Naturally Roubaix is mostly known for the biggest classic of the year, Paris – Roubaix, but also the Cyclo-Cross edition of Roubaix has harbored some amazing races the last couple of years. I dream of winning in the Velodrome, both in CX as well as on the road.
The race started fast as usual. Rain poured down, making the mud all the greedier. I enjoyed it and felt like my legs were ready to deliver today after my disappointing ride in Gieten. When Van Aert and Aeronauts tried their usual move on an attack half-way through, just as the rain stopped, I thought I’d follow them. Quickly I snatched their wheel, Alaphilippe on mine in return. However, Van Aert and Aeronauts weren’t playing along, and on the flatter parts I did most of the pulling. Not that would help one particularly much on a course like Roubaix, but at least it would have been a nice gesture. This way, you have the feeling they race against you more than they’d want to win.
When my dad told me that Nys attacked out of the bunch and was grinding through the mud, I decided to drop my companions too. I felt today that they wern't that much of a competition for me and with a vital blow, I distanced them. I couldn’t worry about wasting energy when I’d end up wasting the victory. Lose to Nys alright but to Aeronauts once more? Ain’t gonna happen.
We were riding the last original lap before we’d head into the Velodrome. On the hills, Nys caught me for good then. Come on, was my first thought, but I looked in his face and thought, that I hadn’t lost anything yet. From behind, Philipp Walselben was the strongest of the rest and came always closer. I tried tactical games, keep my breath in Nys’ neck for him to know that damn young fellow was still around. As the rain came down again, Walsleben eventually caught us. With the next best group almost 50 seconds down, we were looking for a sprint of three in the Velodrome. I decided a third place was better than losing it all and took the lead in the last hills.
On the last downhill of Roubaix, I forced my luck and attacked. All in the slippery mud. I almost fell into the audience, almost would have lost control. But I made it. Nys was still on my wheel though, but we had managed to gap Walsleben a bit. That damn German came right back though when Nys and I looked at each other on the way to the Velodrome. I was getting nervous. I was looking for Nys wheel. And then I started bidding my time as we rolled into the Velodrome.
The crowd was so loud, so damn loud. I’ve hardly ever heard that in such a way. Paris-Roubaix appeared to be a minor classic when this race prided itself to be so much more than that mighty Hell of the North. I kept remembering myself that I had Nys wheel. All I had to do was stick to it. Sprint of Three. Three. Three.
I wanted the top step though, at the end of the day. Walsleben pushed a bit, always to the side. Some nice, necessary elbow action for the fight of Nys’ wheel. But god damn it. When we launched our sprint, Nys wheel was all I could get. Walsleben was behind me, Nys wheel still ahead of me when we crossed the finish line.
I spit on the floor of the velodrome, tempered with fury, angry at myself. Having not had the legs to overcome that last barrier.
World Cup Roubaix 2015/16, Results
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Sven Nys
Crelan- Euphony
3h06'38
2
Raphael Visconti
Cannondale Cyclocross World
s.t.
3
Philipp Walsleben
BMC Mountainbike Racing Team
s.t.
4
Francis Mourey
FDJ - BigMat
+ 51
5
Klaas Vantornout
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
s.t.
6
Tom Meeusen
Telenet - Fidea
s.t.
7
Lars Van Der Haar
Argos Shimano
s.t.
8
Patrick Van Leeuwen
Orange Babies
+ 3'17
9
Kevin Pauwels
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
+ 11'36
10
Mathieu Van Der Poel
Rabobank Giant Offroad
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Wout Van Aert
BKCP - Powerplus
s.t.
12
Sven Vanthourenhout
Crelan- Euphony
s.t.
13
Bart Wellens
Telenet - Fidea
s.t.
14
Bart Aernouts
AA Drink - Leontien.nl
s.t.
15
Julien Alaphilppe
Omega Pharma
s.t.
16
Michael Vanthourenhout
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
s.t.
17
Martin Bina
Cycklo Team Tabor
s.t.
18
Julien Taramarcz
BMC Mountainbike Racing Team
s.t.
19
Thijs Van Amerongen
AA Drink - Leontien.nl
s.t.
20
Marcel Meisen
Kwadro - Stannah
s.t.
21
Martin Zlamalik
Crelan- Euphony
s.t.
22
Micki Van Empel
Crelan- Euphony
s.t.
23
Paul Voss
Argos Shimano
s.t.
24
Marco Aurelio Fontana
Selle Italia - Guercotti
s.t.
25
Mariusz Gil
Kwadro - Stannah
s.t.
26
Rob Peeters
Telenet - Fidea
s.t.
27
Niels Wubben
Rabobank Giant Offroad
s.t.
28
Lukas Fluckiger
BMC Mountainbike Racing Team
s.t.
29
Radomir Simunek
Kwadro - Stannah
s.t.
30
Ian Field
Hargroves
+ 12'38
31
Enrico Franzoi
Selle Italia - Guercotti
+ 13'17
32
Eddy Van Ijzerdoorn
Orange Babies
s.t.
33
Steve Chainel
FDJ - BigMat
+ 13'42
34
Dieter Vanthourenhout
BKCP - Powerplus
+ 14'23
35
Tom Van Den Bosch
Hargroves
s.t.
36
Aurélien Duval
Argos Shimano
s.t.
37
Gianni Vermeersch
BKCP - Powerplus
s.t.
38
Mathias Fluckiger
Omega Pharma
s.t.
39
Jiri Polnicky
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
s.t.
40
Julien Nys
BMC Mountainbike Racing Team
s.t.
41
Jonathan Page
Planet Bike
s.t.
42
Gerben De Knegt
Orange Babies
s.t.
43
Arnold Jeannesson
FDJ - BigMat
s.t.
44
Roy Van Heeswijk
Orange Babies
s.t.
45
Petr Dlask
Omega Pharma
s.t.
46
Vladimir Kyzivat
Czech
s.t.
47
Sascha Weber
Stevens Racing Team
s.t.
48
Angelo De Clerq
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
s.t.
49
Joeri Adams
Telenet - Fidea
s.t.
50
Mathieu Boulo
Roubaix Lille Métropole
s.t.
51
Mike Teunissen
Rabobank Giant Offroad
s.t.
52
Robert Gavenda
Argos Shimano
s.t.
53
Tomas Novy
Cycklo Team Tabor
s.t.
54
Rafael Visinelli
Selle Italia - Guercotti
s.t.
55
Kenneth Van Compernolle
Style & Concept
s.t.
56
Bart Verschueren
Crelan- Euphony
s.t.
57
Boris Zimine
Roubaix Lille Métropole
s.t.
58
Wietse Bosmans
BKCP - Powerplus
+ 15'52
59
Matt Mcdonald
Hargroves
s.t.
60
Tomas Paprstka
Czech
s.t.
61
Maxim Debusschere
Style & Concept
s.t.
62
Filip Eberl
Czech
s.t.
63
Ondrej Bambula
Cycklo Team Tabor
s.t.
64
Quentin Jauregie
Enertherm - BKCP
s.t.
65
Gert-Jan Bosman
Rabobank Giant Offroad
s.t.
66
Matthias Van Den Keybus
Enertherm - BKCP
s.t.
67
Mark Lalonde
Planet Bike
s.t.
68
Sascha Wagner
Stevens Racing Team
+ 17'08
Top 15 World Cup Clas. 201516, 4/8
Rank
Rider
WC Points
1
Sven Nys
240
2
Raphael Visconti
215
3
Tom Meeusen
200
4
Lars Van Der Haar
185
5
Philipp Walsleben
185
6
Francis Mourey
160
7
Julien Alaphilippe
90
8
Kevin Pauwels
80
9
Bart Aernouts
66
10
Klaas Vantornout
62
11
Patrick Van Leeuwen
50
12
Wout Van Aert
34
13
Mathieu Van Der Poel
33
14
Rob Peeters
20
15
Gianni Vermeersch
20
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Thanks all, it was (another) special ride despite missing out so closely onto the win.
World Cup Valkenburg
Up and down the Cauberg a couple of times. As such, the race should suit me just fine. But I was still pissed off at my performance in Roubaix, despite getting second. No one likes it when a potentially prestigious win gets snatched away. So I forced my luck in Valkenburg – and overdid it. Two times attacking and afterwards I wasn't able to follow the important moves where it'd have counted the most. I finished on a 9th place, my World Cup ambitions crushed for now. Lars Van der Haar won on home soil, edging out Pauwels and Nys impressively in the finale run into the Cauberg.
I decided to focus on the World Cup with a goal of finishing Top 3. This meant that I’d skip 2-3 Bpost and Superprestige races around December’s End and specifically work for Heusden-Zolder.
The day started well with Tom Meeusen suffering an off-day and being far behind early on. He spent the rest of the race catching up. Klaas Vantornout lead a bunch over the first few laps, with Kevin Pauwels and me in his wheel. Additionally, Sven Nys and most of the other riders lost contact to us. Things were looking bright on this muddy, rainy course, until Nys caught up to us on his own.
With about 3 laps out, we were a small group of quality riders. Current CX World Champion Pauwels
had all the cards to win today but Nys was just stronger than him, whilst I couldn’t hold up with Walsleben and Mourey and got even caught at the line by Lars Van der Haar, missing out on crucial points.
World Cup Heusden - Zolder, Results
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Sven Nys
Crelan- Euphony
3h20'50
2
Kevin Pauwels
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
+ 56
3
Francis Mourey
FDJ - BigMat
+ 1'51
4
Philipp Walsleben
BMC Mountainbike Racing Team
s.t.
5
Lars Van Der Haar
Argos Shimano
+ 2'21
6
Raphael Visconti
Cannondale Cyclocross World
s.t.
7
Wout Van Aert
BKCP - Powerplus
+ 2'44
8
Tom Meeusen
Telenet - Fidea
s.t.
9
Mathieu Van Der Poel
Rabobank Giant Offroad
+ 3'53
10
Julien Alaphilppe
Omega Pharma
+ 6'05
Spoiler
11
Bart Aernouts
AA Drink - Leontien.nl
+ 7'52
12
Bart Wellens
Telenet - Fidea
+ 11'02
13
Michael Vanthourenhout
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
s.t.
14
Joeri Adams
Telenet - Fidea
s.t.
15
Sascha Weber
Stevens Racing Team
s.t.
16
Patrick Van Leeuwen
Orange Babies
s.t.
17
Sven Vanthourenhout
Crelan- Euphony
s.t.
18
Martin Zlamalik
Crelan- Euphony
+ 11'46
19
Klaas Vantornout
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
+ 13'34
20
Thijs Van Amerongen
AA Drink - Leontien.nl
+ 16'03
21
Rob Peeters
Telenet - Fidea
+ 16'18
22
Dieter Vanthourenhout
BKCP - Powerplus
+ 16'31
23
Mariusz Gil
Kwadro - Stannah
s.t.
24
Julien Taramarcz
BMC Mountainbike Racing Team
+ 17'16
25
Aurélien Duval
Argos Shimano
+ 17'49
26
Steve Chainel
FDJ - BigMat
+ 18'10
27
Jiri Polnicky
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
s.t.
28
Eddy Van Ijzerdoorn
Orange Babies
+ 19'10
29
Wietse Bosmans
BKCP - Powerplus
s.t.
30
Vladimir Kyzivat
Czech
s.t.
Top 15 World Cup Clas., 6/8
Rank
Rider
WC Points
1
Sven Nys
370
2
Lars Van Der Haar
305
3
Raphael Visconti
270
4
Tom Meeusen
255
5
Philipp Walsleben
255
6
Francis Mourey
250
7
Kevin Pauwels
210
8
Julien Alaphilippe
140
9
Wout Van Aert
109
10
Bart Aernouts
85
11
Klaas Vantornout
79
12
Mathieu Van Der Poel
63
13
Patrick Van Leeuwen
55
14
Bart Wellens
28
15
Rob Peeters
20
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
@sutty: Yeah, Nys really is brutal in the DB.
@Vali: That's certainly the goal.
@Ian: Let's see if he is to make it
World Cup Rome
I had the pleasure of doing a press conference pre-race. Or maybe, the pleasure was more of an obligation. The only person next to me was my dad and we were together answering question over question. Why the change of team, why the change of nation… why am I riding alone, on my own cost?
"This is a sport I love and I belong to. I didn’t want to just skip a whole season of Cyclo-Cross because of contract details. So instead, I decided to ride on my own.”
“Yeah, some teams are interested in me. There’s also the possibility of a completely new team since we are in negotiations already. I doubt that IAM Cycling will want to get into Cyclo-Cross but of course they are welcome to do so.”
“I hope they [team managers] appreciate my versatility and accept my desire to ride winter races. To say the least, I don’t think my performances for IAM Cycling will suffer under Cyclo-Cross”.
So eventually, there I was. All new, all white. I had already won the Austrian Championship a few days earlier. It was an easy race and barely worth mentioning but it was fun and the Austrian crowds welcomed me in an unique manner. I feared the Italians may be upset with me in Rome. It was a point of truth. But it turned out: Italians were Cyclo-Cross fans first and foremost and as such, they just seemed to be happy with me at the start line.
I didn’t want to waste any time on the course and put in a real fast start. Vantornout and Pauwels were the ones following me, later up Van der Haar and Meeusen joined as well. A teammate of Pauwels got overlapped and did an unregular pull but nevermind that clown. I was feeling great and always kept myself up front in the race, fourth position the least.
Sven Nys, Wout Van Aert and Mathieu Van der Poel had been significantly and almost critically dropped already. Race was full on from the start. Unfortunately, Nys managed to solo come back to us. When I noticed this I immediately attacked. Pauwels was obligatory to follow my move but even Nys had the power to crack us down.
Pauwels and I got into a tactical position fight. We played a bit of games in the last two laps, whilst still having only barely an advantage on our opponents. I tried to be smart about it but unfortunately, there was still chance in the sprint against Pauwels today. I finished second, a worthwhile result.
With this result I am also a whole lot closer to my goal of finishing on the podium overall in the World Cup. Obviously I am mighty excited for Hoogerheide already.
World Cup Rome, Results
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Kevin Pauwels
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
3h01'19
2
Raphael Visconti
Austria
s.t.
3
Sven Nys
Crelan- Euphony
s.t.
4
Lars Van Der Haar
Argos Shimano
s.t.
5
Tom Meeusen
Telenet - Fidea
+ 1'01
6
Wout Van Aert
BKCP - Powerplus
s.t.
7
Francis Mourey
FDJ - BigMat
s.t.
8
Philipp Walsleben
BMC Mountainbike Racing Team
s.t.
9
Mathieu Van Der Poel
Rabobank Giant Offroad
s.t.
10
Bart Aernouts
AA Drink - Leontien.nl
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Jiri Polnicky
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
s.t.
12
Tomas Novy
Cycklo Team Tabor
s.t.
13
Rafael Visinelli
Selle Italia - Guercotti
s.t.
14
Klaas Vantornout
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
s.t.
15
Sven Vanthourenhout
Crelan- Euphony
+ 4'11
16
Bart Wellens
Telenet - Fidea
s.t.
17
Dieter Vanthourenhout
BKCP - Powerplus
s.t.
18
Petr Dlask
Omega Pharma
s.t.
19
Julien Alaphilppe
Omega Pharma
s.t.
20
Gianni Vermeersch
BKCP - Powerplus
+ 5'44
21
Niels Wubben
Rabobank Giant Offroad
+ 6'18
22
Thijs Van Amerongen
AA Drink - Leontien.nl
+ 6'57
23
Michael Vanthourenhout
Sunweb - Napoleon Games
s.t.
24
Martin Bina
Cycklo Team Tabor
s.t.
25
Enrico Franzoi
Selle Italia - Guercotti
+ 7'41
26
Bart Verschueren
Crelan- Euphony
s.t.
27
Rob Peeters
Telenet - Fidea
s.t.
28
Aurélien Duval
Argos Shimano
+ 8'40
29
Radomir Simunek
Kwadro - Stannah
s.t.
30
Wietse Bosmans
BKCP - Powerplus
s.t.
31
Ian Field
Hargroves
s.t.
32
Martin Zlamalik
Crelan- Euphony
s.t.
33
Gerben De Knegt
Orange Babies
s.t.
34
Mathieu Boulo
Roubaix Lille Métropole
s.t.
35
Robert Gavenda
Argos Shimano
s.t.
World Cup Clas. 2015/16, 7/8
Rank
Rider
WC Points
1
Sven Nys
420
2
Lars Van Der Haar
350
3
Raphael Visconti
335
4
Tom Meeusen
295
5
Kevin Pauwels
290
6
Philipp Walsleben
280
7
Francis Mourey
280
8
Wout Van Aert
144
9
Julien Alaphilippe
142
10
Bart Aernouts
100
11
Klaas Vantornout
86
12
Mathieu Van Der Poel
83
13
Patrick Van Leeuwen
55
14
Bart Wellens
33
15
Sven Vanthourenhout
26
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
That was a superb performance from Raphael , only the world champion was able to get the better of him
I also especially like the jersey he has been riding in
Thank you for the recent nomination in One-Rider Story of the Year. So, might as well get an update out too!
World Cup Hoogerheide
It’s the final curtain to the World Cup and I was riding to keep my Top 3 Classification in the overall standings. Turns out, I was riding for the victory as well.
Philipp Walsleben had put in some massive gear alongside Van Aert early on. I was able to follow the Young Belgian and even dropped him. On my own I then got up to the German Champion and attacked him in one of the downhills, after staying on his wheel for about a lap. With the hungry pack behind me, mainly being led by Nys, I was riding against my odds. Funnily enough, I got stronger the longer I stayed up there. Talk about motivation.
I’ve kept my rivals at bay in the remaining laps, though they were in striking distance throughout it. Maybe it was the moment they caught Walsleben, when they decided to play it tactical. This gave me the chance to extend my lead. With a resurgence of power, I distanced them in the final lap and gained over a minute lead. This gave me enough time to really enjoy the win this time around.
What’s even better: Due to Van der Haar suffering an off-day, I’ve passed him in the World Cup standings. This ranks me second, only beaten by Nys in the World Cup this year.
I dare to say it: I’m here now. Good to stay. My second World Cup victory this season, second in the final rankings! Before I’ll head to Namur for the World Championships, I want to enjoy the moment though. This means for me: Only looking over and over at the race result sheet whilst being treated by the soigneur. I can’t let it slip now and keep sharp. The form is right, I want a medal this time around after being forsaken last year. Actually, I want the medal!
