It were words that went viral in belgium's public, when Francis N. Vague was asked what his opinion on Cornelis' 8th World Cup win was, how he wanted to congratulate him. The only words that came from Vague in that and in any regard, that summed all his feelings of disappointment and disbelief up, words that sprung from the deep of his heart, and that may shown the heart of a spoiled brat or the unforgiveness of a never-backing down champion: "I couldn't care any less about Cornelis."
With this words, and a throw of his own bike to the ground, Vague left the race circuit and was only seen briefly at the ceremony. It was obvious that he did not want to be there and only attented out of orderly fashion for the protocol. A weak handshake at best without even looking in Cornelis eyes. Vague was seemingly annoyed with the ceremony, the longer it took the more he looked to the side, made hardly noticeable gestures with his hands, flicking them around, asking 'what more do you want than to see me now?'
Trully, Francis N. Vague had nothing to share and by this he granted glimpses to his inner self that only show when he does what he likes the least: To lose. But the lost chance of his ever-so large dream of the Grand Slam of World Championships, Superprestige and World Cup weights so, so heavy on him. And whilst the fans clapped him farewell of the stage and his team manager came around with a jacket for him, Vague was looking all the way down.
Indeed, there is concern in his mind if he will ever get the chance at it again, at this historice tremble. The World Championships were a perfectly designed course for him, yet still he needed strong wind and a tactical ride in the group to master Elliot Cook. The Superprestige was won by a good margin but thanks to Lisbon the race was heavily influeced in his favor by non-sportive behaviro. And now he lost World Cup, to what exactly? 7 Days of great racing. Then this odd disaster in Trondheim where forces bigger than him kicked him off the bike three times, just to see him lose against a freak of nature, with those constant accelerations by half a length of a wheel. Gimme break.
Vague would have loved to become World Cup Champion thanks to Elliot Cook, his greatest rival. He would have loved the irony and the narrative. But when he looked up there and saw that third was not enough, not a single line could have been spoken truer to his sentiment than the words he chose.
At the BKCP-Camp there was mostly silence at first, even the always raging team manager hardly spoke a word. When a newsreporter asked if Cornelis could lead Vague to Lotto-Fidea with the prospect of making him a true champion, the team manager laughed. True champion you mean, whatever your definiton of that might be. "He won't sign with Lotto-Fidea. It won't happen. Stop talking about it."
Alas, losing the World Cup and his greatest shot at the triple in his own damn home race hurt Vague the most. Forget about Valkenburg, about Lisbon and the lost Superprestige. Forget about the close misses and the almost wins. That young 20 year old went through a lot the past couple of years but nothing was such a breakdown as when his father drove him all the way home from the cross and when Vague had his arms out of the window and felt the february wind in his hair, just so that he could drop down in his own bed some where in Wallonia, as weeks and months of sacrifice and discpline left his body to leave him in shambles.
Edited by Shonak on 12-11-2015 08:04
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
It's been a hard time coming back from my illness and even harder writing this and making the decision that has led up to this.
Since my hopefully curing of the bacteria I have felt low but hopefully my levels rise back up in the weeks, months, years to come. But also this year I have been stretched thin between the MTB and the cross, and I've had to come to a decision to pick the MTB and pursue success there in favor of mediocrity in both.
It's been an amazing ride, I've made friends, rode alongside idols of the sport who I never thought I could, been the first of the new wave of Kiwis, who, Lieterijn or not, will keep on giving. From being something that made people go "what?" to being sometimes back-page news, and getting kids showing you their signed Santos jerseys and Listerijn banners. One tot even proudly waved his milk bottle, autographed by Dries Cornelis.
So this weekend I bid the sport adieu, I didn't achieve much success but enjoyed every single minute on my bike, maybe some people will never no I went but those that do are the ones that count, I'll miss you all as I turn a fresh page for my career.
Well can you believe it? Another season has flown right by. The French ending to the season is upon us. First on the menu: cobblestones, and lots of them. Arenberg is Paris - Roubaix of the cyclo-cross. There are 400 UCI points left to be earned, but with Vague hinting his season may be over, Cook might just be the overall winner of the UCI Ranking already. After missing out on any jersey and only taking Coca-Cola, it's only a question if the rider of his talent can be happy with that.
Race Information
Country: France
City/Place: Wallers
Classification: Classic
Starting Time (Elite Men): 13h30
Favorites: Mikel Hammarling, Andrew McLaughlin, Estifanos Mutahi, Amadou Bakari.
Record: 3x Pierre Lajeune (1950, 1951, 1952)
Race History: If you hear Wallers-Arenberg, you might think Paris-Roubaix. The fact is, however, that the Arenberg cross is almost 20 years older than its first passage in Paris-Roubaix. Paris-Roubaix first passed here in 1968, while the cross has been around since 1950, with Pierre Lajeune winning the first three editions.
Arenberg has a tough history, with many cancelled editions and in the 1980s, the race ceased to exist for two decades, until it came back on the French calendar in 2003. It moved up the calendar in 2006 and became a full classic.
Route Information
Technical: 3
Sand: 0
Uphill: 1
Cobblestones: 5
Arenberg is a race with the main focus on cobblestones. What else? The race takes on a large part of the famous forest of Wallers. It goes uphill slightly, but not enough for climbers to triumph over cobblers here. After a long cobbled section, the riders turn into the dirt of the forest. There are some more technical difficulties here, with even two man-made bridges. But just as the pure cobbled specialist will start to fear, the riders turn onto the cobbles of Arenberg again.
The riders can get ready for a memorable sprint on the cobbles of Trouée d'Arenberg. Is there a more beautiful place to win a race? Don't underestimate the cobblers here. With a part of the road split in half so the riders can return on a big part of the cobbles, too, the total amount of cobblestones equal 72% of the entire race.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 4° C
Precipitation: Sunny
Wind: 1 Beaufort
If I can win a race all season it's here, it'll take luck, a good day and a risks but I've built up towards the end of the season, it's just 9th in the U23 World Champs as a top result. But I'll give it everything today, Sylvain and I have formed a plan to put me in the lead, so it's possible, anything is possible.
I'm leaving SAP - Bianchi at the end of the season, the contract is all but signed although I can't announce with who. I would like to take one win for them for that support, there's so many reasons to win this race and I'll give it my all.
I've been thinking about my progression at the start of next season I'll be the same age as Sylvain, but the level of world champion seems unattainable, still, I would like to be at least be a complete rider, who could challenge for top 5s or podiums in classifications if they suit me, so O'll planning to lose a lot of weight and work in my climbing and technical abilities, a French continental team has even offered to let me ride some Ardennes type races with them on the condition that I also ride some flat cobbled classics that. I'd be more suited to, just in the early part of the season so as to not hurt me for next CX season.
After a trip to the Ardennes I now find myself in France, preparing for perhaps the most famous cobbles of all: the Arenberg Cross. It's no secret that cobbles are my greatest strength, and the course suits me down to the ground.
Sitting in the hotel last night, before the race I heard a knock on the door. It was Bakari! The Gabonese legend is also famous for his cobbled ability and has a great record here at this cross. He said he wanted to talk, and then gave me a motivational talk that we should win the race for Africa!
I'm really motivated for the race now, and who knows, if me and Amadou are together at the front maybe we'll form an alliance?
Transfer Rumours Breaking: Listerijn to Lotto?
A part of the cyclocross community was lit up this afternoon on the eve of the Arenberg Cross with supposedly leaked documents showing that young talent Milan Listerijn has signed with Lotto-Fidea for next season. There is no proof we can take anything out of this but Listerijn's agent and Lotto-Fidea have both declined to comment to anyone who asks.
From the document it appears Listerijn would have a co-leadership role with the son of legend Raphael Visconti, Guido. The pair both exploded onto the scene at respective times this year and both have been labeled as Flanders' next big thing, for those who don't want Vague as their champion. However as has been very-well documented in the last week Listerijn is still on a New Zealand license but the document says in doing so he must come to a Belgian license. We also have former star Rik van Fleming and another up and comer, Naveed Alinejad on the squad, as well as all-time great Dries Cornelis who is moving into a staff and rumored punditry position next year as he retires from pro CX.
Remember, we can't take anything out of this but the documents look too good to be true for many fans, and for some critics, too professional to be falsified.
Looks like we're about ready for the finishing weekend of this cyclo-cross season. We've had Vague becoming World Champion and taking the Superprestige, Cook grab the Coca-Cola Trophy and being the UCI n°1 and Cornelis going out with a bang and an eight and final World Cup. We've seen many beautiful races and now only two remain. Arenberg today, Dunkirk tomorrow.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 4° C
Precipitation: Sunny
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start Line: No Francis Vague. The World Champion ended his season in the Ardennes and didn't make the trip to France. Was it disappointment? Most probably, but the cobbles of Arenberg aren't his thing anyway, and his palmares in the classics doesn't reflect his talent at all. A point to work on.
A big cobbled race here, and so we might have different protagonists today.
Lap 1: And we're off! It's a bumpy ride here on Trouée d'Arenberg, but that's to be expected. Gormley with a fine start, picking up riders and coming to the front. He wants to win today. He is a true classics specialst and excells in early and late season classics. In between, he does enough to keep a decent UCI classification.
And Gormley isn't interested in losing much time. He puts the pace down immediately, on the cobbles. Hammarling and Mutahi are keeping up with him. Behind them, already a sizeable gap. This is what cobbles will do to a group.
The three turn into the field and are gone! Behind them, there is discussion about who should do the chasing. There is some confusion. Cook seems keen, but wants help. So it's Sven Welling who takes up the challenge. In the absence of his leader, he has a free role today. Along with Schiltz, of course.
Lap 2: We'll have seven laps here in Arenberg. And the three leaders already have a gap of 10 seconds on the first chasing group. That group consists of Cook, Mazzarelli and Lipawsky. Welling has fallen off the pace.
It's nice to see Hira back here but starting on the fourth row has not treated him right. He's moving up places steadily, now, though.
Sylvain Lipawsky has done hard work for his brother and now sits up, his job is done. Pierre is doing well today. Can he keep it up for an hour?
Estifanos Mutahi is having problems keeping up with Gormley's powerful riding on the cobbles. You can see Mutahi has the absolute skill and finesse, while Gormley relies on pure power. Hammarling has both and seems comfortable with this situation.
Gormley can see the African is in trouble and accelerates! Hammarling answers the attack with seeming ease. Mutahi has to let the two go. We have two leaders left.
Can Mutahi still make it back to the front? If he doesn't let his head hang, nothing is lost!
Lap 3: But the pace up front is incredible. Hammarling and Gormley are a powerful combination on these cobbles. Who can bring that back?
Sven Welling is getting better again and has now left Amadou Bakari - yes you hear us correctly - behind. Bakari is in fact riding inside the top 10 here. He feels at home on the cobblestones and looks happy as ever, seemingly unaware of his position in the race.
And what about Pierre Lipawsky? Riding around with Elliot Cook!
In a race like this, it's every man for himself, practically. You can easily ride solo here for an hour. But we still have two leaders. And Hammarling attacks now!
Gormley doesn't have the finesse to react straight away but slowly crawls back using his powerful strokes of the pedals.
Lap 5: Markson is cursing these cobbles. But the American made the trip and nobody wants to give up on a race. He ploughs through.
Too bad we don't have rain here, that would make the race more interesting. The sun keeps the cobbles dry!
Gormley wants to get rid of Hammarling and ups the pace! He has some energy left and wants to solo to the victory!
Hammarling keeps his head cool and uses this wooden bridge to catch up. He won't let the Irishman ride away that easily.
Lap 6: Dries Cornelis doesn't find a profile to his needs today and rides around in around 15th position. He won't be contesting for the win today. Tomorrow could be another story.
Mutahi realizes he's out for the victory of the day and is now concentrating on keeping this third place. With Mazzarelli comfortably behind him, he should succeed in that.
Well, no major action at the moment in this Arenberg Classic. It looks like most riders have found their place and with no classification at stake and at the end of the season and the fatigue in the legs, riders don't go that extra mile they ordinarily would.
But things are different at the front. If you can win the Arenberg Classic, you'll try anything! Hammarling uses a small mistake by Gormley to ride away! The Irishman wants to follow but doesn't get any speed. He dismounts and fixes his bike. He has to chase, now!
Lap 7: The final lap! Hammarling has an advantage of around 11 seconds. Gormley is strong and hasn't given up, yet! But can he close the gap to the Swede?
Mazzarelli looks to secure his fourth place today. The Italian can be very happy with that. Riding in this position on this terrain, it definitely shows his form.
We do have some late abandons here. The time gaps are huge. Apparently, the top 20 is stretched out almost 3 minutes!
Hammarling makes no mistakes. His finesse is easy on the eye, while Gormley's style reminds us of a farmer on his land. But he does make meters. Lots of them!
But the race is coming to an end. Gormley made a fatal mistake and Mikel Hammarling takes his second victory of the season, a welcome gift to Odfjell, who haven't performed as well as last season! A classic is always nice to win!
Mutahi keeps his third place and makes Africa proud. Mazzarelli takes another fourth. Pierre Lipawsky does well and finishes 5th.
Cook is sixth, Welling seventh. All riders are coming in alone. Bakari is eighth, Hira ninth and Schiltz completes the top 10.
See you tomorrow for the final race of the season, in Dunkirk!
Another season has flown right by us. Dunkirk marks the end of the 2015-2016 cyclo-cross season. Welcome to the youngest classic.
Race Information
Country: France
City/Place: Dunkerque
Classification: Classic
Starting Time (Elite Men): 17h30
Favorites: Shay Gormley, Dries Cornelis, Elliot Cook, Christian Schiltz, Eddie Goldenberg, Michael Bollinger.
Record: 4x Pieter Gasthuys (1982, 1989, 1990, 1995)
Race History: Dunkirk was first organised in 1976 as part of the Superprestige. It remained in the Superprestige until 1993, when the race requested a license for Classic status and received it. Gasthuys is the only rider to have both won an edition as a Superprestige race and as a Classic.
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 5
Uphill: 2
Cobblestones: 3
The Dunkirk Classic is mostly a sand-race, but just to call it that would be dishonoring the route. It is set mostly on the beach, but the route also takes the riders onto the small, cobbled sections more inland.
The big show in Dunkirk is of course the climb of the 'Dunkirk Dune'. The climb itself is not to spectacular, the riders go up using the cobbled road and take on the final feet of climbing in the sand itself. But it's the spectacular downhill that draws a crowd. It's a perfect ending to the season. A course made for an all-rounder or a sand expert.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 4° C
Precipitation: Sunny
Wind: 1 Beaufort
With the season almost over, rumors start leaking out about next season's calendar. Herne Hill gets mentioned a lot, and it looks like the race is making a comeback with the financial backing to make it happen.
Another name we hear a lot is Great Hertford. The Great Britain classic is said to disappear from the calendar. It's recent trend that hurts the true CX fan. Classics are melting like snow in the sun. Coming from over 10 classics in a season in the season 2000-2001, we are now down to six. If Great Hertford disappears, we'll have but 5 classics left. However, other rumors indicate another race might take the Hertford spot. Races from Belgium seem to get the advantage of the rumors.
The World Championships profile for next year is to much debate on the internet. Last year, the location was already known by now, it was to be Siena. This time, however, not a single detail has been leaked yet. Will we have to wait for the official presentation of the calendar, just a month before the season starts, to find out?
I can end the season very very satisfied. The Arenberg race went swimmingly and whilst Shay did make a mistake allowing me to get away i know i would have bested him in a two-man sprint, so yeah great race. Two wins i feel is a good return on this season which has been less succesful in some areas like competitions and UCI ranking but i'm not that level of rider.
Once things have calmed down a bit in the break i'll do a more complete look back and forwards. I just want to relax and enjoy Dunkirk as well as any end of season events taking place.
Goldie
The World Cup didin't go as i had hoped. 5th is good but i wanted more, i'll get more next year. It's been an interesting season and i want to finish on a strong note in Dunkirk, the sand will play towards me and i feel like i could be a real dark horse for the event. Nothing to lose so i'll go nuts for it and see what happens. Plenty of time to recover afterwards.
As for my contract i will be re-signing with Blue Bell CX. It's not signed yet but it will be after the race in Dunkirk, the hold up ust being a minor negotiation that we've now cleared up. Will be great to continue racing with Markson and Power, and possibly Dao if he continues racing. More talk about that in the off-season i'm sure.
All 4 of our CX riders now have teams for next season sort out. The three Americans remain at the American team Blue Bell CX and Hammarling goes for third season at Odjfell. No issues at all and our riders are very happy with their respective situations. We won't be taking on any new riders this season, chosing to stick with our current roster which has been working well this year.
We are working hard to maintain and improve our partner races as well. CX continues to go from strength the strength and we are striving to make our events the best on the calendar. The UCI has a good working relationship with us and we are always open to ways to improve our events, and to help bring new events to the calendar.
Recently some of the older heads of CX have called for a more traditional calendar. We can agree that climbing has become to important recently and that more flatter courses with more steps and obstacles would be welcomed by many. As for bringing more races back to Belgium, we are split.
When you look at how well events are doing in new markets like the Americas, Oceania, Africa and Asia how do you justify shrinking that down? It's not like Belgium doesn't have a thriving amateur/semi-pro scene below the top level. That said some of our riders have expressed concerns at the amount of traveling in the calendar. More to be discussed in the break.
A big crowd has gathered here for the final race of the season. More Belgian supporters than French ones, we reckon, but a big crowd and a great atmosphere nonetheless.
An hour ago it was sunny, but now there's no blue to be spotted in the air. In fact, dark clouds are gathering. We might see rain pour down during the race.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 4° C
Precipitation: Cloudy.
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start Line: It's a historic cross today. Dries Cornelis bids the cyclo-cross scene goodbye and finishes his career here in Dunkirk. Has he won here before? Yes, he has. Twice. In 2007 and in 2010.
No Vague, like we said yesterday, the World Champion ended his season this Wednesday. And so we turn our eyes on riders like Gormley, Cornelis, Cook, Schiltz or Goldenberg to win today. A sand expert can go a long way here, an all-rounder uses this route to his advantage, too.
One more hour and then we're done with cyclo-cross for more than half a year. So all the more reason to enjoy ever bit of it. Let's get this started!
Lap 1: And we're off for the last hour of cyclo-cross in this 2015-2016 season. Eldfjallsson wins the sprint and heads into the field first.
Goldenberg with a very nice start, too, in second position. He looks keen to make something of this race. Cook and Listerijn here.
Goldenberg knows how to plough through the sand and he proves it here. Eldfjallsson rider 5kph slower. Elliot Cook and Shay Gormley move up in the sand, too.
Cornelis with a decent start in his last race as a professional cyclo-crosser. Last year's winner Bollinger is not in the shape he was in last season and is in around 15th position at the moment.
In this section you can really who's the sand expert and who isn't. Power, Gormley, Cook, they all go smooth through the sand. Mazzarelli, Welling and Hammarling are having a rougher time.
Gormley and Goldenberg are leading the race. Gormley is always good in the opening and ending classics of the season.
Lap 2: And on the finish line, we have Gormley, Cornelis, Goldenberg and Cook. Four leaders, followed by Power, Schiltz, Lipawsky and Bollinger.
Cook wants to make the race hard and attacks! But Gormley and Goldenberg are sand fleas and you can't shake them off easily here. Cornelis hangs on, too.
Cook looks behind and sees he didn't get away. He keeps his legs still, now. And Goldenberg uses this dead moment to sneak away!
Cornelis has seen it but leaves the reaction to Gormley or Cook. Neither is taking the bait, though. And so Goldenberg gets a gap.
The American wants to race and behind him, there is doubt! It might be too early to ride away, though!
Going down the Dunkirk Dune. A spectacular downhill in the sand, always a nice end to the season. Some riders take more risks than during the season here since there's nothing more to lose, it's the last race in months.
Oh but Sylvain Lipawsky takes a bit too much risk and lightly touches the side panel. He goes down halfway the descent.
Lap 3: Lipawsky apparently has quit the race. His season is over.
And Goldenberg has 15 seconds. A spectacular gap early in the race. Gormley and Cornelis expect Cook to do the work here, but the Brit is not convinced.
And young Visconti is riding well, coming back from a bad start. He's now in 15th position and moving up. Next year could well be his breakthrough season.
Cornelis riding a decent last cross. He's in the top 5 but now he's playing the waiting game. Neither of the three wants to waste energy chasing the American and so Goldenberg has 24 seconds.
Down the Dunkirk Dune, we see no mistakes at the front of the race. Schiltz seems to build in more room for safety, as he was behind Lipawsky as he went down.
Lap 4: The chasers have finally realized they may have let Goldenberg gone too far. Cornelis spurs on his companions to develop a quicker pace. But Cook is struggling more than he should in the sand. It's been a long season and the Brit has not missed a single race. Yes, you hear us correctly, Cook has raced in every single race this season and always gave it his all. What an achievement. But the season is long and these last two weeks, he seems to miss his punch. Ansbach was his last victory. In the Ardennes he was good, but not top.
So Dries Cornelis attacks himself! Things get stretched out, now. Cook chases a few meters back, Gormley follows a few meters behind Cook.
And Power wants to keep his chances alive and uses the sand to accelerate. But as they move onto the cobbled roads, it's Schiltz who overtakes Power.
Lap 5: Eddie Goldenberg gets spurred on by the audience. He has a considerable gap back to the leaders. On the line, we chrono 33 seconds. The chasers have regrouped and are almost standing still, now. Nobody wants to take on the work.
And so Gormley accelerates in the sand. He wants to get rid of Cook and Cornelis. As soon as possible. The two have to give Gormley a meter, two meters... Gormley is gone! What a strong passage through the sand.
Welling, Listerijn, Mazzarelli and Visconti have found each other and work well together. Can they still make it back to the front? It'll be hard, they're quite far behind, already. Schiltz, Power and Bollinger are still between them and the chasers.
And all the way at the front, Goldenberg seems to have found a comfortable pace. He has a big margin so he's avoiding risks, now. You can see he riders through the sand perfectly, though. Only the cobbles seem to hinder him in a way. But he's got half a minute, if he keeps his head cool, it could be plenty.
Lap 6: Baris Dao won't win another race this season after his injury. It looked promising in the Ardennes, but he's riding around in about 30th position here. Still, with a win in Twin Peaks and a few more podiums, his debut season has been a relative success. The big question is: will he stay with Blue Bell CX?
And now Moli, Mutahi and Etxeberdea have teamed up, they want to move forward and fight for a place in the top 10 in this classic. Don't forget that UCI Rankings are still up for grabs and that will mostly decide your position in bargaining for a contract towards next season. With Vague not starting in this last weekend, Cook will finish the season as UCI n°1. Nobody can say he doesn't deserve it. Mr. Consistency himself has raced every cross and performed well all through the season.
Lap 7: This last cross doesn't offer the spectacle it has in the past, but who can blame the riders. It's been a long and tiresome season. In the shadow of Cornelis' retirement is Rik Van Fleming. The ex-Belgian Champion also rides his last cross as a pro today. It's not 100% sure yet, but we don't see him riding another season. And can he sacrifice another summer for a few crosses next season? That's always the question.
Gormley's attack showed promise, but the Irishman doesn't seem to near on Goldenberg anymore. He keeps Cornelis and Cook at about 15 seconds. But With Goldenberg still half a minute up ahead, it looks like he's facing a tough challenge. After three victories last season, the Irishman won't be happy with this season.
Lap 8: Cornelis wants to end his career with a podium. He attacks Cook for place 3!
The Brit is not in the business of handing out presents and answers the attack.
In the background, Power, Bollinger and Schiltz seem to be able to keep working together well. In a classic, only victory matters, so they have nothing attacking each other. They still believe they can make it back to the front. We're afraid it's a bit too late in the cross to do that.
And Visconti must've heard me, as he now attacks his group! He lets Welling, Mazzarelli and Listerijn behind. Listerijn dictates the pace behind him. He won't let Visconti get away that easily.
Attacks everywhere, but not for the top spot today. Goldenberg went away with a sneak attack early in the race and he will now cross the finish line for a final lap with half a minute ahead of Gormley.
Lap 9: And it's starting to rain, now. Can this turn around the race? Half a minute is a whole lot, though, for one lap. But Cornelis will welcome the rain to try and get that 3rd spot.
Matt Mazzarelli makes a small mistake and has to let Welling and Listerijn go. The Italian will not end his seasno with a top 10 if he can't make it back in time. But even if he does, he's pretty much chanceless in the sprint.
Cook now attacks Cornelis! But Cornelis won't be shaken off in the last lap and digs himself in Cook's wheel.
This is all behind him, though. Here he is, Eddie Goldenberg. He dives down the Dunkirk Dune, his last real challenge... He takes it perfectly and stays upright. Another turn.
And now there's only road left ahead of him. A victory, but this one will taste sweet. After the NES race in Perth, Goldenberg now takes his first real big cross with the Dunkirk Challenge. A big step up for the neopro and this will motivate him to train hard in the off-season!
Gormley is second.
Cornelis outsprints Cook for the last remaining podium spot and so we say goodbye to the cyclo-cross legend with a nice podium spot. He waves at the crowd as he passes the finish line. Thanks for the many years and the many, many, beautiful crosses. Dries Cornelis.
A sprint between Power, Schiltz and Bollinger! And it's Schiltz who is faster than the American and the Australian!
Visconti is a nice 8th and can build on that for next season. Listerijn takes 9th, with Welling two seconds behind.
Well, that concludes the 2015-2016 season. It's been a remarkable season with Vague's early dominance, Cook's resistance, Cornelis' retirement and the upcoming talents taking victories left and right. We'll see you in about 7 months for the start of the 2016-2017 season. Until then, stay safe and enjoy the road season! Thanks for being here with us every single race and see you next year!
Well, that was crap. I wasn't expecting to do that well after the last month of suffering but to lose in that manner, after a great start out in third, was terrible. From the chain coming off at the end of the first lap to just not being good enough to catch up and just scraping the top ten it was a day I'd like to forget. Still, *grits teeth* chapeau to Goldenberg. In all seriousness the Yank rode a great race, he deserved nothing less after a good season.
Well, it's been built up, for whatever reason, and now here it is. Yes, I'm going to Lotto. Woohoo. Yeah, that document was falsified but gg anonymous, you win. I'm actually really excited for hopefully a platform to go to higher levels if I can, and to co-lead with some other young riders, noticeably Guido, will be great. Also, after some back and forth with the UCI, I've got one more year to prove to them, for some strange reason, that I deserve a Belgian license. So yes, I'm not back in red, yellow and black for another year at least, but I don't actually mind, being part Kiwi anyway it's my second home and I'll enjoy being there another year of course.
So now in the off-season I'm going straight to Granddad Louis' place for a month or two to crash out, earn my keep, get some advice on and off the bike, and then probably leave after watching De Ronde live. Then I'll head down to NZ for the winter there for some training, most importantly on my power. I may ride the U-23 there scene just to turn over my legs but mostly I'll be working hard and staying with Mum and Dad.
Louis is coming up to the Elites next year most likely. It'd great to see him doing quite well down there, hopefully he does well up here. Not garunteed at all to be with me, he's got his Belgian licence of course, he didn't have one to lose. Not that I'm jealous.
So adieu until October, take care,
Milan
Edited by jandal7 on 16-11-2015 01:39
It has been a very long season for me but over the last couple of races I have been beginning to feel a lot better about my ability to ride and also the ability of our NamDeb team to achieve great results.
Personally I am looking forward to next season. I will come back stronger, I think Sow will also become better. Then there is Mutahi who has really shown his ability lately with a podium finish in Arenberg and could become a great rider in the season to come. The team also hopes that young talent van Niekerk will join the team as we are the strongest there is to offer in Africa.
Hi all, I know it has been a very long time since I have reported to the media but here I am. It was a difficult season for me. Although some of my team mates did really well, I personally have struggled along all season, especially on these nasty cobbles which I must improve on for next season!
Welcome to The Scope, cyclo-cross' leading online magazine. Today we will examine the past season and say goodbye for another seven months. Though before we go into hibernation, remember this: wherever there is dirt, wherever there is mud, there shall be cyclo-cross.
Superprestige
1
Francis N. Vague
147
2
Elliot Cook
136
3
Sylvain Lipawsky
115
4
Dries Cornelis
114
5
Matt Mazzarelli
105
6
Christian Schiltz
84
7
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
78
8
Milan Listerijn
57
9
Iban Etxeberdea
50
10
Mikel Hammarling
45
Superprestige 14-15
Spoiler
1
Elliot Cook
112
2
Sylvain Lipawsky
105
3
Francis N. Vague
101
4
Dries Cornelis
96
5
James Carlisle
90
6
Matt Mazzarelli
82
7
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
61
8
Shay Gormley
56
9
Lachy Bauer
48
10
Mikel Hammarling
39
The Superprestige was basically a one-man show this year. Francis Vague barely missed the podium and scores 13,36 points per race on average. Considering a victory gets you 15 points, silver 14 and a bronze medal 13, that's impressive.
Elliot Cook was the only one to challenge him here, on some level, but couldn't rise to the occasion when he had to, leaving the Golden Boy to his much wanted Superprestige victory.
Lipawsky managed to finish on the podium of the Superprestige, and so we have the same three men on the top steps of the Superprestige, albeit in a different order. Still, it's noteworthy. And Cornelis finishes fourth, just like last season. Mazzarelli moved up one spot, Carlisle didn't score a single point this year.
Race Name
Winner
Twin Peaks
Baris Dao
Lisbon
Matt Mazzarelli
Kwaremont Cross
Francis N. Vague
Ostrava Circuit
Dries Cornelis
Lancaster Challenge
Francis N. Vague
Lee Valley
Francis N. Vague
Ansbach Cross
Elliot Cook
Hagfors Cross
Elliot Cook
Rasterhoffpark
Dries Cornelis
Blaarmeersen
Elliot Cook
Alpe d'Huez
Francis N. Vague
The Superprestige saw some of the more exciting races this season and seems to have found a perfect balance. It remains the most prestigous classification around. Hence, the name.
World Cup
1
Dries Cornelis
296
2
Francis N. Vague
291
3
Elliot Cook
253
4
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
214
5
Eddie Goldenberg
211
6
Michael Bollinger
185
7
Sylvain Lipawsky
181
8
Mikel Hammarling
158
9
Christian Schiltz
157
10
Baris Dao
151
World Cup 14-15
Spoiler
1
Dries Cornelis
295
2
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
210
3
Ronnie Hira
190
4
Sylvain Lipawsky
175
5
Matt Mazzarelli
168
6
Shay Gormley
162
7
James Carlisle
160
8
Francis N. Vague
150
9
Elliot Cook
150
10
Sven Welling
140
The World Cup saw the season's biggest surprise, arguably. Vague came into the lead of the competition at Antofagasta and increased his lead, although never really shaking off Dries Cornelis, World Cup expert. In the Ardennes, Vague was expected to take the trophy and complete the most amazing Triple: World Championship, Superprestige, World Cup. Instead, Cornelis rode the race of a lifetime and scored his 8th World Cup. Mr. World Cup can now retire knowing the World Cup will forever be his trophy, no matter what happens.
With the Superprestige being more of an elite-business (Vague, Cook and Cornelis taking 9 of the 11 races), the World Cup offers other riders a chance at victory, too. We've had Markson's breakthrough performance in Antofagasta, Hammarling in Torku and Eldfjallsson in Pyeongchang.
Eddie Goldenberg showed you don't need to be a great climber to perform well in modern cyclo-cross. He has already expressed his desire to aim even higher in this trophy next season.
Race Name
Winner
Port Elisabeth
Sylvain Lipawsky
Pyeongchang
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
Melbourne Beach Race
Elliot Cook
Trondheim CX
Dries Cornelis
Antofagasta
Fred Markson
Bristol
Dries Cornelis
Torku
Mikel Hammarling
Portland CX
Francis N. Vague
Ardennes Cross
Dries Cornelis
Coca-Cola Trophy
1
Elliot Cook
08h00'26"
2
Christian Schiltz
+0h01'03"
3
Sylvain Lipawsky
+0h01'25"
4
Milan Listerijn
+0h01'58"
5
Matt Mazzarelli
+0h05'12"
6
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
+0h06'52"
7
Dries Cornelis
+0h07'05"
8
Michael Bollinger
+0h07'12"
9
Naveed Alinejad
+0h10'59"
10
Eddie Goldenberg
+0h12'04"
Coca-Cola Trophy 14-15
Spoiler
1
Francis N. Vague
07h05'19"
2
Elliot Cook
+0h00'19"
3
Lachy Bauer
+0h01'29"
4
Dries Cornelis
+0h02'07"
5
James Carlisle
+0h05'30"
6
Matt Mazzarelli
+0h06'02"
7
Christian Schiltz
+0h06'58"
8
Sylvain Lipawsky
+0h07'55"
9
Arda Akdeniz
+0h10'03"
10
Nicky Van Drenthe
+0h10'57"
Coca-Cola gave us another great show for our money. Elliot Cook was the dominant leader but the battle for the remaining podium places was an incredible show, with amazing performances from Schiltz, Lipawsky and Listerijn. Schiltz climbed the ranking steadily, just like he did last year, while young Listerijn dropped of the podium rather harshly, learning the ropes of the sport the hard way.
The time classification still brings something special to this sport and we're happy to see the trophy return next season. Note that this season, Vague again succeeded in winning races in all three major competitions. Cook did it, too, for a first time.
Race Name
Winner
Tekapocross
Francis N. Vague
Luxembourg Challenge
Christian Schiltz
Struisbaai Cross
Milan Listerijn
Lviv
Elliot Cook
FujiCross
Jan Soucek
Rio Cross Challenge
Elliot Cook
Aosta Valley
Matt Mazzarelli
Seattle
Milan Listerijn
NES
1
Milan Listerijn
28
2
Baris Dao
24
3
Eddie Goldenberg
19
4
Fred Markson
10
5
Estifanos Mutahi
10
6
Tariq Faizullah
7
7
Guido Visconti
7
8
Iban Etxeberdea
6
9
Jan Soucek
2
10
Karol Konva
1
The National Event Series was a relative success. The trophy will continue and in this current setting: 3 races, with points at the end of the race and at the end of the fourth lap. However, there will be a stronger selection of riders. Subtop riders will not be allowed, reserving this trophy for the young and those still something to prove.
Race Name
Winner
Perth
Eddie Goldenberg
Johannesburg
Milan Listerijn
Kitakyushu
Estifanos Mutahi
UCI Classification
1
Elliot Cook
3648
2
Francis N. Vague
3255
3
Dries Cornelis
3119
4
Christian Schiltz
2848
5
Sylvain Lipawsky
2765
6
Matt Mazzarelli
2447
7
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
2203
8
Eddie Goldenberg
2050
9
Milan Listerijn
1988
10
Michael Bollinger
1963
Spoiler
11
Shay Gormley
1923
12
Mikel Hammarling
1810
13
Baris Dao
1644
14
Estifanos Mutahi
1412
15
Iban Etxeberdea
1368
16
Naveed Alinejad
1247
17
Tariq Faizullah
1246
18
Fred Markson
1240
19
Sven Welling
1191
20
Guido Visconti
928
21
Max Power
916
22
Lachy Bauer
838
23
Rudy Verboven
739
24
Rik Van Fleming
693
25
Jan Soucek
596
26
Gregory Bernard
592
27
Mustafa Moli
546
28
Arda Akdeniz
494
29
James Carlisle
465
30
Ronnie Hira
457
31
Karol Konva
449
32
Ferdi Kloet
427
33
Pierre Lipawsky
411
34
Camilo Osorio
372
35
Thijs Van Lookeren
334
36
Milan Vermeulen
329
37
Timi Kokkonen
287
38
Amadou Bakari
241
39
Mohuti Sow
240
40
Josiah Bennett
221
41
Matthias Barthez
189
42
Dirk Accostella
189
43
Andrew McLaughlin
185
44
Stan Van Overberghe
177
45
Blazej Dobransky
153
46
Ketso Tembi
152
47
Frederick Muller
151
48
Nicky Van Drenthe
130
49
Alfonso Munoz
124
50
Robert Wells
115
51
Fabrizio Lorenzi
98
52
Jannik Stolz
80
53
Lars Lejeune
72
54
Adrian Van Niek
50
55
Nic Hashir
43
56
Pierre Lavigne
30
57
Peter Christianson
30
58
Chris Young
30
59
Lars Van Hennep
24
60
Vladimir Stoyevski
22
61
Farai Olujimi
20
62
Bohdan Honchar
20
63
Lue Khamse Khamphan
11
64
Marcus Flinch
10
65
Len Lye
8
66
Juan Carlos Velasco
8
67
Roberto Alvarez
6
68
Cedric Nguema
4
UCI Classification 14-15
Spoiler
1
Dries Cornelis
3475
2
Elliot Cook
2995
3
Sylvain Lipawsky
2712
4
Matt Mazzarelli
2467
5
Shay Gormley
2456
6
Francis N. Vague
2295
7
James Carlisle
2271
8
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
2213
9
Michael Bollinger
1829
10
Christian Schiltz
1590
11
Ronnie Hira
1569
12
Lachy Bauer
1475
13
Mikel Hammarling
1469
14
Arda Akdeniz
1352
15
Gregory Bernard
1282
16
Sven Welling
1271
17
Tariq Faizullah
1257
18
Naveed Alinejad
1197
19
Rudy Verboven
1184
20
Jack Smith
984
21
Nicky Van Drenthe
890
22
Timi Kokkonen
883
23
Kimi Hakinnen
846
24
Thijs Van Lookeren
830
25
Rik Van Fleming
783
26
Mustafa Moli
760
27
Andrew McLaughlin
745
28
Sven Van Vliet
608
29
Nic Hashir
520
30
Josiah Bennett
485
31
Frederick Muller
485
32
Max Power
473
33
Matthias Barthez
473
34
Blazej Dobransky
455
35
Jannik Stolz
452
36
Pierre Lipawsky
440
37
Ali Acord
440
38
Robert Wells
408
39
William Burbank
365
40
Matt Claveren
365
41
Alfonso Munoz
353
42
Lars Lejeune
337
43
Craig Hepptern
307
44
Lars Van Hennep
276
45
Guido Visconti
260
46
Ewan Wilson
243
47
Abdullah Saboor
233
48
Lue Khamse Khamphan
209
49
Pierre Lavigne
206
50
Marcus Flinch
199
51
Milan Vermeulen
198
52
Mohuti Sow
192
53
Vladimir Stoyevski
178
54
Tane Tahawira
151
55
Fred Markson
140
56
Philipp Smart
116
57
Ketso Tembi
111
58
Oleksandr Orlov
110
59
Mario Guido
106
60
Alexey Tesler
103
61
Artem Sakalau
94
62
Amadou Bakari
87
63
Nathan Starc
80
64
Pépé Renoir
75
65
Ricardo Vieto
70
66
Bert Vos
69
67
Eddie Goldenberg
64
68
Henry Georges
55
69
Farai Olujimi
30
70
Len Leye
20
71
Bohdan Honchar
11
72
Peter Christianson
10
Well, it's one thing to say you will try to win the UCI Rankings, and another to do it. Elliot Cook has made it his season goal and didn't disappoint. He was ready to fight in every single race in his devotion and strength made him the clear winner of this UCI season. He will wear the n°1 next season and can be proud of that. He scores almost 200 points more than Cornelis did last season when he won it.
Palmares
Rider
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Francis N. Vague
7
5
5
Elliot Cook
6
6
4
Dries Cornelis
5
5
7
Christian Schiltz
3
3
1
Milan Listerijn
3
1
1
Matt Mazzarelli
2
3
2
Sylvain Lipawsky
2
2
3
Mikel Hammarling
2
1
2
Eddie Goldenberg
2
1
2
Fred Markson
2
0
1
Michael Bollinger
1
4
1
Estifanos Mutahi
1
2
1
Shay Gormley
1
2
0
Baris Dao
1
1
3
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
1
1
2
Lachy Bauer
1
0
0
Jan Soucek
1
0
0
Adrian Van Niek
1
0
0
Guido Visconti
0
1
1
Tariq Faizullah
0
1
0
Rudy Verboven
0
1
0
Rik Van Fleming
0
1
0
Camilo Osorio
0
1
0
Iban Etxeberdea
0
0
2
Peter Christianson
0
0
1
Naveed Alinejad
0
0
1
Mustafa Moli
0
0
1
Chris Young
0
0
1
Palmares 14-15
Spoiler
Name
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Francis N. Vague
7
3
4
Dries Cornelis
6
6
1
Elliot Cook
4
5
5
Shay Gormley
3
3
3
Sylvain Lipawsky
3
2
4
Michael Bollinger
2
3
1
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
2
2
1
Rudy Verboven
2
1
1
Lachy Bauer
2
0
1
Matt Mazzarelli
1
3
1
Ronnie Hira
1
1
2
James Carlisle
1
1
2
Mikel Hammarling
1
0
4
Mustafa Moli
1
0
1
Thijs Van Lookeren
1
0
0
Robert Wells
1
0
0
Fred Markson
1
0
0
Max Power
0
2
0
Ali Acord
0
2
0
Tariq Faizullah
0
1
1
Kimi Hakinnen
0
1
0
Jack Smith
0
1
0
Christian Schiltz
0
1
0
Andrew McLaughlin
0
1
0
Sven Welling
0
0
2
Timi Kokkonen
0
0
1
Josiah Bennett
0
0
1
Gregory Bernard
0
0
1
Farai Olujimi
0
0
1
Eddie Goldenberg
0
0
1
Francis Vague leads the ranking with seven victories and 17 podiums in total, an impressive number. Cornelis also had 17 podiums this season, but 2 victories less. Cook upped his game and scored 6 races instead of 4 last season. Schiltz and Listerijn showed their value by each taking 3 victories this season, not easy to do in modern day cyclo-cross. TMM Sport Management provides their riders a winning formula as Hammarling as Markson as Goldenberg each won two crosses, the latter two in their debut year, as neopros. Lastly, Africa is coming up and it's showing. Mutahi has grown a lot this season and saw it rewarded with an amazing 3rd place in Arenberg.
A Season for the History Vaults
It's been a season for the history books. In more ways than one. The Old, the Young and the Ugly.
The Old
Retirements. We've seen some big names retire this season. Dries Cornelis won't be racing next season. The Belgian finally said goodbye to the sport and did it in style. He takes his 8th World Cup home and can finally rest up. Thanks for the beautiful moments, Dries.
James Carlisle will hang up his wheels. The Brit was once called the next big thing, and for a moment it looked like that, but his glory was short-lived. It is said he could never make the sacrifices necessary and will now retire from the cycling world. It's our passions that drive us, not particularly what we happen to be good at.
Blazej Dobransky. Always finishes a race, except that he didn't anymore. He said goodbye to the sport he loves so much in Rasterhoff, with an amazing 4th place. He has won plenty of races in his days, and was always a great character to interview. Good bye, friend.
Rik Van Fleming. The sprinter can't face the youth and is said to be retiring. This is not confirmed yet, but we feel it would be best. His days of hanging on and winning the sprint are not over yet, but hanging on for place 40 and winning that sprint is not the same as doing it for the first spot.
The Young
What can be said? The New Wave. Francis Vague rules the sport as he sees fit. He is the perfect billboard for a sport like cyclo-cross and is much loved all around the world. Even the Flemish fans seem to accept him more and more. A tough crowd to please, especially as a Walloon. Vague won the Superprestige and the World Championships and is arguably the rider of the season.
Listerijn, up-and-coming. People, including us, expect a lot from him. He has many talents but the season proved too long for him at his age. Still, next year, it's hard not to see him do even better and go for a classification or perhaps even the top prize: that rainbow jersey.
The Americans have done wonderful. Goldie and Radio blend perfectly in a team and hand pick their races and then perform very well in them. Individually they seem to lack the absolute talent to become the top gun, but combined they might threaten the absolute top of Vague and Cook.
Mutahi grew stronger and stronger. Next year, he'll start winning for real, mark our words. The African wants to show us he can ride a bike, and how he does it! This asks for more. A huge step up for Africa!
Guido Visconti lived in his father's shadow for so long. Did he even posses any talent himself? The answer we know now, is yes. He does. A late bloomer, sure, but he's finding his own say, surely but steadily. In the second part of the season particularly, he had some inspiring results. Can he do as well as his father did? Probably not. But that doesn't mean he can't try and find his own way.
The list could go on forever. Matt Mazzarelli seemed to have shaken off his expertise in 4th places and won more. He is one of the best climbers around. Lipawsky was a worthy World Champion but missed some general form in most races, he will want to do better next season. Baris Dao rose to the top but fell down hard, literally. Can he recover from that? Iban Etxeberdea is developing into a subtop rider and we finally learned to spell his name correctly. That's a compliment, Iban!
The Ugly
Elliot Cook. He is unconventional, doesn't like to talk to the press much, isn't a handsome young Harrison Ford, doesn't look glorious on his bike. But the Brit can ride a bike like no one else can. On a good day, not even Francis Vague can follow this man. He is a true phenomenon. The power he can develop is unmatched. The cunning he doesn't hesitate to use, is unseen.
When Elliot Cook is unleashed, something amazing happens. When he takes his bike in the mud, he turns into an unrelenting monster. The Cookie Monster. His victims: beware. The Monster always wants more.
The season is over for everyone now, including for Dries Cornelis. However, not for everyone it meant the last race ever. After winning the World Cup the former World Champion showed he hasn't chosen to retire too late. 'It's of course the best way to end a career, by doing what you're best at, in this case winning World Cups. Francis was some incredible competition this year, and made it close until the very last race, but I'm glad I managed to take over the lead in the end. It was my last chance ever, and I felt I had to take it. That I didn't win the classics in the end is a bit of a shame, but nothing that worries me too much.'
Dries's career is full of successes, which he is willing to look back on. His greatest success is not one from his prime time. 'Although I may have won countless races, World Championships and World Cups there will be one win that will remain closest to me forever. That is the Ostrava win of last year. It was an incredible cross, and to win such a legendary for the first time at such a stage of a career is possibly the best feeling I ever had. Of course, the final two editions in Lisbon were brilliant as well, with the audience cheering for me all the time.'
In general, Dries Cornelis seems to have lots of people behind him. 'I seem to have had lots of people behind me. Although my results have contributed that largely, I think my back-to-earth mentality has helped me. Although in style a different rider, I think many cross fans will have little difficulty transforming their fanboyship of me into Francis's. He deserves it at least, as beside the greatest talent he's also one of the nicest people I've raced against.'
And some last words. 'I want to thank everyone who has been supporting, helping or trying to help me in any way throughout my career. It's been an incredible experience, and it will be hard to move on.'
Sooo the season is over. What a great season. It’s been statistically worse than the first one but oh boy I’ve won two races, I’ve podiumed the World Championships in Siena, could I ask for more? Yeah I lacked some consistency for sure but I basically started the season with the same beer gut as Jan Ulrich.
It was a really difficult first part of the season. I had to train harder and harder and at the start of each race the lactic acid was all over my legs. I struggled to be anywhere near my usual level, and I wasn’t even seen as an enemy by my rivals. I’ve snatched a few decent top 10s here and there but at the end of the hour it was hard for me to even walk.
Then one day, all of a sudden: Lisbon. That was a discrete morale boost for the rest of the season, wasn’t it? It practically turned it all around. All the media finally remembered my name, who I was, and why I sometimes was rumoured as a favourite for something. After that one, I was a bit hit and miss until I found the home country cross on my way. You know how it went. Oh the memories…
It was a shame it was the last race before the freezing cold. This year I’ve suffered more than I should have, skipping a few races because of a flu that forced me into bed, and obviously, making it harder for me to snap back into the higher ranks of the World Cup and so on. But let’s move on, who likes the cold anyway.
The last part of the season was probably the best moment of my career so far. Yeah not a single win but it’s always great to fight it out with the best. I’ve discovered myself as a consistent cobbler which is great, and man, that Ostrava 2nd place was probably the best race of my career, and the best of Cornelis’ as well most likely, seeing how he won it… You might be wondering “wtf Matt, weren’t you the guy disliking 4th places”, yeah you peasants, but I had just one wooden medal until that point. I mean the whole season, just 1 4th place? No fucking way man. So I went in full-4th place mode and got 3 consecutive ones, hence I could get four fourth places. Isn’t that amazing? I even brushed up my good ol' Forever 4th banner. Ahhh I loved it so much!
Well see ya in less than 9 months I guess. Will try to have fun in the meantime but just not to exaggerate with alcohol and stuff, so that I get to October in an acceptable shape already. Thanks to all of you for bearing my bullshit throughout the season, I appreciated it!
My second season as a professional Cyclo-Cross racer, and only my third year on a CX bike at all, has come to an end. It has been a massive improvement despite lacking a trip to the podium this time around. In no small part is this due to a new team that has made me feel a lot more comfortable and a lot stronger.
I feel like i've shown that my sand skills are still amongst the very best, and personally i think they are the best, i do continue to lack other cx abilities required to move forwards. Despite not picking up two silver medals like last season my UCI ranking jumped hugely from 32nd all the way up to 21st. An eleven place gain is unbelievable! No longer do i just ride around trying to stave off the inevitable retirement from an event, now i can ride around and pick off minor points spots in a lot of events.
It will be a continuation of this philosophy through the summer. Lots of training on the sandy beaches near my new home in Port Aransas (Texas) as a focus, teamed up with more practice on obstacles and dunes. So when next season comes around i should hopefully have enough ability to contest for wins in the sand specialist races. It's the goal and it'll be a long summer of work as well as some rest of course.
Rest is well needed. Living out here in the USA makes the pro-season very difficult. Most riders are based in Europe, where most of the races are. They can go home at times, i hvn't been home in months. Constantly living away from home is not a pleasant experience which is why i'm talking with the team about skipping the mid-season frozen races. Either that or hope the UCI changes the calendar to ease travelling pressures but they won't do that just for us Americans, if only we were Belgian.
See you all in a few months time for Season 3, it's gonna be a good one i can tell already.
First top-level season under my belt. I've been racing Cyclo-cross for over 10 years now, working my way up through the ranks in the States to now where i can take on the worlds very best. I could easily have stayed at the US Domestic level and dominated and lived quite happily, but where's the fun in that!
Challenge met and challenge beaten. 5th place in the World Cup was a huge achievment. The Super Prestige is the top competition for most but for me it's all about the World Cup as i continue developing. You look at the World Cup and the top names are still the top names of the sport. That goes along with 10th in the Coca-Cola trophy, entirely by accident but again shows what i have to offer. In the NES i took my first win. Victory in Perth was well earned and an early marker and confirmation of my abilities.
The decision to skip Kitakyushu and hand the trophy to Listerijn was a bold move, and one i now regret. We had a good rivalry going for most of the season but that relationship has deteriated. Finishing above him in the UCI Ranking, and sealing my space as Top Rookie of the year goes some way to making me feel better. Next season i'm sure we'll clash a few more times.
I'm coming for that top level next season. Cornelis retirement will open up a power gap at the top. Vague and Cook will can't completely fill it up. 3+ wins seems like a good starting point as well as bettering my finishes in the World Cup and Coca-Cola Trophy. I look forwards to it and i will be back stronger and better than ever before. Provided i don't let this Vegas living get in my way.
We're just a few weeks away from the Tour de France, cycling's biggest spectacle and deeply into the off-season of cyclo-cross. However, images started appearing on the internet. We can't confirm nor deny the authenticity of the pictures, but it could well be that we're looking at the full 2016 - 2017 calendar.
Most noticable is that the calendar has remained quite stable. Most races continue as planned and even the schedule looks about the same. So apparently they have really found a good formula, last season, and they want to hold on to it.
There are some changes, though. Great Hertford has disappeared from the calendar and Australia has moved up a week, apparently to make place for a new race in Colombia, Cali (as well as Whakapapa in New-Zealand). Making November a big month in the World Cup. Lancaster disappeared from the agenda, leaving the USA with 3 crosses.
What else is new? Well, the Christmas Classic will be extra special since the 25th of December is on a Sunday this year. So a Sunday Christmas race!
Herne Hill returns! And it returns as a Superprestige race. Though it would seem the timing is a bit off. On a Wednesday after the Continental Championships doesn't seem a fair advantage to the Americans, Africans and riders from Oceania.
But like we said, we can't confirm this as official. Most likely this is a draft. Meanwhile, the UCI are keeping the locations of the WC and the CC secretive.
Arenberg Classic - Preview
Hammer Time
Goldie
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
