Nys defends CrossVegas title

Belgian champion Sven Nys (Crelan AA Drinks) outlasted his rivals and attacked in the closing lap to take his second consecutive win at the Clif Bar CrossVegas on Wednesday night. Nys finished just ahead of Dutch champion Lars Van der Haar (Giant-Shimano Development) and US champion Jeremy Powers (Rapha Focus) after a tactical race on a grassy 3.2km power course.

“I felt myself really strong the whole race,” Nys said. “I did a few accelerations to close a gap in the beginning of the race, and I say, 'OK, if I can do this on the last lap I can win if I don't make any mistakes.' It went like I hoped, and I'm really happy with the victory over here. It's good for the motivation for the next few races in Europe.”

The race was marred by disrespectful fans along the course who threw beer in the riders' faces each time they passed, causing Van der Haar to tell video broadcasters after the race that he would never return. But Nys prevailed despite the boorish behavior, using his skills to bunny hop the barriers on the final lap and open a gap he would carry to the line.

“It was a little bit more technical here today,” Van der Haar said in the post-race press conference. “They had a sandpit that was pretty dangerous because it got really hard underneath. But other than that the corners were a little bit tighter, the concrete was slippery. It was a hard race.”

Van der Haar, who won the race in 2011, grabbed the hole shot off the start line and pressed the pace early, but the field weathered numerous attacks in the early going and stayed mostly together until about halfway through the race. Telenet Fidea's Thijs Van Amerongen attacked during the fourth of nine laps and got a slight gap over a select lead group, holding his advantage for several circuits until Nys and the chasers reeled him in.

Powers attacked on the penultimate lap but was quickly brought back into a lead group of eight that included most of the favorites, setting up Nys' final successful burst for the line.

“I know Sven pretty well,” Van der Haar said of Nys' final attack. “I know what he does and where he does it. I knew I had to be in the front before the barriers, but he was still able to get across. Then he knew where my two worst corners were, and he took advantage of that.”

Results

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Men's results
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Sven Nys (Bel) Crelan-Aa Drinks1:03:17
2Lars Van Der Haar (Ned) Development Team Giant-Shimano0:00:04
3Jeremy Powers (USA) Rapha Focus0:00:12
4Quinten Hermans (Bel) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team0:00:17
5Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Crelan-Aa Drinks0:00:19
6Daan Soete (Bel) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team0:00:30
7Allen Krughoff (USA) Noosa Professional Cyclocross0:00:34
8Shawn Milne (USA) Boulder Cycle Sport/ Yoga Glo0:00:36
9Ben Berden (Bel) Raleigh ClementRow 8 - Cell 2
10Cameron Dodge (USA) Pure Energy/Scott Bikes0:00:38
11James Driscoll (USA) Raleigh Clement0:00:42
12Adam Craig (USA) Giant Factory Off-Road Team0:00:57
13Jake Wells (USA) Stans No Tubes0:01:09
14Simon Zahner (Sui) Ekz Racing Team0:01:14
15Thijs Van Amerongen (Ned) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team0:01:26
16Jonathan Page (USA) Fuji/Spy0:01:38
17Lukas Winterberg (Sui) Mueller Landscaping / Bh Bicycl0:01:48
18Geoff Kabush (Can) Scott-3Rox Racing0:02:17
19Craig Richey (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing P/B Mosai0:02:21
20Marcel Wildhaber (Sui) Scott-Odlo Mtb Racing TeamRow 19 - Cell 2
21Anthony Clark (USA) Jam/Ncc Squid Bikes0:02:22
22Timothy Johnson (USA) Cannondale Pb Cyclocrossworld.C0:02:48
23Derek Zandstra (Can) Scott 3 Rox Racing0:02:55
24Barry Wicks (USA) Kona0:02:56
25Justin Lindine (USA) Redline / Nbx0:02:58
26Mitchell Hoke (USA) The Pro'S Closet Cx0:03:04
27Jacob Sitler (USA) Seavs/Haymarket Pb Van Dessel0:03:10
28Carl Decker (USA) Giant Factory Off-Road Team0:03:19
29Lewis Gaffney (USA) American Classic Raleigh Pro Cx0:03:48
30Jeremy Durrin (USA) Neon Velo Cycling Team0:03:49
31Benjamin Sonntag (Ger) Team Clif Bar0:04:02
32Zach Mcdonald (USA) Kccx Elite Cyclocross Team P/B0:04:42
33Kerry Werner (USA) Optum P/B Kely Benefit Strategi0:04:45
34Adam Myerson (USA) Cycle-Smart0:04:46
35Thomas Turner (USA) Team JamisRow 34 - Cell 2
36Troy Wells (USA) Team Clif Bar0:05:14
37Elliot Reinecke (USA) Focus Bikes0:05:26
38Cody Kaiser (USA) Langetwins/Specialized0:05:39
39Michael Van Den Ham (Can) Trek Red Truck P/B Mosaic Homes0:06:38
40Joshua Johnson (USA) Giant Factory Off-Road Team0:06:54
41Tobin Ortenblad (USA) California Giant Berry Farms -0:07:33
-2 LapsChristopher Aitken (Aus) Focus Bikes AustraliaRow 41 - Cell 2
-2 LapsRobert Marion (USA) American Classic Pro CyclocrossRow 42 - Cell 2
-2 LapsJared Nieters (USA) Seavs/Haymarket Pb Van DesselRow 43 - Cell 2
-2 LapsGarry Millburn (Aus) AttaquerRow 44 - Cell 2
-2 LapsChris Jackson (USA) Castex RacingRow 45 - Cell 2
-3 LapsMark McConnell (Can) Synergy Racing P/B Sri ImportinRow 46 - Cell 2
-3 LapsTyler Coplea (USA) Velo Vie/ Hammer NutritionRow 47 - Cell 2
-3 LapsBrady Kappius (USA) Team Clif BarRow 48 - Cell 2
-4 LapsTom Chapman (Aus) Focus Bikes AustraliaRow 49 - Cell 2
-5 LapsJade Lean (Aus) Focus Bikes Australia Cx TeamRow 50 - Cell 2
-5 LapsAlex Ryan (USA) Mock Orange Pro Cx TeamRow 51 - Cell 2
-5 LapsSean Dunlea (GBr) Neon Velo Cycling TeamRow 52 - Cell 2
DNFMike Garrigan (Can) Van DesselRow 53 - Cell 2
DNFHugo Robinson (GBr Neon Velo Cycling TeamRow 54 - Cell 2

 

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Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.

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