Cyclocross Week in Review, 10/24: Downeast and Around the World

Posted on October 24, 2011 by and

Photo by Dave Chiu

Fresh off of another cyclocross weekend is Pavé’s review of all the major action. The big race of the weekend was the World Cup race in Tabor – stay tuned for a special wrap-up of the World Cup race, and until then, take a look at what else happened around the world:

North America

Downeast Cross (C2)

Downeast Cross featured two days of great action in New Gloucester, Maine. Saturday’s race was not a UCI race, but it did provide plenty of action and excitement with a strong New England field. Justin Lindine looked all set to capture his fifth-straight victory until a broken derailleur hanger forced him to run nearly half a lap before he was able to pit and take a new bike. Dylan McNicholas took advantage of Lindine’s mechanical en route to victory. Luke Keough rode a solid race to finish second, and Lindine ended up third.

Sunday’s UCI race had all eyes focused on Lindine. Could the Massachusetts man make it five-straight UCI wins? The cycling Gods seem to have a different plan as Lindine found himself on the ground as part of a pile up that occurred right after the start. Lindine would spend the first three laps battling his way to the front and making contact with a lead group that contained McNicholas, Keough, and Craig Richey – along the way, not shy of asserting himself against larger riders (photo above). Then, he simply rode away with race, beating McNicholas by 26 seconds. Luke Keough finished third, proving that he’s a true podium contender. Same goes for McNicholas, who’s been on the verge of a big result all season and should be proud with an exceptional weekend.

With Sunday’s victory, Lindine has now won five-straight UCI races. Is the occasional mechanical the only thing that can stop him?

Europe

VIII Cyclo-cross de Medina de Pomar (C2)

For the third straight week, a Belgian has captured victory in Spain. First year U23 rider Diether Sweeck made the trip to Pomar narrowly beating Spainard David Riba. Our pick for victory Javier Ibanez rolled across the line in third, almost thirty-seconds behind the leading duo.

GP de la Commune de Contern (C2)

The depth of Belgian cross was nowhere more apparent then in Contern, Luxembourg on Sunday. While the top men and espoirs were racing in Tabor, a large crew of Belgian riders simply dominated the race. The Belgians took 10 of the top 11 spots. Our picks for victory ended up taking the top three spots. Belgian U23 Champion Joeri Adams took the victory ahead of Rob Peeters and last years winner Jan Denuwelaere. The Netherlands Corne Van Kessel was the only non-Belgian to finish in the top-ten, with a solid ninth place finish.

Internationales Radquer Uster (C2)

Lukas Fluckiger picked up the victory in his native Switzerland a head of Belgian Kenneth Van Compernolle, who made his season debut in Uster. Our suprise pick, 34-year old Laurent Colombatto wound up fourth behind Théo Dumanchin.

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Behind THE Barriers – Season 2, Episode 5

Posted on October 23, 2011 by

Episode 5! Gran Prix of Gloucester. Enjoy!

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The Sticky Bidon – October 21, 2011

Posted on October 21, 2011 by

Interesting cycling items from across the Internet, October 21, 2011

Seen any cool links we missed? Share ’em in a comment below!

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Cyclocross Weekend Preview: International, North American, and Velogames – 10/21

Posted on October 21, 2011 by
2010 NECCS #8 - A. Myerson

Photo by Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography/2010

North America

Downeast Cyclocross (C2) - For the first time in over a month, there’s only one UCI race in the US, Downeast Cyclocross in New Gloucester, ME. With several riders deciding to use this weekend as a much needed break, all eyes will be on Justin Lindine (Bikereg/Joe’s Garage) as he attempts to win his fifth straight UCI race on Sunday. Lindine picked up a pair of wins in Providence, followed by a pair in Granouge this past weekend. Trying to stop Lindine will be the usual mix of New England talent and strong Canadian riders. Two riders to keep an eye on are Josh Dillon (RGM Watches/Richard Sachs) and Adam Myerson (Smartstop/MOB p/b Ridley). Both riders have been riding strong these past few weeks and would love to pull of an upset.

Europe

VIII Cyclocross de Medina de Pomar (C2) - As was the case last weekend, this Spanish race should see an influx of a few Belgain riders. Many of the top names who are not racing the World Cup are heading to Switzerland or Luxembourg, which means this race could one for the Spanish. The past few weeks have been dominated by Vincent Baestaens and Sven Beelen. However, both riders are headed to Tabor for the World Cup. Look for Javier Ibanez to finally pick up a victory in his native country.

Internationales Radquer Uster (C2) - Swiss native Lukas Fluckiger will be among the favorites on Sunday in Uster. Fluckiger hasn’t raced much this year, but finished third a few weeks ago in Baden. Due to the World Cup race, there’s a slew of international riders looking to race and they all seem to be heading to Switzerland. Belgian Kenneth Van Compernolle is the highest ranked rider in the field, despite not racing since February, he could be a big threat. Laurent Colombatto finished a very distant 53rd last weekend in Plzen, but the Frenchmen could rebound very nicely in Uster.

GP de la Commune de Contern (C2) - Despite being up against the World Cup race in Tabor, this C2 race in Luxembourg will have a very strong field. Rob Peeters looks to be the man to beat in Contern. Current Belgian U23 champion, Joeri Adams will look to keep Peeters in check and possibly pick up the victory. The real surprise could come from Jan Denuwelaere, who rode a very defensive race en route to a victory in Contern last year.

Velogames:CX

Pavé League – Velogames, the site that lets you pick a fantasy cycling roster composed of riders who score points based on their real-world results, has expanded into cyclocross. Sign up, pick your team, and join a league that one of Pavé’s readers started for our community. The league code is: 20033937, and, of course, remember to check back here frequently for tips, picks, and power rankings that will help inform your choices.

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International Cyclocross: Tabor World Cup Preview

Posted on October 21, 2011 by

Photo by Balint Hamvas | cyclephotos.co.uk

Round two of the World Cup brings the world’s best to Tabor, in the heart of the Czech Republic. Almost two years ago, Zdenek Stybar dominated the field on home soil to capture his first World Championship, in heavy snow. Conditions will be much better this time around with weather expected to be in the mid to upper 40s and no precipitation is expected.

All eyes will be focused on last weekend’s leading trio of Stybar, Sven Nys and Kevin Pauwels. In 2010, however, Tabor’s World Cup was quite a different story as Klass Vantornout and Martin Bina landed on the podium a head of Francis Mourey and the rest of the field. Bina is on the comeback trail from an injury that has derailed the start of his season. Vantornout looked good last weekend, playing the role of teammate to Pauwels, and ultimately capturing 5th.

The big story from last weekend was the bizzare start that left Niels Albert, Tim Johnson and Mourey scrambling to get past a TV cameraman, losing 20-30 seconds right away. The madness also led to a crash that knocked Sven Vanthourenhout out of competition for a while. Look for Albert and Mourey to shake things up and seek revenge for their misfortunes last week. As we previously mentioned, the Belgians get to add another rider since Nys is the current World Cup leader. They’re bringing U23 standout Vincent Baestaens, who will be looking to impress in his first elite World Cup race. Dieter Vanthourenhout will replace his cousin, Sven.

Jeremy Powers will lead an impressive American squad, looking to back up his 10th place finish in Plzen. Powers will have a second row starting spot leaving him in a good position to strike early and often. Fellow Americans Jonathan Page, Jamey Driscoll, Tim Johnson and Chris Jones will also race in Tabor. Johnson will be looking for another top-20 finish, while Page will look to improve on his 21st in Plzen.

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International Cyclocross Power Rankings, Week #5

Posted on October 21, 2011 by

Photo by Luc Claessen/ISPA

As we head into the weekend, let’s take a look at the top ten riders on the International Cyclocross circuit, after the World Cup shake-up in Plzen, and prior to the World Cup race in Tabor.

1. Sven Nys – as they say, age before beauty. Nys used the cunning of deep cyclocross experience to make a late, savvy pass around Stybar to open a gap and claim a World Cup win. 

2. Zdenek Stybar – in the closing laps of Plzen, Stybar took the race by the undercarriage, hoping to snap the elastic. It’s a far cry from his ability to dominate but it’s certainly a sign of much greater strength than he showed in Ruddervoorde a few weeks ago.

3. Klaas Vantornout – While Klaas’s 5th place performance at Plzen might not be the performance of a champion, one mustn’t overlook the steadiness he’s exhibited over the season thus far. 

4. Kevin Pauwels – cyclocross’s most fearsome sprint looked capable and patient in Plzen, but when you’re riding against Sven Nys and Zdenek Stybar, they’re going to do everything they can while there’s breath in their lungs to prevent you from getting the opportunity to unleash your sprint.  Pauwels has been inconsistent of late – a sign that while he can ride at a very high level, his form isn’t quite there just yet. 

5. Francis Mourey – Mourey is looking like an inside-out Vantornout. Periodically, he unleashes a brilliant result. Case in point? Riding into fourth place at Plzen despite being held up at the start. However, he and Vantornout share a difficulty scratching through to earn wins in major races.

6. Neils Albert – if we could attribute Albert’s poor performance in Plzen to the videographer, than Francis Mourey wouldn’t be on the Power Rankings, because he wouldn’t have been able to ride himself into 4th place. Something else was up with Albert – mental or physical. 

7. Bart Aernouts – Aernouts has been consistently in the top ten with occasional superior results.

8. Bart Wellens – Bartje slipped in Plzen with a poor result that was only partially due to a broken rear derailleur. He came to the United States early in the season to kick-start his win tally, but he’s still waiting for the second half of that equation to get in to gear.

9. Tom Meeusen – the young Belgian rode to a respectable result for the second week in a row. We saw last year that he’s capable of major wins against some of the sport’s biggest names. It’s a question of when, not if, he breaks through again this year.

10. Steve Chainel – Pulling down another top ten result is good enough for Chainel to remain on the Power Rankings for another week.

 

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