Interesting cycling items from across the Internet, November 8, 2011
Seen any cool links we missed? Share them in a comment below!
Photo by Balint Hamvas | cyclephotos.co.uk
Grand Prix de la Region Wallonne (C2)
As predicted, the 14th edition of this race in Dottignies, Belgium came down to Belgian National Champion Niels Albert, World Champion Zden Stybar and French National Champion Francis Mourey. Albert was able to slip away from the rest of the competition, beating Stybar by 12 seconds. The real surprise was Radomir Simunek, who finished third, right behind Stybar and in front of Mourey. Mourey once again takes 4th place in an international race, and we can’t decide if his ability to do so is an exciting confirmation of his talent, or if it’s starting to get a little bit boring. We’d love to see him crack a podium in a big race against a bunch of Belgians – will it happen? And lastly, our surprise pick was Rob Peeters, who finished fifth, just 15 seconds behind Albert.
International Radquer Hittnau (C2)
As one of our loyal readers pointed out, our pick for victory, Lukas Fluckiger pulled a fast one on us and headed to the US for the Iceman Cometh MTB race, where he won. Without Fluckiger, Marcel Wildhaber picked up the victory a head of Italians Enrico Franzoi and Cristian Cominelli. A few of our riders to watch included Simon Zahner, who finished sixth and David Casek who came across in sixth place.
International Radquerfeldein Lambach/Stadl-Paura (C2)
Czech Ondrej Bambula rode away from the competition in Stadl-Paura, Austrai en route to his second consecutive victory on this course. He bested fellow Czech Filip Adel and German Helmut Trettwer. The top finishing Austrian was Matthias Brandle who finished fourth. Austria’s National Champion, Peter Presslauer finished sixth, just over two minutes back.
European Championships (CC)
As predicted, the Dutch simply dominated the European Championships in Lucca, Italy. The Men’s Espior race was a very close battle with the top eight riders coming across the line together. Lars van der Haar, winner of this year’s CrossVegas season opener in Las Vegas, led a Dutch sweep with Mike Teunissen and Stan Godrie finishing second and third, respectively. Mathieu van der Pol, the son of Adri Van der Poel (1996 Cyclocross World Champion) and the grandson of Raymond Poulidor, dominated the Junior Men’s race beating the French duo of Quentin Jauregui and Romain Seigle by 34 seconds. Finally, in the Women’s race, Dutch star Daphny van den Brand, who’s been on fire lately, came across the line first. France’s Lucie Chainel and Pauline Ferrand Prevost rounded out the podium. The Dutch took home fourth, sixth and seventh as well.
GVA Trofee – Ronse (C2)
The second installment of the Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee saw Sunweb-Revor rider Kevin Pauwels repeat his first round victory at last week’s Koppenbergcross. Pauwels and World Champion Zdenek Stybar countered an impressive move by an increasingly on-form Bart Aernouts to ride away from the field. In what has become a bit of a routine lately, K-Pau capably powered the lead group away from chasers. Behind, a series of individual time trials played out, with Niels Albert chasing the leading two, and being chased by Tom Meeusen, being chased by Klaas Vantornout, being chased by Aernouts, chased by Sven Nys. Stybar and Pauwels, though, had built up enough of a lead over the course’s rugged terrain and challenging run-ups to stare at each other a little bit on the last lap. Pauwels got the better of Stybar by accelerating on a twisting, technical section just before the pavement sprint, opening up a few bike lengths that Stybar never had a chance to close – but considering Stybar’s inability to lead Pauwels into that section, or his inattention to realizing that he’d need to be in front on the pavement to hold off Pauwels in the spring, one wonders if he thought he had a chance in the finale against the Belgian.
Pauwels has put himself in the drivers seat after his win in Ronse. He now has a commanding lead in the GVA Trofee series after winning round one as well. Pauwels also has a lead in the World Cup, and has expressed his desire to capture the victory in one of those series. While it’s unlikely he’ll be able to maintain this level of dominance all season long, that goal is surely within his capability. Meanwhile, Stybar’s second place is confirmation of a habit he is surely growing uncomfortable with – finishing on the podium of every race he enters, but being unable to reach the top step. For Albert it was an evening-out of some of the ups and downs of his season, but still a ways away from anything resembling top form. Meanwhile, the performance was a disappointment from Sven Nys, who finished 7th.Â
Bright spots came from Tom Meeusen and Bart Aernouts, both of whom have been building form well over the past weeks. Look for Meeusen to hang with the leaders before too long – we’ll see if he can pick up a healthy couple of wins like he did last season. Aernouts, on the other hand, might have a harder time pulling down wins against fierce competition, but he and Vantornout are constant podium threats.
Fotoreporter Sirotti
Interesting cycling items from across the Internet, November 7, 2011
Seen any cool links we missed? Share them in a comment below!
Natalia Boltukhova | Pedal Power Photography | 2011
Cincy3 Day Festival
For the first time in nearly a month, all the top players in US cross gathered together, this time for three days of cross in Cincinnati, Ohio. The three day “festival†offered a pair of UCI C2 races topped off by Sunday’s C1 race. Many would argue that Jeremy Powers is the best cross rider in America after his pair of top-15 World Cup finishes. Then there’s Tim Johnson, who had a solid European campaign as well, but has struggled to dominate on his home turf the way he has in past years. Many argue that Ryan Trebon is the best racer in the US, getting the better of the Johnson-Powers duo on multiple occasions in the past month. This weekend gave us a clearer idea of who’s the best rider in the US right now. When the dust settled on Sunday, Jeremy Powers came out on top, bookending the weekend with a pair of wins, including Sunday’s C1 race in Harbin Park.
All in all, it was a riveting weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio. Powers is clearly the man to beat in the US, but Trebon is right there with him. The real question is can Johnson find his form and rid himself of some bad luck. Riding a bit in the shadows all weekend was Jamey Driscoll, who picked up three top-five finishes. With Christian Heule out for a little while due to illness, and Johnson’s form questionable, Driscoll could be Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld’s best hope for a victory.
The Cycle-Smart International – Rounds 5 & 6 of the NEPCX
The oldest UCI cyclocross race in North American brought a pair of C2 races to Northampton, MA this past weekend. With many of the nation’s top riders in Ohio, and the Canadian National Championships in Toronto, the field had a very New England feel and allowed some lesser known riders a chance to shine. Obviously, all eyes were on Justin Lindine, who attempted to pick up his sixth and seventh straight UCI victory and cement his lead in the inaugural NEPCX series.
As far as Lindine’s lack of usual domination goes, he said he had heavy legs and didn’t have the snap needed to make his usual moves. On Saturday, Lindine seemed to struggle from tire or tire pressure issues. On Sunday, the racecourse seemed to favor the road riders a bit more and although Lindine tried hard, he was unable to get away.Â
Lindine’s struggles were a bit of a dissapointment for many of the New England faithful, but between that, and Keough’s success, the final two rounds of the NECPX in Rhode Island will decide the series. Lindine picked up a total of 23 points bringing his overall total to 107. Meanwhile, Keough picked up 80 points bringing his overall total to 110. The series wraps up December 3 & 4 with the NBX GP of Cyclocross – we’ll be keeping our eyes on the form of both Lindine and Keough leading up to those races to see how their neck-and-neck battle will play out.Â
Canadian National Championships
Chris Sheppard picked up the Maple Leaf jersey in Toronto this past weekend for the second consecutive year. Mark Batty beat out Aaron Schooler in a two-up sprint for silver. Derrick St. John rolled across the line in fourth. As far as our riders to watch did, Craig Richey finished eight, Mike Garrigan was sixth and Shaun Adamson finished a distant 14th. It should be noted that for the second straight year, Geoff Kabush elected not to make the trip to Toronto.
Photo by Tim Van Wichelen
Grand Prix de la Region Wallonne (C2)
French National Champion Francis Mourey went two-for-two in his native France this past weekend, proving that he has great form. Mourey won this race last year and is a favorite to win again, but in order to do so he’ll have to content with a handful of competitors who usually best him. Belgian National Champion Niels Albert will be looking to rebound from a bad race on Tuesday’s Koppenbergcross and should provide a good challenge for Mourey. Zdenek Stybar is a late addition to the start list and would love to finally take the top step of the podium after multiple podium appearances. Rob Peeters could provide the upset, he’s on good form and finished seventh last year.
GVA Trofee – Ronse (C2)
Round one of the GVA Trofee saw Kevin Pauwels ride away from Zdenk Stybar and Sven Nys on the course around the Koppenberg. This weekend, the series moves to Ronse, Belgium for round two. Last year in Ronse, Sven Nys picked up the victory in the first edition of the race. After Tuesday, Pauwels has to be the heavy favorite, but Nys will surely be looking to beat the younger Belgian. Stybar should play into the mix, but he will have his hands full. Young Tom Meeusen put in a stellar ride on Tuesday and if he can keep in contact with the leaders, he could finish on the podium. Finally, there’s Bart Aernouts, who has shown good form over the past few weeks. Look for Aernouts to try to get into the mix early and try to stay in contact with the leaders.
International Radquer Hittnau (C2)
Lukas Fluckiger has been seemingly unbeatable on home soil, until last weekends race, where fellow Swiss Marcel Wildhaber won a fast, hard race. Fluckiger will be looking for revenge this weekend in Hittnau. Four out of last weeks top-five finishers will be on the start line including Wildhaber, Simon Zahner, Sascha Weber and David Kasek. All of whom are capable of winning this weekend. Petr Dlask and Enrico Franzoi are making the trip to Hittnau and could provide a few surprises.
International Radquerfeldein Lambach/Stadl-Paura (C2)
This is one of only two UCI races in Austria, the other being their National Championships. There’s no start list readily available, but based on last year’s results this could be an entirely Czech affair. Last year they took the top six spots, led by winner Ondrej Bambula. This year, look for last years second place finisher, Vladimir Kyzivat to pick up the victory in Stradl-Paura. David Kasek, who finished third last year, could also figure in the mix. Austrian National Champion Peter Presslauer would love to pick up the victory in front of his home nation, but a top-20 would be a solid result. Of course, without a start list, a random Belgian or German could show up and steal the show.
European Championships (CC)
Europe’s top Women, Juniors and U23 men will head to Lucca, Italy for the European Championships this weekend. The Dutch could, and should walk away with victories in all three races. Mathieu van der Poel and Lars van der Haar currently lead the junior and U23 World Cup standings. Van der Haar seems to be riding at another level right now after dominating in Tabor and winning in a sprint in the Koppenbergcross. Van der Poel has dominated this season as well, taking four wins in six starts this season. His worst finish came on Tuesday, where he finished fourth in Koppenbercross. Van der Poel has got good blood in his veins – he’s the grandson of Raymond Poulidor and the son of Adri Van der Poel, who can count among his palmares a Cyclocross World Championship, the Ronde van Vlaanderen, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.  As far as the women are concerned, 23-year-old Sanne van Paassen is the top favorite after racking up two wins in three days this past week, She won the Superprestige round in Zonhoven and the Koppenbergcross on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of Sasha Eysymontt | flickr.com/photos/sashae
Like last weekend in Europe, this weekend sees a big North American schedule, offering riders all over a good tune-up before next weekend’s USGP race. Read on…
Cincy 3 Cyclocross Festival (C2/C2/C1)
Cincinnati will host its annual three day cyclocross festival this Friday through Sunday. The weekend consists of the Darkhorse Cyclo-Stampede (C2), Java Johnny’s Lionhearts International (C2),  and the Harbin Park International (C1). The heavy favorite has to be Jeremy Powers, who is coming off the potent combination of a strong European campaign and a rest weekend. He’ll be looking for the sweep this weekend. Standing in Powers’ way is Ryan Trebon. The last time these two riders went head-to-head, they split victories, something that could easily be repeated in Cincinnati.
The Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld three-headed cross monster of Tim Johnson, Christian Heule, and Jamey Driscoll will also be in attendance, with all three riders looking to pick up a victory. The last time they took the top spot was Heule’s victory at the first day of the Gloucester GP on October 1st. Tim Johnson looked good last weekend and will be gunning for victory. However, the always crafty Jamey Driscoll could pick up a victory as well – especially if Powers and Trebon are overly concerned with each other.
With three days of racing, it’s entirely possible to see some of the big favorites take it easy on Day 1 or Day 2 and let some eager riders up the course to duke it out for the podium. Â Outside of the usual cast of characters, look for Travis Livermon to figure into the picture as well. Tristian Schouten is scheduled to race on Sunday only, and could be a top-five finisher like he was in Boulder – as could Powers’ teammate Chris Jones. Last but certainly not least, Belgian Ben Berden will be looking to pick up another UCI win. He surprised Trebon and the rest of the US cross community last weekend with his victory in Boulder. Clearly gaining form, he might be transitioning from a chaser into a field-leader.
NEPCX – The Cycle-Smart International (C2/C2)
Rounds 5 and 6 of the New England Professional Cyclocross Series brings the region’s top stars to Northampton, MA for the oldest UCI cross race in America. The brain, brawn, and looks behind the operation, Adam Myerson, continues to put on an excellent weekend of racing at Look Park. After a weekend of rest, the streak is back on the line for BikeReg/Joe’s Garage rider Justin Lindine. After rattling of four straight victories, Lindine suffered from mechanicals in New Gloucester, ME two weekends ago. However, Lindine was able to bounce back on day 2 to capture his fifth straight UCI victory. Lindine looks to be the strongest rider on the start list once again and could pick up his sixth and seventh straight UCI victory and seal up the NEPCX overall.
Lindine’s biggest challenge could from Philadelphia Cyclocross Schools Lukas pair. Lukas Winterberg picked up his first UCI victory at HPCX last weekend in New Jersey. Meanwhile, his teammate Lukas Muller continues to have a strong season and could figure in the mix. Outside of the aforementioned riders, this weekends racing will be wide open, allowing some lesser known riders the opportunity to pick up UCI points and make a name for themselves. Keep an eye on RGM-Richard Sachs rider Christian Favata, who rode to 5th place last weekend at HPCX.
Canadian National Championships (CN)
The Maple Leaf Jersey will be on the line this weekend in Toronto, Canada. All the big names will be there battling it out for their right to dawn their nations colors. Last year’s winner Chris Sheppard will be looking for a repeat. However, the heavy favorite has to be Craig Richey. Fresh off a pair of top three UCI finishes on the East Coast, Richey will be looking to pick up another huge win. Mike Garrigan finished second in Toronto last year and if he shows up, he could pick up the victory. Mark Batty has had a strong season this year and cannot be overlooked as a potential winner. Other riders to watch include Derrick St. John (fourth last year), Aaron Schooler (thrid last year) and Shaun Adamson.