate it if it turns out like that. I'm only targeting a World Cup and Coca-Cola possible top 10 so I'm aiming for the title here as Superprestige doesn't bother me this year, overall at least. Good news too as with American Week coming up it's all about this season with starting positions, meaning with the points from Tekapo and Perth I'm now in second row.
Disappointed I guess because once we dropped Dao I started to believe that, with luck and good tactics I could win, despite the goal being holding off Markson, Exterberdea and Faizullsh for third behind an intense sprint between Goldie and Dao. To lose, especially with such a pathetic mistake of not watching Goldie anywhere ion course, as any smart crosser, at any level, should do. Still, hindsight is a wonderful thing and second place is promising!
Edited by jandal7 on 27-05-2015 09:02
With his first win of the season in the bag, Vague looks much calmer than he did in Down Under. Arriving at San Francisco bay, Vague visited the Fisher Market there and enjoyed a promo stroll, including a ride over the famous Golden Gate Bridge.
Looking at a potential City crit race over the many hills of SF and onto the Bridge, Vague seemed to be very interested for summer. At least that's what the mayor of San Francisco told the press. But of course, this is far away and all his attention is upon the upcoming race at Twin Peaks. Since the course features two characteristics most (climbing & technicality), Vague will be a solid bet for the win. But Tekapo Cross was a costly win as well. The energy and power spent by the leading riders back then may have been higher than each of them pleased, resulting in a true free-for-all.
"It'll be a very interesting debut for this race. Most riders will want to carve their name as the first winner", says Vague. He has already talked about not wanting to be as aggressive as in Tekapo-Cross but a fast start will be still important in Twin Peaks. "The climbs have low gradients, I expect a large group battling it out in the first few laps, so it'll be important to be at the front right away..."
But is this actually an invite to attack? Not for Vague this time around. "It seems like we have the chance to make up time in the downhill parts. It always depends on the race situation but this is a race that you can race tactically defensive and be successful I think." Save energy in the uphill by making up the time in the difficult downhill and the trickier parts. It sounds easy enough but will be a tough trick to pull off on battering rams like Cook.
And although the climbs are undoubtley important according to Vague, he is keen to point out that "they are much more interesting in the way that you lose time than you can gain time."
Nonetheless, "I think it'll be an very exhausting affair and the goal is to win here and take the Superprestige lead."
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Welcome in San Francisco. Are you wearing flowers in your hair?
Thankfully, the weather has cleared up during the day and so we have dry racing conditions. The ground is still soaking wet, however, so this will be a tough cross, there's no doubt about it.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 9° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start Line: The Superprestige is off to a perfect start of Cook, the defending champion. But Francis N. Vague has his mind set on the Trophy this year, and it won't be easy to keep him from achieving his goal. Today, he wants to strike.
The World Champion is having difficulties picking up those few extra percentages he needs to win a race, so let's see if they come today. The same goes for Mazzarelli. Will he have to wait as long as last season for his first victory of the season?
Christian Schiltz' superform seems over, at least partly. So that might restore the order within the team, with a Vague that always seems to perform on the level. It's like Jannes Vandewalle once said: "If you work hard every day, you're always in form."
Lap 1: And so we're off! A first for San Francisco, let's see how the Superprestige unfolds in this top location. Two major climbs, two equally important downhills.
The riders sprint towards the first turn, where they will head downhill. It's Rudy Verboven who takes the dive first, with Eldfjallsson and Vague following closely.
The riders are carefull in this descend. Bakari with a surprisingly good start. That's nice to see.
And we might have the shortest race in history, as Pierre Lipawsky didn't manage to keep his back wheel under control and went down on the slopes of Twin Peaks. He's abandoned the race. The brother of the World Champion will be watching his brother race on the television, rather than in the race.
Vague is the first down, he passed both Eldfjallsson and Verboven going down. Is he going to put the pressure on Cook already? The three have a small gap on a larger group. Will Vague use this to his advantage?
He's not riding full gas, just keeping a good pace. The riders now contour round the hillside. Vague looks behind and asks for assistence. Verboven passes. Eldfjallsson relays.
But now Lipawsky gives it a hard pull and we have a large group together, just in time for the first climb.
And there goes Lachy Bauer! Nobody follows his attack!
Lipawsky takes charge of the group and keeps the pace high. Is he finally finding his legs again? Cornelis is spotted half a minute behind this group. Oh dear, talk about a dramatic start!
Lap 2: We'll have 10 laps today!
Bauer still holds a small lead over the peloton after his passage through the Twin Peaks Maze. Vague is a rider who always rides for the win and he sees the potential danger in this solo ride, so he's keeping the gap limited.
Verboven is having trouble keeping up and lets the big group go.
While Jan Soucek is looking better and better. He was looking very happy at the start that the sky had cleared up before the start. He's freewheeling in the chasing group at the moment. Another neopro, Baris Dao, also seems to survive comfortably at the moment.
Time for the first climb again. We have another attack! It's Jan Soucek! The neopro launches an incredible acceleration on the slopes of Twin Peaks! He reaches Bauer and tries to leave him behind instantly! But you don't outfox Bauer that easily. The Kiwi follows him and the duo reaches the summit together. They have about 6 or 7 seconds on the chasing group, with Elliot Cook leading them over the top.
This downhill is a bit trickier, but so far the riders are taking them cautiously.
The second climb... No new attacks. Dries Cornelis is making up some time in the background, though. He's a resilient one, that Cornelis. Doesn't give up easily.
Don't count any of these guys out yet. 17 seconds is workable.
How about Carlisle, though. He had a few good seasons, coming up slowly, culminating in an amazing 2013 - 2014 season finish and a strong 2014 - 2015 season start. But it seems he lost something, he can't get in shape again.
The race situation is quite stable at the moment. Riders in the background are dropping further behind, but in the top 10, not much is changing. Vague and Cook both look pretty happy to keep up this situation. The heat's off for them and they still have the race leaders within reach. While Soucek and Bauer get some prime time and have an outlook at staying away if Vague and Cook spend too much time watching each other. It has happened before, you know. Rudy Verboven knows all about it.
Lap 4: The riders cross the finish line. And now we have an attack! Francis Vague attacks the group going downhill, what a risky attempt! Cook can't let Vague get away and tries to keep up with him, but Vague's downhill skills are practically unmatched and Cook has to let him go!
Vague is now in no man's land. Between the downhill and the climb, he's riding solo between the chasing group and the head of the race. He keeps calm and waits for the climb to reach Bauer and Soucek.
And that's what he does. He races past Bauer and Soucek. Wait - Soucek jumps on the Vague train and follows him uphill! Bauer is having a tough moment and can't follow.
What's that in the background?
Almost like a bull, Elliot Cook is coming! He's destroying the chasing group completely with this pace. Lipawsky falls off. Eldfjallsson can't keep up. Even Mazzarelli loses ground! Schiltz and Dao are hanging on, by some miracle. Strong!
Lap 5: Vague crosses the line first, with Soucek in his wheel.
Not far behind are Cook, Dao and Schiltz.
In the background, Konva is moving up places as he's getting under steam. Good showing by the young talent.
And Max Power throws in the towel. Too much climbing, too much mud.
Lap 6: Talking about mud, Vague is certainly in his element, today. He's left Soucek behind in the Twin Peaks Maze and rides solo now. Cook, Schiltz, Dao and Soucek follow a bit further behind. The gap stays limited, though, thanks to Cook's ploughing through the dirt.
And it has been coming, Vague is caught and we have 5 leaders. Mazzarelli is not far behind. But Schiltz moves up to the front, now, and keeps the pace high.
This allows Vague to rest up a bit, while discouraging attacks from other riders. For Vague, but for Schiltz, too, his move to BKCP has been a golden move! I don't think either has regretted this.
Lap 7: Four laps remain. Soucek and Dao stay in the shadow a bit. Vague and Cook don't let each other out of their sight, while Schiltz keeps up a high pace. Who can take the victory in this group? Or can Mazzarelli still return to the front?
Lap 8: More riders are abandoning. Riders slipping away in the mud going downhill is the prime factor. It's not that easy to stay upright here. Just ask Van Fleming, who went down fantastically here and is more dirt than rider at the moment. Completely covered in mud.
But the action is at the front! Schiltz is pulling hard uphill, this is probably his last effort before leaving it up to the favorites!
Looks like we were right. Schiltz moves aside for his leader, Vague. Vague keeps his head cool and just keeps up the pace, he's not attacking at this moment.
But Soucek is! He jumps away right before the summit of the first climb! Cook, Vague look at each other. Dao is hanging on, but that's it, Schiltz leaves a small gap.
Lap 9: Two more laps, and Soucek leads the race. But Cook is doing most of the work in the background and keeps the gap small. Vague is relaying as well. And now Dao steps up and takes a turn, too. This won't be easy for Soucek to keep up! It's three against one.
Dao takes the lead of the chasers and plunges downhill. He seems to be growing in confidence by the minute. First hanging on quietly, but now forcing the pace and chasing Soucek. Things are getting interesting!
Contouring the hillside and heading towards the second climb. Soucek is dropping his pace a bit. I think he's blown his horn. Vague gives a sign to relay and Dao eagerly takes over. Just a few more metres... And Soucek is caught! Four leaders, one lap and a half from the finish.
In total, there are three more climbs. Let's get one out of the way.
Cook attacks! Cook places an amazing attack and crushes Dao and Soucek's hope to win this race with an incredible effort! You can see Vague suffering hard, his face turning every which way, just to hang on... And he cracks, too! Cook has shook off everyone with one long, formidable out-of-the-saddle acceleration. He reaches the top. Vague is still within fighting distance, and with the Twin Peaks Maze coming up, he can regain some ground, using his techncality. But he has taken a mental hit, that's for sure. It's these sort of exploits that Cook lives for. The king of the hillsides!
Lap 10: Vague is hurting bad, his face is full of mud and he's clenching his teeth hard. He's giving it everything to return to the front. Soucek has dropped way down, Dao is somewhere in between, probably still pondering over what just happened. Attacks like this only happens a few times in a season, and if you're on the front row, it just blasts you in the face. Incredible.
Vague catches Cook in the downhill! An excellent descender, Vague is back in the running for the victory of the day! But then he'll have to beat this man, Elliot Cook.
They're riding side by side, and now Vague takes the upper hand. He'll try to control Cook from up front. Keep him in line on the climb.
And Cook keeps calm on this climb. They go downhill again.
Contouring the hillside, Dao is not that far off. Cook and Vague are getting ready for a final assault, though. One climb left. We have to give Cook the edge at this point. His attack was one of the finest I've seen in years.
And we hit the climb, what now? Cook gets out of the saddle to attack but his back wheel slips away! He manages to stay upright, but it seems to have cut his will to attack short and he sits back down. Vague is looking more behind than ahead of him, ready for any move from Cook.
Cook wants to shake off Vague, because Vague is darn fast at the finish line, but he's running out of time to do so. They're up the hill, now.
Vague takes charge in the Maze and wants to shake Cook. Cook has dug in Vague's wheel and won't let go. He's in some sort of trance, just staring at Vague's wheel and following.
We're out of the maze. A sprint finish is very near. And what's this? Baris Dao is just a few meters behind Cook and Vague. Are they aware of this? Dao is starting his sprint, but that's from far, very far! Perhaps, too far.
This won't be an ordinary sprint, with the ground askewed. Vague is getting ready to start his sprint. He'll want to sprint at the highest point, that's the best place to sprint now, with the mud affecting the lower ground more.
Just as Vague starts his sprint, Baris Dao comes speeding from behind! He cuts him off and forces Vague to lower grounds! Vague is completely surprised, he didn't see Dao coming back after that finale!
Dao is losing pace. He's been sprinting to catch up with Cook and Vague and he can't possibly keep this up to the finish line. Cook is caught in the mud and isn't making enough pace to win. The danger will come from Vague.
But Dao has done a brilliant job, forcing Vague in the lower part of the skewed dirtroad. Vague is not comfortable and can't develop the speed he wants.
What a surprise. Baris Dao crosses the finish line first. Vague is second, Cook third. What a finale!
And there comes Soucek.
Schiltz is fifth.
Riders are completely covered with mud. Mazzarelli, Lipawsky, Bauer, Eldfjallsson... And a nice sprint for place 10, won by Markson! The first American of the day, cheered on loudly by the crowd.
Well, San Francisco's Twin Peaks has had a more than successful debut. What a race! See you on Saturday in Portland!
Hi guys, thought I'd let you know how I've been doing. Since my last update, I've raced 4 crosses and am now well into the season. Things are going really well, and I'm slowly moving forward in the field every race after gaining more and more experience. I even managed to get my first top 10 in Perth, albeit against a weaker field than usual.
I was 33rd in the beach race in Melbourne, before finishing 25th twice in Tekapocross and then most recently at Twin Peaks in San Francisco, consolidating my place in the top 30 in the UCI classification. I was happy with my results in these two crosses with lots of uphills, not my strongest terrain by any means. My training pre-season on the hills seems to be paying off.
Anyway, it is Perth which I already mentioned which I guess you're most interested in. Again it wasn't a profile that suited my abilities, with plenty of sand there which is an area I must improve on. Still, I managed to hold onto Van Overberghe's wheels in the early stages and got into the front group. He seemed really strong, so when he attacked I had no hesitation in joining him!
Unfortunately we never got away after being reeled back in. I sat in the group and waited for the finish, not responding when riders went up the road as my legs were already tired from the sand sections where I had to push really hard. I eventually hung on to the third group on the road, and despite having nothing left in the final sprint finished 7th among several of the sports biggest talents. I was very happy, and I think on a course with more cobbles I could definitely beat a few of them.
Now I move on to Portland, and hope to do well in only my second World Cup cross. Hopefully I can continue to improve and move forwards in the field.
All mud, barely a face, no team logo. Vague was seemingly a symbol of the first Twink Peaks Supeprestige that demanded lots of the riders.
You were outsprinted on the line in a, rather surprising way. What was your take on that?
Uh, I-I... I was honestly surprised, however I probably shouldn't be. Cook and I took our fair time of looking at each other and I speculated that the sprint would favour me. Baris caught us off-guard, he did that really well. It's a lost victory today though, but I'm satisfied to have finished ahead of Cook. I need to thank Christian because he was a great help again.
You were really active. Upfront most of the time, trying to keep control and showcasing some amazing downhill skills. However when Cook put down the hammer, you couldn't follow...
Yeah, I was looking to ride conservatily but I ended up at the front. I was paying attention to everything, and in that way it just spilled me over at the front. Much like a tide. The riders were pushing from behind all the time and you couldn't ease off. Like I said, to me the downhills were a chance to turn the screws and take control over the race. It worked out in some way pretty well and I even got back onto Cook after his strong attack. In the end, I lost because of a naive approach to the sprint. Which is funny, because I was riding very attentively throughout the race.
The race conditions were pure Cyclo-Cross today. San Francisco has been hailed as the most european city of the States. A successful debut?
Definitely. Today, this must be the most belgian spot you can find in all of the States. It was a great debut, really nice crowd cheering on all of the riders. The mud was a challenge on this parcour, it added another tactical level. Maybe if it had rained, the hills would have been insufferable to ride, but it worked out well.
Next up are Portland and Seattle. Your plans?
To attack and to win. In Portland, it'll be important to just score many points, and in Seattle I'm the leader, so it'll be nice to keep the lead for one more race but also it's important to bring up Christian in the competition. He's only about half a minute down and if he can make up time in Seattle, it'll be very, very good for the team.
Last year you had your problems in the later part of the Americas campaign. Any doubts in this way, how are the legs?
So far, so good. I think Twin Peaks was an alright achievement. The goal is to win of course, but you have to be content with the result at the end of the day. I hope to build up on that. South America might be a bit tricky, I had a drop in form last year and it'll be interesting to see how I'll be doing this time around. But first, we still need to race some more races and that's where my concentration lies, one race after another, one step at a time.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
After Melbourne, it's time for the American side of the World Cup. Portland hosts the second World Cup manche and it's bound to be an important one. The winter has arrived early in America this year and temperatures are dropping rapidly. For the race, only 4°C are expected, making this a cold fall indeed. With some luck, we might see the first freezing crosses before we head down to South America.
Last year, Dries Cornelis showed off with an incredible solo here. This year, the riders seem much more tied together, with nobody standing out. How it will unfold in the race, that's for us to learn this Saturday. But the riders will have to keep something in reserve for the Sunday cross in Seattle, unless they want to see their Coca-Cola chances tumble down.
Francis Vague will be debuting here, after skipping the race last season. Great things are expected of him. He'll want revenge after Twin Peaks.
Race Information
Country: United States of America
City/Place: Portland
Classification: World Cup
Starting Time (Elite Men): 11h30
Favorites: Francis N. Vague, Dries Cornelis, Sylvain Lipawsky, Matt Mazzarelli, Eddie Goldenberg.
Record: 1x Dries Cornelis (2014)
Race History: Portland hosts its first professional cyclo-cross race, for the second edition, now. It borrows quite some inspiration from the traditional, European races, which is not considered a bad thing. Not at all. It had a successful debut with cyclo-cross legend Dries Cornelis winning in his World Champion jersey last season.
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 0
Uphill: 2
Cobblestones: 0
This definitely isn't the hardest profile around. There aren't many bridges around, but there is a natural inclination in the terrain. However, the climbs are more about power and bike handling than on pure climbing. Steering well is a main factor on this profile.
Instead of jumping bars, there will be tree trunks to jump over. There are considered harder than bars, especially these trees. It is expected that nobody risks a jump tomorrow, but we're gladly proven wrong.
Besides the usual obstacles, there are two ditches to be crossed, too. Skillful riders can attempt a jump, but if the ground is hard, it can be catastrophic for their tires. While wet weather will soften the terrain and make this a hard challenge, even for the powerful. It seems you can't win with these ditches, but Cornelis jumped them last year and soloed to the victory.
We'll be looking for a skillful rider to take the victory here. Uneven terrain, jumps, nasty bends, loose terrain are only a few of the difficulties ahead in this race. Concentration may be the greatest virtue tomorrow. A true Flandrien Cross, but on the West Coast of the United States.
I am speechless. I just did it. I won my first ever CX event. This was very unexpected as I expected the course a bit too technical. But I felt strong early on and was able to stay with the best.
First I did not want to ride with the others as I had to save my energy for the final laps. I expected to struggle if I do too much. But I realized that a podium is possible here and so I started to work together with the others.
In the final I lost it I thought as I couldn`t follow Vague and Cook. Those were too strong and I got dropped. While almost giving up I saw them going slower as none of them wanted to leadout the other. This made me go all in and start the sprint early. I had some luck that when reaching them, I had the perfect line. Vague was close to make me break in that moment but my road experience in sprint finishes helped me to stay on my line.
I could not believe when I passed the finish first. Biggest moment of my career for sure.
We as team celebrated all night on that and I think it`s time for me to go into 2nd option for the next one.
Portland is even more technical and while I have a great form and want to improve my World Cup position, I think supporting my team mates for this one will be great. Goldenberg has a nice position in the rankings and might need the help. That said, I would still like to get a good result on my own as well.
Continuing the West Coast Tour we arrive in Portland for the second manche in the World Cup. Elliot Cook won the first manche and has proved in the past that he can defend a lead quite well. But today's race is technical and his rivals might turn on the heat and pressure him into mistakes.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 4° C
Precipitation: Rain, Heavy
Wind: 0 - 1 Beaufort
Start Line: If not for the many American flags and the English, you might think we're in Belgium. The rain is coming down hard and the profile is one in the spirit of the true crosses in Flanders. Soucek just passed the commentary box, looking very displeased with this weather.
The crowd is unanimous about today's winner. Ask anyone here and they'll answer one name only: Eddie Goldenberg. Rarely have we seen someone come up so quickly in popularity. The entire country is behind him as one, and he has a decent chance at the podium today. But with the Belgian bike artists as Cornelis and Vague, winning won't be a given.
Lap 1: Start! The rain is really hurting the visibility but the riders are off with a fast paced start. It has been raining all day so the ground is soaking wet. Mud fills the terrain. Surprisingly, this hasn't kept the crowd away, that's here with approx. 8000 men, quite a success!
We head into the first corner, with Christian Schiltz leading the pack. The riders get off the tarmac, into the mud, now. And it's Vague who shoots forward instantly. He's going for an early, quick start, to seperate the weaker from the herd. Cook, Cornelis, Lipawsky, they're all too far behind to follow the attack. Schiltz won't react to his team mates attack and Gormley is dropping back in the thick mud.
Francis Vague is leading the race as we head towards the tree trunks. No way anyone will jump them here. Vague dismounts and crosses them running. No other way today.
Soucek has already abandoned the race. After an amazing showing early in the season, he's doing a lot worse these last few crosses.
At the end of the first lap, Vague has already accumulated a gap of 17 seconds on the first chasing group, including Cook and Cornelis.
Lap 2: 8 laps today.
Vague rides around without making any mistakes so far. We've even seen Cornelis slip up in this mud. Everyone makes mistakes on this ground, yet Vague seems indestructible from here. He's gone somewhere in his head where he just keeps going and doesn't look behind. You can read the focus in his eyes.
A fall! Mazzarelli is the victim here.
It's impossible to give names for the chasers as it's constantly changing. Riders fall out of the group, others manage to catch up, but then drop out again. The race situation is quite active.
Vague is the only one to jump the ditches, too. That gives him a few seconds every time. Not even Cornelis is jumping them this year. It's not the Cornelis we're used, too. The chasing group isn't really riding hard enough. If the pace doesn't increase soon, I'm afraid they're handing Vague the victory on a silver platter.
And - as if he heard me - Listerijn attacks out of the chasing group! Hardly the name you expected, but this young rider has been coming up and seems to have a lot of potential.
Cornelis and Lipawsky follow!
And then we hear the crowd cheer unbelievably loudly. We can only suspect it is... Yes, Eddie Goldenberg has found his way to the chasing group after a bad start!
Lap 3: Goldenberg attacks! Eldfjallsson and Faizullah catch on, while Cook is just trying to find a comfortable pace. With all these technical obstacles here in this race, it's hard for him to unleash his power. He might lose his World Cup lead today if it keeps up like this.
Osorio, the Colombian, is doing quite good today. The camera has found him just as he leaves Munoz behind. He's ploughing through the thick mud quite gracefully. That's nice to see.
Lap 4: Well, there's just no stopping him. Vague with 28 seconds. He's like a train right now, a mud train. These really are circumstances which he enjoys very much; the mud, the rain, the relative cold... This is Belgian weather to the max!
Mazzarelli now accelerates out of the chasing group as well! Let's see where everyone is...
After Cornelis' solo raid last year, it looks like we're heading towards another big solo victory here in Portland. A profile not suited for group finishes, so it would seem.
Lap 5: I think it's about time to start dividing the other World Cup points. It's safe to say the 50 points are gone. Cornelis is always a World Cup contender so he's in a good situation to pick up the remaining points and actually overtake Cook.
But let's not calculate too much and enjoy this man, Francis Vague, who is giving us a show to put in a frame.
Lap 6: Another fall. Hammarling went down in the mud, but apparently he's back on his bike.
Bakari, meanwhile, is still in the race and doing quite good, actually. He's been quiet for a while, now. Staying low qua publicity is not his thing so we wonder what he's up to, if he is up to something, that is.
Rik Van Fleming moves through the dirt with difficulty. It's not his day as Karol Konva now leaves him behind on an uphill portion.
Lap 7: Vague has a flat tire! A flat tire for the race leader! His advantage is more than a minute so he can afford it. He stays calm... And there is the technical zone. He changes bike and he's off again. He hardly lost 5 seconds to the chasing group.
There, things are getting interesting! the two chasing groups came together and now Goldenberg is trying to get away for the second place of the day! Cornelis and Faizullah follow!
Vague is 72 seconds ahead of them, though. What a gap!
Lap 8: An honorary lap for Francis Vague. After a sensational ride, he can already start cooling down a bit and think about tomorrow's race. What a display of bike handling did he give us today. Wonderful.
Goldenberg and Cornelis are now playing a mental game. But it's Faizullah who tries to sneak away! And he succeeds!
Further back, Osorio, the Colombian, is riding around in 19th position. If he can keep this up, this is a good day for him. A very good showing in a tough race. With the rain still pouring down hard, this has turned into a real mud festival and a tough race all around.
And the winner of the day, no wait, the conquerer, the champion of the mud, with a sensational solo ride, Francis Vague! He punches a hole in the air, tries to clean the dirt off his shirt, points at the sponsor, raises both arms and crosses the finish line. What a victory, what a ride.
Faizullah kept the rest behind him and finishes 2nd. Goldenberg just gets outsprinted by Dries Cornelis and so the American crowd won't see Goldenberg on the podium today, too bad. Still a very good race by Goldenberg, who's becoming a top rider in no time.
Lipawsky wins the sprint for place 5 against Listerijn and Eldfjallsson.
And there is Mazzarelli.
Cook finishes 9th and limits the damage, but loses the World Cup jersey to Cornelis.
And in a sprint for place 10, Dao beats Schiltz with the smallest of margins.
We've seen a beautiful race today. What will we remember of today? That Vague was two classes too high for the rest of the field. See you tomorrow, in Seattle, for a profile which resembles today's race. One name? Vague!
Portland went about as well as i could have hoped really. Vague was just on another level and no-one was ever gonna match him out there, a sensational ride! At the line Cornelius experience showed as he out-played me expertley and didn't allow me room to move. 4th place is still good though and now i guess i've really got to focus on the World Cup. Top5 in that compeition? Sure, why the heck not!
Seattle is a similar course to todays race in skills required. Back on the front row i'm not sure of my tactics. I think i'll try and go for a good result for myself again. Looking aheads somewhere like Lancaster would be a good race to pay back Radio for his work in Perth. So go hard in Seattle and then get a bit of rest helping out Radio, or even Dao or TDF in Lancaster. Sounds good. Gonna have to start measuring my efforts if i want to really attack the World Cup.
TDF
My great start has pretty much faded away for now. A selection of events that still don't suit me. I'm dong better in every race than last year, at least i feel like it. And regardless of result i'm loving the atmosphere of these American races. The crowds have been amazing and make suffering at the back almost fun for me. Shame i can't compete more of help Goldie or Dao more.
For me eyes are still on Rio and that glorious sand based race. If i can stay upright and without injury through the rest of the Americas i should be hitting as close to top form as possible for that race. Just gonna have to convice on of the other Blue Bell guys to try and support me there to get the edge over the stronger riders.
Hammer Time will eventually get an update, but probably only when things get really cold back in Europe
Team BAKARI is pleased to announce a new sponsorship deal with Pepsi. This deal comes with a fresh new team jersey, which will look resplendent on Amadou Bakari in all future races: starting with Round 2 of the Coca-Cola Trophy.
Portland's a course like I grew up on, I've rode this kind of race hundreds of times since I was seven, as have many people here. At the start my legs felt fresh, and from third row I tried to make the cut. Passing Mikey on the way, I asked him to get on my wheel. He just said, "Go for yourself, I'm like crap in the mud." I just went for it and eventually joined the chasers after a lap of hard riding.
When I got there I looked around and people were racing for second, nobody seriously wanted to try and catch Vague. I tried to get a meter then attack while they were in deep mud, it worked and guess who followed me? The last two World Champions, Cornelis and Lipawsky. We started chasing but mostly they played me for a fool, I chased 75, 85% of the time and when Goldenberg and co. came along I just held on to Lipawsky's wheel during the chaos, I'm inexperienced trying to navigate with the best in the World attacking around me, I followed his line until we were clear.
I shared in the work holding off Mazzarelli and sprinted to sixth place. I couldn't believe it as my name and face popped up on the big screen in the sixth place slot, sandwiched between Lipawsky and Eldfjasson, ahead of Mazzarelli and Cook.
In the World Cup I'm now 8th, not a position I'm favored to keep with Gormley, Mazzarelli, Eldfjasson, Dao and Lipawsky behind me but I'll fight tooth and nail for a top 10. I've also moved to 14th in the UCI rankings, I want to keep there but it'll be a tough job.
Next up is Seattle, another place my goal is a top 10 as it's similar to Portland. See you then!
We're well into the American Week now. Race 3 out of 4 in this week and we've arrived in Seattle. The Sunday race for the Coca-Cola Trophy. At the start of the season, the profile had changed from last year's, taking out the demanding Greenland Hill. However, only weeks later, the race organisers came back on their decision and here we are, ready to race - with the Greenland Hill in the route! Two other minor climbs have been scratched, to keep the profile open to more than three favorites.
Vague leads this trophy after winning its first edition. In Seattle, it seems it will be hard to get Vague out of the lead, after his phenominal ride just yesterday. Will we see a very first 'Perfect Weekend' by prodigy Francis Vague?
Race Information
Country: United States of America
City/Place: Seattle
Classification: Coca-Cola Trophy
Starting Time (Elite Men): 15h30
Favorites: Francis N. Vague, Dries Cornelis, Tariq Faizullah, Sylvain Lipawsky
Record: 2x John Willis (2009, 2010)
Race History: A relatively new race, John Willis is the first and only rider to have won it twice. He is also the oldest winner, at 35 years in 2010. Last year, Francis Vague caught an unleashed Elliot Cook and took the lead in the Coca-Cola Trophy.
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 0
Uphill: 3
Cobblestones: 0
The course is full of nice obstacles. Of all American crosses, this one has followed the Belgian traditional profile the most. There are two sets of two jumping bars, at 39 cm, which not a lot of riders will take. There are a few bridges but the Greenland Hill takes the cake. Not nearly as long as in the Blaarmeersen or in Tekapo, this is still a noteworhty natural climb. Why? The ground is terrible, it's like there are little leprachauns in the ground pulling at your wheels constantly, you're constantly pulling backwards instead of forward. So power will come into play, too. The downhill is extremely tricky, too. It's not fast, but only a trained CX rider can keep on his bike on the uneven terrain.
The terrain resembles that of the Portland course, but the climbing will be a bit more demanding.
With some rain, this might just turn into a real Flandrien Cross. And that in America! We're curious to see it unfold. There aren't a lot of places where the riders will have to dismount. We count one big stair and one double U-turn where it might be advantagous to dismount and run.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 5° C
Precipitation: Rain, light
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Portland lies in Belgium, at least for one day in the year. In front of a stunning crowd, Vague made his most impressive Cornelis-impression to date. Much like the former World Champion, Vague rode off at start and was never to be seen again for the competition.
Francis, excuse our languag, but shit, what a ride!! Can you believe it?
[Laughs] Everything fell into the right place today. I have some experience with solo wins, both on the elite level as well as in the amateur ranks. So, I got a very early lead and when the others had to fight each other, I could ride at my rhythm and do things entirely my way. I felt no pressure, I had no tactical obligations, I just had to ride fast. No worries about someone ahead of you, someone behind you. I was racing with a free, confident mind. That's why also the flat tire didn't make me nervous. It's not always that you can enjoy a race in such a way, today is very special. The last time I was riding like this was maybe in Rasterhoff, which is a victory that is still very precious to me. But no, I don't think it's my greatest moment if that's what you are hinting at. It was a sweet ride but it's over now.
You are turning into a true World Cup race champion really fast. You had a minimum of World Cup races last season due to your ambitions in Superprestige and Coca-Cola Trophy. Now, this is your third World Cup win in 4 races after Trondheim and Ardennes Cross.
You are right, I didn't notice really. Well, Cook said it was in World Cup more 'bout panache than consistency. The World Cup races suit me in that way, that I think I don't shy away from winning. and it was important for me to comeback mentally strong after my close miss a few days prior against Dao. The race desing also allows you to risk a bit more than in Coca-Cola Trophy for example, maybe it invites you for solo runs. But I must say and put emphasis on it again: Today everything went perfect for me. This was the complete opposite of Melbourne. I'm glad I could take the win and regain some points on Cornelis and Cook. They'll be formidable opponents throughout the season.
Two more youngsters cracked the Top 10 today, Goldenberg and Listerijn. Adding to that Faizullah who came second and there is some serious child labour going on in the top 6 places with you four.
[Laughs] And in between is Cornelis, make of that what you will. Portland is a course that really can favour you when you are hungry for it and want to risk something. Especially when it's raining cats and dogs. I think a guy like Goldenberg has immense potential and he's of course really eager to show it in front of the crowd. It was a great audience here and that's mostly thanks to the fellow american riders. As for Faizullah, we know that he has some great technical talent and he'll always be up there when it's important to stay upright rather than go full throttle fast.
The heavy rain certainly was an advantage for you today, include your excellency on icy conditions: Are you currently the truest Flandriennes the peloton has to offer, the one hardman everybody else has to beat?
No, I don't think so at all. I'm still very young and for me a true flandriennes, as you like to say, is a man with great experience and lots and tons of races on his back. So for that to happen, it'll take a while. What is true is that I really, really enjoy this aspects of Cyclo-Cross; they are the conditions I loved to see on TV and that inspired me. So naturally, I was influenced in my riding by it. I'm glad I can win such races, they are why I love this sport.
Next up is Seattle, the Coca-Cola trophy. You are leading there, you are also Top 3 in Superprestige and World Cup. What's the plan for Seattle?
Good question, I havn't thought about it that much yet and we havn't talked inside the team yet. I suppose it'll great if I can repeat my win from last year, however I remember that Cook was superior to me in the actual race and that I won with some great luck. It'll be important to keep Christian and me close together in the standings, so that BKCP - Powerplus has good options to win the trophy again and that we can keep some tactical advantage over the others. We'll see how the race goes; if Christian or I win, I'll consider it a 'perfect weekend'.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Welcome in Seattle for the Sunday battle of the Coca-Cola Trophy! With four riders on the same time, expect a full battle today, where each of them will want to grab the lead. Unlike in road racing, defending a lead offers no disadvantages, and you should grab every second you can take.
After today, some riders will already be left behind disillusioned by their Coca-Cola campaign. But do remember that the way to the trophy is still a long one and with six races left after today, anything is still possible.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 5° C
Precipitation: Rain, light
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start Line: Vague starts as the first leader of the trophy. He owes that to his victory over a week ago, in the Tekapocross. Vague will want to put some distance between himself and the likes of Cook with the eye on the Rio Cross, where he lost over half a minute on Cook last season. And with Cook's sand domination over Vague, it could be even more this year around.
Lap 1: Let's get this race started! It's raining lightly and the ground is slowly turning into a mud pool. This will make the race even harder than it already is. The underground in this race is infamous already. Nowhere else in the world is there terrain that slows down the pace so harshly as here. You have no use for speed here, but you need power and the ability to find the best track.
And today we have Vague with a blitz start! Team mate Schiltz is in second, what a start by the BKCP boys! They are betting on two horses in this trophy, with Vague leading and Schiltz looming in the shadow to take over if the sand would slow Vague down too much.
Well, and there is Goldenberg. The young American is shooting to the top frightingly quickly. Last year, he filled a big part of the void in the U23 competition that Vague and others left. This year, he proves that his successes weren't just a case of that void, but because of his own talent.
Their speed is not that high, but don't let that fool you, it's going incredibly hard here! Vague puts the heat on immediately.
Here comes Baris Dao. He's in great shape. He sits in third position now... And attacks!
Vague lets him ride. Another rider comes from the background to join the attack from Dao. It's Milan Listerijn!
The two create a gap. Vague and Schiltz seem unbothered. They keep up their rhythm in the hope to tire out the competition early on.
And here is Sven Welling. Great start from him. He comes to the front and relieves Vague. We now have three BKCP men at the head of the peloton. Dao and Listerijn are allowed quite a sizeable gap of 8 seconds already, in the knowledge that they'll be brought back as the race progresses automatically.
Cook, drummed away at the start of the race, comes forward and nestles himself in Vague's wheel. It's a sign for BKCP to slower the pace somewhat and settle down after one hell of a start.
Lap 2: As last year, we'll have 8 laps here.
As the two leaders now have 20 seconds on the chasing group, it's worth noticing that Baris Dao is only 37 seconds behind Vague. So there is a certain risk in letting him ride that far.
Though talking about that, I'm not sure they're "letting" him ride at all. Listerijn and Dao are putting in a great effort, while Welling, leading the chase, looks like he's giving a lot, too, but they're not getting any closer at the moment.
Dao and Listerijn aren't just any two guys. They can handle a one-hour cross, they've proved that before.
Vague is marking Cook in particular now, sitting at his wheel. Schiltz is keeping a bit more to the background.
Lap 3: Bakari, sponsored by Pepsi, is getting incredible applaus from the crowd, as he keeps showing his sponsor and then aiming at the many Coca-Cola advertisements. Yes, Bakari, we know. Pepsi and Coca-Cola aren't best friends. He'll make an honorary thing out of it to finish this Coca-Cola race in his Pepsi kit!
Blue Bell CX is playing the team card here. Dao feels good in the American team and is showing off the colors in the escape group, while Goldenberg successfully disrupts the chase, getting ahead of Welling before the corners and slow them down time after time.
Welling isn't strong enough on this terrain to bring back the leaders, that much is certain. The verdict is 41 seconds. This is an important moment! And Vague knows that, he overtakes the lead and gets out of the saddle. There are the jumping bars. He jumps them!
Goldenberg jumps them too, looking very comfortable doing it, and notices that Vague is attacking! Cook, Lipawsky and Schiltz have to dismount. Cook jumps back on his bike and steps on the pedals. He won't let Vague ride away just like that!
Welling is left behind immediately. His role is played out for today.
And immediately, the gap to the two leaders decreases!
The race has really begun now! We have five laps remaining, and this race is far from over.
Listerijn and Dao understand that hell has broken loose behind them now and they have to keep the pace high. What a brave effort from the two neopro's.
Cook now uses the Greenland Hill to bridge the gap to Vague. With one swift move he's back with Vague and Goldenberg. Lipawsky and Schiltz come across, too.
And now? Hesitating is not the answer, with those two up the field.
Lipawsky has a flat tire! The World Champion with a bad moment here! Nobody will think twice to using that to their advantage! And - look! Christian Schiltz attacks out of the chasing group! It was almost at the exact same time of the puncture, so we're not sure if it's a reaction or a coincidence...
Vague lets the gap drop. Goldenberg was behind Lipawsky and couldn't react quickly enough. Cook got stuck in a wrong track in this mud and has to catch up again.
Schiltz is gone! Same for Lipawsky, but he's out the back, while Schiltz is gone off the front!
Lap 5: Cook is doing most of the chasing, now. Vague won't work because of obvious reasons. Goldenberg is keeping out of it, too. He has a team mate way at the front.
Schiltz has opened a gap of about 10 seconds, and now it's staying like that.
Lap 6: Schiltz, still 10 seconds ahead of Cook, Vague and Goldenberg, is nearing the two leaders. Of their 40 second lead, they've kept 20 seconds at the moment. With three laps left, things have taken a turn for the worse for our two leaders. It looked good for a moment.
And Listerijn has realized this. He increases the pace on one of those tougher sections in the mud. Dao's head is buried between his legs. He has to pass! Listerijn is off alone!
And it's going fast, now. Schiltz picks up Dao and leaves him behind immediately. Dao has almost come to a complete standstill, he's done!
Lap 7: Listerijn is up for a hard task. With two more laps, he holds 17 seconds on Schiltz. Schiltz will ride for every second, as he's keeping Cook, Vague and Goldenberg at a distance. Schiltz now has 12 seconds on the chasers.
Further behind, Lipawsky is still riding hard, now leaving Dao behind himself. Further back we see Mazzarelli, Eldfjallsson, Cornelis, Faizullah, Bollinger... We also see Markson take a dive in the downhill off the Greenland Hill.
15 seconds for Listerijn. Schiltz can see him now, albeit 2 turns ahead!
Lap 8: The final lap! Does Listerijn finish off an amazing solo miracle or will Schiltz, Cook, Vague or Goldenberg impress with a strong final lap and bring back the Kiwi?
His advantage is 9 seconds going into the final lap. It can go quickly, now!
Shay Gormley has apparantly broken his bike in two. Wow, wonder how you do that. He's getting mechanical help soon, though, as he was close to the technical zone. Still an impressive achievement.
The crowd is cheering on Listerijn loudly. Everyone wants to see this miracle unfold. The young Kiwi can score big here, but his lead is melting like snow in the sun! 7 seconds!
He's getting closer to the finish, though! And now he's like a bull, being spurred on by Schiltz. Listerijn is the hunted, he goes for the jumping bars... And jumps! Schiltz dismounts, not taking any risks.
There is the line! Listerijn 'The Hunted Bull' with one final look behind him. Schiltz is almost close so he can smell him, but he's still got a few seconds. There is the finish. Listerijn only raises one arm, making a gesture resembling to the shooting of a gun. El Pistolero of the cross? We'd rather keep it at The Bull! That all doesn't matter. Listerijn wins the Seattle race with an exciting finale!
Schiltz is second. How much seconds will his exploit earn him?
Vague beats Cook and Goldenberg for the sprint for a 3rd place. Schiltz' long effort only gained him 5 seconds. It was hard pulling it off, too.
Lipawsky is 6th here. What could he have done without that flat tire?
Here comes Bollinger. Mazzarelli, Eldfjallsson, Faizullah...
And there, Baris Dao. After dropping out completely he found a second breath and outsprinted Cornelis, for an 11th place.
Welcome to the fourth edition of The Scope, and the very first edition of this season!
We're 10 races in the season already, and so it's a perfect time to analyse the start of the season with you. With a calendar of about 40 races, that means we're already at one quarter of this season. So, let's see who's already a bit at ease and who's growing more desperate for a victory?
First, let's look at the different trophies. All four competitions have known their start and the three more traditional trophies already have two manches to their name.
Superprestige
1
Elliot Cook
28
2
Francis N. Vague
27
3
Matt Mazzarelli
24
It looks like we may be in for every cyclo-cross fan's wet dream as we're heading towards a real duel between Cook and Vague for the Superprestige. The two have been marking each other closely. Cook has the advantage on the points and also on win count. He came out on top in the Blaarmeersen cross, beating Mazzarelli in a sprint finish, with Vague finishing 3rd.
Twin Peaks saw an amazing Cook - Vague duel. But - as it happened in the past - a third man was able to take advantage of that. Baris Dao, the neopro, surprised everyone with a far sprint and came out as the winner of the day. Vague finished 2nd, Cook 3rd. Mazzarelli keeps his options open as he finished 6th.
The next Superprestige race is this Wednesday, in Lancaster. Last year, Rudy Verboven managed to sneak a win, with Cook putting over 10 seconds on Vague, but the two marking each other closely during the race.
It looks like neither is going anywhere soon. IF we're lucky, this Superprestige might just play out until the very last manche with a historic battle between the two giants of the new era? Or maybe that's hoping a presuming a bit too much.
Blaarmeersen: Elliot Cook Twin Peaks: Baris Dao
If we compare with last year's standings after two races, we see a different leader, but higher points at the top in general, too. Vague with a better start than last year, but Cook with an almost perfect score.
Last Year's Classification after 2 races:
1
Francis N. Vague
26
2
Sylvain Lipawsky
25
3
James Carlisle
23
Full Rankings
Spoiler
Ranking
Name
Points
1
Elliot Cook
28
2
Francis N. Vague
27
3
Matt Mazzarelli
24
4
Christian Schiltz
23
5
Sylvain Lipawsky
20
6
Jan Soucek
18
7
Lachy Bauer
17
8
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
15
9
Baris Dao
15
10
Dries Cornelis
12
11
Rudy Verboven
11
12
Tariq Faizullah
8
13
Fred Markson
7
14
Shay Gormley
4
15
Iban Etxeberdea
4
16
Nic Hashir
3
17
Naveed Alinejad
2
18
Karol Konva
2
World Cup
1
Dries Cornelis
75
2
Francis N. Vague
72
3
Elliot Cook
68
We see the same names popping up here, but for one difference. Dries Cornelis is on top of the World Cup once again. Despite riding a weak season so far, for his standards, he still manages to lead the World Cup Trophy. It's his Trophy and will always be. Can he keep the lead and win it yet another time?
Melbourne saw a genius Cook, with no one even close to his ability to ride through the sand. Vague lost valuable points there, but limited the damage considering his sand abilities nonetheless.
Portland was Vague's revanche. A victory for the Belgian and with Cook in ninth position!
Melbourne: Elliot Cook Portland: Francis N. Vague
The two giants of the sport have both stepped up and performed very well in the World Cup, but Dries Cornelis has enough experience for the both of them and still holds the lead here.
Looking back at least year's standings after 2 manches, things are definitely more interesting this year, though.
Last Year's Classification after 2 races:
1
Dries Cornelis
100
2
Ronnie Hira
67
3
Sylvain Lipawsky
56
Full Rankings:
Spoiler
Ranking
Name
Points
1
Dries Cornelis
75
2
Francis N. Vague
72
3
Elliot Cook
68
4
Eddie Goldenberg
60
5
Tariq Faizullah
55
6
Michael Bollinger
49
7
Christian Schiltz
42
8
Milan Listerijn
38
9
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
38
10
Shay Gormley
37
11
Matt Mazzarelli
33
12
Iban Etxeberdea
31
13
Sylvain Lipawsky
27
14
Baris Dao
25
15
James Carlisle
21
16
Max Power
18
17
Ronnie Hira
17
18
Naveed Alinejad
16
19
Lachy Bauer
15
20
Rudy Verboven
14
21
Sven Welling
12
22
Mikel Hammarling
12
23
Guido Visconti
10
24
Camilo Osorio
7
25
Fred Markson
3
26
Arda Akdeniz
3
27
Dirk Accostella
2
28
Alfonso Munoz
2
29
Mustafa Moli
1
30
Ferdi Kloet
1
Coca-Cola Trophy
1
Francis N. Vague
01h57'46"
2
Elliot Cook
+0h00'00"
3
Sylvain Lipawsky
+0h00'08"
The Coca-Cola Trophy continues to deliver drama. In the opening cross, Francis Vague proved the fastest in a sprint with four. None of the four managed to shake off the others, and so the time gaps were zero, giving us an interesting start for race 2.
Seattle saw an impressive escape by Dao and Listerijn, after which Listerijn went solo for the victory. Behind him, the battle was wide open for every second in the classification. Schiltz moved up a bit and is minutes ahead of where he was last year.
Tekapocross: Francis N. Vague Seattle: Milan Listerijn
Looking back to Seattle last year, we find an interesting classification.
Last Year's Classification after 2 races:
1
Francis N. Vague
2h00'04"
2
Elliot Cook
+00:00
3
James Carlisle
+00:09
Francis Vague in first, with Cook in the same time. Well, would you look at that... Who came out on top of that competition in the end? It was Vague, with 19 seconds on Cook, but with the Struisbaai cross canceled. For a thrilling fight until the end, don't look any further. Coca-Cola is your man!
Full Rankings:
Spoiler
Ranking
Name
Time
1
Francis N. Vague
01h57'46"
2
Elliot Cook
+0h00'00"
3
Sylvain Lipawsky
+0h00'08"
4
Matt Mazzarelli
+0h00'26"
5
Christian Schiltz
+0h00'32"
6
Lachy Bauer
+0h01'03"
7
Baris Dao
+0h01'13"
8
Milan Listerijn
+0h01'16"
9
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
+0h01'35"
10
Dries Cornelis
+0h02'01"
11
Tariq Faizullah
+0h03'01"
12
Naveed Alinejad
+0h03'05"
13
Michael Bollinger
+0h03'13"
14
Mikel Hammarling
+0h04'23"
15
Eddie Goldenberg
+0h04'38"
16
Estifanos Mutahi
+0h04'58"
17
Fred Markson
+0h05'00"
18
James Carlisle
+0h05'17"
19
Jan Soucek
+0h05'35"
20
Frederick Muller
+0h05'40"
21
Karol Konva
+0h05'41"
22
Sven Welling
+0h05'53"
23
Rudy Verboven
+0h05'55"
24
Andrew McLaughlin
+0h06'12"
25
Iban Etxeberdea
+0h06'48"
26
Guido Visconti
+0h06'51"
27
Camilo Osorio
+0h07'05"
28
Max Power
+0h07'05"
29
Gregory Bernard
+0h07'42"
30
Ferdi Kloet
+0h08'01"
31
Arda Akdeniz
+0h08'03"
32
Dirk Accostella
+0h08'03"
33
Fabrizio Lorenzi
+0h08'06"
34
Lars Van Hennep
+0h08'09"
35
Josiah Bennett
+0h08'15"
36
Milan Vermeulen
+0h08'25"
37
Rik Van Fleming
+0h08'49"
38
Stan Van Overberghe
+0h08'51"
39
Shay Gormley
+0h08'52"
40
Amadou Bakari
+0h08'57"
41
Robert Wells
+0h09'07"
42
Mustafa Moli
+0h09'13"
43
Ronnie Hira
+0h09'13"
Classics
The classics proved to be interesting, as well. They served for early victories as well as for important early season UCI points. The young talents used them to gain places in the UCI Classification quickly and ensure a good starting position, allowing them to climb the ladder.
Shay Gormley started the season with a victory again, in "his" Duinencross. Who can match him there?
Great Hertford resembled a city criterium and offered some nice fun along the way. Christian Schiltz cashed in his great form with his first victory, a day to remember for the Luxembourg rider!
Lastly, the Hobart Sunny Classic saw local man Bollinger grab the victory. Cook and Schiltz completed the podium, underlining Bollinger's class only further.
Duinencross: Shay Gormley Great Hertford Classic: Christian Schiltz Hobart Sunny Classic: Michael Bollinger
National Event Series
The new competition, the NES, has kicked-off, too. 20 riders started in Perth to fight for the victory and 50 UCI points.
Dao won the intermediate sprint, Goldenberg the race. In the competition, everything is still possible, with two races left later this season.
Full Rankings:
Spoiler
Ranking
Name
Points
1
Eddie Goldenberg
12
2
Milan Listerijn
11
3
Baris Dao
7
4
Iban Etxeberdea
5
5
Tariq Faizullah
3
6
Stan Van Overberghe
0
7
Estifanos Mutahi
0
8
Karol Konva
0
9
Guido Visconti
0
10
Fred Markson
0
11
Ferdi Kloet
0
12
Camilo Osorio
0
13
Dirk Accostella
0
14
Frederick Muller
0
15
Amadou Bakari
0
16
Mohuti Sow
0
17
Fabrizio Lorenzi
0
18
Mustafa Moli
0
19
Pierre Lipawsky
0
20
Jan Soucek
0
UCI Classification
1
Elliot Cook
975
2
Christian Schiltz
970
3
Francis N. Vague
960
4
Dries Cornelis
766
5
Michael Bollinger
709
6
Sylvain Lipawsky
695
7
Matt Mazzarelli
637
8
Shay Gormley
634
9
Baris Dao
561
10
Eddie Goldenberg
553
Spoiler
11
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
531
12
Tariq Faizullah
516
13
Milan Listerijn
423
14
Naveed Alinejad
402
15
Iban Etxeberdea
332
16
Lachy Bauer
321
17
Mikel Hammarling
304
18
Max Power
291
19
James Carlisle
288
20
Rudy Verboven
278
21
Rik Van Fleming
275
22
Ronnie Hira
235
23
Sven Welling
205
24
Jan Soucek
191
25
Fred Markson
173
26
Gregory Bernard
152
27
Arda Akdeniz
145
28
Estifanos Mutahi
143
29
Mustafa Moli
142
30
Guido Visconti
138
31
Thijs Van Lookeren
126
32
Ferdi Kloet
123
33
Karol Konva
108
34
Robert Wells
93
35
Mohuti Sow
89
36
Alfonso Munoz
89
37
Dirk Accostella
86
38
Camilo Osorio
85
39
Stan Van Overberghe
84
40
Frederick Muller
72
41
Ketso Tembi
70
42
Josiah Bennett
66
43
Lars Lejeune
55
44
Fabrizio Lorenzi
53
45
Timi Kokkonen
49
46
Jannik Stolz
42
47
Blazej Dobransky
40
48
Pierre Lipawsky
39
49
Nic Hashir
38
50
Andrew McLaughlin
32
51
Matthias Barthez
25
52
Lars Van Hennep
24
53
Vladimir Stoyevski
21
54
Milan Vermeulen
21
55
Nicky Van Drenthe
18
56
Pierre Lavigne
12
57
Lue Khamse Khamphan
11
58
Amadou Bakari
11
59
Marcus Flinch
10
Cook is right at the top of the rankings thanks to his ability to score on all different terrains. He's been performing as we expected of him and his goal of winning the UCI Rankings might come true at the end of the season if he keeps this up.
Christian Schiltz lead the Ranking for a while, after his amazing early season form. He's lost a bit of his panache this last week, but he's still in second, close to Cook and among the top of the cyclo-cross world. He's definitely taken a step forward during the off-season.
Vague brings up the rear in the top 3, not too far behind himself. After him, there's a considerable size back to the number four. This indicates the first 10 races of the season: Cook, Schiltz and Vague. The others fight for crumbs, mostly.
Race Podiums
Rider
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Francis N. Vague
2
1
2
Elliot Cook
2
1
2
Michael Bollinger
1
1
1
Christian Schiltz
1
1
1
Milan Listerijn
1
1
0
Baris Dao
1
0
1
Shay Gormley
1
0
0
Eddie Goldenberg
1
0
0
Dries Cornelis
0
1
2
Tariq Faizullah
0
1
0
Sylvain Lipawsky
0
1
0
Rik Van Fleming
0
1
0
Matt Mazzarelli
0
1
0
Iban Etxeberdea
0
0
1
Cook and Vague don't want to let each other go at any table. Bollinger and Schiltz have enjoyed every step of the podium once this season. With only two riders winning more than one race, we've seen many different winners for these 10 opening races, making it an interesting and diverse season, despite Cook, Vague and Schiltz' weight on these races. Still, together they're good for five victories, three 2nd places and five 3rd places, so far.
Early Season Impressions
The Neopro's don't have to worry too much. The Class of '15 has come in with a bang. There was much doubt beforehand, would these neopro's - who hadn't made the leap last season - stand a chance between Vague, Cook, Lipawsky, Mazzarelli, Cornelis...? The answer is easy: yes. With Dao, Goldenberg and Listerijn all winning a race each, they have no reason to complaint so far.
Goldenberg and Dao have caught up with the sport's subtop in no time, while Listerijn, Etxeberdea, Markson and Konva are learning the ropes just as well. Soucek has performed on and off, it's hard to read the young Slovakian.
We wouldn't be surprised if Listerijn could hang on in the top 10 of the World Cup, or if Dao finished top 10 in the Coca-Cola Trophy.
BKCP - Powerplus has taken a gamble by attracting Christian Schiltz, but it has worked miracles. The team proves you can juggle two winners, with Vague and Schiltz in the same team. They know when to help and when to go for the victory. Team work at its best.
But it's easy to be friends when things to right. The big test will come when one of those two gets into trouble: a drop in form, bad luck... Will their cooperation stay smoothly, or will we see trouble? We can only speculate and so we will have to see when it happens.
The World Champion, Lipawsky, and the ex-World Champion Cornelis are struggling a bit to get a victory. Both strong and smart riders, but they both seem out of form. Let's hope it's only temporary and that we'll see both of them return to the top soon!
Cyclo-Cross seems more alive than ever. The crowds coming to the races continue to grow and the sport is hot on the internet. The riders try to give their utmost best in every race and we've see some amazing races so far. We really can't complaint.
And with that thought, we look forward towards the rest of the calendar.
We'll see you later! This was The ScopeEdited by Ian Butler on 03-06-2015 15:28
Still in the States, for our fourth consecutive race here. It's the end of the crazy States-week. Only a week ago, the riders were getting ready for the Twin Peaks cross. Now we've gone to Seattle, to Portland and now the final stop: Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
After today's race, the riders will head down to South - America so they can race in Chile on Sunday.
Race Information
Country: United States of America
City/Place: Lancaster
Classification: Superprestige
Starting Time (Elite Men): 13h
Favorites: Francis Vague, Elliot Cook, Matt Mazzarelli, Christian Schiltz.
Record: 1x Rudy Verboven (2014)
Race History: We're ready for the 2nd edition of the Lancaster Challenge. This charming and climbing-heavy race came to live last year as part of the Superprestige. Verboven managed to sneak away midrace and stayed out of reach of an unchained Elliot Cook.
Route Information
Technical: 3
Sand: 0
Uphill: 5
Cobblestones: 0
It's a short lap, we expect a time of only about 5 minutes each lap. The profile is easy: we mess around a bit in the field before heading into the forest. There it's one big climb, with steep sections of 20% and tough terrain that can turn into mud easily with a bit of rain. After the riders reach the top, the head downhill in a technical descend.
After that, the riders mess around a bit more in the field. There are some U-turns, but that's just to make the course long enough for UCI regulations. It's widely expected we'll have 12 laps. That means 12 ascends of the deadly Turnkey climb. Anyone alive at the finish line deserves our utmost respect tomorrow.
Weather predictions point towards freezing temperatures. But if it will be enough to put ice on the route, we'll have to see.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: -1° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 0 - 1 Beaufort
Mud from head to toe, Milan Listerijn passes the finish line, arm raised, his first professional win, and what a win it was. His cool composure breaks as he sees his grandfather, former pro and eternal Dunkerque secione placer in the 50's, Louis Listerijn at the team hub. He bursts into tears of joy, and gives his long-time mentor and biggest supporter a muddy hug.
As he watches his teammates roll in and the celebrations start, he is dragged away for the podium ceremony. He holds his hands aloft, and accepts the kisses from the two young beauties with a blush and a grin. After he clambers down the neo-pro is approached by the media.
Milan, one of the most exciting wins the CX world has seen in a long time. Talk us through it.
Wow, yeah today was another day of mud, corners, hills ad descents, exactly what I was brought up on. I felt good and followed Dao. I worked hard with him to get a solid gap. When the attacks started, we had an advantage. Especially for me Goldie, I didn't want to be bridged by him over 30 seconds. Not personal but just a little niggle that he's beaten me once in a humiliating way, it won't happen again.
When Schiltz came I started to do more and more work, until it felt like Dao was along for the ride. He's got too good a turn of speed for me, so I turned up the heat slowly and started to ride away. Schiltz was coming faster and faster and faster and when I saw those last bars, I didn't know if he was on my neck or a few seconds back, I jumped and I think that was it.
El Pistolero or The Bull?
Haha. You decide! The gunslinger thing was just a crime of passion, it's my favorite celebration and it was spontaneous. By no means something I thought would stick, but you tell me!
I think The Bull then! Anyway the fans got behind you today, what does that mean for you?
Yeah they were better than ever, the BoK have really accepted me as one of their own. And the boo-boys and insulters, I just channeled it into hard riding in those last laps.
Looking ahead to Lancaster, any plans?
You never know, obviously it's Lachy's kind of course for a top 5 attempt but I'd obviously love to be in the thick of it, particularly if the expected ice comes.
Edited by jandal7 on 04-06-2015 09:52
Goldie
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
