Interesting cycling items from across the Internet, November 21, 2011
Seen any cool links we missed? Share them in a comment below!
Photo: Natalia Boltukhova | Pedal Power Photography | 2011
It was a slim weekend for North American cyclocross. Many of the nation’s top-tier riders opted to take the weekend off after a grueling couple of weeks that saw seven major UCI-rated races – last week’s huge USGP weekend in Louisville, and before that, races in Cincinatti and Massachusetts. Some had particularly compelling reasons to take time off the bike – LTS-Felt rider Ryan Trebon is getting his sea legs back following a painful pre-race crash at last Sunday’s USGP race. Stay tuned for an interview with Trebon, wherein he talks about his knee and the rest of his season.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at this weekend’s action:
North Carolina GP (C2/C2)
It was deja vu all over again in Hendersonville, NC as Ben Berden picked up a pair of UCI C2 victories this past weekend. It was no particular surprise to anybody who glanced at the start list, which was devoid of many of the pros that Berden races against on the national calendar. It should come as no surprise that Berden picked did the double, especially after his UCI C1 victory at the Boulder Cup earlier this month. The Belgian rider is racing a full season, and his last, in the US. After twenty years of racing in Belgium, Berden wanted to see all the US had to offer – hence his season in the States and his trip to Hendersonville. Berden is likely happy to pick up the UCI points, as they’ll ensure his place at the front of the starting grid in future races. More interestingly, the top four riders remained the same on both days, with Brian Matter finishing second, Travis Livermon third and Canadian Mike Garrigan fourth. The race also saw fine finishes by riders from Bob’s Red Mill, namely Ryan Knapp, and from SmartStop/MOB/Ridley – namely Adam Myerson, who reeled in 6th place on Sunday.
Photo by Luc Claessen/ISPA
Heading into the third round of the GVA Trophy, Kevin Pauwels holds a healthy ten-point lead of Zdenk Stybar and a 14-point lead over Sven Nys. Pauwels will head into Saturday’s race as a heavy favorite as he attempts to win his third straight GVA Trophy race and further separate himself from the competition. Pauwels won in Hasselt last year, but after stumbling a bit last weekend, he has left the door open for Stybar and Nys to strike.
Nys and Stybar split victories last weekend and as of late, seem to be the only riders capable of handling, and beating, Pauwels. It was a very tight battle last year in Hasselt (the top-10 were separated by less then 30-seconds) and if it comes down to a sprint, watch out for the crafty veteran Nys to be the only one capable of challenging the superior sprint of Pauwels.
Looking to pull off the upset could be Tom Meeusen who contniues to have a very solid season. Bart Aernouts could also provide the upset if he can hold on to the lead group. Finally, watch out for Radomir Simunek who finished fifth in last weekends Superprestige round. Simunek has found success at Hasselt in the past.
The French National Cyclocross Series Round 2 – Rodez (C2) - France’s National cross series continues in Rodez on Sunday. Francis Mourey has been unstoppable in his home nation this year and looks to continue that success. Steve Chainel and John Gadret will look to keep Mourey in check and pull of the upset. Matthieu Boulo could play into things as the young Frenchman continues to mix it up with the elites.
Kansai Cyclocross (C2) -Â One of only two UCI rated races in Japan, the other being the National Championships, this UCI C2 race brings out Japan’s best cross riders. Last year, Keiichi Tsujiura beat Masanori Kosaka in a two-up sprint finish. Hikaru Kosaka rolled across the line 1:30 later in thrid. Tsujiura, the current Japanese National Champion, has to be the heavy favorite to repeate. However, if 49-year-old Masanori Kosaka shows up, he could provide the upset.
Superprestige Gavere (C1)
With current overall leader Niels Albert out for several weeks after breaking his wrist in a training accident, the door is wide open for Sven Nys and Zdenk Stybar to pick up the victory in Gavere and take control of the overall. Nys holds every record possible when it comes to the Superprestige series and always seems to have an impact at its races. Last year Nys, Kevin Pauwels and Albert rode away from the rest of the field, with Nys picking up the victory. Nys could easily repeat this weekend, but will face heavy competition from Stybar and Pauwels.
With Albert recovering from the injury, it’ll be interesting to see if any of the chase group will be able to crack the podium stranglehold.
Photo by Sasha Eysymontt | flickr.com/photos/sashae
With a bit of a hole in the North American UCI calendar, many of the nations top riders are either taking some time off before beginning the second half of their season. However, the pair of UCI races in Hendersonville, NC this weekend provide an opportunity for many racers to grab valuable points to improve their starting position as the season winds down. Leading the charge in Hendersonville is Ben Berden who has had a very strong and consistent season. Berden will be looking to pick up maximum points both days and has to be the heavy favorite.
Looking to knock Berden off the top step will be a bevvy of North American riders. Canadian Mike Garrigan has had a solid season thus far and would love to pick up the victory in Hendersonville. New Englander Jerome Townsend is making the trip down south and should figure into the battle for the podium. Mid-west standout Brian Matter is making the trip East and while he may not be a favorite for victory, he could easily finish on the podium. Travis Livermon will try and use the home crowd (he lives in Winterville, NC) to help him towards victory.
Photo by Balint Hamvas | cyclephotos.co.uk
The Top Four: Pauwels, Stybar, Nys, and Albert have a stranglehold on European cyclocross. These four have won every major race this season, unwilling to let wins slip through their stingy fingers to the rest of the pack. They are head and shoulders above the rest of the field, and as such, deserve to be looked at with a separation between them and the rest. They’re competing against each other – everybody else is just chasing them.
1. Kevin Pauwels (1) – Kevin Pauwels comes off a winless weekend, which is something that’s starting to look a bit unusual. But despite getting bested first by Sven Nys and then by Zdenek Stybar, Pauwels remains the strongest, most dominant rider in the field.
2. Zdenek Stybar (3) – the World Champion finally nabs his first big win of the season in crushing style, by breaking away from a huge lead group on a fast course and time trialing to the finish. It’s a nice reward for Stybar who’s obviously showed glimpses of brilliance over the past month – will he be able to repeat in short order?
3. Sven Nys (4) – Occasional off-podium results don’t stop Nys from duking it out with his younger rivals. And following some complaints about their performance during Stybar’s victory last weekend, he must might be fired up enough to come out with some wins this weekend.
4. Niels Albert (2) – Albert’s immediate future gets a big question mark thanks to a broken wrist sustained this week when a car hit him while he was training. His fourth place on the Power Rankings, therefore, is more of an indication of how this past weekend shaped up rather than an outlook for his future. Look for his injury to make some more room at the top for some others.
The rest of the field:Â
5. Francis Mourey (9) – Who’s the most dominant cyclocross rider in the world? Why it’s Francis Mourey, of course, who sticks to racing in France, either due to comfort with victory, sponsorship obligations, or other reasons. Hard to blame him on this one, it was a C1. And hey – he keeps winning. But if he keeps a Francocentric schedule, will he ever do better than 4th in a major international race?
6. Bart Aernouts (6) – Aernouts is hovering perpetually at 6th – incidentally, where he usually winds up finishing. With Albert injured, will Aernouts get a chance to shine?
7. Tom Meeusen (5)Â – The young up-and-comer has been racing up and down in the middle. We’re still waiting to see if he can match last year’s run of wins, and if we’re to gain confidence in his ability we’ll need to start seeing some podium finishes.Â
8. Radomir Simunek (8)Â – Albert’s teammate is slowly building to the kind of form that saw several podiums last year.Â
9. Bart Wellens (nr) – Bartje returns from a brief respite due to a virus, and nabs a solid 7th place. We’ll wait and see if the rest gives him the boost he’ll need to start challenging or wins instead of chasing.Â
10. Klaas Vantornout (7)Â – The tall man on Sunweb-Revor had some flashes of brilliance earlier in the season but it seems his form is waning, and as Aernouts, Meeusen, and Simunek are building form, that means a challenge for Vantornout.
Dropped this week: Rob Peeters.
Interesting cycling items from across the Internet, November 17, 2011
Seen any cool links we missed? Share them in a comment below!