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 UCI codes explained

Superprestige Cyclo-cross Hamme-Zogge - C1

Hamme-Zogge, Belgium, November 23, 2008

2007 results     Stage List     Preview    Start List     Past winners

The Races

Never mind the Bollekes!

By Laura Weislo

Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner (R)) and Bart Wellens will be the riders to watch in Hamme-Zogge
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The fourth round of the Nissan Superprestige Topsport Vlaanderen Trofee, affectionately known as the Superprestige, heads east to Hamme-Zogge – a small town midway between Gent and Antwerp, for the seventh edition of the 'Bollekescross'. Named after the chalice-like glass in which the tasty regional beers are served, the name conjures up 'crosses of old where racers plowed through the center of beer tents filled with passionate and boisterous fans.

Sadly, or perhaps not so sadly for the racers, those days are over since the UCI banned courses through beer tents several years ago, but that doesn't mean the beer no longer flows or that the race is less like one big, happy party. The crowd will enjoy watching the racers tackle a tightly wound course over a relatively small area with two flyover bridges, a couple of short run-ups, a sand pit and a dizzying series of twists and turns.

Sven Nys comes into this fourth race as the series leader by four points over Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb Projob) after a close contest in Asper-Gavere last weekend. Skill, bollekes of steel and a bit of luck gave Nys the victory over Bart Wellens in that contest, while the ever consistent Vantornout came in third.

The young star Niels Albert, who came into last week's race as co-leader of the series, had the misfortune of crashing in the warm-up in Gavere and becoming gravely injured with a ruptured spleen. That one slip cost him any chance at challenging for the series as he will be out the better part of a month. Luckily, Albert's youth and enormous talent will mean he has many seasons to come in which to fight for victories.

Lars Boom (Rabobank) will be out this weekend
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One of the other riders who has given the Belgian champ a run for his sizeable start money, Lars Boom, will also be absent in this week's contest. Boom's team manager announced Thursday that the Dutch rider had developed a unrinary tract infection and has a fever. It is not known when he will be able to resume training.

A course like the one in Hamme-Zogge favours experience and cunning over youth and exuberance, even though it might look a little bit like a playground with all the artificial barriers. Nys has been the bully in this playground for the past three years, showing that he has a well-rounded quiver of weapons: running ability on the stairs, bike handling in the sand and the willingness to take well-calculated risks which translates so often into victory.

The only area where Nys may be lacking as he gets on in years is power on the long straightaways where the larger teams like Fidea can use tactics to foil him. Luckily for him, the straightaways in Hamme-Zogge come at the start of each lap, and are followed by a long series of technical sections where he can excel.

The man lurking in the shadows is Wellens, who finally found his way in contention for a win in Gavere only to have a snapped derailleur cable and then a big wad of mud in his eye foil his chances. He's been moving steadily up the rankings in November, and will use the morale boost he received with that solid performance last week to try and finally step onto the top of the podium this season.

Start list

Elite Men

1 Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank                                         
2 Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner                      
3 Erwin Vervecken (Bel) Fidea Cycling Team                         
4 Bart Wellens (Bel) Fidea Cycling Team                            
5 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Fidea Cycling Team                           
6 Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb Projob Cycling Team                
7 Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Sunweb Projob Cycling Team             
8 Gerben de Knegt (Ned) Rabobank                                   
9 Bart Aernouts (Bel) Rabobank                                     
10 Rob Peeters (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner                  
11 Dieter Vanthourenhout (Bel) Palmans - Cras                      
12 Richard Groenendaal (Ned) AA Cycling Team                       
13 Radomir Simunek (Bel) Palmans - Cras                            
14 Martin Zlámalík (Cze) Prodoli Racing Team                       
15 Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Fidea Cycling Team                          
16 Ben Berden (Bel) Revor Cycling Team                             
17 Thijs Al (Ned) Be-One Team                                      
18 Wilant van Gils (Ned) Pro Cycling Team ZZPR.nl-Destil-Merida    
19 Thijs Van Amerongen                                             
20 Jonathan Page (USA) Planet Bike                                 
21 Petr Dlask (Cze) Fidea Cycling Team                             
22 Jempy Drucker (Lux) Fidea Cycling Team                          
23 Jan Verstraeten (Bel) Sunweb Projob Cycling Team                
24 Wesley Van der Linden (Bel) Sunweb Projob Cycling Team          
25 Bjorn Rondelez (Bel) Lingier Versluys Beachbikers Team VZW      
26 Jan Soetens (Bel) Revor Cycling Team                            
27 Tom Vandenbosch                                                 
28 David Willemsens (Bel) Revor Cycling Team                       
29 Stijn Huys (Bel) Palmans - Cras                                 
30 Bart Verschueren (Bel) Revor Cycling Team                       
31 Pieter Ghyllebert (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen                     
32 Christian Heule (Swi) Stevens Racing Team                       
33 Geert Wellens (Bel) AVB-USSspa Cycling Team Kasterlee           
34 Kendric Van Grembergen                                          
35 Steven Decaluwe                                                
36 Dries Cauwelier                                                 
37 Steven De Shoesitter                                            
38 Gerald Uytersprot                                               
39 Freddy De Meester (Bel) Rijschool AH - Gentse VS                
40 Koen Diels                                                      
41 Rene Mertens                                                    
42 Peter Goeman                                                    
 
U23

2 Philipp Walsleben (Bel) Palmans - Cras                           
3 Tom Meeusen (Bel) Fidea Cycling Team                             
4 Stef Boden                                                       
5 Jan Van Dael (Bel) Sunweb Projob Cycling Team                    
6 Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Rabobank                                   
7 Vincent Bastaens                                                 
8 Kenneth Van Compernolle (Bel) Sunweb Projob Cycling Team         
9 Arnaud Jouffroy                                                  
10 LukᚠKloucek (Cze) Sunweb - Projob Cycling Team                
11 Petrus Lubomir                                                  
12 Matthias Flückiger (Swi) Athleticum                             
13 Michaël Winterberg                                              
14 Nico Brüngger (Swi)                                             
15 Quentin Bertholet (Bel) Fidea Cycling Team                      
16 Joeri Adams (Bel) Rabobank                                      
17 Marcel Meisen (Ger)                                             
18 Geert Van Der Horst                                             
19 Mitchell Heunders                                               
20 Jelle Brackman (Bel) Granville-Morgan Blue Cycling Team         
21 Laurent Moulin                                                  
22 Jan Denuwelaere                                                 
23 Lorenzo Messine                                                 
24 Tom Desmet (Bel) Asfra Racing Team                              
25 Jean-Baptiste Taleux                                            
26 Marco Minnaard                                                  
27 Robert Gavenda (Svk) Fidea Cycling Team                         
28 Ivar Hartoghs                                                   
29 Jim Aernouts (Bel) Palmans - Cras                               
30 Dennis Verhoeven                                                
31 Bart Barkhuis                                                   
32 Kaj Slenter                                                     
33 Joachim Janssens                                                
34 Stijn Mortelmans                                                
35 Thomas Vernaeckt                                                
36 Jan Van Zeebroeck                                               
37 Kristof Cop (Bel) AVB-USSspa Cycling Team Kasterlee             
38 Vincent Van Hooste (Bel) Asfra Racing Team                      
39 Matthias Onghena                                                
40 Jens Gys                                                        
41 Sven Beelen (Bel) Easypay Cyclocross Team                       
42 Micki Van Empel                                                 
43 Michiel Dieleman                                                
44 Sven Beelen (Bel) Easypay Cyclocross Team                       
45 Bart Hermans (Bel) Easypay Cyclocross Team                      
46 Kevin Smit                                                      
47 Christophe Delvaux                                              
48 Patrick Van Nunen                                               
49 Dave De Cleyn (Bel) Scott USA Cycling Team                      
50 Dries Dewit (Bel) Scott USA Cycling Team                        
51 Robby Cobbaert (Bel) Revor Cycling Team                         
52 Maurits Lammertink                                              
53 Kristof Zegers                                                  
54 Davy De Scheemaeker                                             
55 Sven Verboven (Bel) Palmans - Cras                              
56 Bart Bruyndonckx                                                
57 Laurens De Vreese                                               
58 Zeb Willems (Bel) AVB-USSspa Cycling Team Kasterlee             
59 Mark Thwaites                                                   
60 Kenneth Speltincx (Bel) Afdeling Antwerpen - WbV                
61 Gianni Denolf (Bel) Palmans - Cras                              
62 Dimitri Stevens                                                 
63 Twan Van Den Brand                                              
64 Arnaud Vandenabeele                                             
65 Simon Geets
 
Juniors

2 Eising Tijmen                                                    
3 Kenny Goossens                                                   
4 Lise Müller (Swi)                                                
5 Joël Peter                                                       
6 Milan Van Den Ende                                               
7 Mathias Vincke                                                   
8 Zeb Veestraeten                                                  
9 Daan Meijers                                                     
10 Jens Joosen                                                     
11 Mike Teunissen                                                  
12 Guillaume Van Keirsbulck                                        
13 Joeri Adams (Bel) Rabobank                                      
14 Angelo De Clercq                                                
15 Kevin Peeters (Bel) Scott USA Cycling Team                      
16 Dieter Peeters                                                  
17 Lars Van Der Haar                                               
18 Niels Koyen                                                     
19 Kenny Bultynck                                                  
20 Wilco Van Beusekom                                              
21 Olivier Vandevijver                                             
22 Michiel Van Der Heyden                                          
23 Joery Rietveld                                                  
24 Thomas Verbeek                                                  
25 Xandro Meurisse                                                 
26 Wietse Bosmans                                                  
27 Jesper Baelen                                                   
28 Sieën Veestraeten                                               
29 Jens Saey                                                       
30 Jelle Lugten                                                    
31 Wim Allary                                                      
32 Sean De Bie                                                     
33 Rutger La Haye                                                  
34 Sandie Verriest                                                 
35 Niels Wijtinck                                                  
36 Kenzie Boutte                                                   
37 Frederik Geerts                                                 
38 Simon Lapeire                                                   
39 Matthias Bossuyt                                                
40 Wannes Cauwenbergh                                              
41 Thibeaut De Winter                                              
42 Bas Krauwel                                                     
43 Yoeri Bertels                                                   
44 Jeroen Popelier                                                 
45 Michiel Van Tilborg                                             
46 Bart Carlier                                                    
47 Giovanni Jacobs                                                 
48 David Nichols                                                   
49 Olivier Vernaet                                                 
50 Gert-Jan Opsomer                                                
51 Robin Poelvoorde                                                
52 Nancy Bober                                                     
53 Valentijn Van De Velde                                          
54 Kris Vermeir                                                    
55 Ruben Scheire                                                   
56 Ritchie Denolf                                                  
57 Kenneth Goossens                                                
58 Gert-Jan Bosmans                                                
59 Jonas Plasschaert                                               

Past winners

2007 Sven Nys (Bel) Rabobank
2006 Sven Nys (Bel) Rabobank
2005 Sven Nys (Bel) Rabobank
2004 Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Quickstep - Davitamon
2003 Mario De Clercq (Bel) Palmans-Collstrop
2002 Sven Nys (Bel) Rabobank
 
Past winners by Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com