Cyclo-cross news & racing round-up for December 8
Edited by Laura Weislo
Welcome to our regular roundup of what's happening in cyclo-cross.
Feel free to send feedback, news and releases to mtb@cyclingnews.com.
Nys still second to Boonen in Belgium, but leads UCI rankings
Sven Nys
Photo ©: Brecht Decaluwé
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Nys has finished second behind Boonen in the competition for the "cristal
bike" award in Belgium. Boonen received twice as many points as the
cyclo-cross superstar. Nys was dissapointed, but expected that he wouldn't
win it. Despite his sheer domination in cyclo-cross, where he has won
the majority of the races he's entered (except for the world championship)
he was unable to get near Boonen. Nys told cyclocross.info, "Maybe
it's because I couldn't extend my world title, but the same counts for
Boonen. Nevertheless, Boonen showed great things last year."
Current world champion Erwin Vervecken chalked Nys' defeat to the higher
popularity of road cycling, saying, "Many (former) road riders still
underestimate the level of cyclo-cross. And if people from the cyclo-cross
world don't vote for a cyclo-cross rider then you can never win."
Meanwhile, Nys still continues to lead the UCI rankings for 'cross, ahead
of Bart Wellens (Fidea) by nearly 800 points. Wellens made great strides
in the past month, soaring from fourth to second place by finishing second
to Nys in Igorre
and Koksijde.
Vervecken's illness kept him out of round six, and misfortunes in Igorre
kept him out of the top ten, dropping him from second to third in the
UCI rankings.
Elite Men - UCI Ranking Points (as of December 4, 2006)
1 Sven Nys (Bel) 2390 pts
2 Bart Wellens (Bel) 1604
3 Erwin Vervecken (Bel) 1371
4 Gerben de Knegt (Ned) 1277
5 Francis Mourey (Fra) 1272
6 Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) 1181
7 Klaas Vantornout (Bel) 1143
8 Christian Heule (Swi) 911
9 John Gadret (Fra) 825
10 Kevin Pauwels (Bel) 823
11 Bart Aernouts (Bel) 791
12 Kamil Ausbuher (Cze) 740
13 Radomir (Jr) Simunek (Cze) 718
14 Richard Groenendaal (Ned) 630
15 Simon Zahner (Swi) 608
16 Thijs Al (Ned) 578
17 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) 571
18 Zdenek Mlynar (Cze) 477
19 Marco Bianco (Ita) 469
20 Steve Chainel (Fra) 436
Willemsens out with knee problems
David Willemsens
Photo ©: Luc Claessen
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David Willemsens will not becompeting in Friday's world cup in Milano
due to knee problems. The Belgian national coach, Rudy De Bie told cyclocross.info
that Willemsens let him know so he could give the reserves a chance. "I
called both Jan Soetens and Arne Daelmans but they thanked me for the
offer [and declined], claiming they didn't want to make the car drive
to Milano."
"Both riders are competing in Huybergen and Hamme-Zogge this weekend,
but it's strange that they would refuse the chance to compete in the world
cup. They should know the expenses are paid back with the fee they get
for competing in a world cup event. In my time, we would already be driving
direction Milano." This means that the Belgian selection for Milano
will consist of only nine riders, instead of the possible ten.
Nys is nigh-unstoppable
By Laura Weislo
Sven Nys (Rabobank)
Photo ©: Aitor Ruiz de Zarate
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Sven Nys won the sixth round of the cyclo-cross world cup in Igorre,
Spain, dominating the field in his typical fashion, with nobody coming
close to challenging him. This marks Nys' fourth world cup win of the
season. Chasing behind Nys were Fidea's Bart Wellens and Frenchman Francis
Mourey, winner of round four of the world cup. Wellens at one point closed
to within metres of Nys, but the UCI leader pressed on, and lengthened
his lead. Wellens was the only rider to hold Nys to within a minute, coming
in 53 seconds in arrears, while his teammate Klaas Vantournout passed
a fading Mourey on the last lap to take the third step of the podium.
Nys began the world cup series with a win in Aigle,
then went on to a second victory in Kalmthout
before suffering back-to-back defeat in Tabor
and Treviso.
Nys came back to the top on the muddy course of Pijnacker,
and tackled the difficult sand dunes of Koksijde
with ease just last week.
The cyclo-cross world cup continues Friday in Milan, Italy, and then
comes back to Belgium for the post-Christmas round. Sven Nys looks to
be utterly uncatchable, but can he hold his form all the way through to
the world championships in Hooglede at the end of January? Nys feels confident
of his condition, hinting at the possibility that he hasn't yet reached
his peak. "I don't think I've ever ridden stronger, but I've already
said that in the past."
See the full report, results and photos here.
Capital 'cross closes out Verge MAC series
The always aggressive Jon Hamblen
Photo ©: Bill McCarrick
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The capital 'cross classic, held in the Washington, DC suburb of Reston
Virginia, is the traditional season-ending race for the Verge MAC series,
and the race where season titles are decided. The mens race saw
a surprise when former Swiss U23 Champion Michael Muller showed up. "Im
visiting my friend Jon Hamblen," he said. Having spent the past several
years in agriculture school, Muller has been using the 2006 season as
his reintroduction to international cycling.
The early laps saw the front of the field repeatedly stretch and come
back together before Muller and Wisconsins Tristan Schouten (Trek/VW/Michelin)
rode away with Jon Hamblen (RGM Watches/Richard Sachs) in pursuit. With
two laps to go, Hamblen finally caught the two leaders after a long chase.
But the race would be won at "Gamblers Gulch," a short
run-up with two small fallen tree trunks followed by a quick downhill.
As had been proven throughout the day, it was possible to ride the section
but there was little benefit (and a bit of risk) in doing so. On the last
lap, Muller, Schouten, and Hamblen hit Gamblers Gulch together with
Muller in front. Muller elected to ride the section while the other two
ran. Running seemed to be the better choice for a couple of seconds, but
then Muller exploded down the following hill while the others remounted
and gained a gap that he held to the line ahead of Schouten and Hamblen.
A familiar sight: Deidre Winfield
(Velo Bella-Kona)
Photo ©: Bill McCarrick
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In the UCI womens race, Mo Bruno-Roy of Independent Fabrications
took the hole-shot. But, it was this seasons revelation Deidre 'Grasshopper'
Winfield of Velo Bella/Kona who was able to take advantage of the course
conditions for yet another significant victory. Using the hairpin turn
after the pits as a launching pad, Winfield was able to blast-off down
the long, paved downhill straight that followed. She was visibly faster
than all of her competitors as the fast section carried the racers across
a dam.
Behind the leaders, Melanie Swartz (Velo Bella/Kona) and Betsy Shogren
(FORT Factory Team) sprinted toward a controversial third place finish.
Shogren won the sprint, but was later relegated. A visibly upset Shogren
was not happy. "I'm the first to admit if I did something wrong,"
she said later, but I dont feel I did anything wrong."
Still, the result was good enough to crown Shogren as Verge Mid-Atlantic
series champion. Shogren, who won the 2003 and 2004 titles before her
marriage as Betsy Schauer, becomes the first three-time Champion in the
history of Verge MAC. Shogren took advantage of Winfield's absence to
take round
6 and round
7 of the series, and these two wins were enough to push her over to
the lead on points.
In the men's series, anther Fort-sponsored rider came out on top. Weston
Schempf (Fort frames), who won round 6, edged out Ryan Leech (Meredith
Group/GPOA/Cannondale Elite Cycling Team) to take the series. Jamie Driscoll
(FiordiFrutta Elite Cycling Team) dominated the men's under-23 category
by winning his division in the four rounds he attended, while Tyler Brown
came out on top in the Junior men's division.
Final series standings
Elite Men
1 Weston Schempf (Fort Frames) 495 pts
2 Ryan Leech (Meredith Group/GPOA/Cannondale Elite Cycling Team) 443
3 Tristan Schouten (Trek/VW/Michelin) 428
4 Davide Frattini (Colavita Olive Oil/Sutter Home Winery) 377
5 Peter Rubijono (HarrisCycleryRacing.com) 359
U 23 Men
1 James Driscoll (FiordiFrutta Elite Cycling Team) 480 pts
2 Erik Mitchell (Quaker City Wheelmen) 330
3 Brian Hayes (RGM WATCHES - RICHARD SACHS - REX CHIU) 255
4 Stephen De Lisle (FORT Factory Team) 188
5 Adam Mcgrath (Team Maxxis) 180
Elite Women
1 Betsy Shogren (FORT Factory Team) 600 pts
2 Deidre Winfield (Velo Bella-Kona) 590
3 Erica Yozell (FORT Factory Team) 509
4 Maureen Bruno Roy (Independent Fabrication/Wheelworks) 440
5 Lisa Vible (c3/adg/joe's bike shop) 427
See the full report, results, photos and all series standings here
Tilford goes for a swim to win
By Sean Weide
Dripping from shoulders to toe
Photo ©: Kurt Jambretz
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When Steve Tilford crashed his bike into an icy lake on the second lap
of Sunday’s KLM Marketing UCI Cyclo-cross Race, his first instinct was
to get back on and start racing. A warm blanket and some dry clothing
would have to wait. The Trek/Volkswagon rider had another epic chapter
to write in his already storied career that includes five world mountain
bike and four national cyclo-cross titles.
A two-part storm – first ice, then snow – that struck days before the
race also prevented many competitors from St. Louis and other cities east
of Kansas City from making the trip to the course that will play host
to the 2007 and 2008 national championships. One of the more prominent
no shows was defending national champion Todd Wells (GT), who blamed a
stomach flu more than travel troubles.
Before his ice bath, Tilford was 20 seconds clear of Prenzlow after
the first of eight laps in the 60-minute event. But on his second trip
through a frozen, rutty patch of mud on the tree-lined course, he lost
control and skidded out onto the ice. The bizarre incident and his stunning
comeback had even the Topeka, Kan., resident shaking his head in disbelief
afterwards. “I was on my hands and knees on the ice and my bike’s laying
there flat on it,” Tilford said. “Then all of sudden, the ice broke through
and I just went up my waist and down to my shoulders.”
The wind chill was in the single
digits
Photo ©: Mark Breeding
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With temperatures in the low 20s and a stiff, biting wind blowing out
of the north, “I knew I was in trouble,” Tilford said. “After I got out,
I yelled to the guys in the pit that I needed some new gloves because
my hands were frozen. But by the time I rode another lap, the gloves had
frozen solid on my hands and I couldn’t get pull them off with my teeth
or my hands.” Tilford tossed his water-logged bike out of the lake and
needed only one lap of the 2.5 kilometer course to chase down and pass
Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific/Salsa) on the way to winning the second annual
edition of the race at Kansas City’s Wyandotte County Park.
Tilford found himself riding a bike that had essentially become a single
speed. Already caked with mud, the icy slush from the trip into the lake
froze the bike’s brake and shifting cables. But it didn’t matter. Tilford
quickly caught up to Prenzlow and was eight seconds clear of the Carlsbad,
Calif., resident by the start of the next lap. From there, he put it on
cruise control, tossing down lap times of 7:47, 7:43, 7:47 and 7:54 to
build a lead that was a comfortable 29 seconds heading into the final
lap.
“At the end, I tried to maintain and not make any more mistakes,” Tilford
said. “Obviously, if this would have been the nationals, I would have
finished 30th or something. You have to be able to shift and brake your
bike or you usually don’t do well.”
See the full report, results and photos here
Tsujiura takes fifth straight victory
By Kei Tsuji
Keiichi Tsujiura wins
Photo ©: Hideaki Takagi
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The 12th edition of the Japanese Cyclo-cross Championships was held in
Tomakomai, where the defending champion, Keiichi Tsujiura (Bridgestone-Anchor),
achieved an unprecedented fifth straight victory.
Holding the championships on the Northern island of Hokkaido meant that
riders had to face tough, cold conditions on a freezing course, which
gradually melted and became increasingly muddy towards the end. This year,
38 riders lined up, including seven in the U23 category.
It was Keiichi Tsujiura (Bridgestone-Anchor) and Masanori Kosaka (Suwako
Racing Team) who started off well. The two big favorites gaining a gap
over the riders behind.
On the last lap, Tsujiura fell off his bike due to accidental contact
with a rider who was being lapped. This was a great opportunity for the
43 year-old Kosaka to go on and win but the defending champion never gave
up and succeeded to catch Kosaka. The race came down to a sprint between
the two, and it was Tsujiura who crossed the finish line first.
The elite women's race was totally dominated by defending champion, Eiko
Toyooka (masahikomifune.com CyclingTeam). She showed overwhelming power
and took her second national title comfortably.
See the full results and photos here
Global cyclo-cross roundup
Upcoming UCI Cyclo-cross races
- December 8: UCI World Cup, Milan (Ita) CDM
- December 9: Championnats d'Europe, Huybergen (Ned) CC
- December 9: Int. Cyclo-cross Huybergen, Huybergen (Ned) C1
- December 9: W.E. Stedman Grand Prix, South Kingstown, Rhode Island
(USA) C2
- December 10: Caster's Grand Prix, Warwick, Rhode Island (USA) C2
- December 10: Frankfurter Rad-Cross, Frankfurt a/Main (Ger) C2
- December 10: National Trophy Series 4, Bradford (GBr) C2
- December 10: Radquer Wetzikon, Wetzikon (Swi) C1
- December 10: Superprestige Hamme-Zogge - Bollekescross, Hamme-Zogge
(Bel) C1
- December 10: Valtellina Iperal Cross, Morbegno (Ita) C2
Hammond to UK cyclo-cross championships
Roger Hammond (Discovery)
Photo ©: Matt Conn
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Roger Hammond returns to the Southampton Sports Centre on January 7th
not only to defend the national cyclo-cross championship he won last year,
but also to the venue where he took his first Elite title twelve years
ago.
Hammond who finished third in the 2004 Paris Roubaix will roll out his
new pink T-Mobile colours for the first time on January 7th. Having spent
two years with Lance Armstrong's Discovery Channel team, Hammond will
now be hoping that a new beginning brings back the success that he so
richly deserves. The T-Mobile rider will not have it all his own way as
one of the strongest fields for many years take on the flat, fast, technical
course that is designed to mirror the circuits of mainland Europe.
Commonwealth mountain bike champion Liam Killeen, runner up to Hammond
twelve months ago will be out for revenge. Jody Crawforth the superbly
talented rider from Berkshire will also be one of the favourites, as should
local hero Stuart Bowers. Bowers who races for the Southampton based Hargroves
Cycles/Trant squad has made no qualms that a podium position on his local
course is his target for the season. With new rules put in place in cyclo-cross,
when Bowers has made an appearance in local races to prepare, he has had
to start at the back of the field. This has done nothing but enhance his
reputation as he blitzes his way through the field to make it to the front,
before destroying the competition to win alone.
Helen Wyman the reigning women's champion, has raised her game internationally
this winter and is now challenging in the UCI Womens World Cup races.
After spending the year racing internationally for the British pro team
'FBUK', Great Britain now has a female cross rider capable of challenging
for medals at World level. With the depth of talented young women coming
through the ranks, they will all be looking to wrestle her crown away
from her.
The veterans and youths fight it out for their respective titles on
Saturday 6th January before the main events on Sunday 7th. The elite women's
race takes place at 11am while the Elite and Under 23 races kick off at
2.15pm at the Southampton Sports Centre, Thornhill Rd, Bassett, Southampton.
Premiere of film to benefit 'cross teams
Boulder Cycle Sport hosted the Colorado premiere of 'Transition 2 'Cross
The Pond' at the Boulder Theater to raise funds for the American Cycling
Association's cyclo-cross development programs. The movie premier was
Wednesday, December 6, and all proceeds collected are to be given to the
TIAA-CREF/Clif Bar Junior, U23 and Mudskipper youth cyclo-cross teams.
Transition 2 follows a group of North Americans during the 2005 holiday
season as they travel through Belgium to compete with the best in the
world in the harsh and unforgiving heartland of cyclo-cross racing. The
documentary is a portrait of the Belgian cyclo-cross scene from the perspective
of American racers, and offers an intimate look at their experiences on
and off the race course. Colorado racers Danny Summerhill, Brady Kappius,
Alex Howes, Troy Wells and Brandon Dwight are featured in this 90-minute
film.
Ohio Valley series concludes with state championships
In what is seen as a year of tremendous growth, the Pearl Izumi Ohio
Valley cyclo-cross series finishes off for the season with the Ohio State
cyclo-cross championships at John Bryan state park in Yellow Springs,
Ohio on December 10. In addition to state championship medals and Ohio
Valley Cross Series overall awards going out, the overall John Bryan prize
purse has been raised to a guaranteed $1000 overall by BioWheels bike
shop in Cincinnati.
The John Bryan race course, now in its fifth year, provides the perfect
series finale: a course that rewards the well-rounded rider that can power
through the flats, but also let her rip through the off-camber turns and
winding sand section. It is UCI race-course inspired with wide lanes and
a completely taped-off course. Top that off with multiple barrier sections,
and a tiny smidge of non-technical singletrack, and you've got a final
race not to be missed.
The Ohio Valley 'cross series is still tightly contested, and most,
if not all of the categories are still up for grabs going into this final
race. With double series points on the line, not too many riders will
have the luxury to coast into the finish as every place counts. The weatherman
is calling for race day highs in the mid-40’s, and a local coffee brewer
will be on hand to help warm racers up. For directions and race info,
visit www.biowheels.com or www.ovcx.com
Kansas cyclo-cross championships
The Cow Town Cyclo-cross Series' final round is this weekend's Kansas
State Cyclo-cross Championships. Individual class wins, State Championships
for Kansas Riders and Series titles will all be up for grabs on December
10 in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Sunday’s event will take place on the Leavenworth High School course
which will feature over 250 ft of climbing per 1.5 mile lap. "This event
will truly test all the riders and whoever is strongest will definitely
earn the win" said co-director Roger Harrison.
The series benefits organizations like Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation
and volunteer groups like the Lantern Rouge Volunteer Group and VFW. "The
series was a great success and we look forward to holding it again next
season. 'Cross is growing in our area and it is always a lot of fun to
put on quality events for everyone. An added bonus is holding things like
raffles that can raise money for organizations like DBA," said CO-director
Chris Locke.
For more information visit the Kansas Cycling Association's website:
www.kscycling.org.
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