Giro del Piemonte – What to Watch

Posted on October 13, 2010 by
2010 Milan-San Remo - Gilbert Attacks

Fotoreporter Sirotti

Ordinarily, the 96th running of the Giro del Piemonte wouldn’t warrant a preview of its own, but this year’s edition of the Italian semi-classic offers several interesting plot lines.  Here’s a brief rundown of what to watch:


1. Philippe Gilbert won last year’s race, the third event of his Sabatini-Paris-Tours-Piemonte-Lombardia grand slam.  Winless so far this October, Gilbert would certainly appreciate at least one victory to show for his late-season efforts.  But without Cadel Evans at his side, will the Belgian have the firepower to escape in a race that often comes down to a sprint?  Omega Pharma-Lotto might be better off putting their eggs in Van Avermaet’s basket.


2. Coincidentally, Van Avermaet’s bound for BMC next year, the current home of Gilbert’s former Lombardy Week lieutenant, Cadel Evans.  Evans rode impressively at Worlds ten days ago.  He’s a contender for what would be his first victory without the rainbow jersey.


3. And speaking of Worlds, Piemonte will be our first (and second-to-last chance) to see Cervelo’s Thor Hushovd in his new striped shirt this season.  If he has managed to maintain the fitness that saw him take win World title in Australia, we might not wait long to see the new champ’s first victory.


4. As for Filippo Pozzato, he’s faced much criticism following sub-par performances the past two Sundays.  With many singling-out the Italian for his race-negating tactics, Piemonte could be Pippo’s best chance to prove everyone wrong.  His in-form teammate, Alexandre Kolobnev, won’t be racing, so he’ll have his team’s full support.  Can he silence his doubters?


5. Garmin’s Dan Martin is one of the hottest riders in the bunch following his impressive August and second-place in Saturday’s Giro dell Emilia.  A solid ride Thursday and the young Irishman will cement his place on the list of favorites for Saturday’s monument.


6. And finally, Liquigas’ Daniele Bennati takes the line hoping to earn his third Piemonte victory (he won in 2006 and 2008).  The Italian was disappointed to have been left home for Worlds—even after he was one of a handful of men personally selected by Paolo Bettini to make a mid-season reconnaissance trip.  He’ll have a chance Thursday to send a message to those who felt his absence was warranted.  After all, revenge is a dish best served with fresh grated parmesan.


And my picks?


Gilbert, Evans, and Martin will do their best to break things up—perhaps with some help from Pozzato.  But in the end, I think we’ll see a small group hit the line together, with Hushovd getting his first win as World Champion over Bennati, Breschel, and Van Avermaet.


What about you?  Who are your picks for Thursday?


Share your comments below.


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Domestic Cyclocross Report & Power Ranking – Week #4

Posted on October 12, 2010 by
2010 Providence CX - T. Johnson at the Start

Photo by Jay Walsh

With five UCI races on tap, all eyes were focused on Ohio and Rhode Island this past weekend. The 3-day Cincinnati International Cross Festival offered three UCI races, including a C1 race on Sunday. Meanwhile, the New England crowd headed to Providence for a pair of UCI races in Roger Williams Park. The weekend’s biggest news might have been the split of the Cyclocrossworld.com team—Jeremy Powers went to Cincinnati, while Tim Johnson and Jamey Driscoll went to Providence.


Jeremy Powers was the odds-on favorite to win the Cincinnati Cross Festival as he has won all three races for the past two years. However, right from the start, this year appeared to be a bit different. Lacking his usual team support, Powers was unable to overcome strong rides by Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks on Friday. Powers jumped-out early but Wicks and Trebon bridged across. In a reversal of roles, Powers became the victim of the Kona riders’ team tactics as Trebon escaped, leaving Powers to chase with Wicks. Wicks soon shed Powers as well, giving the Kona riders the top two spots on the day.


Vowing revenge, Powers went into Saturday’s race expecting to pick-up the victory. However, in a continued reversal of roles, Powers found himself chasing from the gun. Trebon launched a vicious early attack, but would fade as Powers joined him. A last lap move separated the two riders, with Powers coming out on top. Trebon rolled across the line second and Tristan Schouten soloed-in for third.


With the battle tied at one race apiece, Sunday’s finale was all about Trebon and Powers—and the two did not disappoint. Showing signs of fatigue, the two riders hit it hard from the gun, but failed to drop Geoff Kabush and Chris Jones. Eventually, the duo dropped the rest of the leaders, battling it out mano-e-mano. On the final lap, Powers was able to get a small gap and hold it to the line, with Trebon coming-in second. Chris Jones rounded-out the podium in third.


Proving that they’re the best team in the country, Tim Johnson matched Powers with a pair of victories with two of his own in Providence, RI. As Johnson toed the line on Saturday, all expectations were that the National Champion would ride away from everyone else. By the second lap, everything was going according to plan as Johnson soloed away from the rest of the field. However, Johnson’s teammate, Jamey Driscoll, wasn’t going to settle for second. He embarked on one of the most impressive individual rides in recent memory, finally making contact inside the last half-lap. The duo hit the line for a surprising photo finish, with Johnson edging-out Driscoll by half a wheel. Luca Damiani (who wowed the crowd by bunny hopping the barriers) finished the podium in third.


After Saturday’s excitement, everyone expected another great Cyclocrossworld.com showdown between Johnson and Driscoll on Sunday. But Driscoll skipped Sunday’s race for some schoolwork, leaving all eyes on Johnson.  On the first lap, a large lead group formed containing Johnson, Damiani, Nick Weighall, and Saturday’s top U23 rider, Valentin Scherz. Johnson attacked the group at the start of the second lap and never looked back. Damiani and Scherz went head-to-head for second on the day, with Damiani coming-out on top due to a mishap that briefly left Scherz on the ground. Luckily, Scherz battled back to take the final spot on the podium.


It was a whirlwind weekend filled with great battles and spectacular races.  After winning 4 of 5 races, it’s easy to see why Team Cyclocrossworld.com is in control of the domestic cross scene right now. That said, Ryan Trebon finally picked-up a UCI victory and seemed to reveal some cracks in Powers’. So where will everyone fall in this week’s Power Ranking? Time to find out:



Domestic Power Rankings – Week #4


1. Tim Johnson (1) – With a pair of stellar victories, Johnson remains the #1 rider in the US this week. At this point, I’m not sure there’s anybody (domestically) who can beat him and the fact that he rode solo virtually all weekend speaks volumes about his fitness and skills. Johnson’s heading to Europe this weekend for the World Cup in Switzerland, it will be interesting to see how he does.


2. Jeremy Powers (2) – Powers’ Ohio win streak ended Friday, but he rebounded in impressive fashion to take wins Saturday and Sunday. Unlike Johnson though, Powers doesn’t seem to dominate without the support of his team. I have confidence that Powers can win on any given day, but I would like to see him dominate more races without teammates.


3. Ryan Trebon (3) – Friday’s victory was the first for the Oregon rider this season. He ended-up second on Saturday and Sunday, but was in contention for the victory both days. Trebon has been all over the podium this year and has consistently put in solid rides. If anybody can break Cyclocrossworld.com’s domination, Trebon’s the one.


4. Jamey Driscoll (4) – While I’m not going to slight getting an education, it appears that schoolwork got in the way of a truly great weekend for Driscoll. In fact, his performance Saturday was so remarkable, that I considered bumping him up a notch in the rankings—even though I still think he lags behind the first three riders on this list. Driscoll is young and his time will come. For now, he’s just super exciting to watch.


5. Luca Damiani (9) – Damiani reminded me why I first put him in the rankings this weekend with a pair of podium finishes. I’m not sure he would have been able to beat Scherz on Sunday if it weren’t for that mishap, but that’s cross. He still needs to pick-up a big win this season—it might come sooner then expected.


6. Valentin Scherz (7) – Scherz stepped-up his game last weekend in Gloucester and continued that success this weekend. I honestly thought he would take the victory in Providence if Johnson had a mishap or a bad day. Scherz finished fourth on Saturday and third on Sunday, the top U23 finisher both days. It appears a victory for Scherz is right around the corner.


7. Tristan Schouten (6) – Schouten moves up a spot this week after two very impressive rides in Ohio. He finished third on Saturday and seventh on Sunday. However, I still consider him chase group fodder. CX is all about progression and I think if Schouten can land on the podium at some major races that would be a huge step forward.


8. Geoff Kabush – The “Maple Leaf Man” finally makes it into the Power Rankings this week three fourth-place finishes in Ohio.  He’ll most likely return to Canada for a pair of UCI races in Toronto this weekend. If he does, he’s the odds-on favorite for victory.


9. Davide Frattini (5) – After an impressive start to the season, Frattini took a well-deserved weekend off. He’s now in Canada and will most likely race in Toronto, where he could very well pick-up another UCI victory.


10. Todd Wells (10) – No word on where Wells is headed this weekend, but it will be interesting to see how he does after taking a few weeks off. I’m keeping him at #10 because I still think he’s one of the ten best riders in the country. But it’s time for him to get back to racing.


Dropped this week: Justin Lindine (8).


All eyes will be focused on Wilmington, Delaware and Toronto, Ontario this weekend as both venues feature a pair of UCI C2 races. The Toronto races are a largely all-Canadian affair, except for a few years ago when they were part of the NACT. As I mentioned, Davide Frattini is in Canada and should be racing in Toronto. The other two favorites for victory are Geoff Kabush and Derrick St. John.


The Granogue cross race features a pair of firsts for the “Queen of the MAC.” First, Granogue moves to two-days this year; it will be interesting to see what course configurations they use. Second, Granogue is one of two races in the US to offer UCI Junior races making the event a huge opportunity for the best juniors in the country to pick-up UCI points ahead of Nationals and any potential European trips. Ryan Trebon has owned Granogue in past years and will be the favorite for victory. Current MAC leader Valetin Scherz had a break-out race at Granogue last year though, and is still looking for his first UCI victory this season.


All in all, it promises to be an exciting weekend in North America. I will be at Granogue both days, so if you’re around be sure to say hello.


Lastly, I think it’s time for a primer on UCI categories and points—I’m writing a special column this week to explain how it all works. I’ll also be explaining why Johnson, Driscoll, Powers and Adam Craig are all heading to Europe this weekend. (Trust me, it’s not what you think.) Be sure to check it out.


Share your comments below—who are your picks for the weekend?

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Monday Musette – Emilia, Tours, Equipment, & A Question or Two

Posted on October 11, 2010 by


2010 Giro Dell Emilia - Gesink Wins

Fotoreporter Sirotti


Here’s the week’s Musette:


1. On Saturday Rabobank’s Robert Gesink successfully defended his title at the Giro dell Emilia, breaking free from a lead group of 14 on the uphill finish to take the win from Garmin’s Dan Martin.  Unfortunately for Gesink, the win was likely his last of the season.  He’ll miss Saturday’s Tour of Lombardy to be at the side of his father, who is in bad shape following an accident while mountain biking.


2010 Giro Dell Emilia - Martin Attacks

Fotoreporter Sirotti



2. For Martin, Saturday was yet another impressive result in what has become somewhat of a breakout season for the young Irishman.  Next year he’ll certainly be given more leadership responsibilities in some important races.  Were I Matt White, I’d start Martin’s season with a peak for Paris-Nice, a race suiting his talents.  From there, I would send him to Pais Vasco before tackling the Ardennes classics.  After a brief rest, I’d continue his build with Romandie, the Dauphiné, and before tackling his first Tour de France.  You’re welcome, Matt.


2010 GP Beghelli - Cataldo Wins

Fotoreporter Sirotti


3. Saturday’s peloton remained more or less intact for Sunday’s GP Beghelli, won by Quick Step’s Dario Cataldo.  Saxo Bank’s Jakob Fuglsang finished second after a solid eleventh-place Saturday—he’s one to watch this week in Piedmonte and Lombardy.


2010 Paris-Tours - Freire Wins

Fotoreporter Sirotti


4. Rabobank’s successful weekend continued Sunday with Oscar Freire’s win in Paris-Tours.  For Freire, his first win in Tours filled a conspicuous vacancy in Freire’s otherwise impressive field sprint palmares, simulataneously salvaging a season that began with high expectations following his third victory in Milan-San Remo.  It now looks as if the 2011 season could be Freire’s last.


5. Aside from Freire’s win, I found myself most impressed with the performance of Topsport-Vlaanderen.  Sep Vanmarcke was the first to try his luck inside the final ten kilometers (he then sprinted to a 15th-place finish), followed by teammate Jerome Baugnies.  Not to be outdone, Klaas Lodewijck took fourth on the Avenue de Grammont, capping-off a fantastic day for Walter Plankaert’s boys.


Give Plankaert and Christophe Sercu credit for establishing an impressive and credible pipeline of Belgian talent.  5 riders from this year’s team have signed with Pro Tour squads for 2011, and they’ve already begun to replenish by signing the winner of Sunday’s Paris-Tours for Espoirs, Jelle Wallays.


6. I don’t know about you, but I find myself siding with Philippe Gilbert’s take on Pippo Pozatto.  It’s one thing to chase a rival because you want to attack yourself; it’s another to do so because you don’t have the strength to get a gap on your own.


7. Did you hear the rumor that Specialized will be backing HTC-High Road in 2011?  It’s an interesting idea on several fronts.  Scott has apparently jettisoned HTC for the assumedly cheaper option to support the soon-to-be-announced squad organized by Pegasus Racing.  Either HTC’s bill became too rich for Scott’s blood, or they simply felt they had hit the glass ceiling with Bob Stapleton’s squad.  I guess we’ll find out.


As for Specialized, you don’t have to think hard to see their next move.  With Cancellara, the Schlecks, and popular riders like Jens Voigt and Stuart O’Grady leaving Saxo Bank and Alberto Contador looking likely to get popped for doping, Specialized is suddenly hurting for marquee names to feature in their glossy full-page advertising campaigns.  HTC offers a bevy of options, including the chance to get bikes under the fastest sprinter in the world, Mark Cavendish.


8. Which brings me to my next topic.  Cavendish is bringing a bit of the NFL to professional cycling by whining about his next contract before his current one has even expired.  What more do you want, Mark?  They already cut ties with Greipel; it’s obvious you’re “the guy”.


I wonder if Cavendish is feeling less than secure about HTC’s future.  Columbia’s gone. Scott’s gone.  Extensions are not coming easily.  Is trouble ahead for Bob Stapleton’s juggernaut?


9.  Speaking of equipment, a question came to mind the other day: will Garmin stick with Shimano next season, or will Cervélo’s presence mean SRAM gets the nod?


10.  Back to Cancellara: he announced that he’s announcing his 2011 destination in two weeks.  With whom do you think we’ll see him ride next season?  And will we ever learn the title sponsor of Team Luxembourg?


11. And last but not least, you might have missed the announcement of the return of tan sidewalls to Vittoria’s line of open tubulars.  I can’t wait.


Enjoy your week—share your comments below!



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Weekend Preview – Emilia, Borghelli, & Paris-Tours

Posted on October 8, 2010 by


2010 Coppa Sabatini - Ricco Wins

Fotoreporter Sirotti


This weekend’s racing begins Saturday, with the 93rd edition of Italy’s Giro dell’Emilia, a prestigious semi-classic in and around Bologna.  A difficult race with an impressive list of winners, Emilia attracts riders hoping to test their form for next Saturday’s Monument, the Tour of Lombardy.


Last year’s winner, Robert Gesink, returns backed by a strong Rabobank squad including Paul Martens and Bauke Mollema.  Martens is one to watch should Gesink give him the go-ahead to ride for himself.


Several home favorites take the start, some of whom come “fresh” from their unsuccessful bid to bring home a rainbow jersey for the tifosi: Liquigas’ Vincenzo Nibali, Lampre’s Francesco Gavazzi, and ISD’s Giovanni Visconti. Other Italian favorites include Quick Step’s Dario Cataldo, Colnago’s Domenico Pozzovivo, and Androni Giocattoli’s trio of Michele Scarponi, Leonardo Bertagnolli, and Alessandro Bertolini—the latter two also finished well in Sabatini. Ricardo Ricco and Marco Mancato went 1-2 for Vacansoleil at the Coppa Sabatini and could easily take one of the squad’s biggest wins of the season Saturday.  Cervelo’s Davide Appollonio is also rider to keep an eye on in what will be one of the team’s final races of its two-year campaign.  Last but not least, one should never discount the chances of AG2R’s Rinaldo Noentini in a race of this sort—he would certainly love to end the season in a fashion similar to how he started it (with wins in the Tour du Med & Haut Var).


Highlights of the foreign contingent won’t surprise you.  Katusha’s Alexander Kolobnev is still seeking his first major win, while HTC’s Peter Velits would love a semi-classic to go with his podium finish at the Vuelta.  Omega Pharma-Lotto’s Jan Bakelants, Staf Scheirlinckx, and Jurgen Van Goolen could thrive in the absence of Philippe Gilbert—Scheirlinckx and Van Goolen both had top-10 rides in Sabatini.  Garmin’s Daniel Martin won Tre Valle Varesini this summer; with Tom Danielson at his side, he could take a more impressive in Emilia.


Lastly, Saxo Bank brings Andy Schleck, Richie Porte, and Jakob Fuglsang.  While it’s hard to expect much from Schleck at this point, Porte and Fuglsang are two riders capable of competing for the win.


And my prediction?


Ricco takes his second win of the week over Nibali and Kolobnev.  Fans won’t be pleased, but the Italian’s clearly in-form at the moment.


On Sunday, the majority of the Emilia start list heads to Monteveglio for the GP Beghelli.  A race known to favor sprinters, look for some teams to swap their climbers for their speedsters—Colnago is bringing-in Manuel Belletti and Sacha Modolo, for example.  Last year, Camiooro’s Francisco Ventoso took the win, but he’s absent this year, leaving the door open for another rider from one of the local squads to emerge victorious.  I see Gavazzi, Visconti, and one of the Androni boys coming to the fore, with Visconti taking another win as Italian Champion.


But the real action Sunday is in France at the 104th edition of Paris-Tours.  Paris-Tours has recently become our first chance to see the new World Champion in his rainbow jersey—but not this year as the ASO left the Cervelo TestTeam off the list of invitees.  As a result, we’ll have to wait until next week to see Thor Hushovd wering stripes—it’s a shame too, as he would have been a favorite to win Sunday.


In Thor’s absence, the weight of being the top favorite status falls—once again—on Philippe Gilbert, the two-time defending champion.  Gilbert is out for vengeance following yet another fruitless World Championship and looks set to complete his hat trick.  Should he prove unable to escape, look for Greg Van Avermaet (5th in Melbourne) and the young Brit Adam Blythe (two stages and the overall at Franco-Belge) to contend for the victory.  Van Avermaet’s a particularly interesting candidate—he’s in form and knows how to handle himself in a sprint.


Belgium’s other big-budget squad—Quick Step—brings Tom Boonen, Sylvain Chavanel, and Wouter Weylandt.  Boonen’s admittedly using this race to test his fitness following a wasted summer thanks to crashes in California and Switzerland.  Weylandt won the final stage of Franco-Belge, while Chavanel’s an aggressive rider with a crowd-pleasing style resembling former Paris-Tour winners Jacky Durand and Richard Virenque.


As for Katusha, they bring Filippo Pozzato and Robbie McEwen.  For Pozzato a win would ease the pain following his lackluster 4th-place finish at Worlds, while for McEwen, this could be the last time he lines-up (who knows if his new team will even be invited next year).


Liquigas has Daniele Bennati, Francisco Chicchi, and Peter Sagan chomping at the bit.  Sagan’s disappeared after a fantastic spring, while Bennati’s a bit inconsistent.  The real wild card for Liquigas might be Daniele Oss, a rider from whom we can expect much next spring.


Rabobank has Oscar Freire and Nick Nuyens on their roster.  It’s hard to believe considering his other major wins, but Freire’s never won Paris-Tours.  A win Sunday would provide a satisfying bookend to his victory in Milan-San Remo.  On the other hand, Team Milram—in one of its final races ever—brings Gerald Ciolek and Niki Terpstra to fight for a win that would certainly be a case of too little, too late.  And don’t forget Vacansoleil.  Bjorn Leukemans and Borut Borzic will contend—Borzic took third last year.


Other candidates include AG2R’s Lloyd Mondory, Caisse d’Epargne’s Jose Joaquin Rojas, Garmin’s Johan Van Summeren, HTC’s Bernhard Eisel, Team Sky’s Juan Antonio Flecha, BMC’s Alessandro Ballan, Radio Shack’s Geert Steegmans, and Cofidis’ Jens Keukelaire.


But of them all, I think one man will emerge to take the victory: Saxo Bank’s Matti Breschel.


What about you? Share your picks and comments below.

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International Cyclocross Report & Power Ranking – Week #2

Posted on October 7, 2010 by
2010 Neerpelt Cyclocross - Telnet Rider

Photo by Tim Van Wichelen

Sunday’s Round One of the GVA Trophy was the first real showdown of the European season. Minus an injured Niels Albert, the field was stacked and ready to throw-down on a fast, challenging course ending in front of the Citadel in Namur. World Champion Zdenek Stybar came out on top with an 8-second victory ahead of a very impressive Klaas Vantournout. Kevin Pauwels came in nearly 30-seconds later for third. However, the biggest news of the day was—like last year—Sven Nys, who abandoned after realizing he was too far behind to score serious points.


Stybar’s win was impressive, but not surprising. The World Champion has shown good form this year, albeit against weaker fields. After grabbing the hole-shot Sunday, Stybar’s furious pace created a 5-man lead group containing Vantournout, Pauwels, Bart Aernouts and Dieter Vanthourenhout. By the midway point of the race—when Stybar really turned it on—the only person able to follow was Vantournout. Pauwels might have been there, had a flat tire not eliminated his chance for victory. On the final lap, Stybar gapped Vantornout on one of the course’s steep drops, and held it to the line for the win.


Further back, Francis Mourey’s US start to the season seems to be paying-off; the Frenchman finished with a solid eighth-place ride. Meanwhile, American Jonathan Page left a lot of people scratching their heads after rolling across the line 23rd, more than six minutes down.  Things became a bit clearer afterwards when Page admitted his flight to Belgium had landed six hours before the start. Hopefully he can adjust and have a better race this weekend. As for Sven Nys, he blamed his poor start on a failure to clip-in quickly. After making-up some ground, he claims the heat hit him and he unraveled. If his story sounds familiar, look back to the first World Cup round in Treviso last year.


While it wasn’t the showdown we expected, the first round of the GVA Trophy provided an exciting race nonetheless, with World Champion Stybar proving once again that he’s the man to beat. Behind him, several riders continued to improve their game, while a few left a lot to be desired. What does all this mean for this week’s rankings? Time to find out:


International Power Rankings – Week #2


1. Zdenek Stybar (2) – If there were any questions about Stybar’s dominance last season, he provided all the answers in about an hour on Sunday. The biggest benefit for Stybar is that neither Nys nor Niels Albert scored any GVA Trophy points, putting his two biggest rivals in a big hole. At this point, we know Stybar belongs on the front, the question is: can anybody stop him?


2. Klaas Vantornout (3) – With a solid second-place in Namur, Vantornout proved he belongs in the lead group. However, his ability to win remains in question. Vantornout landed on the podium in virtually every major race last year, but never took the top step. Last year was all about Stybar, Nys and Albert—perhaps Vantornout can make it a foursome? First, he needs to pick-up a marquee win.


3. Kevin Pauwels (5) – Last year, Pauwels surprised everyone by making podium after podium. Then, he won the Round 7 of the World Cup, making everyone take notice. Pauwels might have contended for victory had he not flatted early in the race on Sunday. He battled his way back to third, proving he may be even better than last year. I still think he has four or five big wins in his legs this year, but he’ll have to be perfect to do so.


4. Bart Aernouts (4) – Aernouts continued his strong start to the season with a fourth-place finish. Last season, Aernouts was always in the top-10, but rarely made it onto the podium. It looks like he may have taken a big step forward this year. Only time will tell if he’ll remain as consistent as he did last year. Unfortunately, Aernouts is Belgian—in any other country, he’d probably be a superstar.


5. Sven Nys (1) – Nys’ start to the season made it as if the Cannibal were back and firing on all cylanders. However, Sunday proved there are still many questions to be answered. Maybe Sunday was just one bad race—or maybe it’s the start of another excuse-filled season. I will say this though: Nys wants two things this year—a Superprestige title (his tenth) and a World Championship.  Maybe he knows what he’s doing?


6. Bart Wellens (9) – Wellens’ fifth-place finish was impressive considering he never made it into the lead group. From the start, Wellens was behind virtually everyone who finished inside the top-10; he essentially chased the entire race. As the season continues, I expect Wellens to be a big player in some major races.


7. Francis Mourey (6) – Mourey began his European season with a solid eighth-place finish in Namur. The transition to Europe can sometimes be a bit taxing, so it was nice to see the French Champion perform well. He’s still missing an important European win though and Sunday’s race proved that he’s not any closer than last year—at least not yet.


8. Dieter Vanthourenhout (7) – Vanthourenhout continues to be the first guy dropped from the lead group. However, his seventh-place finish proves that once he’s in the chase group, he’s there to stay. It’s a big step from being a chaser to being a leader though; I’m not sure Vanthourenhout is ready to take that step.


9. Gerben de Knegt (10) – The elder statesman of cross (technically the co-elder statesman as Christian Heule is the same age) finished ninth Sunday in his second race of the season. (He finished third in his first race, CrossVegas.) While the two races, and fields, were completely different, de Knegt appears to be enjoying good form. I don’t expect any major wins out of the Dutchman, but as we saw last year, the “old guys” always surprise.


10. Tom Meeusen (8) – After an impressive start to the season Meeusen suffered the same fate as Nys. However, Meeusen escapes much of my wrath because he is young and still learning. He actually started quite well, but faded before blowing-up completely. I still think he’s one of the top-10 riders in Europe, but he needs to rebound to stay in the rankings next week.


The showdown in Namur was just as exciting—and crazy—as we expected it to be. However, even the best of us could not have predicted Sven Nys completely giving-up. This weekend brings another showdown, this time in Ruddervoorde for Round One of the Superprestige series. All the pressure is on Nys, especially after last weekend’s collapse. Will he rebound and march his way to a tenth Superprestige title?  Will Stybar continue his undefeated streak? Or will someone else finally break through?


We’ll soon find out.


Share your comments and picks below.

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This Week in Race History (Oct. 3-9)

Posted on October 6, 2010 by

15 years ago: Miguel Indurain won the World Championship Time Trial, then in its second year of existence.  Abraham Olano won the World Championship Road Race, 35 seconds ahead of second place Indurain.  Heavy rains resulted in only 20 riders crossing the finish line.


Indurain’s TT win and  second place road finish is the closest anyone has come to the time trial/road race double.  His podium visits also mark the last time a reigning Tour de France yellow jersey winner medaled in the Worlds.

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