Superprestige is just everywhere lately. Alpe d'Huez tops off an impressive run of the Trophy in December. After today, we're finally done with the Superprestige, at least for about a month, until we're back with Hagfors.
Alpe is new, and it seems like it'll be the first race to introduce ice into this cross season. This will definitely change the plans of some riders. Vague, an ice expert, will be happy to learn he can defend his Superprestige lead on terrain of his choosing.
Race Information
Country: France
City/Place: Alpe d'Huez
Classification: Superprestige
Starting Time (Elite Men): 14h30
Favorites: Francis N. Vague, Matt Mazzarelli, Sylvain Lipawsky, Dries Cornelis, Christian Schiltz.
Record: New
Race History: Alpe d'Huez is a new cross. Arguably the most famous mountainside of France has made an interesting bid on the cyclo-cross world and now features as a Superprestige race. Obviously the climb itself is not used. Long climbs and tarmac don't go with cyclo-cross. Instead, we stay at the foot of the climb and dive into the fields.
Route Information
Technical: 4
Sand: 0
Uphill: 4
Cobblestones: 0
Alpe d'Huez is a famous climb. Unfortunately we'll hardly see it in this Alpe d'Huez cross. Instead, we start at the foot of the Alpe and head straight into the field next to it. We "splash around" a bit before finally moving in: the riders climb through the trees, upwards and onwards!
The snow will make it a technical climb. After the climb, the riders stay up a bit, but the slope is skewed and it'll be hard to keep their balance, before finally going back down in a downhill honouring the Alpe d'Huez the best way they could've done: through the field in a technical downhill with... yes, 21 bends. The riders get back to the foot, where they have to go over a crossover bridge.
After that, there's a smaller climb, before finally returning to the start line. The final straight is only 80 meters long, but the terrain isn't smooth at all so it'll be a slow sprint. Power is off the essence here.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: -4° C
Precipitation: Ice.
Wind: 1 Beaufort
4th places last season: countless.
Wins last season: one.
Races since the last 4th place: countless.
Wins this season: two.
I felt like I owed that to Aosta's crazy tifosi. Last year Sylvain choked the delighted shouts of the myriad of fans attending the cross. I still remember the instant where it was announced he won the sprint. I kind of died inside, that was awful. This one was my little revenge I guess, but I wouldn't have managed to get through the disappointment for failing to make my own fans proud in my only home race. That said it's not really my only home race this year: some brilliant UCI guys decided the WCs are going to be raced in the beautiful whereabouts of Siena. Yay!
Yesterday I felt as great as my first races of the last season, around the times I started ending up between 4th and 7th consistently. Remember when I used to unleash those worthless 20 meters energy wasting attacks? Yeah it was about then. Think I learned my lesson and timing that attack perfectly was the key to win the race. Sure, tifosi shouting that single one thing helped but you can't say the other lads gave away the victory either.
So next up is Alpe d'Huez. Boy am I excited about this. Since when I was a very little kid and knew shit about CycloCross I wanted to win a TDF up the mythic Alpe. Those were the times when Pantani ruled the whole thing, and even though as a 5 year old I didn't really know what the hell he was doing I knew I would have loved to do the same. Now I can try to realize my dream hopefully.
Oh very nice weather forecast for the next days is released! Let's scroll it thr.. fuck off.
Aaaaaaaaaargh! Damn it dammit damnity damn it! Yes, I was played like a fool in Aosta. Cook probably knew he could fiddle with my mind, the neo-pro. And he was right.
But enough of that and on to the mythical Alpe D'Huez. Just being here is amazing. I was brought up on cyclocross but road took a close second back in the day. Every year at the tour, everyone would get excited. Even those pessimists on Belgium's chances couldn't help but feel the yellow fever. And when I saw L'Alpe... I wanted to see it in person so badly I used to dream about moving it to Holland, or even Wallonia with chopsticks. Didn't want it landing on our cross courses, though.
And now I'm here. And we have got ice! Finally the winter has turned cold and it isn't a bad time to start, either. I'm ready to take a punt, tune the legs and get some rhythm before Japan. Today may be a good chance to move up in the Superprestige, but I'm still more focused on Coke and NES.
My chances on this course aren't great, despite the ice I am not yet as strong as some uphill, so a top 10 and some attacks or leg testing would be great, but of course if I get the chance for more, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will take it.
With its combination of ice and climbs, the bookkeepers have one man on the highest odds imaginable: If you bet your money on a Vague win, you'll almost get a few cents more than you put in.
Whilst from an economic side betting on Vague is probably the lame decision, there's little actual that speaks against the belgian star winning the first edition of Alpe d'Huez. He is a beast in the snowy terrain, loves a good climbing course and has all the technical gift to plunge through the field. Most notably though, he has the form and is well rested compared to his adversaries to be on the top of his game here.
Vague is the leader of the Superprestige and as such, the obligation of defending and covering moves is always with him. However Vague is keen to set the others under pressure. "This could be a great race. I think Team Odfjell will be blasting through the ranks right from the start. I plan to be there and make the race for the victory a tough challenge." Speaking of his rivals, Vague hopes of course to make good use of Odfjell number strength and get a significant gap early on between Cook, Mazzarelli and himself.
"I look forward to this race quite much. It's always exciting when you can debut a new parcour and have the opportunitiy of becoming the first winner. I know they call Alpe d'Huez the mountain of the dutchies, but tomorrow it has to become a belgian monument."
Edited by Shonak on 24-09-2015 04:25
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Alpe d'Huez. A mythical climb. Home to a great many deal of legendary stories. We have seen Tour de France victories in the making, and also chances being blown up completely. The Dutch Mountain, they say.
And here we are now. Cross bikes ready. To taste the real Alpe. The ice, the snow. The real slopes, not just the artificial road up the ski station. No, today we will see the Alpe d'Huez in its purest form. These top athletes will fight hard to be the first true conquerer of the Alpe. Welcome to the first Alpe d'Huez cross!
Weather Conditions
Temperature: -4° C
Precipitation: Ice.
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start List: Well, it's cold here. Who's idea was it again to come here to race? The winter has begun and so we start this first Alpe edition in cold but dry conditions. The mountain is covered in snow and ice, so we're ready for a tough race, technically.
Vague is on the front line, feeling very confident. Next to him his closest rival, Cook. And on the other side next to him, one of most dangerous possible riders here. Cornelis. Both man are big talents and therefor ice and snow can't set them back. Talent like that gets around on any terrain. But Vague always has a little more in these conditions. Let's see if that's the case today.
Lap 1: Go! The first Alpe cross is underway. It's Eldfjallsson with the fast start here. We have ice and immediately we see this master of the ice come forward. It's like it's calling him.
But we don't go to the climb immediately. Cook wants to attack Vague for the Superprestige and moves to the front. We see Schiltz following him as his shadow. A BKCP-Powerplus tactic in action? A sign that Schiltz' dip in form is finally to an end?
There come Lipawsky and Mazzarelli. Both riders aren't too happy with these circumstances. Neither of them excell on the ice and they'll hope to limit their losses today, rather than to gain any time.
We're heading towards the climb. Oh and in this sharp corner Vague takes the inside and moves to the front of the race, brutal but efficient move from the Belgian!
He immediately turns on the heat on the climb! He wants to make this race as hard as possible, as soon as possible. Don't give the opposition time to warm up, he must be thinking.
Everyone's gasping for breath to hang on... But the terrain is tricky, very tricky. Mazzarelli gets out of the saddle and sees his bike slips away from underneath him. No, this requires a very unique skill.
And what's this? Vague is off on his own. Cook choosing for his own pace, still followed closely by Christian Schiltz. And then more gaps. This climb is brutal. It is steep, long and slippery.
Vague is at the top now. Very skewed underground, but he is like a ballet dancer up here. Look at him go! Cook is trying to cross it on brute force, but he slips away a little bit every time and that costs him a bit of time and energy. Hammarling is moving up places, but it isn't too easy here.
Lap 2: Bam! A blur just crossed the line. I think it was Francis Vague. Now we wait... And there is Elliot Cook, followed by Schiltz, who will not relay, of course. Cook is known to play mental games, but this one by BKCP-Powerplus is one not much to his liking!
We'll have 7 laps today.
Lipawsky and Mazzarelli have paired up and will want to keep this rhythm. And there we see Eldfjallsson and Hammarling.
Vague up the climb. He makes no mistakes. Cook is reported at 11 seconds. That's quite a gap already.
Some boys are really suffering. This being the first ice cross of the season, the neopros ride one for the first time with the pros. You can see their inexperience. We hear Kloet has gone down, as has Markson, Mutahi, Goldenberg repeatedly. Dirk Accostella is doing quite well, though, on the ice.
And here is Listerijn. He's the best of the neopros so far. A top talent like that adjusts quickly.
Lap 3: Vague in first. He's riding his cross now. Just him against the Alpe. And there's Cook. 24 seconds, would you look at that. That is unbelievable. Just a class above everyone else today. Cook at 24 seconds, with Schiltz surprisingly hanging on to Elliot Cook. And then, we wait even longer. Lipawsky at more than half a minute on Vague. 38 seconds.
What a slaughter this is turning into. Those time differences. Several riders won't risk too much in this downhill, but that costs them time.
Here we see how it's done, though. Vague zigzags through the 21 bends and makes it down safely. Is he even aware of his advantage? You would swear he's trying to get rid of someone on his wheel. Still going full gas in lap 3. Can he keep this up to the finish?
Mazzarelli is suffering from the cold, you can see it. But he's dressed himself as warmly as possible and he's trying to adjust, but it's just not his strength. He now gets passed by Milan Listerijn, Gregory Bernard and Naveed Alinejad.
Fred Markson is riding a good 3rd lap and moves up steadily, riding close to Kokkonen, an ice expert.
Lap 4: Well, this is one of those crosses you know is going to be hard for a reporter. Vague is just gone. Knowing his talent and his abilities, nobody will bring him back. He's got 37 seconds on Elliot Cook, now. He's from another planet. Kudos to Cook for not breaking completely, though. He's fighting for what he's worth, especially with that Schiltz glued to him, still. Hasn't left a meter since the race started.
Look at that style, though. Francis Vague. An artist on the bike. Beautiful to watch. And talking about artists, where do we find Cornelis? The old lion is... Aha, moving up, going places. He's now apparently picked up Mikel Hammarling and the two are looking to catch the World Champion, Sylvain Lipawsky.
Tough luck for Bakari, as he goes down in the downhill.
Baris Dao is learning the ice the hard way, too. He goes down again.
Lap 5: Vague's lead just keeps on growing. Let's hit chrono.
Wow. Just, wow. It's been a long time since anyone has been this dominant in a race. Cornelis has known a few legendary solos in his career, but since these young riders came on the scene, things have been quite even. Yes, Cook sometimes has a convincing victory, as has Vague. But this is extraordinary. You only see these kinds of things once every few years.
He just keeps on going. Flawlessly moving through the trees, floating over the ice. Doesn't even seem to be there.
Lap 6: Two laps remain.
Lipawsky has found a decent rhythm and is now doing everything he can to hold off Cornelis and Hammarling. He has over 10 seconds but with two laps to go, we'll have to see if he can do it. Hammarling and Cornelis are quite equal today, so that means Hammarling is really coming into shape. Slowly but steadily.
Meanwhile, Eldfjallsson must be frustrated to see his team mate and Cornelis ride just 10 seconds ahead of him. Hammarling can't really wait, because they're chasing Lipawsky. It's a tough situation for Team Odfjell.
Mazzarelli now gets left behind by Listerijn, Alinejad and Bernard. Kloet and Markson have passed him as well. The Italian is obviously choosing for his own rhythm, the only thing you can do on a terrain like this. At least he's staying upright, now.
Lap 7: And so we head into the final lap. An honorary victory lap for Francis Vague, who never let down his guard and pace for just a second. He wants to show he's the man in form and the man to beat at the moment. He doesn't just want to win, he wants to make a statement here, or so it seems.
Still in focus. And more than a minute down the field, we have Elliot Cook, still powering through. He's not a quitter, you can give him that. And this is no time trophy, but on points, so it's not dramatic for Cook. But he's already 10 points behind so it won't be easy to reclaim his Superprestige trophy this season.
Mazzarelli doing his utmost best to hold off Kokkonen in this final lap. Mazzarelli is now in 13th position, a disaster for his classification. Lipawsky is keeping fourth, though. Cornelis and Hammarling are still 10 seconds behind the World Champion, who's riding a very creditable race.
Here he is. The winner, victor, conquerer, dominator. Francis Vague pounds his chest two times and then punches the air with his fist. A Neanderthal scream from the young Belgian as he crosses the line. What a show, what a race. This is a piece of history you've just witnessed.
Oh and what's this, now? Schiltz, also known as Cook's shadow today, wants to deliver a knock-out blow to Cook. After an entire race of getting him nervous, Schiltz now accelerates out of Cook's wheel. Cook has no reaction. He doesn't even pay attention at Schiltz.
Schiltz makes this a perfect day for BKCP-Powerplus. A 1-2 in a Superprestige race. He cheers and crosses the line. Schiltz 2nd. Cook 3rd.
Lipawsky saves his 4th place, nicely done. And now a sprint for 5th... Won by Cornelis over Hammarling. Eldfjallsson is 7th, followed by Listerijn and Bernard.
Alinejad takes the 10th place. Then Kloet, Markson and then Mazzarelli.
Kokkonen and Accostella take the remaining Superprestige points.
Well, it's been an interesting first edition of the Alpe d'Huez cross. We've seen one dominant man, and then the rest. See you in a few days for the Christmas Classic!
With the winter upon the scene, both the Belgian crowd and Vague came good on their promise: They dropped Alpe d'Huez in three prime colors and the Dutchies had to take a de-tour.
From start to finish, what a performance. What was going on in your mind, tell us, what's your impression of the race?
Yeah, I had really good legs today. Fantastic in fact. Christian and I had a talk before and he was feeling confident too. There may have been a general plan behind it at work but he really did a great job at keeping Cook on the leash, whilst I could go at my own pace and just enjoy the race really at some point. It's a beautiful scenery here and many french and belgian fans made it for a very noisey, cowbell festivity. Of course this race suited me very much, the climbing, descents, the general snow and ice.. I knew that I had to win here today and I wanted that everybody knows it too.
Maybe your best performance?
[Smiles, shakes his head] I can't tell, it was certainly for me a great way to open up the Alpe d'Huez history books here. Maybe A Piece of History will feature me one day here, but for now I am just happy to have won here and want to keep up the good form.
Some words on Team Odfjell?
They really wanted to show themselves here but it may have been a bit too hilly for them in the end. The course is really difficult to handle and not just a snowy lovefest for us guys. I think if the snow keeps dropping, they'll be up in the podium ranks in no time.
Cook and Mazzarelli have been your main rivals before the start, how do you rate them now?
I think Cook did a great race as well. It's not easy to catch up on me [laughs], but Christian made it also really difficult for him. He functioned as an anchor and I'm pretty sure at times he managed to demotivate or slow down Cook in that way. This is classic Cyclo-Cross games but it's worth to mention all the same. As for Mazzarelli, we knew that he does not like the cold at all. For the upcoming races, it's good to have him at a distance. Lipawsky came 2nd last year in the Superprestige, he looks confident and good to make the podium this year as well although the gap is - to my delight - already significant.
Are you mentally on a all-time high now, in fact you lead with 12 points to Cook?
It's true I am happy about the current development but there are still some races left. The December month was very tough upon us riders who ride for the overall Superprestige. Think about the british week, which was really brutal at times. Rasterhoff didn't make it easy either. So, it's good that the next SP race is about in a month and it gives you time to refocus on the important things.
Do you think only a crash can stop your SP win?
No, not at all. For me it's important to stay focused as I said many times. Cyclo-Crossers have 4 intense months where all our yearlong training comes to fruition. It's good that I have a sizeable lead onto the others but Lisbon has showed me last year, how quick you can lose it all. I don't want to let it happen again.
Your plan for the upcoming races?
It's pretty much decided that Christian is our main classics guy, so I think he'll be doing the Christmas Classics, whilst I try to recuperate from the latest efforts. You'll see me in South Korea again since I'll skip Fuji as well. As for the Continental Championships: I heard it's a rather sandy affair. Count me out if there's no snow involved. It's just not worth the hassle for me then, since I either ride for medals or big points.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Ice! Yes the strong winter is finally here and what a way to start! Vague completely nailed us all today, he showed everyone he was just a cut above. Once again I finished in the wrong half of the top ten, but that's good, I can take more positives than negatives from that on this course, particularly taking in how much climbing went in.
I rode the race at my own pace, joined by Bernard and Alinejad. I managed to win out of that group, and we managed to drop Matt, which shows how much damage a little ice does to some. But unfortunately looking to Lviv we will need more than a little ice to tame the Cookie Monster, the hills paying so much for him he managed to come second in an icy race.
Superprestige now looks better for me, I overtook Soucek and Exteberdea and am now ninth. With the main month over I can now refocus on finishing Coke and NES in style and then the World Champs. Superprestige will be form building for me, along with some World Cup races.
Also UCI rankings me and Eldfjasson distanced those below but we still remain gapped by those above, I'm not sure I can pass him but I'll try. Otherwise I have to get to the front quickly in most races with 10-man rows, and when they get bigger I count my lucky stars.
And before I hop on the plane, I will in fact ride the Christmas Classic, not with much ambition but rhythm building and working for Mikey, then I have almost a week to freshen up and scout the Fuji course.
Soon after Matt crossed the finish line for the last time at the Alpe d'Huez cross, a bunch of shamelessly imprudent reporters assailed him. Not a word came out of his mouth, and the next day he was reported as "too angry and disappointed to speak".
In the conference of this morning, Matt Mazzarelli's manager talked to press and released some shocking statements.
"Matt is currently in his bed. He ain't sleeping though. He caught an alarming cold."
He also added - "He will skip at least the next cross to prevent his condition to get worse and he's being seen by Mapei's coroner" - to finish off saying that "it's too early to say if that is actually something we should worry about.".
Is this just a way to take the attention off the Italian and force his rivals to underestimate him? Surely Mazzarelli didn't look good during the race already. If all of this is true as it seems to be, Matt will lose quite a lot of points from his direct opponents. The Superprestige ranking podium he's striving for since the start of the season looks now as far as it can be.
I won't get a better situation to win the Christmas classic, world champion, Vague and Matt aren't coming, Milan won't race hard, it seems like for once the planets have aligned for me, but lets not get ahead of myself, it's cross, not only that Cornelis, Cook, Shiltz and others are here, anything can happen but with my lack of wins this season, I'll be giving everything for the win.
I'm praying for no ice, just rain, so much that the sand turns to mud, I'm almost at the point of doing rain dances, it's funny that the whole race could just come down to the weather.
Aosta and Alpe d'Huez were a bit disappointing, but I don't really have much ground to stand on with what to expect, I'll just have to hope for a better race at home. I know the course like the back of my hand and last years disappointment was pretty hard to take.
A couple of road riders have told me I've got the curse of the rainbow jersey, could just be an excuse though, can I just promise myself I'll keep winning next season? No.
The rest of my season is pretty certain, I'll miss most the remaining world cup races between now and the worlds, maybe a couple superprestige or classics that don't suit me and then I'll prepare for the worlds exactly as I did last year. My number one goal this year was always to take the rainbow jersey again, although the Christmas classic means more to me personally. I'm almost still interested in the Coca-Cola classification and the superprestige, it'd be really nice to win a classification this season, I'm thinking of targeting one completely next season.
In other news the sponsors have already reached next season, Bianchi wants a Italian leader or to quit CX, they're already annoyed at me for losing Aosta, now they want me gone or supporting Matt, which I don't plan to do. SAP want to keep sponsoring us but can't do it without a secondary sponsor, hopefully the team doesn't fold.
The Under 23 and juniors races before ours also look great, some pretty good riders coming through including my friend Blaise.
After a long stretch of classification crosses, we're finally at the eve of a Classic again. It's Christmas eve and tomorrow evening, on Christmas Day, we have the traditional Christmas Classic. A very prestige race, and an old one as well.
The race organisation is quite sad to see many big names skipping this race, especially with the history and tradition of the race. With the increasing importance of classifications and the purse that these bring, Classics become less interesting to some riders.
However, with 200 UCI Points up for grabs for the winner, the riders showing up can turn the Christmas Day absence to their advantage!
Race Information
Country: Switzerland
City/Place: Genève
Classification: Classic
Starting Time (Elite Men): 18h00
Favorites: Elliot Cook, Sylvain Lipawsky, Dries Cornelis
Record: 6x Jack Wylle (1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981)
Race History: The Christmas Classic is almost as old as Christmas itself. Well, maybe not that old, but still. It was first raced in 1926, organised by local enthusiasts. It's been in Genève since 1932. Jack Wylle was dubbed 'Santa on a bike' when he won the race for the fifth time in 1979. He won it a sixth time in 1981 and has been the organiser of the race since 2001.
The route changed drastically after making a bid for the World Championships in 2008. They decided to adopt the new profile for the Christmas Classic, offering a more diverse route. Last year's edition was a big success, with Cook as the winner.
Route Information
Technical: 2
Sand: 4
Uphill: 4
Cobblestones: 2
The route for the Christmas Classic is not an easy one. The race starts pretty drastically. After a short sprint, the riders head downhill in a sharp descend. After which, they tackle a cobbled climb. There are lots of sharp and small climbs on the profile, but also one larger one, where the difference can be made.
The sand is the main attraction, but the ice might pose a problem for the sand experts. However, the big sand sections won't freeze with this temperatures, so we'll still have enough sand left.
The finale offers lots of chances to avoid a sprint. The final climb is a real tough, short but extremely steep sandy climb. All that's left then is 55m flat road.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: -2° C
Precipitation: Ice, Dry.
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Young CX rider Milan Listerijn has today spoken out saying that he 'isn't here to be a tourist, if I wanted Christmas to be a holiday I'd go home.' This comes in the wake of media speculation, and indeed that of other riders, that he isn't focused enough and will hand over the win even if he's in with a sniff.
'That's honestly stupid, nobody turns up to a race only to give up when they have a dream position - not in an historic race like this. Even if I'm not gassing it and Mikey is leader that doesn't mean I'm gonna sit up and watch the race go on if I have good legs.' The young talent has confirmed that he isn't going for it with full power, moreover saving it for the Coca-Cola Trophy, where he lies 4th, 12 seconds off the podium and just 71 off leader Elliot Cook.
'It is, of course, a classic cross, not just in name. It's a beautiful race, even if I liked the course more before '08. I guess they won't reinstate the more sand less climbs, not with Sylvain fever in full flight here. I'd love to win here one day, and whoever says I won't jump at the chance to make that day Friday, despite the odds, is kidding themselves. Sorry but nobody would.'
For Guido Visconti, the season so far has been a tough learning experience. Most of all, Guido has done racing all of the races this season, a huge difference to last year where he only attented a limited number of junior and domestique elite pro races. And according to his father, former star cyclo-crosser Raphael Visconti, "it's a good learning curve to master and come up with the endurance for an entire season."
Contrary to the top riders, Visconti feels that keeping some energies in the tank could help him in the later races to score some unexpected results. As for now, the young gun functions as part-trainee, part-helper in Lotto-Fidea's squad where most of the attention on Dries Cornelis. Raphael Visconti - in his time not always exactly supportive of Cornelis' domination - has already hinted that the young gun may be on his way out come season end: "There are options of course but this is usual talk that goes on and on. We'd like to stay at a belgian team, Lotto-Fidea is a great option for that of course."
However, Guido has also other plans in mind. Thinking of the UCI classification and the shot at the World Championships, Visconti is eager to prove his worth to the crowd by becoming the possible 5th or even 6th under in the belgian dress come Siena in January. Whilst most eyes will rest upon Vague and Cornelis, Visconti has claimed that it'd be an honour to ride on the pros level. Yet the young gun also sees the chance of a possible U23 title as an attractive option, but dismisses the notion first since: "I do most of my races on the pro level now for Lotto-Fidea. It'd be wrong to race on the U23 level, in some way. But of course, in Siena, I want to be at the start line, either level will have to do then."
Visconti looks back at a season with many setbacks and form-finding so far. Indeed whilst Visconti came good on some promises of his talent in the NES series, the racing in the top leagues has granted him little satisfaction. Sitting in the lower places of the Coca-Cola ranking and having not scored a single point in the Superprestige classement, Visconti's best shot at getting some recognition came in the form of the World Cup series, where he is currently ranked 30th.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Last year, Sven Welling was known as the loyal helper of Vague in some races until he came to the forefront in the later part of the season and scoring some decent results for himself. Now with the impressive payout of Schiltz' move to BKCP-Powerplus, Welling has been put further in the background, becoming mostly a unmentioned side-kick to the two super boys. The results so far havn't been all good but Welling stays at a solid 20th place overall in the UCI standings.
Although there is quite a margin to the Top 10, Welling has been positive about his future, stating that the racing lately "felt very good and I am on the way up again, I think." The Belgian had suffered a bad summer, but hopes to come in better shape in the second half of the season.
"As a veteran of the sport, I am used to most of it. I know that I need some time to find legs, but so far the races havn't suited me many times. I hope to do well in the Christmas Classic, which is traditionally raced hard and this suits me often times."
Welling has almost secured his entry to the World Championships in Siena. He has ridden Strade Bianche a few years ago when he attempted a few years the dual combination of CX-road. Naturally as Crosses he liked the gravel roads very much and has come to know Siena as a beautiful spot. "I'm not sure if there'll be really many gravel roads in the race. It'd be fun and oddly enough, something new to the sport of Cyclo-Cross."
When asked about his backing, Welling was shy of an answer at first, stating that it was well over a month to go. "But my teammates Francis and Christian have proven in Alpe d'Huez recently that they are among the best climbers in the bunch." Welling is aware though that a call up to the national team will be bound by his commitment both to Vague and Cornelis as a helper. Not at a problem according to the routinier.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
His debut pro season could be well better, Stan Van Overberghe is well aware of that. He did not come to the scene with grand expectations but honestly, he thought he'd do still better than that. No highlights, hardly any tv time. His local team Topsport Vlaanderen CX already thinks about its future: So Verboven is good, but the others three.
Van Overberghe is mad at himself for seemingly wasting almost the first three months. "I had expected to do much better than this. I wasn't that far away from Markson and Goldenberg's level. I distanced Visconti more times than the other way around. But so far, Iam definitely lagging way behind."
Stan explains this with his lack of adjustment to the travel expenses. On the junior level and in the national lower leagues of the sport, Van Overberghe was often times racing just around the corner of his hometown. "From the starting row, far down the pack, to the race rhythm: It's just a problem of many cases. Right now I lack the naturality someone like Vague presents on the bike. They ride like they own the place, and I ride like I don't even own my own proper bike", he states frustrated.
If it's a case of being at the wrong team? "No, Topsport Vlaanderen gave me an opportunitiy but it's about to me to prove them right in signing me. Vermeulen, Lejeune and I need to step up our game." Van Overbergeh talks like many belgians already about the World Championships, an early season highlight for the belgian spectactors and fans of the sport. "But I actually, maybe the Continantal Championships will suit me even more."
Van Overberghe, branding himself to be a true flandriennes, hopes that the impending winter will have a positive effect on his performance and let him shine more upfront in the races. The Christmas Classic could be an ideal set-up for that.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Since the early season poidum in Britain at the Great Hertford Classic, many races came and gone and Van Fleming was down to the usual shitpile of performance that the belgian public has come to know him for. Growing an disdain for his floppy comments towards the young guns, most notably Vague, Van Fleming has recently come under some criticism. About Vague he said, that "Francis is a know-it-all, who thinks who is already on the top of the sport, he behaves like he owns the sport", whilst Listerijn is a "a weird case of national identity of Belgium, starting for New Zealand like he is some mercenary." Other newcomers like Visconti and Van Overberghe are "talentless and have no fight in them to make it ever permentaly in this sport". The former Belgian National Champion was always known for being a good Crosser and having an even louder mouth, so the comments are usually just a reflection of his Van Fleming's own dissatification at his own performances and taking out on his newest "victims".
People on the street say things though and take clear sides: I think he should let the young ones do their thing, Listerijn and Vague are more exciting than he ever was - The old wheelsucker should go to the road and try his luck there - I've never seen someone being such a big sucker that he'd think sprinting for 20th place means anything, like at all.
But whatever for Van Fleming, he stills does his thing. Coming to the line, outsprinting the latest idiot that took him to the line and grabbing away the UCI points that will now see him eventually reach Siena, as the race for the World Championships honours is full on by now.
"I've grown tired of all them fools who think they can tell me how to perform in a race. I've done this for years, I've listened to the shit of people telling me what I should do, how I should race. For ages, all the time. For whom I should race", he recently told Het Nieuwsblad, adding: "Big news: I race for myself, no one else." With this comment, he has also denied facts that he has given into his long (former) rival Cornelis as a domestique. A flemish caricaturist recently made fun of this, as Van Fleming kneeled to the Old Lion (King) Cornelis.
Maybe this is what has made Van Fleming upset, but he ended the interview with a noteworthy statement: "Maybe it is time for me to switch to the Track, where people don't look at you strange when you hang on their wheel."
Edited by Shonak on 27-09-2015 00:14
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Welcome to Genève! You've tuned in just in time for the Christmas Classic. From the commentary box, we wish you a merry Christmas. But we're here to watch the race. No Vague here, don't look for him. Last year, Cook managed to win here. Let's see if we get a Christmas miracle today.
Weather Conditions
Temperature: 0° C
Precipitation: Ice (semi).
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Start Line: It's hard to predict what influence the weather will have on the course today. There is some ice, but the temperatures aren't that cold so parts of the course have been smelted. Today could sway either way. The ice specialists can do their thing, but there is plenty of room left for improvement by the non-ice specialists.
The race organisers have expressed their concerns about the classics, too. With classifications growing more important, they fear the classics will slowly die. It's a fact that there are only a fraction of the classics left. 10 years ago we still had about 20 classics. Of course, now we have an extremely international calendar and there's little room left.
Lap 1: So let's get this race going! Ice specialist Eldfjallsson is off to a good start here. Schiltz is in second, then Hammarling.
We plunge downhill immediately. And now the uphill cobbled climb. It's the World Champion who takes the lead and decides to open the race early. He must've noticed some riders have had a bad start and he wants to ride them out of contention already. Among those who missed their start are Listerijn, Dao, Bauer and Goldenberg.
And here come Cook and Cornelis. Three riders at the front who never think twice to make the race. This could be interesting.
On the second hill, Lipawsky looks behind to see what effect his first acceleration has had. And the result is quite impressive. Cornelis and Alinejad are the only ones still hanging on. Two team mates against the World Champion.
The first thing we notice is that the two Lotto-Fidea riders move easier through the sand. The World Champion is outnumbered and will have to be on his guard with this duo.
The chasing group consists out of Cook, Hammarling, Schiltz. A bit further behind is Bollinger, Eldfjallsson and a strong Sven Welling.
Lap 1: Like last year, we'll have 11 laps.
The Lotto duo and Lipawsky are still ahead in the race. Lipawsky is leaving the work up to Alinejad and Cornelis, though. The former one is doing most of the work now. For Cornelis, this is a good situation.
The cobbles are dangerously slippery with the smelting ice. Something extremely suiting to Mikel Hammarling's abilities. He leads the chasing group and brings them closer to the three leaders.
Lap 2: The leading trio still can't seem to shake off the chasing group and the gap remains less than 10 seconds. Cornelis and Lipawsky seem more hesitant now and Alinejad is now doing all of the work. Meanwhile, the chasing group is cooperating well and we have Cook, Hammarling and Schiltz.
And Bollinger makes the jump towards the chasing group! He leaves Eldfjallsson and Sven Welling behind and goes looking for Hammarling, Cook and Schiltz.
It seems our three leaders are throwing in the towel. Lipawsky and Cornelis won't relay and Alinejad can't do all the work alone anymore, so it would seem.
This allows the chasing group to return to the head of the race.
Lap 3: A big pack at the front, now. And Bollinger is on his way. If the leaders remain hesitant a bit longer, he can take profit of it and get back to the front, too.
But they won't make it that easy for him, as Christian Schiltz now attacks at the front!
Mikel Hammarling bridges the gap on the slippery cobbles.
Lap 4: Schiltz and Hammarling have found each other and are now riding away from the rest of the field. Is this the winning move? Both riders can handle the distance, we know that.
Sven Welling succumbs to the pressure set by Eldfjallsson. The Belgian slips on the ice and goes down on the cobbles. Not the best place to go down.
Listerijn and Soucek, both recovering from a bad start, now dive into the top 15 of the race. Too late for the victory of the day, but a UCI Classic brings many UCI points and those are of growing importance in today's wide world of cyclo-cross.
Eddie Goldenberg is having a major off-day and can't be found in the top 30.
Lap 6: Cook is now the main force behind the chase. Lipawsky and Cornelis take turns, too. They are 10 seconds behind the race leaders.
Alinejad is fading away on this halfway point in the race. He is caught by Eldfjallsson and tries to hang on. Eldfjallsson is caught in no-man's land at the moment, so he decides to wait a little bit and hopefully be able to profit a bit from Alinejad in the second part of the race. Both riders are 14 seconds behind the first chasing group consisting of Cook, Cornelis, Bollinger and Lipawsky.
Lap 7: Cornelis with an impressive turn through the sand. Cook, Bollinger and Lipawsky follow without too much trouble, though. They have visual contact with the two leaders. Everything is still up for grabs in this Christmas classic.
Meanwhile, Listerijn and Soucek are powering through the top 15 of the race and are now apparently in contention for the top 10 of the race. They have picked up Shay Gormley and are trying to make up for lost time. Soucek in particular is looking quite good today.
The two leaders are not cooperating well anymore, with the chasing group getting near.
Lap 8: And that might prove to be the end of the break. Schiltz looks over his shoulder and doesn't take a turn anymore. He decides this is not worth is and will wait. We can't say we blame him. With Cook and Cornelis now on full power, the break seems doomed.
But Hammarling is not one to throw in the towel. He surprises Schiltz and rides away on the cobbled hill. Schiltz, too late to react, has no choice now but to follow through on his earlier tactic and wait for the chasing group.
Oh and on the exact same spot, Elliot Cook accelerates! Powerful from the saddle, he bashes across the cobblestones. Lipawsky and Cornelis hang on for dear life as they pass Schiltz and leave behind Bollinger.
Schiltz attempts to hang on with these chasers but slips as he tries to get out of the saddle. He sees Cook, Cornelis and Lipawsky pass him immediately!
Lap 9: Hammarling crosses the finish line and looks behind. He sees a trio coming but doesn't keep the legs still. As long as there is a gap, there is hope, he must think.
But no Christmas miracle today as the lone leader gets caught. We now have four leaders. Behind them, Bollinger and Schiltz have found each other and they will want to make something of this race yet. Nothing is lost.
Lap 10: But the tough profile takes a toll, and the two riders see the leaders ride away steadily.
It'll be between these four for the victory of the day. Cook, Cornelis, Lipawsky or Hammarling? Who is the strongest or the smartest today? Who takes the fourth Classic of the season?
The winners of the last two classics are now 8 seconds behind the four leaders. They are not giving up just yet! If they start hesitating at the front, we might have spoken too early after all!
An attack! Cornelis attacks in the sand!
You won't shake Cook in the sand. Lipawsky and Hammarling dig down and follow Cook's wheel.
Lap 11: And so Cornelis doesn't manage to break away. We head into the final lap with four leaders. They are followed, or stalked you might say, by Schiltz and Bollinger. The duo continues their chase, but with 13 seconds down going into the final lap, they'll need a lot of luck to see the head of the race again today.
At the front, it's strangely quiet. No attacks anymore as Elliot Cook is now keeping the pace extremely high, pushing his limits. Does the Brit want a sprint? Or is he forcing the others to make a mistake so late in this tiring race?
Lipawsky sees an opportunity to overtake Cook in a sharp corner and is now in control of the pace. Cook, visibly annoyed, passes Lipawsky again but almost steers his bike into a tree! Cornelis has to make a quick manoeuvre to avoid crashing into Cook. Hammarling stays at the end of the group.
And so Lipawsky manages to keep Cook behind him and we're heading towards a four-man sprint? Is the World Champion that confident in his sprint? He marks the man with experience Cornelis.
Cook goes early! Lipawsky reacts. Cornelis gets in Lipawsky's wheel! Hammarling is waiting his turn.
Cook and Lipawsky get a small gap. Cornelis doesn't have the explosivity today to contest for the win in this sprint! Hammarling isn't coming out of Cornelis' wheel and so the sprint is between Cook and Lipawsky!
Who will take it here in Switzerland? Cook or Lipawsky, Lipawsky or Cook?
Cook is going strong. Lacking absolute explosivity in the sprint, Cook has to go early and that's what he did. It's killing Lipawsky but the Swiss gets out of the saddle for a final push!
Oooh! The finish line is just 2 meters too far for Elliot Cook! Sylvain Lipawsky, the World Champion, overtakes the Brit and crosses the finish line first. He raises his arms. The World Champion has won a Classic in his own country. What a victory for the Swiss!
Cornelis is third, Hammarling fourth. Then a sprint for place 5... Schiltz takes it ahead of Bollinger.
And there is Eldfjallsson. A good race, he's gaining in form. And then we have Alinejad.
And now we have a three man group. They sprint. It's Listerijn ahead of Soucek and Gormley.
Oh, this is a surprise. Elliot Cook has overtaken Francis Vague in the UCI Classification and is now the number one of the world. This might turn into a close battle near the end of the season.
Well, it's been a nice race here. We hope you enjoy your Christmas and we'll see you next week, in Japan!
Figuratively battered and bruised, Milan Listerijn looks like a symbol of the havoc the top four wreaked.
Milan, you recovered from a bad start pretty well along with Soucek, but do you think it may have wasted energy for Fuji?
Actually no, not too much, because the people we passed in the top 20 or so were suffering same as us. I slipped my wheel starting and held a lot of people up, it was a rookie error and probably cost my chance of helping Mikey.
From there I think it kept going on for a lap, my legs were out of sync but I tuned back in and eventually won the sprint to get in the top 10, which I'm happy about because that's an area I have been working on a bit and to do it in front of Soucek who I remembered as a fast guy when he had to be was good.
You finished in the top 10 but below 5th once again, does that bug you?
Certainly, I mean nobody wants to miss out like that when you've tasted victory but it's my learning curve, it's a far cry from the early season and really promising. But it's a tag I don't want to be given. You can't complain when there were five outstanding riders who were better than you though.
2016 approaches and the push to make CX part of the Winter Olympics is stepping up with the sports rumored to be announced around about the same time as season finishes, what are your thoughts?
Um yeah, it's not something I've thought about but if the most beautiful sport in winter, perhaps ever, is added I would take time out to prepare myself for such a race. It's not something we get that often in such a small sport comparatively, the chance to shine in the world's eye. But I'm definitely behind the idea, yeah.
Okay, moving on. Did you see the comments Rik van Fleming made about you, amongst others?
*Pause, deep breath* Yeah, I did. Well, what do you want me to say? It doesn't effect me as much, I'm not gonna respond. It's always nice to receive feedback, be it general advice, praise or constructive criticism. But to just go and straight up say that.. I feel a bit honored because I didn't really get insulted at all when you looked at the others he talked about, he must be running out of ideas of bad things to say about me, which is promising. But yes it always hurts a bit, however marginally, when someone insults me about that issue. There are.... good reasons why I had to leave, very good reasons why I can't come back, even though I'd like to, and one great reason why I can't tell you these reasons.
New Zealand is like a second home to me, my maternal grandparents were Kiwis and so it was the natural choice, we were thinking of moving anyway. But Belgium is my home, remember we are people too, we aren't defined by the cross.
We're ready to set foot on the sixth and final continent of the modern cyclo-cross calendar. After Europe, Oceania, North-America, South-America and Africa, we're in Asia. More specifically, in Japan. The FujiCross is part of the Coca-Cola Trophy. There are three manches left in this Coca-Cola Trophy, three manches for Elliot Cook to defend a 52 second lead to Sylvain Lipawsky.
The FujiCross changed parcours a bit. It's much like last year's edition, but the climbing has been toned down, making this race a bit more open for non-climbers as well. Action guaranteed!
Race Information
Country: Japan
City/Place: Fujiyoshida
Classification: Coca-Cola Trophy
Starting Time (Elite Men): 19h
Favorites: Elliot Cook, Dries Cornelis, Shay Gormley, Naveed Alinejad, Francis N. Vague, Sylvain Lipawsky.
Record: 2x Herman Vogel (2007, 2009)
Race History: The FujiCross has been around since 2000. It was then named as 'The Race of The New Millenium'. It did, in fact, provide some exciting racing. The organisers wisely let the race run at around 7 pm, which makes it an attractive - and spectacular - closing hour for the visitors of the FujiQ Theme Park, as well as offer the viewers of Europe to watch it at a decent hour, without having to wake up in the middle of the night to see the race.
Route Information
Technical: 2
Sand: 2
Uphill: 3
Cobblestones: 2
The FujiCross is a carefully put together rollercoaster of cyclo-cross. The profile has some wooden bridges, allowing the Theme Park visitors to move freely throughout the park. However impressive the ride through the theme park is, this is actually only about 25% of the entire race. Most of the race is outside the Theme Park walls. A tough climb takes them over the fence and drops the riders in rough terrain, with quite some sand thrown into the mix, too.
The riders make their way through some real hilly terrain before returning to the Theme Park for the final 500 meters. There, a final sandy section awaits them. After which, the riders sprint on the small cobbles of the Theme Park, with 300m of straight road ahead of them, making it an interesting and tactical sprint.
The entire race consists of about 1 km inside the Theme Park, 3 km outside the Park. The entire spectacle can be viewed online on the FujiQ Theme Park site, as well as on the more than 10 big screens across the Theme Park itself.
Expected Weather Conditions
Temperature: 8° C
Precipitation: Rain, Light.
Wind: 1 Beaufort
Heya guys I'm short in time before I go training, just wanted to tell you that - a...a...atchoo! - I'm not going to skip the next race. I'm still a bit of sick but - a...a...atchoo dammit! - I'm sure I'm not going to lose 5 minutes in the next cross. 40° fever got the fuck out already and I've already lost most of my chances because of post-Alpe's flu so I'll just yolo and race the next cross. This may well do me worse than I'm expecting but still there are fucking 8° degrees - something unseen in December so far - so why miss the chance to entertain myself in Fuji?!
I'm already pissed off at missing the X-Mas classic that fellow Sylvain ruled, but yeah had no chance to podium anyway. I don't have chances to podium - or even top 10 to be honest and fair - at the FujiCross but as I've already said, it's better than losing 5 minutes by default.
See you there I guess, I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing me fighting against the DNF, which is always behind the corner in such condition...
Over half the season done and I still can't find my form! My recent 13th, thou, is promising for the rest of the season, but with the ice coming in hot I may have missed my chance.
So far my offers from other road teams are thin on the ground. I heard MTN cross are disbanding, and Topsport are all-Belgian. Santos are CT and I'm hella not riding for BKCP, and they certainly wouldn't want me. So nobody yet who would let me ride a whole cross season, which is sensible. But I've laid out that I want to be able to race 15-20 races a season, yet they say only five or ten, like I'm just training here.
I'm not sure where my loyalties would lie if it goes on like this, so it all comes down to the World Champs. I think that's the reason I'm not at full peak yet but I'd still like something to write home about, as a confidence booster. That place, if I'm honest, was Fuji last year. And less climbs or not, I'm hoping it can kickstart my season again.
Alpe d'Huez - Preview
Christmas Classic - Preview
FujiCross - Preview
