Albert more than happy with two second-place finishes

Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) astounded himself with his successful return to cyclo-cross racing this weekend following a one-month injury lay-off. “I had not really expected to be on the podium twice,” the Belgian national champion said.

He lost a month of the season when he was hit by a car whilst training, suffering a broken wrist.  Albert returned to racing this past weekend, finishing second in both the GVA Trofee-GP Rouwmoer and the World Cup race in Namur.

“I would have been satisfied with two top-ten results,” he said, according to the Belga news agency.  “These results, and especially the way they were achieved, are so formidable.  They are proof that I worked during my inactivity.”

He delivered an exciting duel with eventual winner Sven Nys in the finale in Namur on Sunday.  “In the descent before the finish, I was not fast enough with my pedals, and Sven sat on my rear wheel. When he accelerated, I couldn't keep up.  But it went better in Namur than in Essen, which is more than hopeful.”

Albert will continue racing over the holidays to build up to the Belgian championships in January.