With the season approaching fast, the UCI has gotten a head start with their first questionable move of the season. For months now, the discussion of the riders' starting position has been ongoing.
The UCI Points, reset every season, used to determine the starting position. But after protest from many of the riders in the peloton, the UCI have now confirmed their new rule: "We've tried to keep everyone's opinion and needs in mind for this, we think it's balanced out fairly well. We didn't want an overemphasis on last season, because things move fast in this sport, and you can't dwell on results from 9 months ago and more."
The rule is more complex than earlier starting positions, but the UCI assures it is for the best.
Duinencross: The riders start based on their UCI number (so their UCI Ranking from last season)
Blaarmeersen - Tekapocross: The riders' starting position is calculated as followed: UCI Points + 10% UCI Points Season 2014 - 2015.
After the Tekapocross, we have Perth, where young riders have great chance to catch up on the UCI points, with the winner scoring 50 UCI points.
Twin Peaks - end of the season: the riders' starting position is determined by their UCI Points.
This rule gives the riders 6 races to get into shape and remain (or get) on the front row. Perth is a final chance for neopros to move up a few places. The American Week is the turning point. From Twin Peaks onward, we don't look back.
Reactions are mixed, but the general tone is relief that there finally is a rule, with the first race of the season only a day away. The UCI wanted to avoid another Struisbaai-fiasco.
Today is a big day for me. With the event in Duinencross I am starting my 2nd career. I will do everything to finally make myself a name in this sport. I must admit that I miss road cycling quite a bit as it allowed me to ride the most known races. But I have quit my feelings about it and concentrate on CX only.
I have seriously no idea about my debut. I don't expect to be seen at the front today and it's more likely that I need to help my more experienced team mates here. But surely I will be there if others have a weaker moment. My aim is to finish the race and giving all my best until the end. It doesn't matter if I get dropped at one time as long as I still do everything to reduce the loss. Every position counts.
As neo pro it's somewhat harder as my starting position won't be very well. So it's about climbing in that list to have better chances in the future.
The Duinencross is close enough by now. I still recall the course fairly good from last year, however the changes arn't particularly to my favour. Duinencross is still a good race for all-rounders and so I think BKCP - Powerplus have a solid line-up with all three of us capable of holding our own on each terrain. It's Cornelis race frankly and so far I havn't seen too much support around here, as the world still centers around our former World Champion.
Last year was special of course. It was the first race of my pro career, a race I've looked forward to since I competed in the junior ranks. It was also the starting call of my season-long rivarly with Elliot Cook, however both of us finished outside Top 10 back then. I imagine he'll be one of the favourites for Duinencross,whilst I may lack the sand grinding-abilitiy to contest for the win. But a solid Top 5-10 result is within reach and I'll try my best to open up the season with a well-enough performance ahead of Blaarmeesen, the place of my first pro win.
Unfortunately, the classics havn't been my strong suit so far, particularly down to me missing out on some of them and in others I wasn't good enough. But it'll be a personal goal of mine to get a podium or maybe even a classic win this season. Let's see how the chances are in Duinencross for that to happen.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Welcome to the start of the cyclo-cross season! Because of the months leading up to it, there is no race talked about more than the Duinencross. Nobody is sure what to expect. Who is already in a good shape, and who isn't? Starting the season with a victory is a luxury. Last year, Shay Gormley outwitted Dries Cornelis in the final straight line.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 10° C
Precipitation: Clear
Wind: 2 - 3 Beaufort
Start Line: The start of the season is always an exciting time. The neopros are all lined up at the back, looking quite nervous. They see all those amazing riders ahead of them and all they can think of it: how am I going to make my way through that?
A noticable absent is Lachy Bauer. After his successful road season, he won't be starting here. It might be dangerous to play with UCI Points early in the season, but combining a full road season with cyclo-cross is not of this age.
Amadou Bakari is also here, waiting for the start. His old pals at the NamDeb CycloX Project have provided an old bike for him. It's not exactly his size, but at least he can start.
A favorite for the day is this Elliot Cook. He seems focused. We haven't heard from him a lot during the off-season, but he popped back up a few weeks ago. His team says he's ready for the new season. Cook is said to target the Superprestige again this season. We've seen him ride hard during the recon laps.
Lap 1: The lights turn green and the riders are off! We've waited months for this moment, but now the cyclo-cross season is back! Eldfjallsson spend all last season making this his specialty and he doesn't disappoint today. He's off with the fastest start.
We see the debutants sprint for their lives to move up a few places before going into the sand. Now let's see if we can discover a new sand expert today.
Eldfjallsson turns into the sand first, followed closely by Lipawsky, Cornelis, Gormley and Carlisle.
Lipawksy is quick to overtake the rider from Iceland and so the World Champion is leading the race through the sand. The Eurasian Champion Eldfjallsson is now struggling in the sand and loses a few places.
Cornelis looks very attentive and wants to stay near the front. In the background, we see Power moving up a few places.
Vague and Cook are found around 20th position. Not the best start from the two but they're in no hurry to move forward.
We're out of the sand, now. Lipawsky looks behind him and sees Cornelis on his wheel, along with Gormley. Then there's a small gap. It's early in the race, but the World Champion is not one for waiting around. He grabs the handlebars low and sets a high pace.
Realizing the danger, Eldfjallsson increases the pace in the background. Now that he's out of the sand, he's a bit more at ease. The cobblestones are not that extreme here. Bollinger is quick to relay with him. Schiltz, Power and Faizullah have all found their way to the front, too. They're sitting tight as Eldfjallsson and Bollinger close to gap to Lipawsky, Gormley and Cornelis.
Cook and Vague now realize the danger and decide to work together to return to the front, too.
Now we're going into a second sand section, much longer than last year's. We have 8 leaders and are heading towards the Cornelisduin. Dries Cornelis takes the lead and heads up "his" dune first, with Gormley attentive in second position. Eldfjallsson has to leave a gap on the sand.
Cook and Vague are nearing on the leaders. They pick up Eldfjallsson and he latches on to the two chasers. Just a few meters, now and we have a regroup.
We're going into the final 200 meters. We have 10 leaders.
Meanwhile, we hear that Jan Soucek supposedly went down going down the Cornelisduin.
Lap 2: The lap is remarkably longer than last year. We'll have only 9 laps instead of 10 last year. The 10 leaders are Gormley, Cornelis, Vague, Bollinger, Faizullah, Cook, Lipawsky, Schiltz, Power, Eldfjallsson.
In the background, the riders realise they won't see these guys again, and so a few want to bridge the gap before it's too late. Welling, Hammarling and Mazzarelli try to make the move forward.
But as our leaders turn back into the sand, it's obvious the strongest sand riders are at the front today.
Things seem to slow down for now. The riders are watching each other closely. Out of the 10 leaders, only Schiltz and Vague are team mates.
This allows us to take a look a bit further behind. Eddie Goldenberg, coming from the last row, has managed to get into 27th position already. He's riding a strong race and we wouldn't be surprised if he could dive into the top 20 today.
We ride towards lap 3 and still no big attacks. Though we notice that Eldfjallsson always has to leave a few meters through the sand. Where he finds the energy to always close that gap getting back on the road, we don't know. But it will take a toll sooner or later.
Lap 3: Let's hit chrono and see if the 10 leaders are safe.
Well, looking at the quality up front, I'd say our winner is one of those ten.
And an attack, now! Lipawsky tries to break away in the sand! Vague reacts straight away, bringing across Schiltz on his wheel. Cornelis hesitates, and so the three have a gap.
They get out of the sand, into the narrow cobbled roads. Vague looks at Schiltz. It looks like Vague is playing the team mate today. And, in fact, he moves up to the front and sets a high pace, with Schiltz burying himself in his wheel. Lipawsky, the World Champion, eagerly follows.
Lap 4: The trio has 7 seconds on the chasers. Eldfjallsson is really suffering at the moment. After every sand section, he has to ride a sprint, wasting energy. This time, it doesn't look like he'll make it before the next sand section.
We hear reports that Baris Dao has a gearing problem. And, yes, we now get this confirmed. He'll have to run a few hundred meters to get a new bike.
Lap 5: Vague has been setting the pace at the front for a while, now. But the chasers are organised, and they are only 8 seconds behind. Lipawsky seems nervous and unsure of what to do. He's sitting tight for now.
Eldfjallsson has finally cracked! Suddenly he's riding 5kph slower than before, with his head turned downwards. Let's hope he can recover a bit and put in a decend final few laps after all.
Rudy Verboven is supposed to have abandoned the race after a flat tire.
And more bad news, as Jan Soucek, the U23 World Champion, went down on the exact same spot as before, going down the Cornelisduin. He's thrown in the towel. Not the debut he was dreaming off.
Lap 6: Four laps left to ride. Cornelis, Bollinger and Gormley are doing most of the chasing in the background. But Vague is doing invaluable work at the front for Schiltz by keeping the pace high. The difference is still 8 seconds. Though it'll get very interesting the moment Vague disappears from the head of the race. What will Schiltz and Lipawsky do then?
And that moment doesn't seem too far off, it seems. Vague turns his head and says something to Schiltz. I wonder what language they use in the team. I would guess French. Though I'm not sure Welling speaks French fluently.
And now we have an attack! Power tries to shake things up in the chasing group and makes his move forward!
Gormley jumps on his wheel and that's a sign for Cornelis to move, too. Nobody can sit and wait, now! Faizuallah is having some trouble with the acceleration. Gormley counters Power and steps on the pedals hard going over the cobbled roads.
In no time, they've reached the leading trio. Vague looks behind and sees that their attempt has failed. He drops back a bit, along with Lipawsky. Oh but that isn't wise, as Bollinger launches yet another attack! Things are moving fast, now! Vague and Lipawsky have been caught by surprise, and neither seems too eager to close the gap quickly.
Lap 7: Let's hit chrono again, with three laps left.
Things have slowed down a bit now, so let's take this time to look at our debutants and how they're doing.
Eddie Goldenberg is in 17th position at the moment, real impressive! He's going to snatch valuable UCI Points today! A few places behind him is the Basque Iban Etxeberdea, who's also making a good impression.
Listerijn and Dao are riding together, but that's way further behind. Still, they are within the top 30, so not bad at all. And then we have to wait a bit. We see Markson making an effort to catch a small group. Then Van Overberghe. We wait...
Osorio, the Colombian, is still in the race. A good showing from him in his first race. Kloet is there, too.
Mutahi is in the company of Bakari, that usually means you're at the back of the peloton. Only Konva is further behind. Sand is obviously not his thing.
Lap 8: This is still a surprisingly close race. Nobody looks overpowering at the moment, nobody can get away.
Power is starting to look nervous. He wants to perform well here, but the size of this group isn't good. Power isn't particularly slow, but there are faster riders here.
Eldfjallsson has recovered a bit, finally. He's dropped behind as far as 22th position. But he's found a second breath and seems keen to move up again and perhaps grab a top 15 after all.
And now the race for the victory finally can begin. Cornelis moves on to the attack on "his" Cornelisduin! Who can follow? Bollinger follows... Gormley - what a show of force! He comes right next to Cornelis to show him "I'm not afraid of you." Are we going towards a replay of 2014?
Lap 9: We're going into the final lap. Konva is close to being lapped, but he's turned up the pace drastically. He seems eager to finish this race and is actually riding an impressive race at the moment. Too bad it's one lap behind the real action.
Gormley, Cornelis and Bollinger have 7 seconds on Power, Schiltz and Cook. The latter looks quite "cooked" at the moment. Pun definitely intended.
Gormley now controls the race. He jumps at every little movement, discouraging Bollinger and Cornelis to escape. Gormley must be full of confidence. He did win here last year.
Is he aiming for a sprint finish? That's taking quite a risk!
Bollinger attacks! Cornelis looks at Gormley, sly as he is. Gormley doesn't hesitate and gets on Bollinger's wheel!
Meanwhile, Cook launches an attack in the background! Power and Schiltz are hanging on for dear life.
We're going into the final straight 200 meters. Bollinger couldn't get away. The pace drops. They bluff. Don't wait too long, because Cook is coming fast!
Cornelis tries to surprise Bollinger and Gormley and goes from far out! Bollinger gets on his wheel. Now he launches his sprint! Gormley gets next to him... And overtakes him!
Gormley raises his arms! A second consecutive victory in the Duinencross! Bollinger is second, Cornelis third.
Cook couldn't get away and sees Schiltz and Power cross the line before him.
Faizullah crosses the finish line, looking dead.
The World Champion wins the prestige sprint against Vague for place 8.
And Naveed Alinejad finishes a nice 10th. What a race we've seen today. We'll see you next week for the start of the Superprestige in the Blaarmeersen!
Vague wasn't in the spotlight of Duinencross towards the end but mid-race, Vague and his teammate Schiltz spearheaded an assault for the win. As was observed, Vague put in some solid relay work for Schiltz. Eventually, the specialists of the Duinen prevailed, with Vague coming 9th and fulfilling his personal goal of a Top 10.
Francis, you worked quite a bit for your teammate today. Has this been a welcome present for Schiltz after his dreadful relationship with Bernard previous year?
No, not at all. Christian and I followed Lipawsky's wheel and one of us had to do the work. The opportunity arose to get a victory here for either Christian or me, of course someone had to do the work then because Lipawsky surely wouldn't let two guys sit on his wheel the whole way. Christian has been very good throughout the classics last year, so we had a quick chat and we've decided that it's best if I work it out. I'm glad he finished 4th but a podium spot would have been an even better start to the season of course.
You stated before that a Top 10 would be a solid result. Satisfied?
Yeah, I'm okay with the result. I would have liked to keep the wheel of Cook but at that point, I couldn't make any more moves. Duinencross has been a good workout, it also showed us who did his homework during summer. I'm optimistic for Blaarmeesen after today.
Repeat victory of Shay Gormley, any words to his performance today?
Maybe there'll be a sand section named after him in a few years, much like the Cornelisduin? He looked to be really in control today, much different to last year. He rode in dominant fashion, the way he shaped the sand particurarly to his liking. He's the definitely the strongest sand rider in the peloton right now.
Edited by Shonak on 05-05-2015 07:43
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Just rode my, and the season's, first race in Duinencross.
As a newcomer to the game I started at the verty back so I never got around to affecting much at the front of the race. I did manage to take full use of my comfort on the sand to move quite a lot of spaces up in the peloton ultimately finishing 18th right ahead of Carlisle. Not bad for my debut I think?
Now that the season has officially begun, it's time to kick off the Superprestige. Unlike previous years, Blaarmeersen is back on a Sunday, with another week's rest before the next race. Blaarmeersen has been part of a double-weekend for ages now, it'll be interesting to see how different the race will fare as the only race in the weekend. No need to save your legs here.
There are three Superprestige winners in this peloton. Cornelis has won the Superprestige four times, Dobranksy once and Elliot Cook took home the trophy last season. But it was Francis N. Vague who won the Blaarmeersen cross and took the first lead in the trophy.
We ride for points now, but generally the first couple of races there is very few calculating. Everyone will ride to win and nothing less.
With a single (but important) exception, the profile has not changed since last year. So we can expect seven long laps to make the difference. Gormley succeeded himself in the Duinencross. Now the Belgian nation is hoping Vague can do the same in the Blaarmeersen.
Race Information
Country: Belgium
City/Place: Ghent, recreational parc 'Blaarmeersen'
Classification: Superprestige
Starting Time (Elite Men): 15h
Favorites: Francis N. Vague, Elliot Cook, Matt Mazzarelli, Sylvain Lipawsky.
Record: 5x Raphael Visconti (1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1990)
Race History: The Blaarmeersen have always been a popular location for cyclo-cross and cross country running. The man-made hill and little beach, combined with the forest, open a wide variaty of grounds for the cyclists to cover. In the 20s, the race was organised for local policemen. The first official edition was in 1934. It was an instant hit. Between 1950 and 1972 it was used as final race in the Superprestige. In the 1972-1973 season it was moved to November and a few years later, finally, to where it is now, early in the season.
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 2
Uphill: 5
Cobblestones: 0
This cross has the famous reputation of changing its route constantly. However, the current profile has sort of remained constant since 2007. The route is technical as well as it is uphill. There are only a few places where you can use your power and flat riding to create some real speed. Mostly it's about turning, climbing, running and - not unimportant - the extremely technical downhill. There is a big chance of a rider arriving solo. The last sprint dates back from 2006. Last year, we got close to a sprint, but Cook didn't get over the jumping bars properly and so Vague soloed to the victory.
The only change this year is the placement of the jumping bars. Last year, they were vital for winning, at 200 meters before the finish. This year, they're 50 meters before the Pastoors-climb. We only expect a handful of riders to jump them, as they reach 40 cm, the maximum allowed height. The sand is usually not too deep, not like at the real beach. Definitely not enough for a sand expert to make the race there, but more than decent to make the race tough enough. The climb is the main attraction, though. Not only is it steep, but it's long and the ground can be slippery with enough rain. Depending on the precipitation, the top part of the climb may or may not have to be climbed on foot.
Besides the main climb, there is a small uphill, too. Small, but extremely steep. Riders will have to climb it on foot. In the last decade, only one man has been able to ride to the top. The technical yet powerful Eric Pastoors claimed his victory after riding it to the top with a combination of power and technical brilliance. Let's see if there is someone to fill his shoes in the pack this year. Last year, Lipawsky attempted but failed, to the amusement of the crowd and the season overview "gag" reel. Who dares to try it this year? Succeed, and your name shall be written in the stone next to the climb. Fail, and everyone will know.
Last year, the route was dry. With enough rain, though, this profile turns into a real hell. The flat dirtroads, dry so easily to ride on, turn into deep mud. The climb is ten times harder, the downhill trickier. The jumping bars in the mud pose an impossible task. The Pastoors-climb turns into a wall of mud, hard to climb even when you do dismount. They forecast a dry day. Let's hope for the riders that the forecast is right...
Finally, this is one of the longest circuits of the calendar. With lap rounds around 9 minutes in the last few years, it's 95% sure we'll see a total of 7 laps tomorrow. Still, 7 times up that hill is more than enough for any sane man.
All we know for sure is this: if you can't climb, you will curse that man-made hill more than once during the race. But you're braver than I am.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 8° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Sand no conquer. Sand no conquer! In fact, Dirk fails. Dirk doesn't even finish race. But Dirk now not even on UCI list because of points being zero and zero for race and season. Still, no such thing as bad publicity. When Dirk is still in last position instead of some lowlife Karol Konva, people sit up and take notice!
Still, to make up for this debacle, Dirk now tell you, at least once tomorrow, Dirk will successfully ride to the top of the Pastoors-Climb. When I tell Quarto and Fabio, they snigger and tell Dirk to go to sleep. But Dirk will! Dirk adds this to list. List now reads:
The World
Sand
Pastoors Climb
Plus, Dirk turns the aggressiveness up to 12. They say dry conditions! Dirk says bring on the mud!
Dirk will see you, on his bike, at the top of the Pastoors-Climb!
Edited by RockyRoad on 05-05-2015 06:21
I had to tell myself that so much I rode round aimlessly in the end, though with Baris Dao, another neo-pro, he's got talent for sure, I'd keep an eye on him for sure. It seems the people I call my countrymen want to take me down once again. Traitor, filth, failure, these are the nicest things shouted in my ears, not to mention those about my mum. Seriously, I would think people could be a bit more mature, it really hurts when they scream at you relentlessly. Never thought I'd say it but can't wait to get out of Belgium.
Still, I don't mind a 27th place under the circumstances, fourth row and counting. Soon I'll be able to try and latch on to the groups near the front. From a team point of view, great to see Michael podiuming first race, shame he couldn't make it back-to-back victories (when you think about it)
Looking forward, Blaarmeersen is a race I hope to move up more in the starting ranks and maybe doing work for Lachy. I've practiced a few times on the run-through and to be honest, the beach/hill combination feels good for me, I think with a bit of luck I might be able to make myself shown if I can shut out the bullies.
Edited by jandal7 on 05-05-2015 07:36
Last, i finished dead last in my first professional CX race in more than three years. But could i expect more? No, just simple riding in the pack again, on the highest level of cross competition feels like a victory...after what i had to overcome.
Was Lipawsky sleeping in the cold cabin in the woods? Was Cornelis waking up with empty bottle in his shaking hands? No, they dont know what it is like to fight for your sanity. That will make me only stronger in the future and now i am a winner, because i dug deep and finished the famous Duinencross!
Team manager told me to take it easy, he told me that i can even give up, as he wants me to take small steps on the path back to front rows of worlds CX. But that would not be me. Yeah, i suffered, i thought i would vomit my guts after first two laps. I was embarrased when i saw the leading group closing on me, i was close to being lapped. So i grasped my handlebars a bit harder and put my mind into the machine mode. Suddenly i felt like i was flying the Tatra mountains, i was even making ground on the leading pack! (later i heard that was because of their tactical plays, but..ehm...it was great).
Now i know i can do it, i can finish the races, i can help Soucek and Dobransky and one day, maybe i can be up there. But for now, i am staying on the ground, training hard for the next event, start of the famous Superprestige series.
Next time, i will write down how i managed to get into the team Bauknecht-Author throught the summer camp, because it is quite a funny story to have on paper.
Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 05-05-2015 06:55
Lachy Bauer rides the uphill in the Blaaarmeersen course with the air of a man on a mission, having skipped the opening classic of the season he'll surely need to make up some points to start near at the front again. Having chosen to start his CX season here purely to be more fresh for this race.
'Yeah as many have said it's due to the effect of a full and successful road season, I have to consider what I do both there and here, I'm looking at later starts on both sides and an extended break on the road, but as many know it isn't that easy. For example Henri Gaiman, he burnt out trying to juggle both back in the '60s. I need to consider my options properly and try and juggle both.'
His tiredness doesn't seem to affect him much though, he seems as sprightly as ever when practicing the course.
'I've been here longer than the others and I'm hoping I can prove the doubters wrong with a strong performance, with Mikey, Josiah and Milan on my side I'm confident over the sand and I hope I can just test my legs, ride aggressively and see where I'm at.
What a race this was! Road racing can be crucial when having problems in the worst moment. CX seems to be a lot more crucial. I`ve rarely seen so many bike problems or crashes in such a short time. Surely the sand played a big role there as several riders struggled on that ground. Even more impressive the performance of the top riders. I have only seen those in the beginning but just after the start we saw them pacing away on the sections. One day I wish, I will be able to stay with them.
I am quite happy with my performance. As 26th I even collected quite a few points in the rankings and more important enough to jump into the next row, which was the main goal. I am starting in row 4 now, closer to the front. It also sees me in the top 5 ranking of neo pros and I feel I can improve this position as well or eventually win it.
But not only the result makes me proud, also the feeling during it. I had good legs in the morning and hoped to show a good performance. Unfortunately starting that late there was a lot of traffic around, which made it very hard to really go my own pace. In almost every corner I had to brake harder than I wanted, which was not ideal. But when I just came out of the biggest traffic and found a nice little group I made myself a big mistake and lost the wheels of the best neo pros today.
It must have been in the 4th or 5th lap. Can`t remember exactly. I went around a corner a bit too close to the barriers and something must have touched them I guess. As my bike did not work properly after this incident I had to run at least 400m. And I really hate running long distances. Nothing against short stairs or over a barrier. But such a long distance surely did cost me some time. I saw all those riders passing me, that were long distanced and I found myself back in a later group when finally getting my backup bike.
Luckily I quickly found my legs again and were able to cause some splits there when I found myself together with Milan Listerijn, another neo pro and obviously I was somewhere late in the top30. When hearing this I was happy to be still above expectations really. I got new motivation and started to pace my very own pace again coming closer to a few riders ahead.
I quickly realized that I was the stronger one of us and did not stop with the high pace. Surely the road experience in 250+ kilometer races helped me as I still could feel power in my legs.
Coming to the final 2 laps we saw some bikes ahead of us and I just wanted to pass those. We came closer and closer but then I already heard the signal for the last lap and recognized how hard this would be. And then already the finish line ahead. I sprinted as if I would fight for the win and my long time partner Listerijn couldn`t respond. That said it was not enough to catch the rider ahead of me, who finished just a couple of seconds in front of me.
26th place in my first CX event in the end. And most important I still had the legs in the end showing me that I can really have success in future when getting the experience and avoiding those mistakes. I wonder what had happened without my mechanical? Could I have stayed with the other neo pros? I clearly think so and this is my goal for the next race. Stay a few groups ahead and try to win the neo pro ranking.
Joachim Parbo just called me and gave me 1-2 hints how to do better in some situations. But for my 1st race, he was very happy with the performance even though he had to grin about my funny running skills, which must have looked ridiculous as spectator.
Kapow! That was a better start that i could ever have hoped for. The changes to the course really worked in my favor but so did my off-season work. The Duinencross is a prestigious Classic on the calendar and 5th place has really reminded people i am here and that i can race well. Everything just went excellently out on the course and i am buzzing from such a good performance.
Now let's take things one race at a time. I'm still not suddenly a huge contender for classifications, just looking at still taking a good handfull of good results. Blaarmeersen has it's sand but is more about the uphill. A Top20-25 i think for me but i'll give that up if Goldie is feeling good and needs some help.
Goldie
Strong start to the season. Gained a ton of places as the slower riders drifted backwards. If i'd started on the front two rows i reckon i had enough in me to battle for the podium but i was compromised. Now with a 3rd row start i can start to work on scoring points. Blaasmeersen is a classic event, a true test of a CX rider. At least i'm hoping to carry the momentum from race 1 and continue moving forwards.
And then i read they'd changed the jumping bars! Right before a climb and maximum height! That makes me very happy. Bars that high will test every single rider and i think will make the difference for winning this race. I've jumped those size bars before, many times before in the US. But with this level of racing it will be harder but i'm going to jump them and that will make me a contender, just watch as i take Max's 5th and go better.
Gonna start doing these in two's rather than one long post with all four.
Hafthor Eldjallsson had no time for the media after Duinencross, leaving them to speculate over what appeared to be an embarassing capitulation mid-race slumping from a firm Top 10 to even outside the Top 20 at one point, crawling along as others swept past. He may have been able to put in a slight recovery to save his blushes somewhat - but only enough to just finish ahead of one neo-pro Etxeberdea, and still be two places behind another in Goldenberg. 17th place is immeasurably better than last year's dissapearance post-first sand section and ultimate failure to finish, but the manner in which it was achieved was not the most dignified.
A source from Team Odfjell suggested his tactics were actually to hold back early on, and use his power strength to come through late on. Clearly the opposite happened as he joined the elite group of 10 and did all he could to stay there. Too much over-confidence? He was a firm fixture in the Top 10 for much of last season, but sand has never been his forte. Too keen to show-off at the start? Yes, you're good at starts Hafthor, we kinda noticed that by now. Too hot? Double figure temperatures, can he cope with that? Last season, yes, but perhaps he had not properly acclimatised to this Belgian 'heatwave' having only recently returned from a cold weather training camp.
The place of my first pro victory is here. I've only the best memories of Ghent and Blaarmeesen. In the junior ranks, I've ridden the course multiple times, winning it too. Last season I fulfilled a dream of mine when I won the race here, a Superprestige race. My first Superprestige race.
I remember celebrating the victory till late in the night, leaving me very weakened for the next day when the Hertford Classic was waiting. With the race being pushed back a week, there won't be such a problem for the next winner. At least, most certainly for me not. During the last season, I've learned that it's important to stay focused. In Cyclo-Cross, you race for a couple of months and in these months, you have to perform no matter what. It's what you paid to do, it's what you train for. You can celebrate all you want and rest when the off-season starts but Cyclo-Cross is my passion right now and it's easy to do it when you love what you do.
The changes to the course don't bother me. It might give me an edge over less technical-affine riders, allowing me to get with speed into the climb, whilst other have to dismount and regain balance on the bike. I certainly try to take on the jumping bars in the usual manner, as I see no reason why not. As for the Pastoors-climb, I don't see myself making it fully up yet. Someone like Cook may be in contention to do it, but only on his best day.
The problem with the pastoors-climb is that I recall Pastoors being in peak shape, taking on the climb. He had every single watt you'd need to do it. He was famous for peaking early as I recall. For us the season is still young and as such, we lack a bit the traditional race rhythm. I've been thinking about it and I dare to say that with usual training schedule and peak plans, it has become impossible to ride the Pastoors-climb fully. But if the legs feel good and I hear the people shouting my names, swinging their cowbells and I rush to do a back-to-back victory here in Ghent, maybe I'll get carried away with it. Maybe, I think I'll have what it takes to someday ride the climb all the way to the top. Pastoors-Vague-Climb. Has a ring to it. But well, one is allowed to dream after all I guess.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
First cross of the year, not so good. Well there was sand, which I don't like. I also have to get used to the entire cyclocross thing again, that takes some time too. Oh, and I had a flat, doesn't help either. So yeah, I decided to abandon the race at that point.
Next up is a home race in the Blaarmeersen. It's Ghent Beach, so again, a bit too much sand for me, but it's for my home crowd, so I'll definitely put on a fight. I really like that uphill section as well. Time for my first test!
Hello cycling fans, here is Denik Sport (Sports Journal) and reporter Petr Prokop, with some news from the land of slippery mud and living sand.
The CX season opener near Oostende, known as Duinencross classic, was held yesterday and we had a chance to do a short interview with a reigning U23 world champion and czech cross talent, Jan Souček.
PP: Hello Jan, we wonder what happened in Oostende, as we saw you in big problems throughout the race, which resulted in DNF. JS: Hi, i wont lie, i hate that race. I would expect a cross races to be held in normal conditions, not on some kind of Sahara dunes or whatever that was. Just because Cornelis is famous, they design races for him and i dont like it.
PP: You seem a bit angry, so the dune was the main problem? How was your legs before the race? JS: Yeah, that moronic dune was the key to the race and i managed to fall off the bike right in the first lap, when i was going down that sand castle. This is not for me, i had no chance to get a good result, so i quit, no reason to suffer in these conditions.
PP: Ehm..okay...enough about the season opener. Next race will see the start of the famous Superprestige series via Blaarmeersen cross near Gent, what are your expectations? JS: Superprestige, as the name hints, is the most prestigious series out there and i am quite optimistic about my chances at Blaarmeersen, because the course should suit my abilities and also the sand sections could be less crucial for the outcome of the race. I just pray for a good weather
PP: Everybody mentions the importance of both climbs on the course, main and longer one and then the second steep wall called Pastoors, which was only tackled successfuly once in a whole history by the legend of that name, what do you expect there? JS: Honestly, i cant wait to ride them, as i feel like one of the strongest on uphill sections. There are the highest possible bars before the steep one, which i am more than able to jump over and continue straight running with my fast legs. With the longer hill, i have another advantage in my explosive climbing ability.
PP: You are very optimistic, should we expect a win? JS: I would not say win exactly, in the end this is not U23 category, so we have to be realistic, but i will try to make my presence felt for the others. I am the world champion you know...
Welcome in the Blaarmeersen! Looking out of our windows here in the commentary box, we see the biggest crowd we've ever seen here. It's almost 10 degrees and the sun is shining, so it's a beautiful day to come and experience the cyclo-cross sport. We see lots of banners for Vague, Cornelis, Verboven, Mazzarelli, Lipawsky, even some for Cook. Let's hope they can cheer their heroes to a great race today!
Today marks the start of the first classification of the season. There are less UCI points at stake, but there are Superprestige points at stake now, and every self-respecting cyclo-crosser dreams about winning the Superprestige Trophy one day. The Blaarmeersen is a first step in that direction.
Where the Duinencross is the first event of the season and mostly a gamble and a game of watching each other, the Blaarmeersen is usually a place where the stars for the upcoming season unleash their power. Today we'll get a sense of how well the climbers in particular are in shape. Last year, we saw Elliot Cook impressing everyone on the big climb. Yet in the end, it was Vague who won the race, proving the downhill is almost as important as the climb itself.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 9° C
Precipitation: Dry, Sunny
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start Line: Last week, some of the favorites didn't appear in their best form. With some names supposedly out of shape, the Blaarmeersen race couldn't be harder to predict. After last year's victory, Vague is probably the big favorite. Yet one man appeared even stronger going uphill last year, and that's Cook. The jumping bars moved up the profile are definitely to his advantage.
Who else is there? Matt Mazzarelli is always a safe bet, but he still has to develop that killer instinct. He's well known for wasting energy too often. Which is great to the crowd, but not to his palmares. And then the World Champion, Lipawsky. Eight in the sand last week, but he finds a profile much more suited to his abilities today. Still, that jersey can weigh you down.
Lastly, Christian Schiltz seems in a great early season shape and might be an invaluable help to Vague today.
Lap 1: 3...2...1...Go! The riders sprint to go into the forest first. Rudy Verboven shoots forward from the third row. Goldenberg, who started right behind him on the 4th row, uses his slipstream to move up to the front, too.
But it's Lipawsky, the World Champion, who turns into the sand first.
He keeps his lead all throughout the sand and goes into the forest. The forest is a very long section, with lots of technical obstacles and two bridges. Vague is in second, Eldfjallsson third. Verboven has found his way to a fourth place, not bad.
Lipawsky is technical enough to keep the front in the forest. Don't let this pace fool you, he's going fast and he's putting the pressure on the peloton! An early start from the World Champion.
Gaps are appearing everywhere, as it's every man for himself. We're heading towards the big climb. Will we discover a new climbing talent here today?
Verboven attacks from behind Vague's wheel. Is he still banking on his road season form? Lipawsky doesn't react and just keeps riding on his own pace. Nobody else reacts, too, and so Verboven is off on his own. I remember Verboven riding away like this last year in Lancaster and they didn't see him again. But it's a different situation now.
The downhill is very tricky, and the riders don't take any risk. Cook is not too far behind Vague, Mazzarelli is right on his wheel. Oh, and there is Goldenberg, not bad.
The jumping bars are now between the downhill and the Pastoors-climb. Verboven won't jump. Lipawsky takes the jump, barely! Vague - like a pro! Well, he is a pro at this, so it doesn't surprise us. He owes last year's victory to his jumping abilities.
If we can keep the camera here for a while... We see Eldfjallsson, Schiltz, Cook, Mazzarelli, Goldenberg, Bauer, Faizullah. No Cornelis in sight, though. He must've had a very bad start. Then we see Bollinger, Soucek...
Oh and an incredible jump by Jan Soucek! They don't call him 'the rabbit' for no reason. That jump was absolutely fantastic!
Back to the front. The Pastoors-climb is a spectacle to behold. The riders try to claw their way up, with their bikes thrown over their shoulder.
And already two minutes behind the leader, here is Bakari. Is he... Is he getting ready to ride the Pastoors-climb? Yes he is! The crowd chants his name. He rides up to full speed, hits the flanks of the Pastoors-climb... Ouch, that looked like it hurt. He stands up... Well, it seems he can laugh with it himself. He grabs his bike and gets up on foot. Nice try, Amadou. The crowd loved it. No Pastoors-Bakari-climb coming up, though. Not by a long shot...
Lap 2: Like last year, we'll have 7 laps here. These are among the longest laps of the entire season.
Meanwhile, the action is going on at the front! Verboven has been caught. Lipawsky and Vague battle for going up the climb first. It's Vague who comes out at the front. And it looks like he's going to go up quickly! And, as if he knew it all along, there is Cook. Right on time, he comes up the field and follows Vague's wheel.
Three man are climbing the flanks together. Vague, Cook, Mazzarelli. Arguably the three strongest climbers, especially on the longer climbs, in the sport, and they're all here when it matters. Cook reaches the top first, ahead of Vague and Mazzarelli. Cook's smart, he knows he's the worst descender of the three, so he heads down first.
His back wheel slips! He corrects it, though he forces Vague to literally jump aside. Mazzarelli watches it from a bit further behind.
And what's this now? Vague is losing ground, fast. This has to be a mechanical issue. The camera's have found him... Yes, Vague's tube is completely flat! Oh that's bad! We still have the jumping bars, the Pastoors-climb and then a section next to the water before he can change his bike!
Cook and Mazzarelli won't hold back now, they're riding away from him quickly. They're approaching the finish.
Schiltz passes his team mate Vague about 150 meters before the technical area. He decides to wait for him.
Lap 3: And now things get really hot. Cook ploughs through the sand with incredible power, while Mazzarelli hangs on for dear life. This is hurting him, he'll be happy to go into the forest, where he has the upper hand due to his technical ability.
Welling and Schiltz are doing everything in their power to get Vague back in the race. But it's not looking good. 51 seconds on an unchained Cook and Mazzarelli. He'd need superlegs to do that. Yet this is the Superprestige, so at least he'll ride until the very end to minimize his loss and score a few good points either way.
Also a surprising ride from our two American boys. Goldenberg and Markson are riding quite well. And what to say of Soucek?
These are the names we had expected to come into play in their debut season.
Back on the climb, now. Cook decides to keep calm, for now. It's in his and Mazzarelli's best interest to ride together now, and decide the race in the final laps. If they can get a good gap now, they are both in the clear. Blaarmeersen is an unforgiven course to solo for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, Baris Dao continues the good start of his debut season by getting into the top 25 of the race.
Welling can't do anything for his leader anymore and goes up the climb at his own pace. Schiltz is towing his leader up the climb now, who seems to have taken a mental blow. Schiltz keeps the pace high enough, though, and at the moment it seems they're gaining ground on the race leaders! We hear 46 seconds!
Lap 4: Already lap 4. Mazzarelli and Cook continue to widen their gap. Lipawsky, Verboven, Eldfjallsson and Bauer are probably already thinking about that third place. Their pace is not high enough to catch the leaders. I think they're gone.
Osorio has hit the ground. Apparently he's okay and back on the bike again.
Cornelis has made the jump to the group ahead of him. He's moving up places, can he keep this up?
And another abandon. Rik Van Fleming passes by our commentary post... on foot. He's out of the race. Same goes for Power, who started his season so strong.
And another fall, it seems to be contagious. This time, neopro Kloet has gone down.
The race is a bit locked now, with Mazzarelli and Cook working together to secure their lead. The chasing group is worried more about their Superprestige points and see the victory ride away. To their defense, catching Cook and Mazzarelli on this terrain is probably an impossible task anyway.
Vague seems to be a bit more confident again. He's over his little momentary setback. Schiltz leads him over the climb now, still gaining ground on the race leaders! What a race Christian Schiltz is riding! Talk about fantastic early season legs!
Schiltz and Vague are catching groups and leaving them behind continuously at the moment, real impressive!
And Lipawsky attacks! He wants to leave the other chasers behind and makes an attempt for the bronze medal today! Or perhaps even higher? Anything could still happen, with 3 laps to go.
Lap 5: Cook impresses in the sand, but Mazzarelli is better in the technical forest. On the climb, they seem pretty equal. Who will win today's race? It's anybody's guess at the moment.
Let's hit chrono, again, and see where everyone is.
It seems like Schiltz and Vague are catching up with Verboven, Eldfjallsson and Bauer.
Lipawsky is not covering enough ground to reach the front of the race. Mazzarelli and Cook are too strong with the two of them.
And now James Carlisle is trying to save his early season. He comes out of the background with his team mate Iban Etxeberdea and with Baris Dao, two neopros.
Schiltz and Vague have caught Verboven, Eldfjallsson and Bauer, right at the foot of the climb. Vague goes to the front and steps on his pedals, with Schiltz in his wheel!
Verboven and Bauer try to follow... But they have to leave a gap. Eldfjallsson just keeps riding his own pace, his own race.
Lap 6: Only two laps left! Cook and Mazzarelli are being chased by Lipawsky. But more importantly, Lipawsky now feels Vague and Schiltz breathing down his neck.
He uses his sand abilities to keep them off now. But the BKCP duo is coming, a blind man could see that. Lipawsky looks behind him. Oh and he makes a mistake in the sand! He should've been looking ahead of him! The World Champion is in the sand. He stands up, jumps on his bike... But there's sand in his gearing, he has to dismount again! Schiltz and Vague pass him! They only have Cook and Mazzarelli ahead of them, now. Vague goes into the forest first. They've been relaying like this for a while, now.
Cook and Mazzarelli must've heard the BKCP train is coming, because they've increased their pace again. They're heading towards the big climb. Cook leads on the climb. The steepest section now... And Mazzarelli attacks! Yes, he has to shake Cook, he has to try! Cook follows Mazzarelli's wheel. Mazzarelli holds back a bit. And goes again! He has a meter... Two meters, three meters! He's reached the top with a small gap, and now throws himself downhill! On paper, he's the better descender of the two.
Vague rushes on the climb, too. Schiltz finally has enough and has to let his leader go.
Mazzarelli gets down first. He has 4 seconds on Cook. Don't look back now!
Lap 7: We're going into the final lap. Matt Mazzarelli has 3 seconds on Elliot Cook. Francis Vague has neared on 10 seconds! Schiltz is further behind, but is still fighting to keep Lipawsky at bay.
And Jan Soucek crosses the line 11th, with Tariq Faizullah! Half a minute later, we see Fred Markson, too. No sign of his team mate Goldenberg anymore, though. The climbing must've worn him down.
Cook closes the gap to Mazzarelli on the sand, what a power! They head into the forest, now.
The crowd in the forest is going wild! Francis, Francis, Francis, is all we hear. The Flemish audience has accepted Vague completely now, it seems.
Vague is not making any mistakes, he rides through the forest with the calm and experience of a 30 year old. Cook and Mazzarelli must be getting nervous, as they see him come closer and closer. 8 seconds is the verdict.
The climb, now. Cook won't let Vague return, he won't risk it. So he accelerates. Mazzarelli follows.
On the top of the climb, Vague has given back a bit of time again, 10 seconds. But his eyes are full of fight. It's been a long race for him, but he's not giving up so close to the finish. Cook is taking a few risks going downhill, now.
Cook and Mazzarelli can't afford to challenge each other properly, with the Vague-express coming. They're both going as hard as they can. They dismount for the jumping bars. Vague is 7 seconds behind and jumps them. Another few seconds closer!
And then, there is the Pastoors-climb. After this, there is a small section of grass and then: only 150 meter flat, straight road. Vague is 5 seconds behind the two leaders.
Cook and Mazzarelli tackle the climb on foot. The only way Vague will catch Cook and Mazzarelli is if he climbs the Pastoors-climb with the bike. He'll end up right in their wheel. He realizes this. The crowd does, too. We're at the edge of our seat here as Vague turns his pedals around at a high pace.
He rushes towards the climb. There he goes!
And he comes to a full stop only half a meter before the top! This is dramatic! He dismounts quickly and reaches the top, but he needed to ride it all the way to the top to regain contact with the leaders! So close!
Cook and Mazzarelli are now preparing for a sprint for the victory. Mazzarelli, infamous for his bad sprinting skills, tries to go early and surprise Cook. But Cook won't be surprised and counters easily. He overtakes the Italian and crosses the line first!
The winner of the Superprestige last season wins the first Superprestige manche this season and is the first leader.
Vague crosses the finish line with his head buried deep between his arms. He's completely empty. So close to one of the most impressive comebacks in cyclo-cross history.
Schiltz hang on for place 4 and is in the form of his life!
Lipawsky is fifth.
Verboven wins the sprint for place 6 against Bauer.
Eldfjallsson crosses the line 8th and is getting better.
Then there's Cornelis. And there is... Is that? Jan Soucek makes the top 10 here. Non finisher last week and now 10th, what a day.
As you may have seen, I've ridden the first two races of my career already! Both Duinencross and Blaarmeersen were very tough races for me, but great experiences nonetheless.
Firstly I'll start with the season opener - Duninencross. I came into the race with a conservative approach, looking to adjust myself to the pace of pro crosses. I spent the early laps looking after leader team Moli, before dropping off from the front. Suddenly, I found myself riding the legend that is Bakari! I'd heard about him before as one of the great characters of the sport, and even managed to exchange a few words with him as we rode together, before leaving him behind as he abandoned. A memory for me to take away for my first race at least. I eventually finished in 45th place, the second-last rider to finish. A tough result, but to even finish I think is an achievement.
Soon after came Blaarmeersen. A tough uphill course, going into the race I didn't think it best suited my abilities. Once again, most of the race was spent at the rear of the race, although with many of the team's riders dropping out I was soon one of our best placed riders. 40th was where I finished, after out-sprinting fellow newcomer Osorio to not be the final finisher.
As a result of those two finishes, I now sit 50th overall in the UCI rankings. Not the best start ever to a career, but I feel lucky to even be here to be honest. Soon some races that suit me more will come along and I will hopefully get the chance to show my talents a little more and move up the pecking order.
Marked improvement over the DuneCross. Spent several laps working with Goldie to keep ourselves in a good position. I guess Goldie was doing more of the work because he just blew on the final lap and dissapeared. Happy with 15th as it's soild points in the bag that will move my start position forwards which is what these first races are about for us BBCX guys.
I felt ok out on course, i quite like this route. I can handle the basic route with the climbs and turns and stuff but i struggle a bit with the technical's which makes the difference in the race. Marking this one down as future race i can win on.
Goldie
This was another ok sort of race. Worked well with Radio for a number of laps to help get him moving forwards. I can't explain the collapse on the final lap, my legs just gave up. Perhaps i didn't eat properly before hand because i was feeling fine for 6 laps. So instead of 15th/16th it's 22nd, which isn't bad but it really should have been better.
Stacking up good UCI points though which keeps me moving up the start grid. I don't think i'll be trying anything too spectacular just yet, much rather stay consistent and keep stacking those points and moving forwards. Once i'm up onto the front two rows then i can start looking for bigger results in the Americas.
Duinencross - Report
Some Random 
TDF
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
