The World Championship course in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa wasn’t a particularly technical one. With a few short technical sections and two real climbs the race was geared towards guys with excellent endurance and laser sharp focus. A course which before this year wouldn’t have suited me, but with my one and a half season on the road, I had some new found confidence in my endurance levels. And not just me it seemed. The bookies had Dutchman Michiel van Der Heijden and the Italian Gerhard Kerschbaumer (what kind of Italian ends up with that name?) as the favourites, with me as a close third. Irrelevant in my opinion though, as my most important believer was standing next to the finish-line in the form of my sweet Daphné.


Michiel van der Heijden would be chasing behind the facts for most of the day though as it was the Frenchman Julien Trarieux who challenged the field by accelerating right out of the start. Kerschbaumer, the Canadian Caron and I took him up on his challenge and followed in his wheel. Ending the first lap with an 8 second lead on the rest of the field.

Towards the end of lap 2 it was the Belgium Didier Bats who caught up with us as Caron started to fade. Our lead now having grown to 19 seconds as we started lap 3.


By the time we were in lap 4 it was clear that the winner would be coming from our group as our lead had grown to 24 seconds with van der Heijden mounting a comeback in the background. I probably was the strongest finisher in the group, but with the super legs I was feeling I decided to mount an attack on the second climb. At first gaining a small gap with Trarieux as he bit himself in my back-wheel.


Trarieux didn’t last long though as by the time we reached the top he started to crack, my lead exceedingly growing as I smoothly kept turning my pedals.


By the time the final lap started my lead had grown to 13 seconds.

I couldn’t quite believe it as I raised my hands to the sky. A mountain of build-up stress falling off my shoulders. To ride the perfect race on the most important day, what a feeling it was. And to embrace Daphné after the finish just made it a little more special. A fitting ending to a massive chapter in my life.

1	Nicholas Arcier	Malta	1:31:27
2	Julien Trarieux	France	+ 28
3	Michiel Van Der Heijden	Netherlands	+ 37
4	Gerhard Kerschbaumer	Italy	s.t
5	Julian Schelb	Germany	+ 58