It's far from over. Torku has a couple of sand sections and obstacles, it's not all cobbles. Trondheim is an incredibly technical course, as is a lot of the Ardennes course. Technically i can match Lipawsky and Vague, and i'm definately better over jumps and stairs. I can't match them on the cobbles, so in Torku i'll have to attack the sand. In the Ardennes i can't match their climbing but i can make time up elsewhere by taking some risks. All i've got to do is keep pushing and pushing to that final race.
I'm just gonna cruise the Conti's, my interest is definately gone for those at the moment. And i can really go hard in the two Scandi World Cup races because of the gap between them and the Worlds in Chicago. Honestly i'll probably skip Luxembourg, Lviv and Ostrava to spend extra time State-side because i'd trade everything for that race, even the World Cup.
Radio
Fuck. No looking back at that. Continentals next in my home town of New York. Not the perfect route for me but easily good enough i will be going for the win. 210% effort to take that jersey again and to do so infront of my family on my doorstep, god yes please. The phrase "riding like a man possessed" won't even come close to me that day. I swear it!
Rock
5th in a World Cup race, and one as tough as that. Yes! I was told to try and stop Lipawsky and Vague and i definitely feel i took points away from Sylvain as well as showing my own worth as a rider. My contract negotiating position is getting strong with every race and i'm loving it.
I don't mind the team asking me to work for someone else or to a plan, because the response i get from them is amazing and it makes me feel really valued. I'm loving this team and wish i could ride out the end of the season. Can't wait for more cold weather races coming up either, a race win perhaps?
NES is nearing its end. Van Dyck is in pole position and has the form of the moment. Rosanski is his closest competitor but has been lacking in form lately. Who can stop Van Dyck taking the trophy?
Race Information
Country: Japan
City/Place: Kitakyushu
Classification: National Event Series
Starting Time (Elite Men): 15h
Favorites: Pieter Van Dyck.
Record: 1x Estifanos Mutahi (2016)
Race History: The Kitakyushu race was created one year ago, as part of the NES Trophy. This is the second edition, both of the race and of the trophy.
Route Information
Technical: 3
Sand: 0
Uphill: 4
Cobblestones: 2
Kitakyushu offers a nice parcours to finish the NES Trophy. As a lot of things in Japan, this course is very modern. There are some tricky parts and some obstacles to cross, but also some nice lengthy sections where you can develop quite a speed.
The underground isn't particularly hard, though, so we should see quite a fast race. The profile knows no major climbs but instead is constantly up and down, from bridge to bridge. There is a more rocky underground near the end, though, where the riders will have to be careful.
The final 250m are straightforward and should it come down to a sprint, the road is wide enough to have an honest and fair sprint.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 6° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 1 Beaufort
After the major earthquake yesterday, more news is coming in every day. The death count is at 73 and that number might still go up with many more injured. The country showed courage in the face of danger as the people are massively helping those left without their homes or shelter.
Needless to say, the Kitakyushu has been cancelled. At a time like this, sport seems to be secondary. The UCI and the organisors of the NES Trophy will get together to talk about the situation. The race might be postponed, an alternative might be found, or the Trophy might find its premature end.
The Continental Championships are coming up. Two year, it was the first edition, since removing the National Championships. It's still sad not to see those jerseys in the peloton, but those Continental Jerseys have something unique, too.
Schiltz, Van Niek, Bauer and Markson will have to say goodbye to their jerseys but get a chance to earn it back this Sunday.
These are the jerseys at stake. Strangely, Milan Listerijn will be competing in the Eurasian Championships this year. His racing nationality changed to a Belgian one. This was possible because he hasn't won a Continental or National title yet as a New-Zealander.
Eurasian Championship
Race Information
Country: Belgium
City/Place: Huy
Classification: Continental Championship
Starting Time (Elite Men): 15h
Favorites: Francis Vague, Matt Mazzarelli, Olivier Dubois.
Record: 1x Hafthor Eldfjallsson (2015), 1x Christian Schiltz (2016)
Route Information
Technical: 5
Sand: 0
Uphill: 5
Cobblestones: 0
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 0° C
Precipitation: Sunny
Wind: 0 - 1 Beaufort
African Championships
Race Information
Country: Rwanda
City/Place: Mount Kigali
Classification: Continental Championship
Starting Time (Elite Men): 09h30
Favorites: Mustafa Moli, Adrien Van Niek
Record: 1x Mustafa Moli (2015), 1x Adrien Van Niek (2016)
Route Information
Technical: 2
Sand: 3
Uphill: 4
Cobblestones: 2
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 18° C
Precipitation: Sunny
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Oceanic Championships
Race Information
Country: New Zealand
City/Place: Mount Cook
Classification: Continental Championship
Starting Time (Elite Men): 10h
Favorites: Lachy Bauer, Michael Bollinger.
Record: 2x Lachy Bauer (2015, 2016)
Route Information
Technical: 3
Sand: 0
Uphill: 3
Cobblestones: 1
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 2° C
Precipitation: Rain, light.
Wind: 2 Beaufort
American Championships
Race Information
Country: United States of America
City/Place: New York, Battery Park.
Classification: Continental Championship
Starting Time (Elite Men): 14h
Favorites: Fred Markson, Eddie Goldenberg, Chris Young.
Record: 2x Fred Markson (2015, 2016)
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 2
Uphill: 0
Cobblestones: 0
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: -2° C
Precipitation: Snow.
Wind: 0 Beaufort
With the cancellation of the final NES race, it seems the UCI have been talking about more than just the final manche of NES. Talks about the future's calendar have been ongoing a long time, now. And leaked UCI mails now give a new insight into these discussions.
The persistent reactions to a possible decrease of Superprestige races have made an impact, and so the UCI seems to be looking for another way to change the calender, AND leave the Superprestige as it is. A new proposition floating around is the cancellation of the NES Trophy to make room to bring some of the older classics back. With the globalisation of the sport, the UCI feels it should also keep faithful to its roots and increase the number of classics.
Who knows, the NES Trophy might just end up on the chopping block.
Going for three-in-a-row in New York. I've checked out the course and i love it, it's perfect for me! Goldie said he'd give me a bit of help. No idea what Rock will do but it's not the best course for him, it doesn't allow for his power style of riding. Good to see TDF as well, he'll be racing for the win i'm sure.
He's been in New York for a few days longer than me and the other Blue Bell boys because we all detoured via Chicago yet again. Guess what we were doing there... Regardless we'll be bringing the Continental Jersey back to Blue Bell CX!
Hammer Time
The NES was a nice experiment but as we've seen in both years the riders gunning to win it are riders who are capable of going for good results in regular events. It just hasn't been the showcase trophy the UCI wanted. I'd like the see the UCI experiment a bit with the NES set-up before they cut it completely.
I have no issue with keeping the Superprestige calendar at it's current level. But i warn heavily against compromising the World Cup or Coca-Cola Trophy. An outside option few have talked out is just to extend the length of the season, starting and/or ending a couple of weeks earlier/later. Even just moving Duinencross back a day and bringing Blaarmeersen to that same weekend would open up an extra week. I'd also look at moving the end of the season into March. Those changse would allow a lot more spreading of the Calendar to ease the load on riders and better accomodate the Olympics.
Personally, Pyeonchang provided a pretty perfect podium-coated (6P!) day out for me. The shine-taker-offerer? Yep those last 200m were agonizing as I knew with the talented notoriously fast finisher Van Dyck on my wheel for the last lap I had no choice but to try my luck but he held on until the perfect place and came around for the win. I haven't really raced opposite him since the brief spell in the U-23s, and he was just emerging then, I did race him for the win once in Torku U23 I think, but left him behind on one of the cobbled hills. He's been doing well and fully deserved this win after a well-played race. Chapeau
I did my slightly concerning routine of starting mediocrely and then finding a friend to take me or ride with me up to the front. I was fortunate that Eldfjallsson atypically didn't have the best of starts either and so I rode with him and Mikel Hammarling up the the front group. I enjoyed the snow and the conditions, but unfortunately so to did a few others. In the 4th lap Hammarling attacked and so it was up to me and Sylvain to chase. Eldfjallson wouldn't chase and the two neo-pros (I can't call them youngsters as they're 2 and 4 years older than me...) perhaps wisely sat on. However we caught Hammarling and a lap later I saw Young and Sylvain were playing games with each other on the other side of the path. I stood on my pedals and went, but Eldfjallsson and Van Dyck both have a very good kick. Eldfjallsson and I both tried to shake Van Dyck but he held tough and won. Second is good but I'd have liked the top spot.
What Pyeonchang does confirm is I've a little bit of form heading for Scandinavia and reinforces my belief that I should peak for the end of the season, do some amateur races and then be in top shape for the Olympics. Despite Vague not having the best of days I managed to beat Odfjell, although I know today was only one day.
Before I look at Contis, etc., I got a bit of heat from the organisers for my sign-off last time. Old habits, I guess. Sorry though, M̶i̶l̶a̶n̶ ̶L̶i̶s̶t̶e̶r̶i̶j̶n̶ I don't endorse any illegal streaming.
So I'm here in Huy which as we know is in Wallonia, or as CX fans know it, Vague-country, or the host of the Ardennes Classic. I'm not a favorite and my season doesn't depend on it with Scandinavia soon but it's certainly a chance to test myself against the best in the sharp hills. The team aren't looking at any particular goals, particularly as Mark is taking a race off after learning he's been riding with a cracked rib the last couple of races after a crash in Fuji. It'll be an open race with Mazzarelli and Vague a bit off the pace of the two Swiss stars namely, but being the most suited riders to the course. Schiltz is probably my pick, he's great at these one-dayers and showed a bit of form recently. But it's anyone's really.
Obviously my heart goes out to the people of Kitakyushu. It's absolutely right to cancel the race in memory and respect of those whose lived are changed forever, and those who died. I guess the future of the finale and indeed the NES is up in the air now. I'm not going to state my opinions right now but I'm sure I'll have something to say. Speaking of opinions, the mechanical doping procedures have kicked in and whilst there's rumour of someone being caught in the U-23s (hopefully false) whilst standing with our mechanics at Pyeongchang I can say they are very vigorous and thorough checks, which hopefully will show us who's been gaining an advantage, but hopefully they won't show anyone and the sport is clean. Doping? I'm all for fighting it and more ways to combat any that could be happening but I don't think there is much after the big cleanse of 2014. But nevertheless Mark and Dries have spearheaded a Lotto move to do in-team testing and publish our power-data, etc. It's not as easy as on the road but hopefully it gives a bit of transparency and other teams can follow on.
The original plan was to skip Pyeongchang and stay in Japan for preparing for Kitakyushu, but after the disappointing result in Fuji my DS persuaded me to try and race the race in Pyeongchang. With a good result just outside the top 10 I could load confidence and now go full of energy to my next race, the continentals. But unintentionally it was also a good idea because of something else: I wasn't in Japan when the earthquake happened. It was really terrible, staff of the hotel where we've been during the FujiCross send us pictures of how destroyed their hotel is, and they were even far away from the epicenter! The UCI also uploaded to their web page pictures of how destroyed the course in Kitakyushu looks. But not only that I doubt that the organizers would have repaired the damage done in the course in time, it would be hugely disrespectful to held a race in Japan, not to talk about the chance of aftershocks. But no one ever had the idea to criticize the UCI because of the cancellation of the race, although it's sad that the NES season this year will end this way.
About the talks about a possible ending of the NES forever, I say that the idea to give a platform for youngsters is a good one theoretic, but practically it's dull because the range of talent in this small field is way too large, so in the end the known faces are upfront anyways.
When the continentals are finished I will also ride Herne Hill, but after that skip the Scandinavian week. It's not my terrain, I've nothing to win there and it would be too risky in terms of possible injuries. With Daniel whose Season goal are these three races, Giant has a better card to bet on, so It won't hurt if I don't show myself there.
Coming back to the sad topic, I of course want to give my condolences to all people affected by this directly or indirectly. We from Giant-Alpecin also talked about wearing mournings in memorial of the victims, and our DS made hints regarding that the UCI plans to oblige all riders to wear one. In general the support from all over the world is really wonderful and shows that we as world stay together if needed, despite all our differences. The message is clear (and was trending on twitter): #StaystrongJapan
After a great season start, for his standards, Daniel Brüggemann was invisible for a long time. In the races he often just was among the last ones finishing, and he made himself also rare to the press. It was clear for the journalists that Daniel preferred training over interviews, which determined rider does that not, but in case of Brüggemann was it a bit extreme for them. And so we have a bit a riddle guessing for the journalists about how to rate his form. Does he just lacks form? Is he even in a process of building form? He said before season that his goal is to be consistent and that he has no form peaks, but several journalists doubt that this statement was true. His team director and team mates made statements in another direction, that his peak is the Scandinavian week. And that is just logical regarding the results he had there in the past, even wining each race, Turku and Trondheim once. So the big question is if Brüggemann can perform well there (realistically no one expects him to win anymore) or if he doesn't have it anymore in his legs. We'll see the answer in less than two weeks.
Welcome to the review of the Continental Championships in Cyclo-Cross!
African Championships
Race Summary
The African Championships turned into a display show of Van Niek's obvious talent. Only two others finished the race, both minutes down on Van Niek.
The young Adrian Van Niek rode away halfway the first lap and increased his gap by the lap. There really is nothing more to say. The results speaks for itself.
Full Result
1
Adrian Van Niek
SOUTH AFRICA
50'22”
2
Estifanos Mutahi
NamDeb CycloX Project
2:14
3
Mustafa Moli
NamDeb CycloX Project
5:02
Oceanic Championships
Race Summary
Mount Cook was the battling ground for the Oceanic Championships. Bauer was very keen on prolonging his title. There was a 3-men break for a few laps but then Bauer went up a gear and Bollinger and Payne had to let him go.
Full Result
1
Lachy Bauer
All Blacks
47'52”
2
Michael Bollinger
Glasgow City Council
1:06
3
Matt Payne
All Blacks
s.t.
4
Arthur Ledoux
All Blacks
2:41
American Championships
Race Summary
Battery Park was filled for the Continental Championships event. A young American by the name of Glenn Davidson took his chance and attacking in the first lap. It looked good for a while but then the pros started their race. One attack by Goldenberg was enough to completely wreck the pack.
A final acceleration of Max Power split the leading group in 2. Power and Markson sprinted for the victory, with Markson taking his third title.
Full Result
1
Fred Markson
Blue Bell CX
49'25”
2
Max Power
Blue Bell CX
s.t.
3
Eddie Goldenberg
Blue Bell CX
0:18
4
Chris Young
Blue Bell CX
s.t.
5
Juan Carlos Velasco
COLOMBIA
s.t.
Eurasian Championship
Race Summary
Schiltz was the defending champion. He's been coming up in form and is a Championship rider, a classic rider. With Vague in the same team, the question was if they could work together today, or would they ride against each other?
The Mur of Huy made this an extremely tough race. Only 17 riders took the effort to ride to the finish line. Big time gaps were recorded, too. Halfway the race, 7 riders were still in contention for the race. When Verboven crashed out, there were six left. Milan Listerijn missed the boat and spent the entire race chasing, finally finishing 7th.
Visconti profited from a moment of hesitation and attacked. He kept a 10 second lead over a threesome of Lipawsky, Mazzarelli and Vague. On the final climb of Huy, Mazzarelli closed the gap to Visconti in one formidable jump. He left Vague and Lipawsky behind, both stunned by this move.
Mazzarelli finished it off and took his third victory of the season, and his first Title. With Mazzarelli leading in the Coke Trophy, too, this is definitely his best season yet.
Some people said they wern't surprised by Vague's performance at Huy. In recent weeks he has not scored the points expected of him based on his early performance. Right now you have to say that Vague seems to be flying high in the first half of a season and slowly coming down in the ensuing months.
To have been defeated by Mazzarelli in his home region isn't entirely surprising but it hurts nonetheless. This was a goal he had set out to accomplish but the ramp up Huy was eventually much too difficult to handle. Without much comprise, Vague admited that: "I was definitely missing the strength to go at the speed of Mazzarelli. In the end, I failed to capture Visconti as well."
It was an exciting race, although in its essence all too similiar to the big brother, Fleche Wallone. The riders made it an elimination and instead of a gripping race, it was much down to the final storm up the Muur. The big M may stand for Mazzarelli that day but Vague wants to make sure at the next Championships, namely the Worlds, the V is for Victory in his name.
Will he win the Contis anytime soon? "That question is not on my mind", and rightly so he is stating: "The Superprestige and the World Cup are my goals still, I want to get them. To miss out on the Contis is bad enough but I won't cry over spilled milk."
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
After my debut win, I am both happy and frustrated to have come second here at the Continental Championships. The race isn't one that suits me down to the grill unlike for Mazzarelli in this instance but with some gutsy riding I had hoped at least to remind the belgian public that between Vague and Listerijn there must be still some room in their hearts.
In the final lap it then broke my heart. Whilst I had a fantastic support all throughout the race, the cheers of the fans couldn't quite bring me up fast enough the Muur. With some amazing kick, Mazzarelli went past me. I just came around to see him raise his arms in celebration.
Belgium got a 2-3 on home soil that day and I received a silver medal, my first. I am reluctant to call it a success today but I know that in the coming days I will be happy with my achievement here and how I represented myself to the belgian and paneuropean public. This is a special moment that I want to treasure, too. From the podium, I saw how my parents cheered for me. At least that's something I got on my dad, he never stood on a continental podium, but that's due to the lack of the competition of course.
I'm looking forward to the next races. I've shown to be capable of winning by Top 10'ing regularly. Now I want to make those moves count. With the result today, I should have locked-in my World Championships ticket too.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Herne Hill is back! It's the one big old race where Gasthuys and Vandewalle share the number of victories, with four each. The profile has changed since before, but it's still the same setting and the same atmosphere here.
The Herne Hill Velodrome is an old, outdoors velodrome. Outside of the stadium, there is plenty of room to put a great parcours for a Superprestige race.
Race Information
Country: Great Britain
City/Place: Herne Hill Velodrome
Classification: Superprestige
Starting Time (Elite Men): 15h00
Favorites: Francis Vague, Eddie Goldenberg.
Record: 4x Pieter Gasthuys (1983, 1987, 1988, 1992), 4x Jannes Vandewalle (1985, 1986, 1990, 1991)
Race History: Herne Hill. It has to be one of the oldest and most famous crosses in history. The cross was first raced in 1925 and quickly turned into one of the best crosses around. It became part of the Superprestige in 1955 and kept its position until 1982. In 1983, it was featured as a World Cup race. This lasted until 2004, where the race saw its last edition. In 2005, the race was cancelled after financial difficulties.
Route Information
Technical: 5
Sand: 3
Uphill: 1
Cobblestones: 1
The race starts in the velodrome. The riders quickly leave it to get through some technical sections. It's quite flat-ish here, but with some wooden bridges, some (minor) jumps and some sharp turns it's definitely a race for attackers. You won't make a fast pace here, but you can get a big lead if you stay upright and steer well.
Then the race gets through some sandy parts. Long parts, but not with the deepest sand. Still, it's bound to make an impact and sand experts can definitely use this to their advantage. Also seeing as this is the second part of the race, later in the lap.
The race then moves to longer, straighter sections. Finally riders with a big engine can get in a TT position and make some real pace, turn their legs around. But before too long, they turn back into the velodrome for a lap.
The final 200 meters are in the velodrome, where we anticipate a royal sprint on the velodrome, or a solo victory.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 2° C
Precipitation: Rain.
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Welcome at the old Velodrome Herne Hill. The Herne Hill race is back and it's part of the Superprestige. The Superprestige is far from over, but Vague is still the man of the competition, and he's in pole position to win this trophy, with five races left.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 2° C
Precipitation: Rain.
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start List: It's raining, but not too heavily. The sand will be slightly wet, so that ought to give the riders a tough challenge. With the soft ground here, it's going to be a muddy race, so the riders will need to use their power to get a victory here.
Let's see if Herne Hill can still offer something to cyclo-cross.
Lap 1: We're ready for the race. It's already been delayed a few minutes after an incident with the crowd. The peloton is on the velodrome... And they're off! Vague with a burst of speed. Lipawsky in his wheel.
And it's Vague who leaves the velodrome first. He already took 5 of the 7 Superprestige races this season and wants to add to that number. His last (seventh of the season) victory dates back from almost a month ago. That was in Alpe d'Huez.
Today is another chance. And especially seeing as how Lipawsky is already behind with a flat tire!
There are some banners here for Elliot Cook. It's nice to see. He's still very popular in some parts, despite him being out for the rest of the season. And after that he might not come back to the cross.
A first attack! Andrew McLaughlin pleases the home crowd and attacks. It's been a long time since we've seen him at the front of a cross. Let's hope this is the start of a better period for him.
Lap 2: Welling is doing great work for Vague. He keeps McLaughlin at around 10 seconds. But Vague is not too worried about the Brit. He's mostly trying to control the favorites and keep Lipawsky from returning too easily.
It's Pierre Lipawsky who brings his brother back to 6 seconds off the main group. Nothing is lost.
And there goes Eddie Goldenberg! Vague doesn't hesitate and jumps on his wheel. Goldenberg is listed as one of the top favorites for this course but is using this race mainly as a last good training, testing of the legs, before the Scandinavian World Cup races, where it'll be make or break for his World Cup ambitions.
McLaughlin sees the duo pass him by. He tries to latch on, but immediately learns that this pace is too high for him.
A chasing group is working to bring back Vague and Goldenberg. We see Listerijn, Dubois, Van Dyck, Visconti, Van Dyck.
Lap 3: There is no cooperation in the chasing group and so Vague and Goldenberg are now 10 seconds ahead of them. And it's mostly due to Visconti that the gap is only 10 seconds, and not 20. The Belgian is working very hard to keep Listerijn in winning position. And riding himself in the Belgian selection for the World Championships, perhaps? Showing he can work very hard when he has to.
Meanwhile Welling, Mazzarelli and Lipawsky have found the chasing group. They had been caught by surprise.
Lap 4: There really isn't anyone like Vague in these technical areas. He moves his bike like no one else and puts a lot of pressure on Goldenberg.
But here in the sand, Goldenberg is at least Vague's equal, if not better.
Attack! Pieter Van Dyck leaves the other chasers behind with an amazing acceleration after a sharp corner! The pace isn't high enough and he decides to go off alone!
And with Visconti gone the cooperation is completely lost. Who will do the chasing now? Who wants to bring back Vague - and potentially ruin his own chances?
Goldenberg now makes a steering mistake! Vague pressured him into making a mistake and the Wolf of Wallonia is off on his own!
Goldenberg is quickly picked up by Van Dyck and they can hunt down Vague together.
Further behind, Mazzarelli does most of the work, now. He can do some damage to Lipawsky and gain a place in the Superprestige. The battle for the podium places have already started. Especially since Vague's lead in the trophy seems out of reach. Or is it?
Lap 6: Van Dyck and Goldenberg are not giving up and it looks like Vague now waits for them - or they've caught him. Either way, we have three leaders now and that doesn't look good for Mazzarelli.
Sylvain Lipawsky is having a real off-day and gets dropped by Welling and McLaughlin.
Hammarling is riding a strong second half. He completely missed his start and while most riders would then give up, he's been moving up places gradually. Probably just like Goldenberg he's using this race as a final test for the Scandinavian races coming up. With talks of retirement, his last chance to shine on the cyclo-cross scene.
Dubois with an acceleration! With his technicality, he uses the corners wisely to escape from Mazzarelli, Listerijn and Markson.
Lap 7: The penultimate lap.
Nothing big is happening at the moment. It looks like the riders are keeping everything ready for the final lap. We'll go into that final lap with Vague, Goldenberg and Van Dyck. Who'll come out as the winner? Or can Dubois still catch them? He's still 18 seconds behind, so it won't be easy.
Christian Schiltz passes underneath our noses. He's almost 2 minutes down the field. What a bad day for him. Camilo Osorio is near him. Once a very exciting prospect, Osorio is now way off course and it doesn't look like he'll deliver what we once expected of him.
Lap 8: And so we head into the final lap! And Goldenberg is the first to attack. Vague lets Van Dyck answer the attack. Van Dyck is actually older than Vague, but Vague has the experience at this level. It's hard to forget Vague is still only 21 years old. Already a master of his craft.
And he proves it here again! He counters Goldenberg's move and escapes! Goldenberg can't answer the attack, Van Dyck is like a pitbull, not letting go of Vague, barely hanging on!
Further behind, McLaughlin is having a real good day and leaves behind Sven Welling.
Long, straight sections here. Van Dyck is not coming to the front anymore. Vague seems superior so Van Dyck wants Vague to keep riding, he won't relay anymore. Daring, but smart.
And they enter the Velodrome together. Neither come from the track. Who is the fastest?
Van Dyck starts his sprint! He passes Vague with a lot of flair! Vague tries to answer Van Dyck's move. He has to go very deep...
It looks like Van Dyck's coming out on top of this. He has it... Vague is still out of the saddle, though, sprinting for his life.
But it's Van Dyck who raises his arms. He has to be careful! Vague with a real sprinter's move, throwing his wheel forward. We're waiting for the finish photo...
A painful moment for Van Dyck. It's only by two or three centimeters, but Vague is the winner. He kept going for it and threw his wheel over the line first. Van Dyck has been Zabel'd!
Goldenberg is third and will look forward to the Scandinavian World Cup races. He looks ready.
Dubois is fourth. Markson wins the sprint for place 5 against Listerijn and Mazzarelli.
McLaughlin is 8th, Welling 9th. The top 10 is completed by a mediocre Lipawsky. Is this the end of his Superprestige ambitions? At least for the win.
Well, that's it for us today. Vague with his 8th victory of the season and his 6th in the Superprestige. 6/8, not too shabby!
See you on Wednesday for Torku, in Finland!
Full Result
1
Francis N. Vague
BKCP-Corendron
60'51”
2
Pieter Van Dyck
Randstad
s.t.
3
Eddie Goldenberg
Blue Bell CX
0:04
4
Olivier Dubois
Team Red Bull
0:17
5
Fred Markson
Blue Bell CX
0:24
6
Milan Listerijn
Team Lotto-Fidea
s.t.
7
Matt Mazzarelli
Team Mapei
s.t.
8
Andrew McLaughlin
Glasgow City Council
0:56
9
Sven Welling
BKCP-Corendron
1:12
10
Sylvain Lipawsky
Bauknecht-Author
1:16
11
Mikel Hammarling
Team Odfjell
s.t.
12
Shay Gormley
Team Red Bull
s.t.
13
Iban Etxeberdea
Vittel
1:21
14
Guido Visconti
Team Lotto-Fidea
1:36
15
Chris Young
Blue Bell CX
1:42
16
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
Team Odfjell
s.t.
17
Christian Schiltz
BKCP-Corendron
2:00
18
Baris Dao
Randstad
2:13
19
Camilo Osorio
Vittel
s.t.
20
Robin Huser
Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
21
Rudy Verboven
Topsport Vlaanderen
2:27
22
Jan Soucek
Bauknecht-Author
s.t.
23
Louis Listerijn
BKCP-Corendron
s.t.
24
Tariq Faizullah
Ittehad Chemicals
2:32
25
Michael Bollinger
Glasgow City Council
2:38
26
Robert Wells
Glasgow City Council
2:52
27
Daniel Bruggemann
Giant-Alpecin
2:58
28
Pierre Lipawsky
Vittel
3:04
29
Matt Payne
All Blacks
3:21
30
Karol Konva
Bauknecht-Author
s.t.
31
Milan Vermeulen
Topsport Vlaanderen
3:54
32
Mustafa Moli
NamDeb CycloX Project
3:59
33
Timi Kokkonen
Team Odfjell
4:08
34
Lars Lejeune
Topsport Vlaanderen
s.t.
35
Mohuti Sow
NamDeb CycloX Project
4:12
36
Amadou Bakari
Team BAKARI
4:26
37
Matthias Barthez
Vittel
4:29
38
Gregory Bernard
Torku Şekerspor
4:46
Superprestige
1
Francis N. Vague
112
2
Sylvain Lipawsky
91
3
Matt Mazzarelli
89
4
Milan Listerijn
68
5
Olivier Dubois
67
6
Pieter Van Dyck
60
7
Iban Etxeberdea
49
8
Christian Schiltz
46
9
Eddie Goldenberg
40
10
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
36
11
Mikel Hammarling
33
12
Guido Visconti
28
13
Fred Markson
27
14
Jan Soucek
26
15
Mustafa Moli
23
16
Michael Bollinger
21
17
Elliot Cook
19
18
Shay Gormley
18
19
Lachy Bauer
15
20
Sven Welling
13
21
Estifanos Mutahi
12
22
Paul Rosanski
10
23
Chris Young
9
24
Toon Van Eyck
8
25
Baris Dao
8
26
Andrew McLaughlin
8
27
Robin Huser
7
28
Louis Listerijn
6
29
Mark D'Anvers
5
30
Arthur Ledoux
4
31
Naveed Alinejad
1
32
Matt Payne
1
UCI Classification
1
Francis N. Vague
2456
2
Sylvain Lipawsky
2213
3
Matt Mazzarelli
1848
4
Eddie Goldenberg
1575
5
Milan Listerijn
1521
6
Pieter Van Dyck
1466
7
Olivier Dubois
1360
8
Iban Etxeberdea
1345
9
Christian Schiltz
1242
10
Hafthor Eldfjallsson
1091
Spoiler
11 Sven Welling 984
12 Elliot Cook 934
13 Fred Markson 920
14 Mustafa Moli 878
15 Guido Visconti 803
16 Michael Bollinger 786
17 Paul Rosanski 783
18 Shay Gormley 699
19 Robin Huser 691
20 Jan Soucek 669
21 Baris Dao 649
22 Mikel Hammarling 646
23 Max Power 587
24 Lachy Bauer 520
25 Estifanos Mutahi 504
26 Chris Young 476
27 Tariq Faizullah 395
28 Daniel Bruggemann 385
29 Rudy Verboven 355
30 Naveed Alinejad 350
31 Mark D'Anvers 311
32 Arthur Ledoux 290
33 Louis Listerijn 282
34 Toon Van Eyck 263
35 Matt Payne 258
36 Andrew McLaughlin 243
37 Alessio Forcellini 159
38 Karol Konva 155
39 Pierre Lipawsky 144
40 Milan Vermeulen 114
41 Jens Van Eyck 106
42 Mohuti Sow 93
43 Camilo Osorio 78
44 Gregory Bernard 67
45 Ferdi Kloet 65
46 Stan Van Overberghe 53
47 Adrian Van Niek 50
48 Henry Georges 47
49 Nicky Van Drenthe 46
50 Timi Kokkonen 45
51 Thijs Van Lookeren 44
52 Dirk Accostella 41
53 Arda Akdeniz 39
54 Alfonso Munoz 37
55 Lars Lejeune 35
56 Matthias Barthez 34
57 Robert Wells 32
58 Fabrizio Lorenzi 31
59 Amadou Bakari 29
60 Lars Van Hennep 28
61 Pierre Lavigne 21
62 Juan Carlos Velasco 10
63 Dirk Lombaerts 10
64 Pépé Renoir 5
65 Nic Hashir 1
The World Cup continues. It's still very much a three-way battle. Where the focus has been mostly on Goldenberg and Vague, it's actually Lipawsky who's leading the competition. It's no secret Lipawsky was way off target in Herne Hill. Or was he keeping back for this World Cup and a unique chance to win the trophy? Three races remain. Let's start with Torku.
Race Information
Country: Finland
City/Place: Torku
Classification: World Cup
Starting Time (Elite Men): 15h
Favorites: Mikel Hammarling, Francis N. Vague, Christian Schiltz.
Record: 3x Jannes Vandewalle (1987, 1988, 1990)
Race History: The Torku race has been around since the 70s. The very first edition kicked off the start of the 1972 World Cup. Jannes Vandewalle won the race three times, with cyclo-cross legend Pieter Gasthuys on the podium on all three of those occasions. Torku has always been a breeding ground for true spectacle and since it moved up later in the season, it has been a decisive race for the World Cup more often than not.
Hammarling is said to be quiting the sport after this season. He can come right next to Vandewalle if he wins here today, and make it three in a row.
Route Information
Technical: 2
Sand: 2
Uphill: 3
Cobblestones: 4
Torku is considered the Ronde Van Vlaanderen of the cyclo-cross. The route is filled with cobblestones, intertwined with sharp climbs and rough roads. The profile was more technical a few years back, but is now more about the cobbles and the short hills.
So the profile is suited to powerful riders. Don't underestimate the cobbles on this terrain, they're relentless. Riders will need to pick their tires carefully, because this race could be lost before you even begin. You need to find the perfect tire pressure.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: -6° C
Precipitation: Sunny.
Wind: 2 Beaufort
Milan Listerijn crosses the line of the velodrome shaking his head in disappointment. Not a day for him perhaps but another noticeably sub-standard performance from the Belgian.
Milan, another slow start costs you the front group. Thoughts?
Yeah, ah, disappointing of course with myself again today. I've got to work on making the front group and not relying on Guido's excellent work to keep me up to pace with the chasers. It's the reason I've been a bit mediocre and it's no fault but mine. Something to fix going into the North. But certainly If I expect to be competitive right at the top, I've got to get the little actions with big repercussions right, so I can have the assets to compete week in week out.
What did you make of the race today, a successful revitalising of an old classic or a failed renewal?
Uh, we'll have to see the fallout of it I guess. Will see the highlights up front later but I think the technicality of the course made it tougher despite being flatter, which is a nice change of pace and of course very entertaining. So yes, I'd call it successful from what I've seen.
(...)
Mian Listerijn attacks the ice with great gusto this morning in Torku before the elite race. He looks focused and completely different to the tired boy of the last few races.
Milan, is there a chance to get back on track for you here?
Yeah, of course there is, I mean this is a race I enjoy and although it doesn't suit me the best I've been having half an eye on this for a while after my good performances up here in the ice last year. If I could replicate them it's a start, If I can better them that's amazing.
Well who should we watch out for?
Vague and Schiltz from BKCP and everyone from Odfjell are the obvious picks. Olivier seems to be finding his feet very well on the ice and obviously he's doing very well everywhere so one to keep an eye on for sure. Really to replicate last year I'll have to be at my very best with all these big favorites around. Also neo-pros like Young, Pieter seem to be doing very well. Then the inevitable hunger of Sylvain and Goldenberg to do well in the world cup, it sounds like it'll be hard to get any placing (laughs).
Your tactics?
Up in here Scandinavia I've got a bit of carte blanche, so let's see how it goes with no Coke races to race for the overall. Hopefully I can be aggressive and expressive a bit more than usual.
Time for Torku, once again! It could be a big race for the World Cup. Lipawsky, Goldenberg and Vague will all have to be on the level today if they want to stay in contention for the Trophy.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: -6° C
Precipitation: Sunny.
Wind: 2 Beaufort
Start Line: It's cold here in Finland. Very cold. Luckily the sun makes it feel a bit warmer. Ideal weather for the ice experts today. Vague will definitely attack his competitors on a course like this. Although the cobbles are not his biggest speciality.
Can Hammarling make it three on a row here? It would be a record-breaking victory!
Lap 1: The riders are off!
Sven Welling keeps the pace high for the big boss, Vague.
A first attack, by Andrew McLaughlin. Well, well, the Brit is finally once again even remotely close to his best form. McLaughlin is a great athlete, but has been way below his potential these last few seasons, after a formidable debut season. He's still only 26 years old so it's not too late to still make something great of it.
Nobody bothers to react, as it's still very early in the race.
Hammarling with a good start and surrounded by Eldfjallsson and Kokkonen. Team Odfjell is present!
But so is BKCP. Louis Listerijn is in 6th position, just ahead of Francis Vague. Schiltz is in around 14th position.
Where is Eddie Goldenberg? We still haven't seen him... Oh, there he is. Chris Young is piloting him forward. A mediocre start by the American. Lipawsky is in his wheel, so not a great start by him, either.
Lap 2: McLaughlin's gap is around 7 seconds. I has been 11 at the maximum so Welling isn't giving him too much space after all. Bad luck for the Brit, but it looks like BKCP has a plan today.
And Lipawsky has come to the front, now. He's in fifth position but he accelerates. He's launching an attack! But there's the corner... Welling heads into the corner and Lipawsky crashes into him at full speed! This is a terrible crash! What was Lipawsky thinking? He totally miscalculated that corner and mowed Welling off the road. Vague was right behind Welling and avoided the falling riders with an amazing reaction, a jump. 9/10 riders would've gone down there, but Vague stayed on his bike.
He looks behind him now, though. But the race continues, so it's eyes back at the front. This changes the situation. And Louis Listerijn comes forward and takes over Welling's duty. A good showing from Louis Listerijn. His brother is keeping a low profile. Does he have something planned?
Lap 3: An attack! Someone wants to break this race open and it's Chris Young! A team mate from Goldenberg, so it's probably a scout, or a springboard for Goldenberg later on! Nevetheless, Vague himself answers the attack! Not Schiltz or Louis Listerijn, but Vague himself. This forces Goldenberg to follow, too, but he doesn't.
Van Dyck doesn't want this to go through and increases the pace.
Meanwhile, McLaughlin is caught by Vague and Young. Vague has now taken over the pace from Young.
Hammarling and Listerijn come to Van Dyck's aid, but the gap grows. 8 seconds now.
The gap's increasing to over 10 seconds. Young is struggling to keep Vague's wheel and McLaughlin is already a few lengths behind. This is a very high pace!
We just heard Welling and Lipawsky are being taken to the closest hospital. Let's hope it's just to make sure and that it's not bad. For Lipawsky, though, this is a tragedy for his World Cup. The leader of the World Cup is out of the race.
And here we see Olivier Dubois. Where is this? I think it's the second chasing group. Yes, here we see Markson and Mazzarelli. A very different Dubois from almost exactly a month ago on the slopes of the Alpe d'Huez.
Lap 4: What's this? A flat tire for Francis N. Vague. Bad timing! The gap drops from 16 seconds back to 10...
And Vague is caught. His front tire is completely blown. Wait, so is his back wheel. A double puncture, how unlucky can you be. It seems Young has a flat one, too.
This is slow motion, a replay... Those are push pins on the parcours! Someone from the race staff quickly took them off the parcours but Vague and Young must've ridden over them. This is terrible, who does this? So pointless! Pun intended.
Well this is dramatic for Vague, who was really on a roll. He changed his bike now and made contact with the first group. So we have 7 riders together. They are Goldenberg, Young, Hammarling, Milan Listerijn, Schiltz, Vague, Van Dyck.
Louis Listerijn has dropped off the pace a bit and has teamed up with McLaughlin and Verboven behind the leaders.
Lap 5: Another attack! Mikel Hammarling wants to hunt down a third victory here and attacks on the cobblestones! Schiltz answers his attack, Goldenberg follows, as does Listerijn.
And we're looking at Vague, who isn't making a good impression on the cobbles. He's being left behind.
The gap grows very quickly. Vague makes gestures towards his crew. He changed bikes, there must be something wrong with it. Perhaps the pressure of the tires. That can make or break a race like this, with ice and cobblestones.
Yes, we see Vague taking his corners very slowly, very safely. The pressure in his tires is probably too high.
Young and Van Dyck have missed the cut and are chasing the four leaders.
Lap 6: Osorio leaves Mazzarelli behind and still has an outside shot at a top 10 spot! Next to McLaughlin, it seems he, too, is growing back into a better form.
Talking about McLaughlin, the Brit can't follow Verboven and Louis Listerijn's pace and let them go.
Vague has changed bikes, again, and has to chase down the leaders now. With some bad luck he's gone from way in charge to having to chase.
Lap 7: The last lap! Our four leaders are still working together well, but that won't last. Well, all except Schiltz, who's glued to Goldenberg's wheel. Probably ready to take away as many points as possible from Goldenberg.
Listerijn tries to sneak away! Just after Hammarling took a longer turn. This might be the perfect moment!
Goldenberg seems at his limit, Schiltz won't do it, so Hammarling has to come to the front again to do the chasing.
Vague has caught up with Van Dyck, but he'll come too late for the victory. He's not making up enough ground anyway.
And here he is. Listerijn waited for the perfect moment, as he's done before. With the accuracy like a surgeon, he struck! A second win for the Belgian this season!
Hammarling takes a second place and hits his steering wheel out of frustration. Schiltz steals away the points for Goldenberg but the American is still fourth and ahead of Vague.
The past two races saw me back on a great level I think. I wasn't able to do much racing winning moves lately. Initially, my third place at Muur de Huy remained as an actual reminder that I had to get out of this draught. When you are on a top level and victories are yours to count, then there can be times where you think it'll be all too easy.
Always around January I am reminded though that every victory has to be hard earned and fought for. That's why I also appreciated my victory at Herne Hill so much. It was me who fought to the last inch, where as Van Dyck already raised his arm.
The re-launch of the velodrome was amazing to say the least. I have appreciated the race in Colombia but the finish here was way more intense due to the packed racing. Van Dyck delivered on past performances and I could not say who was better throughout the race. I put on the pressure all the time and he striked back in a manner of a champion. It is hard to fault someone who claws his teeth so deep into your back but the moment he let go of it, I won. Frankly where I took the energy I did not know, because at that point I was empty. I operated more on the sheer speed of the velodrome, imitading the best moves by Tom Boonen I have seen on TV. It worked out.
It did less so in Torku next. The race was one of scandals. First the absurd crash of Lipawsky into my great teammate Sven Welling. I have not received news yet of his injuries but Vanbroucke says that it's probably season-ending. He landed right on some pavé there too. At his age, it could well be a career end too. Sven has been plagued by numerous injuries throughout his career; injuries that would have put minor riders out of the sport. But a great man like Sven pulled through. I hope he does it one more time, honestly. Riding in this sport, in this team would not be the same without him.
I was glad to manevoure out of that crash by a fast bunny hopy I did more on reaction than thinking. In this seconds you just do, you don't think. This is the second time that a Bauknecht-Author rider brought down one of our BKCP guys. It's clear that Bauknecht live on reckless behaviour and interpret CX as a crashing cross.
I responded to that situation in the only way I knew when Young attacked. I went out and wanted to win this race. The next scandal was just around the corner. Push pins on the floor cut Young's and mine adventure short. As a result, I was left to do the chasing on Goldenberg. Luckily Christian proved to be fantastic in taking some points away from Goldenberg, so there's only 4 points difference between us.
With Trondheim coming up, I am reasonable confident I can pull a rabbit out of my hat. Sure Trondheim was the place last year I failed the hardest with my three crashes in a row. But I also won there previously. Goldenberg is in some great shape but these are the moments I live for.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
So I've been taken to hospital after Torku and been cleared medically, and I came off quite well all things considered. A broken collarbone and a mild concussion. Unfortunately that means my season is all over.
The crash then was mostly my fault and I would like to apologise to Sven, I don't know what sort of condition he's in now but hopefully he's alright. As for the crash itself, it was my fault for attacking in such a dangerous spot but it was also a justified move, there was a nasty pothole on the inside of the corner, I attacked with the plan of getting past the group before the corner, unfortunately a late flight in from Herne meant I hadn't seen much of the course and thought the corner was much less sharp, really my bad though..
That said, no need for Vague to stir up trouble again on this one, if Sven is annoyed, fair enough. But this is racing, and this is what happens in CX, I've raced pro for almost 3 seasons now and usually do a pretty good job of staying on my bike, then just one mistake and suddenly I'm treating this race as a crashing course? He even stated himself that "In this seconds you just do, you don't think." The attack was a purely impulsive move in the exact same way, somebody needs to take this guy down a notch now that we don't have the Cookie Monster.
Anyway now that I've lost out on the World Cup, as well as most likely my second place in the UCI rankings, this seems like a disappointment, but I've managed to look at this from a better perspective, this season I showed I could achieve a classification or a top spot in the UCI rankings and next season I'll try to achieve what I failed this season, so now 2 weeks of rest, before I get back on the turbo trainer and eventually the bike as I prepare for next season, where I'm more motivated than ever.
Vague is unstoppable in the Superprestige, and with Hagfors coming up, where he hasn't been outside the top 2 in his career, he looks like the absolute favorite.
But Vague is still trying to handle both the World Cup and the Superprestige. Will the pressure and the racing intensity get in the way of his goals?
Race Information
Country: Sweden
City/Place: Hagfors
Classification: Superprestige
Starting Time (Elite Men): 14h30
Favorites: Francis N. Vague.
Record: 3x Pieter Gasthuys (1983, 1984, 1988)
Race History: Hagfors is, just like Torku, a race with a history. Several intense battles have been fought out on this profile over the course of the years. Cyclo-cross has really benefited from these Scandinavian races. Hagfors was first raced in 1967 and hasn't missed a single edition since then. Pieter Gasthuys leads the victories here with a total of three. Six other riders have managed to win twice. Two years ago, Francis Vague became the youngest ever winner here, being only 19 years old at the time. Of course, He is the youngest ever at most crosses he wins for the first time. Last year, Elliot Cook bested Vague at the finish line.
Without Cook here, and this being a Superprestige cross, can you blame us for only considering one top favorite for the race?
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 1
Uphill: 3
Cobblestones: 0
The course has known some significant changes last year. While the famous Ahlgren-climb is kept in the profile, many of the bridges and other natural slopes have disappeared from the route. The climbers will still enjoy this, but it's open to adventurers as well. Last year we saw it came down to an exciting cross, so the changes will stay for this year.
They say the Hagfors Cross is an ice-cross 9 out of 10 times. It's a cold winter right now, so we're in for an icy race! The downhills are very tricky and so the riders will need their bike handling almost just as much as their climbing ability and engine. It takes a strong rider to win here, but also a clever one. Strike at the right moment, but mostly, stay upright!
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: -5° C
Precipitation: Snow.
Wind: 1 Beaufort
"I think I had to watch the crash like ten times. I didn't believe it was me", stated Sven Welling, who is missing a few teeth, has a cut on his forehead and broke his right leg. From what was seen, Lipawsky's rush into Welling put him off the bike and the beligna hit the pavé merciless. Blood was on his shirt, all over the pavé too. It was a gruesome scenario as the ambulance came running towards him and spectactors took photographs. A large bunch of lower back riders had to run past Lipawsky and Welling just to get through. Some of them with a look of sorrow in their eyes.
Do you think you will still race this season?
The doctors say no, my mind wants to scream yes. But I don't believe it really. It's too soon to tell anyway but it's highly unlikely. I want to rest now. There's no need for me to rush anything. I will definitely miss the World Championships, and so, I don't want to risk another injury, harm my rehab process just to get back to racing.
Was the course to dangerously designed? Crashes in Scandinavia are not seldom, in fact they happen on regular basis. Think of the push pins in the race.
There's lots of action going on in those races so it's normal that people crash. The surface, the ground is sorta built for conflicts on the road. It's definitely not the course per se that is to fault. It was a shit move.
Do you suggest it's Lipawsky's fault?
Of course, who else? Francis complained about the aggressive nature of Bauknecht-Author members and at some point you'll probably have to look into this. Maybe it's too soon but if we don't raise concern, then this will continue until it'll be too late. I'm sure that as a new team, Bauknecht-Author wants to prove itself, want to show that they are a force. They are, they are an amazing team, set-up really well. But they do it in an aggressive approach. They want to win, and they fight for it. That's okay. But there's always limits. I just want to say: Maybe doless, and think more, next time, Lipawsky.
Lipawsky responded that he was always a very calm rider.
Well, this just proves the thesis that maybe the pressure of a new-found team gets to them, that it transform the riders into something that they wern't before. They are below their targets right now. 3 season wins, yes? The management surely accepted more of a former World Champion and two great rather new riders. In the end, he is hurt now. He is missing the World Chanpionships. Nothing good comes off relentless behavior. Francis is in that way more mature than most others are. He's a little Niki Lauda.
Sponsors Bauknecht and Author have wished you recovery wishes, is this fair of you?
My quarrel is not with the sponsors of the team. The team name represents just the body beyond the structure. I like Bauknecht but I still prefer to get my tools from Powerplus.
This is one of numerous injuries in your career. How do you rank this one?
It's not the worst. I'll get back my teeth. I think I'll be back on the bike. I have to see how it works out in the off-season now, so I'll need some time. But I definitely want to be Pyeonchang next year and be part of my sport's historic event. So I won't get hold by this injury. I'll be training extra hard just for that.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Goldie
Rock
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
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