December is the busiest Superprestige month, with four races on the calendar. If you're out of shape this month, you're in for trouble. Lee Valley offers the second December Superprestige race and already the fifth in total. We're reaching the halfway point of the trophy and much is still at stake.
Lee Valley has a controversial history, most noticably with the dangerous descent at the start of the race. Last year, the race was changed to start with an uphill and the ice on the downhill track was smelted. Arguably this changed the outcome of the race, yet most spectators found the changes to be justified. Last year, Elliot Cook rounded off an amazing solo with a victory.
This year, the winter hasn't hit Europe yet, but it's another threat for the downhill part: the endless rain that's coming down lately. Heavy rain is expected once again, and so the downhill might be the most important part of the race, let's hope not in a bad way.
Race Information
Country: Great Britain
City/Place: Lee Valley VeloPark
Classification: Superprestige
Starting Time (Elite Men): 15h30
Favorites: Francis Vague, Sylvain Lipawsky, Elliot Cook.
Record: 3x Dries Cornelis (2004, 2006, 2007)
Race History: Lee Valley has hosted six races already, running from 2003 to 2007. It went quiet after that. Last year, the race was back with an adjusted profile. Its route has been the topic of many controversial discussions. Last year, the route was changed at the last instance.
Route Information
Technical: 2
Sand: 3
Uphill: 4
Cobblestones: 0
The start takes the riders on a crazy downhill race. They turn into the sand immediately after, to sap the legs. After the sand, it goes up again. They don't climb all the way back tot the start, though, the climb debouches about halfway the original downhill. The sprint for the victory is right before the route goes downhill again, thus ending the race on a 100m sprint with percentages up to 10%.
The lap is shorter than officially allowed, but Lee Valley has gotten permission from the UCI to run the race this way. This means we might see the riders hit the climb a total of 15, 16 or even 17 times. After yesterday's tough race, don't expect anyone to have any energy left at the end of this weekend.
The main obstacle is the downhill, many believe. With the continuing rain, this might pose a problem for the race organisation. Will we see the profile tampered with again, or worse?
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 2° C
Precipitation: Rain, Heavy
Wind: 0 Beaufort
Hey Milan, how are you feeling before the race tomorrow?
Yeah I certainly feel better, fresher after taking an extra day off, especially when it was so brutal. I'm not sure how much of an advantage that gives me, probably not a lot because I skipped Bristol because I was fatigued. My legs feel good and the cold wet outside warms my heart.
What do you make of the course, last year the downhill was cut. Do you think we will see a repeat? Do you want to see a repeat?
No and no. In mud and not ice I see no reason to cancel the descent, it's a key point of the race and if a CX rider can't handle some mud and a downhill he's in the wrong job. I love this kind of challenge, I'm relishing this opportunity. The rest of the course is interesting too, take out the descent and nothing is too trick technically, it's more the hills and sand that make a difference, though that changes when we add mud.
You lie low in 13th place in the Superprestige, do you have hopes of a top 10?
No not really. I skipped Twin Peaks voluntarily and I don't like the consistency required for it. Don't get me wrong, I love this trophy but it doesn't suit neo-pros as much. I'd take a race victory over a top 10 overall, for sure.
This is an unusually short course, what do you make of going up and down that hill times recorded up to 18 before?
It's an interesting dynamic no doubt, it's grueling, it's brutal, it's painful, and it's gonna be hella exciting. It's something I've never done before, and tomorrow, as I said, will be a challenge but one I can't wait to face.
You still lie outside the UCI top ten, by quite a decent gap now. Thoughts?
Yeah front row is obviously a luxury anyone would love to have, I'm exceeding my own expectations to be honest. With the races I have to skip and also just not being on the same level consistently in the trophies that matter points-wise is the reason why I'm still behind, and I'm still young and tire easily as my schedule fills up, it's something that I can look to as a possible goal, for this season or next.
You've been speaking much recently about your plans for the future, do you worry you are overfocusing on what you might do and not focusing on what you can do?
No, I like to look ahead which I what I am doing but if you listen it's my goals for the rest of the season. Coca-Cola and NES and otherwise race hunting. That's what I can do now, it's what I can do later in the season. It all rolls into one, that's cross. As my grandad says, "Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a gift, that's why it's called the present." No harm in enjoying the gift whilst trying to solve the mystery in your spare time.
With little time to spare, Vague comes down to Lee Valley. He steps out of the team bus, looks around calmly. He's in between faking freshness and just giving in to it. "Of course yesterday was a tough race", he explains, "but I'm good to race."
Over the past months, Vague has established himself first and foremost through immense conisstency and whilst other riders tend to tremble under the 2 days pressure of performing on a high, this may just be where Vague exceels the most. For him, it is clear that he has to deliver nonetheless. "I was gifted a points lead in Lisbon under very unfortunate circumstances, I do not intend to lose that lead. I want to keep and extend it and show everybody that the Superprestige has the rightful leader."
Speaking of the today's challenges, Vague nods his head and gives a big sight when a rush of water comes down from the near-by tents. The organization does well to keep it under check, the water and the mud sinks deep though. Vague himself is standing in a rainbow coat, barely showing his face. "I figure it'll be a fun race to watch. Really, you can only just laugh at this weather.."
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Welcome in Lee Valley. The Superprestige continues. Lisbon was a major setback for title defender Elliot Cook, but now he's back and in his own country, he can work miracles. He certainly has the mental advantage over his rivals today as he won last year's cross with an impressive solo.
Only four points separate Mazzarelli from Vague, so the Italian will be looking to overthrow Vague's authority in the Superprestige and take the crown.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 2° C
Precipitation: Rain, Heavy. Hailstones
Wind: 0 Beaufort
Start Line: If we try to describe today's weather, only one word comes to mind: apocalyptic. Much like yesterday, the rain comes down brutally. This time, hailstones are part of it. There were rumours this morning about a cancellation, but the UCI made it clear with a single tweet: no rain can stop cyclo-cross. Riders are ready for a legendary race #LeeValleyCross15 #Heroes
So the riders are ready to start this race. We know one thing: it'll be hard, very hard. Let's get this show on the road!
Lap 1: The riders depart! The downhill has remained intact and so we see the riders throw themselves downhill. In this rain, it looks like suicide, but these are all professionals, we have to believe they know what they're doing!
Halfway the downhill. Oh no! A crash! Four, five riders are down, another one! We see Rik Van Fleming, Rudy Verboven. The race continues, but the camera's stay here for a while... Well, it doesn't look like the riders will finish the race. Their race is over.
And finally we get a shot from the front. What's happened here? Francis Vague is the first down and turns the corner into the sand. Well, mud.
The hailstones seem to be growing larger. I can imagine this must hurt...
Ready for the first climb. With water flowing down the hill, it takes a lot of skill and power to go up the climb. The bitter reality is: if you can't stay on your bike while climbing this hill, you won't make the finish of this race. Especially in a lap this short, you'll be doubled in no time. You can't waste any time by going by foot.
Vague, Lipawsky, Cook, Mazzarelli, Cornelis. And then a small gap. Without any attack, we have our five leaders at the top of the climb.
Lap 2: Because of the terrible weather, the lap has been quite slow, so we'll only have 14 laps here.
A brave effort from neopro Fred Markson here. He seems to realize the danger in letting the five leaders ride away and decides to go looking for them. Mutahi, Schiltz, Dao and Listerijn share his opinion and follow. Abandon by Markson's team mate Power.
Lap 3: The five leaders seem content with the current situation and keep the pace high. Markson, Schiltz, Mutahi, Dao and Listerijn can't match their speed and are looking at a long and hard chase.
Eldfjallsson is the biggest loser of the moment. He's 7th in the Superprestige, but might lose a few spots if he doesn't move up soon. Only one point behind him, Soucek, is in Eldfjallsson's wheel and is obviously riding around with a calculator. Mark Eldfjallsson and try to overtake him in the trophy.
Lap 4: Munoz throws in the towel. The hailstones have stopped for now, but looking at Munoz you can hardly blame him. Soaking wet, covered in mud, shaking from the cold... Poor guy comes from Spain, he isn't used to this, I reckon.
But the show must go on! And Francis Vague is the last one who'll ever disagree with that. The young Superprestige leader wants to increase his lead even further and attacks! It's great to see a leader of a trophy attack instead of riding defensively. The best defence, you know the saying!
But Cook won't have it! And neither will Cornelis! The two follow Vague's attack uphill. The World Champion follows... But he has to pass! He sits back down and falls behind. Mazzarelli gets out of the saddle to follow but his rear wheel slips away. He sits down, too, and decides to focus on getting uphill on his own tempo. And so, only three little ducks were left!
And this is remarkable. Shay Gormley is out of the race, he has just been doubled by the three leaders. In lap 4. The Irishman must not be feeling too well.
Lap 5: Eldjallsson realizes he has to react and he has team mate Mikel Hammarling to help him. Hammarling paces Eldfjallsson forward. Etxeberdea hangs on to the Oldfjell wagon. Team Oldfjell is probably praying for the winter to hit Europe.
Lap 6: More abandons. Carlisle is reported to have left the race after a fall. It's hard to keep track of everything. Not even halfway and we have 15 riders out of the race.
Meanwhile, Dries Cornelis is keen on another perfect weekend. He's got 31 in his career and wants to make it 32! He forces the pace in the downhill and in the sand, or sandy mud. But uphill, the power of the youth, Cook and Vague, is unmistakable. Cornelis has to do it with his perfect technique.
Lap 7: Let's take a look at some time differences.
Huge time gaps already. In this weather, this is no surprise.
And the eternal finisher Blazej Dobransky throws in the towel. He looks unbelievably weary. He makes an obvious sign: enough. A strange sign from Dobransky. Is there more behind this gesture? We'll have to ask him later!
Lap 8: The three leaders are still together. These three seem quite equal today.
Further behind, Markson and Listerijn leave the chasing group behind to form a chasing duo! They think it can go faster!
The rain is finally decreasing a bit. Our visibility is much better, now. Let's hope we can end this race in dry circumstances. Altough, that might be a bit too optimistic.
Lap 9: Karol Konva has taken a tumble and is out of the race. This downhill is very tricky and you need to stay fully concentrated.
What's this? Elliot Cook is having a tough moment and has to let Cornelis and Vague go! It's at the middle part of the climb, where the slope is the least steep. Vague has seen this and gets a boost out of it, he increases the pace even further! Cornelis is biting down hard to keep up now!
Lap 10: Yes, Cook has to let the two Belgians go. You can see his mouth move and if I think I saw it right, I won't repeat this word on national television. Cook is suffering, but he won't give up that easily.
But this is the head of the race.
Cornelis, experienced, finally back in shape. It's like he doesn't even get old. Still such a passion about the sport.
Vague, one of the biggest talents the sport has ever known. Only turned 20 in July! And already a palmares many riders can only dream of. His potential seems limitless.
These two are fighting for the victory of the day. Though you can never count out Elliot Cook, too.
Lap 11: Mazzarelli and Lipawsky keep working together, but they won't get back to the front of the race. Mazzarelli, second in the Superprestige, will want to keep his second place. Lipawsky is fourth. If you want to win the Superprestige, you'll have to do better, though.
Lap 12: More abandons. Apparently, there are 29 riders left in the race. Whoever wins this race, will go down in the history books. What a race! The weather is just terrible.
Cornelis wants to pressure Vague into making a mistake, now! In this battle of the generations, Cornelis throws himself downhill with Vague following closely. Cook is already over ten seconds behind.
Lap 13: The end is nearing of this cross. It's been a real strength sapper. If there are still riders out there with energy left, respect! They'll need it for the two final laps. Listerijn now attacks Markson! But the American is feeling good today and counters immediately!
And it worked, Markson leaves Listerijn behind and is now riding in sixth position!
Things are looking good for our two leaders. Cook is over twenty seconds behind. The Brit gets cheered on by the audience, but not to much avail.
Lots of Belgian cyclo-cross fans made the trip to Great Britain, and so the most fans here are either here for Cornelis or Vague. So if you look at it, this is a very democratic race, with those two battling for the victory.
Lap 14: We're in the final lap! This is still so exciting. Cook is stuck in no-man's land. It'll be very hard to catch the two leaders, while Mazzarelli and Lipawsky are way behind him. But at the front, Cornelis and Vague, are starting to look at each other. Just one more downhill, a sand section and a climb. Who will win this rained-out edition of the Lee Valley cross?
And an honorable mention to Mutahi, who is hanging on with Schiltz and Dao for a place in the top 10 today. the young lad has certainly improved since the start of the season.
But back to the front, now, for the finale of this race. The two riders look like they're glued to each other. Cornelis takes the lead in the downhill, but Vague follows, with seeming ease. Cornelis also ploughs first through the sand, but Vague keeps up.
And now for the final climb. Cornelis was a top climber, but that was ten years ago. Does he still have the power to take up the glove against a young powerful rider like Vague?
Vague knows he should shake Cornelis. He should be the faster man, but with someone like Cornelis, you're never sure. So Vague takes the lead on the climb.
And an acceleration! Cornelis follows. Vague drops back in the saddle. And attacks again! Cornelis leaves a small gap! But he gathers his last remaining strength and follows! Cornelis looks pretty dead, now. But Vague doesn't have much energy left either and keeps the pace steady for now. Maybe one more attack and he'd shake Cornelis...
But it's too late, we're in the final 100 meters. This is no ordinary sprint finish, though. The percentages go as high as 10% here, though the final 50 meters are only 2 - 3%.
Vague starts sprinting from the lead. He seems confident in his sprint!
Cornelis follows. The 10% section now... And Cornelis has to leave a small gap!
50 meters left.
40 meters left. Sprinting uphill is extremely hard, and Vague realizes he started too early. He slows down.
30 meters left. Cornelis fights back slowly!
20 meters.
10 meters...
It's Vague who managed to keep off Cornelis and cross the finish line first! What a victory for Francis Vague! He raises one arm and makes a fist! Dries Cornelis crosses the finish line and looks completely empty. What a race.
Here comes Elliot Cook. He's third and still keeps an option open for the Superprestige.
Lipawsky outsprints Mazzarelli for place 4.
Markson is an amazing 6th, with Listerijn in 7th.
Then a three-man sprint. Dao, Schiltz. Mutahi completes the top 10.
Only 23 finishers today. This underlines the toughness of this race. I don't care what they say, everyone who finished this race is a hero today. Well done, guys. Thanks for the show.
It's been one hell of a race. From Lee Valley, we thank you. See you in the Netherlands next week for the Rasterhoff cross!
Bristol was all about limiting losses. You don't get weather like that back home and the course wasn't my best. Thank you so much to Radio for his work near the beginning of the race, allowed me to find my feet so to speak. Also props go to Dao for outsprinting Cook and taking a few points away from him. This means Cook and myself are tied for 3rd on 135 but Lipawsky is not far behind.
A performance like that gives me strength that i can podium to World Cup. Same as before it's all-in on that competition. People have talked up the NES for me but i have bigger fish to fry and i think i'll skip the final race in Japan. I'm still feeling good and the fact i am going less than full throttle in non-World Cup events is keeping me fresh. Time to just keep pressing onwards now.
Radio
Some people were very impressed by my ride in Lee Valley. They said my ability to cope with the weather was a surprise given where i grew up. Well unlike TDF and Goldie i didin't grow up in a Desert. I grew up and live in New York and i tell you this, our winters are about as brutal as that race was. A few more storms like that one and i'll be winning races!
It was a good event for me, reminding people that am more than just a helper for Goldie. My racing is getting better and better. I'm still a ways of regularly being at the top end but i'm learning and next year i will be at the top end for sure. As winter sets in on the European season i'll ease of the gas a bit and drop to just helping Dao and Goldie. Saving energy for races more important to me like the NES finale and the Continentals.
TDF
Deep into the mid-season stretch now. My results are gradually slipping away and of course i quit the Lee Valley event (that weather was litterally killing me!!!). Like last season it's time for me to take a break. I'm getting fatigued and i am still early in my career. So i won't be at Rasterhoff or Aosta this weekend. I won't be at Huez or the Christmas Classic.
I am going to be back for the FujiCross, Pyeongchang and Kitakyushu races before the Conti's. At that point we'll deicde whether i go back to the full calendar. A few weeks rest and hopefully i can come back and really put in some good rides as others get more and more tired.
Hammer Time
Where is the goddman ICE!!! I doubt we'll see it before Huez. My fitness is coming right up to mark now, right on plan. Just need the courses to come to me a bit more. I'm almost in danger of losing my row 2 start, that's how bad things are. It's a bad season for me, it's just not coming together.
Sticking it out but more and more i'm just a helper. I could go back to the Road and do that for more money and better weather. Keep plugging away and we'll see what happens in Huez and then onto the Scandinavian events in a months time. I really could do a Road season, then turn up for Cross in December-February and then go back to road in March.... something to consider...
In the end, Belgium's two finest Cyclo-Cross riders of the present prevailed in the uniqe hail storm that was messing up in Lee Valley. Vague coming first ahead of Cornelis, thus increasing his lead in the Superprestige.
Incredible effort by the whole peloton today, especially you and Cornelis. What was tougher; to race in this weather at all or to race against Cornelis?
Not sure why they let this race happen, they could have postponed it easily. It's really just horrible weather that has endangered many riders, if not the entire peloton. But anyway, I'm happy that I made it through. The first half was really just about keep going. I knew that some guys would struggle more than me and so I made myself suffer and turn up the gears. It worked out well, this way I could decimate the potential rivals for the win right from the start. It was then relatively easy to keep in the group because none of us really got away or tried that hard. It was a race of elimination and Cornelis and I just profited from the deep surface, our technical gift gave us the edge here.
How was your body holding up during the race, how crazy was the surface?
I've got some bruises unfortunately, my lips are completely blue. I've been freezing and shivering at times but the racing kept me warm. I've been wetsoak and dirty. At some point, I think it was fun but when you race you are so focused you ignore most of it anyway. As for the race itself, it was even tougher than in Bristol. Fatigue of course play a role, none of us was probably as strong as yesterday. We all had to pay for the ride there but for me, it worked out really well. Of course the ground, the circuit... it was just so deep at times. At one point I didn't my pedals anymore. When it hails down on you and you keep spinning, people scream your name or want to insult you because of Lisbon... it's one of those out of body experiences, really.. and you just keep going, breathing, staying in the group, bidding your time for your move to attack.
The UCI announced the start of the race proudly with #Heroes and some slogans. Your thought on this?`
Well, they did not have to ride it. I'm sure they are happy to tweet about it and hashtag it with fancy words and get some nice TV images. I'm all for muddy cyclo-cross and seeing as I've won, I can't complain that much but I don't need another Hailstorm Cyclo-Cross race any time in my career really.
Cornelis and you seem to be in stellar form right now - looking a few weeks ahead into the future, how will this work out at the World Championships?
I don't know, probably the same as last year? Hopefully without me crashing of course.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
December is the Superprestige month. If you're not in shape now, you can forget about this trophy. After Lee Valley last Sunday, the next race is another Superprestige manche. If we look at last year's top 5, we see Vague, Eldfjallsson, Hammarling, Kokkonen and Hakinnen. You guessed it right, we had ice and snow. The question is: what weather will it be tomorrow? Weather predictions aren't very conclusive so we'll have to see.
This year, Francis Vague is on a form high and is currently leading the Superprestige Trohy. Can he finish it off early and make a big step forward towards the final trophy tomorrow?
It's an early race, so the riders can make the flight to Italy for the Aosta Valley which is raced the day after.
Race Information
Country: The Netherlands
City/Place: Rasterhoffpark
Classification: Superprestige
Starting Time (Elite Men): 09h30
Favorites: Dries Cornelis, Elliot Cook, Francis N. Vague, Shay Gormley, Christian Schiltz, Milan Listerijn, Eddie Goldenberg.
Record: 4x Blazej Dobransky (2006, 2008, 2010, 2011)
Race History: Rasterhoffpark is up to its 11th edition. 4 of those have been won by Dobransky, but the last was 4 years ago and Dobransky is nearing the end of his career. Rasterhoffpark offers a nice route for both riders and spectators and it has been rewarded by being part of the Superprestige since 2010 now.
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 4
Uphill: 2
Cobblestones: 0
The climbs are short and steep. True climbers won't be able to show their strength on this terrain. This is a profile for the powerful riders. There are long, flat sections, short climbs, short and straightforward downhills and three large sand sections.
New this year are the two jumping bars, located about three quarters in the lap. It might turn out to be a decisive point to drop you adversaries.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 0° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 1 Beaufort
There's a multitude of reasons why I change my mind. Some say it's because I am foolish and easily swayed. I prefer to say because Coke reckon I'm cool and I'm dashingly handsome and now, ice. Or sand. Or ice and sand. Maybe sand and ice. Or the critics are right. I'm not bothered.
On the ice and sand (sand and ice) it's up in the air what will dominate in Rasterhoff. Many say it's ice season at last. To be honest if I'm race hunting again (Superprestige top 10 does come to mind as a third season goal, despite my misgivings and skipping) I would like no ice, just because despite the fact that I would like to say I can handle myself on it, most of my rivals here can too, but many can't cut it on the sand. But please, come soon my friend.
So tomorrow it's one eye on the prize, and the other eye on a different prize. I'd like to shake it up without over-extending, which could work as many of my Coke rivals also like the look of a SuperPodium. From a racing perspective the Cook/Vague Sand/Ice conundrum will be fun to follow and play off if I'm up there. I'm going to pick my own battles, but recently I've grown passionate about not losing to Yanks. Lee Valley just chucked a whole load of petrol on that wee fire. Props to FM though, he was a cut above me in the end there and on such a tough course seventh will do.
On Yanks, shame to see Goldie probably out of NES final. Dao has been saying that he will be there I think, Faizullah too. Recently Mutahi and Exteberdea have been stepping up, so the water hasn't evaporated. It's still a goal as Dao probably has the upper hand from what I have seen of the Japan course.
When asked what was the toughest race of his career so far, Vague would have replied ahead of last week easily and immediately: Rasterhoff. Now with the Lee Valley hailstorm having made Vague shut up, the question may be a bit tougher to answer. Still, the freezing cold and deep snow of Rasterhoff that made many riders undercool is still considered by Vague as one of his "finest moments" to date.
Of course, there's some big praying going on that snow will head to Europe soon. Vague can stand his own in most races but the snow and ice gives him an edge over his fiercest rivals that can not be denied. Additionally, the rise of Team Odfjell parallel to the amount of snow fall, plays into Vague's cards. The more competitiors between him and his rivals the better for the standings. It was something he had learned already last year and was keen to use to his own ends.
As the leader of the Superprestige and former winner, Vague has the pressure on his shoulders. However the sand-heavy aspect of the course would actually put most namely Cook to attacking duties. There can certainly be an attack expected by the Briton, quesiton is whether Vague can hold on to it or make his own race eventually.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
We're here in the Netherlands and it looks like we didn't bring the weather from the United Kingdom. It's cold here in the Netherlands, but no apocalyptic weather conditions, no hailstones, not even rain. The riders will be happy with this change of scenery.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 1° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start Line: The Superprestige is never-ending in December. Four of its eleven races are in this month, and we're already at the third. Actually, the four races are within 2 weeks of each other. So you can see the importance of being in shape in this period. One man is shape is definitely Francis Vague. He just won the Lee Valley cross and increased his Superprestige lead to 8 points.
However, in this sand course, many will be on the lookout to take back points on Vague. Cook, ranked third, won't give up on the Superprestige yet, especially after winning last year's edition. Rasterhoff, on the other hand, was won by Francis Vague last season. But since it marked the start of the ice season, this should not come as a surprise. Today, the conditions are quite different. It's cold, but no ice, no snow.
Will Vague keep his Superprestige lead after today? We'll find out in an hour!
Lap 1: The riders are off! Rudy Verboven with a very fast start, moving up places. But Baris Dao turns the corner in first position. This first part of the course is perfect to build up speed. Long, straightforward sections. Then we're heading towards the first small climb and after that we descend right into the first big sand section.
There comes Dries Cornelis. A fast start by his standards. Mikey Bollinger, Vague, Goldenberg, Cook, Listerijn, Lipawsky, Welling, Bennett. Many riders still together as there is little opportunity to drop another rider here. But here's the first small climb!
Dao takes it perfectly. Downhill now. And the sand, let's see what carnage this will bring?
Baris Dao struggling, not in the right track. Cornelis passes him, followed by Bollinger, Goldenberg. Cook has taken the other side of the road, moving up places. Vague tries to keep his wheel, but that's not easy in this deep sand.
Josiah Bennett makes a steering mistake and goes down! Luckily it's in the sand.
Lap 2: We just completed the first of 8 laps. Despite the sand, we still have a big group together. The pace wasn't too high in this first lap. But it looks like this is about to change, with Eddie Goldenberg now at the head of the race and really stepping on it!
There's the sand. Goldenberg ploughs trough! Cook, Cornelis, Bollinger. And then, a gap! Gaps start appearing. Further behind, we see Mikel Hammarling moving up places. A bummer for him the ice season isn't upon us yet. But he's racing well today.
With the sand behind us, Vague realizes he must try to bridge the gap to the head of the race, especially with his two big rivals there. He rides away from the chasing group. One man on his wheel, looks like it's... Well, well, Blazej Dobranksky, Four time winner of the Rasterhoff cross, the absolute record holder here. Long time, no see, old boy.
We're missing some riders at the front. Where are Listerijn, Gormley, Power...? All good sand riders missing at the front. We see them now, looks like they're all together, but a bit behind. Lipawsky is with them.
Coming up to the jumping bars, now. Vague jumps them, of course. Dobransky doesn't, but doesn't lose a lot of time, either. He can't let Vague go and he knows that.
Lap 3: The long, straight section is perfect for a rider like Vague. Meanwhile at the front, the leaders aren't working together well enough. Cook wants to keep this attack going, but neither Bollinger not Goldenberg have much interest in the Superprestige so they're playing a tactical game, now. Cornelis is going through a rough moment after his unusually fast start so isn't of much help to an Elliot Cook who's now doing most of the work.
And this plays to the advantage of Francis N. Vague. Dobransky takes another turn and they near the leading group, only 3 seconds left.
And right before the sand, they've caught the leading group! Cook sees this and slows his pace.
They're not riding very hard, now, so this might be a chance for left behind riders to catch up. Schiltz, Hammarling and Etxeberdea aren't that far off and hope to make the connection to the front, now that the pace has dropped. What will Cook do now?
Meanwhile, the 2nd in the Superprestige, Mazzarelli, is nowhere to be seen. Apparently he crossed the finish line in 21th position. That's outside the Superprestige points. Only top 15 gets points.
Flat tire. Michael Bollinger is riding on a flat tire. Still a while from his mechanic.
If he's lucky, the pace doesn't increase. At this speed, he can keep up with the flat tire.
We have an attack! Dobransky tries to sneak away. Cook watches Vague. They see no harm in letting this veteran go for now. He's no immediate threat to them.
And now Bollinger has his bike change. No harm done, he's still with the main group. Only Dobransky is off on his own.
With five laps remaining, everything is still up for grabs!
But how amazing is it to have this old boy Dobransky in the lead of the race once more? It's been ages. He's been slowly fading into non-existence in the sport but here he is once again. Talent doesn't just fade away that easily.
And now Cornelis wakes up. He takes the lead in the first chasing group. He's raced against Dobransky a lot in their days and of this group he's the only one who knows just how dangerous this Czech really is, even at his age.
Cook and Goldenberg now step up to the challenge, while Vague continues to struggle in the sand. Bollinger is not in his top form, so it would appear.
Ouch, a nasty crash! It seems like Christian Schiltz took a tumble when his chain broke off and he's in pretty bad shape. We hear he's quit the race. Bad luck for the rider from Luxembourg.
Cornelis, Cook and Goldenberg manage to leave Vague and Bollinger behind! Vague, fighting for his Superprestige, has no choice but to let them go. He raises his arm towards his mechanic further down the course. He'll switch bikes, is something wrong maybe?
Hammarling and Etxeberdea are doing their best but it doesn't seem like they'll reach the front of the race today. With the increase of pace, the gap is widening.
And now Dobransky has been caught. Right on the finish line! We have four leaders.
Lap 5: Cook can't afford to bluff with Vague chasing so closely, and so he's the main engine of the attackers. Cornelis, Goldenberg and Dobransky all help with taking turns, though. This leaves Vague no chance to come back. It's two against four. And with these long, straigh sections, two additional helpers can make the difference.
Still, even without winning, Vague is taking a big step in the Superprestige. With Mazzarelli hopelessly behind today, he'll increase his lead even further. Unless Cook would win and Vague would lose more places, of course!
And that's exactly Cook's plan. He now attacks at the front! He wants to win this race!
Cornelis can hang on. Goldenberg has to dig deep to try and keep up. Dobransky is now suffering.
Lap 6: Cook is putting the hammer down for real, now. Cornelis is not looking too comfortable in his wheel. Goldenberg is still hanging on, too. Dobransky is on the yo-yo. Losing some meters, then catching up. He's got character. Never gives up, this lad.
And action further behind the leaders, with Lipawsky and Power riding away from Listerijn and Gormley! An impressive duo attack, actually. They're immediately taken like 30 meters.
Mazzarelli will lose his Superprestige place today, that's for sure. He's in 18th position, so no points if he finishes now. He could still crack the top 15, but then he'll have to catch Lachy Bauer, who's 21 seconds ahead of him at the moment.
Cornelis is pulling through and now challenges Cook on the jumping bars! Cook doesn't jump and so Cornelis now has a small gap. Goldenberg jumps so easily and is now in second position. And is Dobransky finally cracking for good? He's got a 50 meter deficit. With that horsepower at the front, I don't think he'll make it back to the front.
Bollinger and Vague with their worst lap to far and they continue to lose time. The sand is tiring out Vague quite a lot.
Lap 7: Two laps remain! Tariq Faizullah is nearing Gormley and Listerijn. A good ride from Faizullah, especially this second half of the race.
Back to the front, we now have Goldenberg in front. Cornelis has been hanging at the back of the group for about half a lap. Cook doesn't trust the Belgian one bit and constantly looks over his shoulder.
And with good reason! The Belgian makes his move on the downhill and charges this sand section like a bull to a red flag! Cook follows him closely. Goldenberg has been surprised and is stuck in a bad track! He tries to make it right and move towards the middle. Coming out of the sand, he sees Cook and Cornelis growing smaller in the distance. What a blitz play by the old fox Cornelis.
Vague is tired of Bollinger and wants to rid of him, but Bollinger is a tough nut to crack. He hangs on.
Lap 8: And so we head into the final lap. Cook and Cornelis fighting for the win. Goldenberg is 9 seconds behind and still can see them ride in front of them. There's still some hope for the American.
Meanwhile, Vague has also gotten sight of Dobransky. He'll want to catch the Czech to gain another Superprestige point.
Cook is the first in the sand section and lays down the law with his immense power. Cornelis, relying on his great technique, manages to stick to Cook's wheel.
Here come the jumping bars! Cornelis jumps, so smoothly. Cook decides to take the risk. But his back wheel doesn't go over the second bar and he's out of balance! He manages to stay upright, but Cornelis has taken this chance to attack! Now going into these corners, Cornelis uses his bike handling abilities to go through them as fast as possible. Cook seems mad at himself and is now riding like a bull, on anger and power.
He's pressuring Cornelis, but the old fox has experience and knows he can take this home if he doesn't make any mistakes!
And he doesn't. Dries Cornelis wins the Rasterhoff cross. He punches into the air. Victory! Cook crosses the line second and hits his steering wheel. He's not too happy about it, it seems. We can understand the disappointment, going into the final lap with a good chance to win. The jumping bars proved his downfall once more.
Eddie Goldenberg is a nice third here. No contender in the Superprestige, but he can be happy about this nonetheless.
And there is Blazej Dobransky. The old Czech was able to hold off Vague and Bollinger and now crosses the finish line fourth. There's a big round of applause for him and he makes a fist. He waves at the crowd and smiles. He's happy about his first top 5 in ages and rightly so. A nice race from him and a beautiful fourth spot.
Vague beats Bollinger in the sprint for place 5 and so Vague does a great job in the Superprestige. In this sand course, he defended his lead more than impressively.
Etxeberdea managed to get rid of Hammarling in the last lap and is 7th. Hammarling 8th.
Alinejad further behind. And sprinting for the final place in the top 10 are Power and Lipawsky... It's the World Champion who takes the upper hand.
And that concludes the Rasterhoff cross. See you tomorrow in Italy for the Aosta Valley cross, where the Coca-Cola Trophy, where Cook defends a 84 second lead over Listerijn. See you there!
You'd think Milan Listerijn would be pissed off with the result here. It doesn't bode well for Aosta, you'd say. Well at the airport it, surprisingly, certainly doesn't seem like that's how he's thinking.
'Yeah I didn't over-extend myself which was nice but it was annoying to not be able to counter the moves. Exterberdea has now edged me out of top 10. I hope to get it back but now my priority is in Italy and Aosta Valley. Cook really gassed it today, but he came undone. 84 seconds is a lot of time to make on a guy like Cook for any person on this planet, though.' he says with an uncharacteristically unreadable expression. But would this stance be taken as weakness by his rivals?
'You could look at it that way,' he starts after a pause, 'but my goal is to hold off the others, not claw back to Cook. Both would be nice but if they want time on Cook to win they have to take time on me as well. That's my stance and if they want my time, they can come try and take it.'
It started off as a normal interview, now there are jokes about my ability to finish everywhere but first, questions about my performance in Rasterhoff, the usual, I told them I was finding form, I'll be there when I need to be there, then they asked me, 'What about Christmas?' Turns out it was the 19th, how didn't I know, why didn't I realise?
I want to race Aosta, Bianchi wants me to race Aosta, I won it last year, I want to win it again. Then there's Alpe d'Huez, the course is made for me, near my home, with French fans to support me and the climb, then the descent.
But then there is the Christmas Classic, am I racing well enough to win that? No. but it means so much to me and my season and my sponsors and my fans, it may be my only chance to win it in the rainbow jersey,
I told the journalists I had no choice, I will be racing to win all three.
Aosta Valley is back in the Coca-Cola Trophy and it could prove an important manche, too. Can Cook finish off the competition already here, four manches from the end of the trophy?
Race Information
Country: Italy
City/Place: Aosta Valley
Classification: Coca-Cola Trophy
Starting Time (Elite Men): 15h
Favorites: Elliot Cook, Dries Cornelis, Sylvain Lipawsky, Matt Mazzarelli, Francis N. Vague.
Record: 5x Giovanni Brocci (1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976)
Race History: The race is an old one, but only since last year it's part of an important trophy. Last year, the race was decided in a millimeter sprint between Mazzarelli and Lipawsky. The jury was congratulated on setting aside their bias when proclaiming Lipawsky the winner. The Italian will come back here with only one goal, to win the only Italian race on the calendar. Although this year, there is another one... The World Championships.
Route Information
Technical: 3
Sand: 3
Uphill: 4
Cobblestones: 0
The profile is a spectacular one. The Aosta Valley offers the inevitable climbs necessary to make the race hard. Besides the hills, there is a crossover stairway and plenty of sections through the sand. The sand, however, is not as we know it at the beach. This is hard sand, next to the farmer's fields. We shouldn't expect a sand expert here at the top of the table, but the sand could definitely get in the way for the victory of the day.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 6° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Milan, you will line up today second place overall in the Coca-Cola trophy, how high do you expect to finish?
Well I live by the rule if you say you can do something, or you say you can't, either way, you will be right. I'm gonna give the rest of this trophy my all to create a surprise amongst the big guns. It's about not losing time, but really that's not enough. Even a second here and there, I'll be going for it, but yeah, especially today it's about holding on.
What do you make of the course?
Yeah obviously it's hilly and quite technical, something I like but not as much as Cook or Mazzarelli, for example. The sand is there but it's more an obstacle for the weak rather than an opportunity for the strong, I think it will come down to the technical areas, and the selection made by the hills. We're going in as a unit but leaving the work up to BKCP and the other strong teams before it gets mano a mano.
Your legs seem to be slipping away recently, what's up?
Yeah Lisbon I was tired but Lee Valley was disappointing but not too much, I mean seventh is great for me. I guess I set the bar too high for myself. Rasterhoff I didn't go all out but still it was disappointing not to hold Power and Lipawsky. I'm keeping my hopes up though, not setting my expectations any lower for this race. Stay in fighting distance, if the opportunity comes start fighting now.
Your team appeared quite strong in Rasterhoff, is a multi-threat inbound?
Yeah Josiah, Mikey and I all started well in Rasterhoff but I think our biggest setback is we have nobody with lots of cross experience. Mikey and I are the two youngest in the peloton I believe and Josiah is pretty young too. Lachy is 28 but still a second-year crosser. He's the most experienced. Aosta is a course which suits the four of us quite well, but we may not be able to seize control.
At Rasterhoff, Dobransky almost rode to his old heights. The place where he could celebrate 4 victories, 2006 being his first in a great 5 year run. The czech rider dug especially deep here but later in a press conference, he admitted that the racing "felt natural here". He claimed he knew the course probably better than any other and said that he trained on this particular course in off-season.
Whilst his performance, coming 4th today, was a great surprise to himself, the fans and the peloton, the real surprise came later in a press conference: Dobransky announced his definite retirement.
"I would have loved to finish on the podium today but nonetheless, I feel like this is the right time to say goodbye to this sport as an active rider. I've felt in the past weeks very tired and I had a hard time racing. I've noticed that I'm not able to finish the races on the regular basis I used to. Looking now at the upcoming czech talents, I feel like it's a great time to step down for good, especially after my last 'swan song' here in Rasterhoff, where I enjoyed four great victories in my career and laid the fundament for my Superprestige overall victory."
Indeed, Dobransky was happy to reflect on some of his career highlights for the journalists. Asked whether the most impressive rider was, he ever raced against, Dobransky gave kudos to the Cornelis of young. "I remember how he came from the junior ranks and we all knew immediately from the first race that this kid was going places." He is almost equally impressed by the current rise of talents, led by Vague, Listerijn and fellow czech Soucek. "He is U23 World Champion, he has been proven that he has the talent to reach unbelieveable heights in this sport. I hope I can help him in some way maybe in the future."
For now, it is planned that Dobransky will take over duties as co-national coach at the Czech National Team but it is believed he will take over either czech national coach duties next year or maybe get into the regular team business. "The future is wide open. For now I look forward to taking a few weeks rest ahead of the Continental Championships."
Dobransky was sad about not racing in Tabor, but he also thought that Tabor deserved to have all the spotlight on "Soucek and Konva; it wouldn't feel right if I took away some of their spotlight by announcing my retirement there. I'm sure they'll do great there. In fact, I want to be a coach in Tabor."
Speaking of his dream of the racing the olympic games, he reminiscenes that it "was not his time for it anyway", however the Czech (jokingly?) hints towards a comeback, saying that "if Czech Republic needs a third man, I'd come back for you racing."
Czech rider Dobransky can look back on a great and especially long career. He has raced well over 1.000 races in his days since the Junior days, being competitive until his forties. His greatest victory was the Superprestige overall and multiple victories in Rasterhoff as well as a record run of 8 czech national championships.
Now at long last, Dobransky has become too old for this.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Vague can look back satisfied at Rasterhoff; he has left Mazzarelli behind, increased the total lead to second place and kept close to Elliot Cook. However with the World Cup and Superprestige-Double becoming increasingly possible, Vague has decided to skip the upcoming Coca-Cola races much to the dismay of the softdrink sponsor.
"I think the racing in Rasterhoff was really but after the british weekend, I don't feel like doing another double weekend. That's why the team and I have decided to skip the upcoming Coca-Cola races as well as the Christmas Classic to be in shape for the season-closing challenges."
Looking back at the Rasterhoff race, Vague claims that "Cornelis has been in a stunning form lately and in this shape, Belgium can work miracles at the World Championships." The win over Cook limited in a small manner the point loss towards the Briton, but Vague isn't concerned over those small points. "It's true that the Superprestige can be decided by a small margin of points... 3, 2.. maybe zero. But there's no point in racing with so such a motive in mind. If I want to win the double" - and the goal is obvious by now - "I will need to be better than Cook and Cornelis respectively, what doesn't help is counting points and splitting hairs and getting frustrated when you lose some lead. This is all about staying focused."
Asked about Dobransky's retirement, Vague nod his head and said kind farewell wishes. "He was already active when I got to know Cyclo-Cross as a kid. To me, he has always been part of this sport, and I hope he stays in it in some way."
Edited by Shonak on 22-09-2015 07:37
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
This time last year I was emerging from my shadow, letting the UCI know I wanted back in. How did I say it? The words I can't remember, but my emotions I can. Sorrow, excitement, anxiety, at times anger, but, most importantly, somewhere in there, hope. Hope led me through the pain of the phone call. The turbulent month of waiting and justifying ahead. Why justifying? I don't know. They wanted to know where the hell I went, I guess.
Hope now is what is leading me on this journey. Hope that Vague doesn't go full retard five minute solo if and when he returns to Coke, mostly. On that, good on him. Not just because it is awesome for me, but because this guy has guts. He's throwing away his defense of his title for the attack on two others. Maybe it's in part because Cook is so far ahead but I get the feeling he had it all planned out as a plan B. He knew he'd do well in at least two, at least one of which would be the World Cup or Superprestige.
But Schiltz? He seems to really want this, you saw how nervous he was in Struisbaai, and he still has a shot. I'm not sure how much say he has into this. Unless Vague meant he and the team made a decision for just Vague. But really I don't think Schiltz willingly gave it up. We'll see tomorrow.
Anyway that gives me Lipawsky and maybe Schiltz left within 2'30" of me. Maybe, especially with Mikey doing well too, I could podium. That's not even considering Alinejad and Mazzarelli back there as well.
Lastly, it was sad to see Blazej Dobransky go. He was one of the main men when I was growing up, despite being billed as the enemy, I admired him and it was great to have half a season in the same peloton as a legend like him, despite sharing little interaction. Farewell and good luck with the youngsters, don't get them too good ;).
Edited by jandal7 on 22-09-2015 09:13
Welcome in Italy for the Aosta Valley race! The Coca-Cola Trophy continues after the Struisbaai cross, where Listerijn took his earned victory and took back time on his adversaries. Cook leads the trophy, Listerijn is in second, Lipawsky is currently ranked third. Will we see the same names on those same podium places in an hour? We'll see.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 6° C
Precipitation: Dry
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start Line: First fact of the day: Francis Vague isn't here. And skipping a Coca-Cola Trophy race is even more dramatic to the standings than a World Cup or a Superprestige race. After losing 5 minutes, there's no way back, so Vague is out of this trophy. Is it because Schiltz demanded leadership or is Vague really taking the rest to fight for the other trophies? I guess we'll never know for certain.
Cook is here. You could say he is cursed that he's an all rounded performer and always seems to fight for the top spots in the trophies. He can't afford to skip any races and so he's here, with his gusto for racing as always.
Cornelis is on a form high. The veteran finally pulled through after a rough season start. Can we expect him today? He's of no importance in the trophy but that might be a weapon to fight for the win today.
Lap 1: With all riders ready to race, we're off!
Matt Mazzarelli is racing for the home crowd. The Italian would like nothing more than to take the World Championships in his own country, but this race is probably second on his list. Especially if you ask him about it today. And so he goes full gas to take the best possible start.
But today it's Dao who is the fastest rider at the start. The young Dane is seventh in the UCI Rankings and thus starts at the front row.
Despite this race "only" being a Coca-Cola Trophy race, many riders have expressed their taste for this race, not a lot of riders want to leave a chance to win it. We see a cautious start.
A first attack, Lachy Bauer! Good to see him again. Who will pick up the tab to chase him down? Can't let that guy ride too far, they know that.
It's Pierre Lipawsky who comes to the front with his brother in his slipstream and accelerates. The race can begin, the pace gets upped immediately!
Bauer is not the best runner, and his climbing the stairs proves it.
This is probably the best we've seen of Pierre Lipawsky, ever. He's bridging the gap for his brother, the World Champion.
Lap 2: Seven laps is the verdict!
Bauer gets caught, he's still missing some rhythm but it was nice to see him. Now the big guns are moving to the front. There's Cook, Listerijn, Goldenberg. But it's Schiltz who attacks! He's got his eyes set on this trophy and is now "freed" from team mate Vague and is sole leader of the squad.
Baris Dao reacts straight away, as do Sylvain Lipawsky, Dries Cornelis and Matt Mazzarelli.
A potentially dangerous situation for Cook, what will he do? Ooh, the Cookie Monster decided to play a dangerous and wicked game with young Listerijn. He looks towards the Belgian Kiwi and plays a dangerous game of poker. Listerijn has expressed his wish to keep this 2nd place in the trophy, Cook knows this, so let him catch Lipawsky, he must think.
What will Listerijn do? At the moment, he's not falling for Cook's trap, but so Lipawsky gets further away from him.
Goldenberg looks annoyed that he missed the break, but he doesn't want to take up the chasing himself, and so we're stuck with three riders not picking up the pace. The attacking group has 12 seconds already!
And Lachy Bauer to the rescue! He's come back to the front of the chasing group, to work for Listerijn. And Bollinger, too!
Lap 3: Fred Markson has made the connection to the chasing group after a long effort. Mutahi came along with him.
At the front, Lipawsky, Mazzarelli, Dao, Schiltz and Lipawsky all seem to work well together. And thus it won't be easy to bring them back.
Bad luck for Markson, as he's out of the chasing group again after breaking his chain. It's a long walk to the technical area and his mechanic. This, too, is cyclo-cross.
Bauer's pace just isn't high enough, but nobody else will chase so the five leaders widen their margin by the meter.
Cornelis is the first up the stairs. At his age, he could do with an escalator, instead. But he's doing it and doing it well. Dobransky recently called him his greatest adversary in his career. It was sad to see the Czech going, especially after his performance at Rasterhoff. But that's life. People get old. As do chimpanzees. But that's a story for another day.
Back to the race, where Bollinger has now taken up on Bauer's job. Today's hierarchy is obvious within the Santos team: Listerijn is the indesputable number 1. We can't say it's not deserved. Very logical, too, of course. they have a classification to defend.
Lap 4: Mutahi is suffering in the chasing group. The constant up and down is fatiguing, that much is certain. As expected, the sand hasn't made too much of an impact. Not as of yet, anyway.
Meanwhile, Eldfjallsson is once again to be found too far behind for his talent. Last year he proved he doesn't need ice to be among the best, but that was last season, and this is now. He's making an effort to get to the front, though.
After losing Pierre Lipawsky and Lachy Bauer, it seems we might say goodbye to Bollinger in the front group, as Goldenberg and Listerijn have decided to join the chase after all. And not without reason, the five leaders are reportedly already half a minute ahead of the chasers!
Lap 5: Seems like the unity in the front group is broken, as Dries Cornelis used a downhill to speed away. This evoked a reaction from Lipawsky and Mazzarelli. Both riders are now working together to catch Cornelis. We're now on the stairwell. Schiltz, with a smooth motion to take his bike on his back, joins the duo. Dao is having a tough moment and falls behind.
An attack by Goldenberg! Cook reacts straightaway. Listerijn digs deep to follow, too! Mutahi struggles... Bollinger is gone.
Through the sand now. Lipawsky with a long turn... And coming out of the sand, we have four leaders!
This race is far from over. And the Coca-Cola Trophy takes a strange turn here. Lipawsky, third in the rankings, is improving his classification big at the moment! Even Cook will have to start riding soon if he doesn't want the World Champion threatening his overall Trophy chances!
Lap 6: This is not what Al Green was thinking about when singing "let's stay together" but it sure is happening at the front right now. Four leaders still. With two laps left, this means we still have much to happen at this Aosta Valley cross. Who will win? Dao is digging deep and wants to catch up to the front. If he can bring this race to a sprint, he knows he can take the win. He's proven that already.
But one man will try to avoid a sprint at any cost. That man is local hero Matt Mazzarelli. We're at the stairs now. Mazzarelli moving up, I think he's about to attack!
Cornelis, with all his experience, knows this. And there it is! Mazzarelli uses the uphill to attack! Cornelis knew it was coming, but the explosiveness of Mazzarelli knows no equal on these slopes. He's off on his own!
The crowd is going wild! Italy wants this race and they're counting on Mazzarelli to give it to them!
The chasing trio is not up to the challenge on these slopes, but now here's the downhill. Cornelis has gone deep to try and answer the attack, he leaves it up to Lipawsky and Schiltz. Lipawsky picks up the pace.
Oh and Schiltz makes a mistake with his gears! Lipawsky and Cornelis don't wait. He's only lost a few meters, but at this point in the race, it's so frustrating. Especially such a silly mistake!
Talking about frustration, Milan Listerijn is tired of Cook's mental warfare and is all worked up. He just attacked out of the second chasing group! Goldenberg and Cook didn't have an answer right away and are now keeping Listerijn within their sights.
Lap 7: The final lap! Mazzarelli is getting spurred to victory by his crowd. He's got 19 seconds on the finish line, impressive. Bar accident, he's got this, I believe.
Schiltz is still about ten meters behind the chasing duo and that's real tough mentally. He can't get back to them. For Cornelis and Lipawsky, it's too bad, too. They could've used another helping hand to chase down Mazzarelli. But waiting is not an option in this moment of the race. And Schiltz will keep riding for every second anyway, with the classification still at stake.
Listerijn is going completely in the red and is doing everything he can to save his classification. On the one hand, he's losing a lot of time to Lipawsky and Schiltz. On the other hand, he's now riding away from Cook. We have 10 seconds on the clock. It's not a lot but taking time on Cook is hard enough as it is. Cook is not riding his best race of the season today. Is it fatigue? An off-day? We'll have to ask him to find out.
And here he is. He came, he saw, he conquered. Matt Mazzarelli takes one for the home crowd. He points at himself and then blows kisses to the crowd. A victory in style.
Cornelis outsmarts Lipawsky in the sprint for second! And Schiltz is just a few seconds behind.
Baris Dao managed to hang on for fifth place.
Listerijn is sixth, but at 49 seconds and drops to fourth in the Coca-Cola Trophy! He's got work to do in the FujiCross!
Goldenberg is a nice 7th, especially considering the amount of climbing here, Cook eight. Mutahi makes ninth.
A group of four will sprint for the 10th place. We note... Faizullah, Eldfjallsson, Bollinger, Hammarling.
That concludes today's race. Thanks to aggressive racing and risky mind games, or a terrible off-day, Lipawsky and Schiltz keep this trophy alive! We'll see you next week for the very first edition of the Alpe d'Huez cross! We're looking forward to it! See you in France!
Since the incident, I have been getting on with it. I don't seem to be able to shake the jack of all trades label, or the eternal number two.
The latest race in Italy was pretty embarressing I was lacking the necessary juice and when you have a guy like Mazarati in his home town really pumping it you have to be on the top of your game. World number one Francis Vague wasn't here - sensible perhaps but a shame that he'll throw in the towel.
Anyways I still am in control of the Coke trophy I just need to get my mojo back - the Christmas Classic is a nice bit of fun I am looking forward to the Swiss climbs.
I have decided that I ain't the guy that does recovery that great by skipping races, the only ones I may give a miss are things like the Continentals and even the worlds. I met with the establishment when we were back in blighty. Their ain't a single British rider even at the races bar me at the moment but they still were banging on about being a team player. Screw them for now I say.
While the winners go to the podium ceremony, the focus of the huddle of journalist turn to the losers. Tifosi, flandriennes, Yanks, the lot. Milan Listerijn, after a while, is found with his team, trying to avoid attention. After a while, the media scrum get the better of the team media man.
Milan, dare we say that was a bit of a fail on your part? What went on in the first six laps?
I was played. Played by Cook, by Schiltz and Lipawsky, by myself. Mikey and Lachy were amazing but really they shouldn't of had to be. Cook knows our team mentality though and he took the better of it. After a while we'd done to much damage for me to leave it to Cook. I just wished I had realised he was having an off-day sooner, I could've maybe not limited time, perhaps a few seconds, but I could have dented him and perhaps made him lose another 10, 20 seconds, particularly if Goldie had tagged along.
In the end I wanted to end it and just went gas, I was sick of playing mind games. I tell you what, if I can't catch a break in Fuji, I'm just gonna let Cook do it all. He's not getting any sympathy now. Don't take that the wrong way though, what he did was perfectly within the rules, laws and even unwritten rules. Just I don't forget in a hurry.
What about the rest of the trophy? Surely you must take initiative somewhere?
Yep, that somewhere is Lviv. Fuji I'll limit my losses, perhaps take some time. I'll try make a break or let Cook do it all. Then in Lviv it is ice time, our team doesn't have fond overall memories there but I hope to turn that around. I hope I can take time on someone there, but I'm not sure who I can.
So where can you make room for this energy your plan needs? You are known for needing some recuperation?
Yeah obviously something will have to make way, I was originally skipping everything until Fuji but it's too big a gamble, freshness is vital but I could lose rhythm. Christmas Classic looked nice but it's not similar too Fuji and more hotly contested, despite suiting me better I think Alpe D'Huez is better practice for Fuji, then I'll do some ice races to get me in the swing of things for Ukraine.
What about Continentals and World's?
Hmmm. Contis aren't a huge goal for me, I may attend depending on my condition. But Worlds, yeah. Sienna is beautiful, I'd attend just to race there, on the strade bianche. But yeah, I'm going. We haven't had a national team talk yet, but it's still Lachy leader with me as free role as far as I know.
Edited by jandal7 on 23-09-2015 09:11
Lee Valley - Preview
Goldie
Hammer Time
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
Rasterhoff - Preview
Aosta Valley - Preview
