First Cyclo-cross news & racing round-up, Tuesday, October 27, 2009

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Date published:

October 27, 2009, 20:00

• Can Nys win a seventh Koppenberg 'cross?

  

  Article published:

  October 23, 2009, 18:03

  By:

  Cycling News

  Vos a favourite in women's race

  Sven Nys will be seeking a record seventh victory in the Koppenberg cyclo-cross race in Oudenaarde on Sunday when the GvA Trofee series continues for its second round.

  A winner of the past five overall GvA Trofee titles, Nys lost the first round of this year's series in Namen to World Champion Niels Albert, but has been on the rebound after a dismal start to the season.

  The Koppenberg 'cross could be his chance to re-assert his dominance in the cyclo-cross world. Nys has shown himself to be unbeatable on the course on seven occasions, and the six most recent editions.

  Last year it was Dutch world champion Lars Boom who was the closest challenger as the pair battled through ankle-deep mud on the final lap, both crashing in the same bend, before Nys, barely recognizable underneath a mask of muck, emerged victorious.

  With Boom taking 'cross lightly this year to focus on the road, Albert remains Nys' biggest threat.

  Last year, Albert struggled with the rainy, muddy conditions on the course and crashed numerous times on his way to third place.  However, Albert has shown so far this season that his form is far superior to Nys', and has won nine races including two World Cups already.

  In the women's race, current 'cross world champion Marianne Vos will be the heavy favourite for the win, but will have to fend off the challenge of her own compatriots Daphny Van Den Brand and Sanne van Paassen. Other contenders include Helen Wyman, Pavla Havlikova and Belgian Sanne Cant.

  The racing beings at 1030 with the first UCI-classified race, the Junior Men, followed by the U23 Men at 1200, Elite Women at 1330 and Elite Men at 1500 CET.

• USGP 'cross weekend one for the mudders

  

  Article published:

  October 23, 2009, 19:30

  By:

  Cycling News

  Round 3 & 4 of series in Louisville, Kentucky

  The second weekend of the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross in Louisville, Kentucky is looking to be quite a different scenario than the first rounds in Wisconsin. Rains have soaked the region, and although the sun should come out for the races this weekend, the wet ground at Champions' Park should turn to mud as the racing progresses.

  Series leader Erwin Vervecken, the three-time world champion, will not contest the remaining events, having returned to his native Belgium. That leaves the fight for the overall to Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com's Jeremy Powers, who sits in second just three points ahead of US champion Ryan Trebon (Kona).

  Defending USGP Champion Tim Johnson and teamamte Jamie Driscoll will back up Powers on the Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com squad, while Trebon will have Barry Wicks at his side. Newly crowned Canadian National Champion Geoff Kabush and Andy Jacques-Maynes may also surprise in the stacked men's field.

  The pro women's fields are just as strong, with the powerhouse LUNA squad bringing defending 'USGP Champion Katerina Nash and her teammates Georgie Gould and the newly un-retired former Mountain Bike World Champion Alison Dunlap. Canadian National Champion Alyson Sydor, Amy Dombroski, Sue Butler, Laura Van Gilder, Kelli Emmet, and Meredith Miller round out the field.

  Racing begins on Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 with the amateur categories and builds throughout the day until the Pro Women take to the course at 1:45pm. The Pro Men race begins at 3:00pm.

  The 2009 USGP will move next to the Mercer Cup presented by Knapp's Cyclery in Mercer County, NJ on November 14 and 15 before returning to Portland, Oregon for the for the traditional series finale The Stanley Portland Cup on December 5 and 6 - just one week before the US National Cyclocross Championships in Bend, OR.

  For more information on the USGP, visit www.usgpcyclocross.com or contact Joan Hanscom at info@usgpcyclocross.com.

• Trebon maps out season's goals

  

  Article published:

  October 25, 2009, 15:07

  By:

  Kirsten Frattini

  Modified approach will leave him fresher for worlds

  Ryan Trebon (Kona) leads the US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross after his first victory in the eight-round series at the Derby City Cup held in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday. The US National Cyclo-cross Champion intends to win the prestigious series and hold his top form long enough to capture a second consecutive national title before a shortened European campaign.

  "It's always nice to lead this series out of the handful of times that I've won it," said Trebon who has won the series on three occasions. "It's a great series, and I'm not doing the NACT series because it's too much travel and there are other races that I want to do. I decided to focus on this a little more. I wasn't riding that well at the start of the season. I started to feel better in Cincinnati, and I've been training really well this week."

  Three-time World Champion, Erwin Vervecken graced the US with a campaign during which he competed in a number of events that included the StarCrossed and Rad Racing events, as well as the first two rounds of the USGP series at CrossVegas and the Madison Cup, respectively. After several podium places, he finally recorded a win in the last race on his schedule, the Madison Cup. His success left him with the series leader's jersey as he left to fly back to his home in Belgium.

  With Vervecken out of the picture, the series lead was left wide-open for America's top 'cross riders during the third round at the Derby City Cup. Trebon won the 60-minute 'cross derby from a three-way sprint ahead of Cyclocrossworld.com teammates Jamey Driscoll and Tim Johnson. His win boosted him into a slim lead in the USGP series.

  The bumpy path of cyclo-cross

  What seemed like a slow start to the season was instead a case of bad luck and ill health for the US National Champion. A mixture of top 10 results and DNFs plagued the start of Trebon's opening season. It was a mediocre beginning for someone used to standing on the podium while his competitors Jeremy Powers, Erwin Vervecken, Jonathan Page, Tim Johnson and Jamey Driscoll enjoyed the fruits of victory each weekend.

  "It wasn't that I had a slow start it's just that stupid little things kept happening," Trebon said. "I crashed at StarCrossed, and I wasn't so good in Vegas, and then I got sick right after. It wasn't like I've been bad it's just little things got in the way and I just kept trying to work through it."

  Trebon was back to winning fashion last weekend where he captured double victories in two UCI ranked events at the Granogue in Delaware and Wissahickon in Pennsylvania. According to Trebon, his win at the Derby City Cup and recent lead in the USGP series bodes well for his European campaign set to start a little later this year.

  Annual ticket to Worlds - delayed

  Trebon has a clear list of goals he would like to accomplish this year: Win the USGP title, win US National Championships and compete at 100-percent capacity at the World Championships.

  The US National Championship will be held in his hometown of Bend, Oregon, giving him slightly more incentive to compete for the win in front of his family and friends. The winner of the stars and stripes jersey is an automatic selection to the World Championships. Typically, Trebon departs for Belgium the day following his nationals and competes in a six-week season of European cyclo-cross. This year he has decided to change his schedule to avoid burn-out before the big day.

  "I will delay my trip to Europe for at least two weeks," Trebon said. "I'll stay here and get some really good training in and then go over and try and have a better end of the season in Europe. It's easy to get sluggish and slow from sitting around for a month and half straight."

  He plans to compete in the last two or three World Cups in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium; Roubaix, France; and Hoogerheide in the Netherlands before contesting the World Championships.

  "I'd like to ride to Worlds fresh, not waiting to get home," he said. "Six weeks there is hard, and you get bored sitting around all day. I want to go there and have those three weeks be 10 percent rather than be 100 percent for three weeks and then have my fitness drops two percent every week after that, because by the end, you're only racing at 85 percent. So, that's my goal."

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed.

• Albert concedes defeat at Koppenberg

  

  Article published:

  October 25, 2009, 19:24

  By:

  Brecht Decaluwé

  World Champion accepts Nys' dominance of Koppenbergcross

  At the famous Koppenbergcross on Sunday in Belgium, Cyclo-cross World Champion Niels Albert (BKCP Powerplus) had to endure another year of the continued domination of Sven Nys, 10 years older.

  Albert has been the man to be this season thus far, having won all but one race prior to Sunday while Nys, who has six consecutive wins at this race during the past decade, has been struggling during the early season. Yet at the Koppenbergcross, Landbouwkrediet Tonissteiner's Nys would prove to be unbeatable again. The enduring Belgian star launched a powerful attack during the final ascent of the Koppenberg.

  "Better than a second place wasn't possible today," Albert said.
  
  Before the the race, the 23-year-old Albert said he that he would try not to attack too soon; however, he didn't plan on having such a bad start. "I never have a plan before the race, but to start as bad as today certainly wasn't my goal," Albert said.

  Nonetheless, the World Champion recovered well and quickly found his spot back in the front of the race, only missing out on bonus points at the intermediate sprint two laps into the race.

  Several attacks followed, and Albert was always near the front. During the fourth of ten laps, Albert put in a well-timed attack just after some riders had regained contact with the front of the race. The World Champion rode an unbelievably fast lap, and only the Czech Zdenek Stybar managed to hold on to his wheel.

  Coming into the home straight and the headwind, Albert asked Stybar to take a pull but the Czech indicated with a shake of his head that he had no intention of taking a turn at the front just then.

  "If Stybar would've co-operated at that moment, then we would've been gone," said Albert. "Nys was strong, but it's not always possible to close down such a gap on your own."

  From then on Albert wasn't as dominant in the race, and Nys moved to the front. With three laps to go, Nys attacked, causing Albert to crack.

  The World Champion had an explanation. "I don't want to search for excuses, but I've been ill this week. Normally, I can ride one gear bigger than the others, but today, it just blew my engine, which happened a couple of times. Every lap I reached the summit (of the Koppenberg) with nothing left in my tank."

  "I didn't want to say I was ill before the race because it would give the others a morale boost. I started the race to win it, but to beat a good Nys, you can't have a bad day."

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed.

• Nys reflects on hard-fought Koppenberg 'cross win

  

  Article published:

  October 25, 2009, 19:42

  By:

  Brecht Decaluwé

  Belgian's wins tactical battle to claim Koppenbergcross win number seven

  Belgian cyclo-cross champion Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet Tonissteiner) had won the Koppenbergcross no less than seven times, including the past six editions, and never before had the huge crowds witnessed such a tense race in one of cyclo-cross's classic races. Police and organizers estimated that 15,000 spectators turned out to watch the day's race, won for the seventh time by Nys, in Belgium.

  "This is the heyday for cyclo-cross," said race winner Nys. "This is a classic race and it sticks in people's minds. Everybody talks about (this race) for months to come. People are still referring about the epic battle with Lars Boom from last year's edition. Never before was this race as exciting as this one.

  "It was tactically the hardest of all seven wins," Nys said.

  Arch rival Niels Albert (BKCP Powerplus) had some trouble on the first lap which allowed Nys to pick up bonus points at the intermediate sprint after two laps. "That sprint forces you to do things you normally wouldn't do. I felt really good at the start, but after that sprint, I felt really bad," Nys said.

  That obliged others to take the initiative as Nys dropped back to fifth position though he never fell out of touch with the leaders. The 33-year-old Belgian said he was getting stronger every lap. "Every lap I was climbing up the Koppenberg in a bigger gear, making me feel stronger and stronger. I felt that nobody would be able to drop me anymore," Nys said.

  In the meantime, Albert recovered from his tough start but then seemed to suffer and was no longer able to put the other leaders under pressure.

  "Suddenly there was a moment when I saw that Albert wasn't near the front so I accelerated," Nys said of his first serious attack of the race.

  Upon starting the penultimate lap, a group of seven leaders was all back together; however, Nys felt like he was in the mental pole position.

  "I knew I had one blistering attack left, but I didn't know if it would be enough to get rid of the others; that's why I started my (final lap's) attack so early on the climb," said Nys, who in the latter parts of the race, believed Zdenek Stybar would be the man to beat.

  After the race, he was surprised to hear Stybar finished fifth. "I figured he would certainly be on the podium, but clearly everybody had a bad moment," Nys said before summarizing his thoughts about the day. "Winning solo after such a late decision in the race. is the most beautiful way to win a race."

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed.

• Favorites react after Koppenbergcross

  

  Article published:

  October 25, 2009, 19:58

  By:

  Brecht Decaluwé

  Mourey, Stybar, Page share their post-race thoughts

  French champion Francis Mourey and Czech Zdenek Stybar were among the favorites featuring at the front of the Koppenbergcross race on Sunday near Oudenaarde in Belgium.  American Jonathan Page wasn't much further back.

  The Française des Jeux rider Mourey managed to stay in the seven-man leader's group for most of the race, but during the final lap he was unable to respond to the attack from eventual winner Sven Nys.

  "I finished in sixth place, and I'm very glad that I was able to battle with the best today. This is an all important race for the Belgians, and they're all extremely motivated," Mourey said to Cyclingnews.

  "This performance is very promising, and I hope the organization will invite me again for the other remaining events of their competition."

  Going into the last lap, Mourey still had the win within his grasp and he even led the leader's group on the first section of the Koppenberg, leaving the pavées and hitting the meadow on the right.

  "I was still quite strong but also felt the fatigue in my legs. Most riders live near this course while I traveled six hours in the car. That didn't help me today," Mourey said before heading back to his car for the trip home

  Ten seconds before Mourey, Zdenek Stybar (Telnet Fidea) had crossed the line in fifth place, a result that fell short of his aspirations. "I had legs for the podium, and probably even legs to win the race," Stybar said. "All race long I was focused to stay near the front and during the last lap, I lost that focus for one second, dropping into a bad position." That's when Nys attacked.

  Much further back was the American Jonathan Page (Planet Bike), who finished 18th at almost two minutes behind winner Sven Nys. Page spent most of the race in the group riding for 10th place.

  "It's a tough hill," Page said to Cyclingnews. "I tried to ride a steady race and stay in the groups, but it was always on or off. I'm much more relaxed than before, and I'm riding well. I'm training and resting well and now the form needs to improve in order to get the results going."

  One week earlier the American had driven the chase of leader Stybar during the first laps of the second World Cup race of the season in Plzen, Czech Republic. "It was good to ride near the front in such an important race. After a while, I ran out of gas though and dropped back, but it was a good race nevertheless," Page said.

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed.

• Wellens to return at GvA Trophy in Essen

  

  Article published:

  October 27, 2009, 13:33

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  Belgian heads to Majorca as he prepares to return on December 12

  Bart Wellens has stated that he expects to return to cyclo-cross competition at the fourth round of the GvA Trophy in Essen, Belgium, December 12. The Belgian has resumed training after the cytomegalovirus (HCMV) forced him out of competition in September and will travel to Majorca, Spain, Saturday for a ten-day training camp.

  "I've been riding sessions of one-and-a-half to three hours on the road or rollers. My body is responding well," Wellens told De Morgen. "Little by little, my familiar life is getting back on track, even though [the effects of the virus mean] I continue to have a lot of rest."

  Wellens said he expects to join his Fidea Cycling teammates at the GvA Trophy round in Essen on December 12, followed by the Cyclo-cross International in Valencia, Spain on December 20.

  He will continue to build up his preparation for the events when he travels to the Spanish island of Majorca on Saturday. The two-time cyclo-cross World Champion will train there for ten days before returning to his native Flanders.

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed
   

• Empire State Cyclo-cross UCI race cancelled

  

  Article published:

  October 27, 2009, 19:06

  By:

  Cycling News

  "Bureaucracy" forces organisers to scrap NYC event

  The Empire State Cyclo-cross UCI race scheduled for November 18 has been cancelled, organisers announced Tuesday.  Promoter Myles Romanow said the reason was not due to financial circumstances, but because the proper permits could not be secured in time from New York City.

  "The negotiations with city departments have been ongoing for months and months,” said Romanow. “The negotiations are still continuing with an eye toward 2010. But at this point there was no way to pull together the necessary city permits and approvals in time for this year’s race.”

  The mid-week race was to have linked the US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross events in New Jersey on November 14-15 with the North American Cyclo-cross Trophy final in Long Island the following weekend.

  Romanow emphasized that the USGP race and the Whitmore’s Landscaping Super Cross Cup on Long Island on November 21-22 will still go on as planned.