2014 Belgian 'cross championship podium (L-R): Rob Peeters, Sven Nys and Bart Wellens(Image credit: Photopress.be)
Rob Peeters (Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace Cycling Team) on his way to second place(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink Cycling Team) takes victory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Napoleon Games Cycling Team)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Rob Peeters (Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace Cycling Team)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bart Aernouts (AA Drink Cycling Team)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sven Nys and Bart Wellens(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bronze for Bart Wellens(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink Cycling Team)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Michael Vanthourenhout (Sunweb-Napoleon Games Cycling Team)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The men's podium at the Belgian championships(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink Cycling Team)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) airs it out over the barriers(Image credit: Photopress.be)
Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea) was pleased with his third place finish at Belgian Nationals(Image credit: Photopress.be)
World champion Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink) celebrates winning his ninth Belgian elite 'cross championship(Image credit: Photopress.be)
Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) was unable to defend his Belgian national 'cross title and ultimately was a DNF on the day(Image credit: Photopress.be)
Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) bunny-hopping the barriers(Image credit: Photopress.be)
The legend continues for Sven Nys as he wins Belgium's cyclo-cross championship for the ninth time(Image credit: Photopress.be)
Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink) was a master of the sandpit en route to his ninth Belgian national championship(Image credit: Photopress.be)
With Sven Nys alone in the lead, the race for second was hotly contested between Bart Wellens and Rob Peeters(Image credit: Photopress.be)
Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) runs the sand sector en route to a fourth place result in Belgium's cyclo-cross championship(Image credit: Photopress.be)
Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) had a race to forget and would drop out of the Belgian 'cross championship(Image credit: Photopress.be)
The battle for the silver medal was a hard-fought contest between Rob Peeters (Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace Cycling Team) and Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea) with Peeters ultimately dropping Wellens to take second(Image credit: Photopress.be)
World champion Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink) dropped his rivals in the sand pit and rode away to his ninth Belgian championship(Image credit: Photopress.be)
Sven Nys is all smiles at the finish line after earning his ninth national cyclo-cross championship(Image credit: Photopress.be)
World champion Sven Nys is once again Belgium's 'cross champion. Rob Peeters and Bart Wellens completed the 2014 podium.(Image credit: Photopress.be)
Sven Nys dominated the Belgian national cyclo-cross championships to take his ninth national title.
Halfway into the race Nys distanced his rivals in the sandpit and opened a 20-second gap. Rob Peeters took the silver medal ahead of Bart Wellens who had to settle for bronze. Defending champion Klaas Vantornout abandoned the race, as did Niels Albert.
"I had a really good day, like I have been having for three weeks now. I felt on the first passage of the sandpit that I was good. I wanted to start the sandpit fresh every lap and succeeded. My ninth title is not the same as the first title but I am really proud. That I can do this at my age is a miracle. To be able to give the supporters and sponsors this at my age is great," he told Sporza television.
The course in Waregem was a varied one with sand imported from Koksijde, mud and several obstacles. Fourteen professional riders started the race with Joeri Adams as early race leader. World champion Sven Nys distanced the field in the sandpit and kept his lead in the second half of the race.
Peeters and Wellens fought for silver. The two riders stayed together for most of the race but Peeters managed to ride away from Wellens in the last lap. Defending champion Klaas Vantornout abandoned halfway into the race. Niels Albert made some mistakes and fell and would abandon the race.
“It didn’t go as i expected," Albert told Sporza. "It wasn’t running smoothly and it was just not in the cards today. I made mistakes, crashed a few times. I didn’t have the day to become national champion. I felt good during the warm-up but during the race it didn’t turn out as I hoped. I have no explanation."
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Full Results
1
Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink Cycling Team)
1:05:09
2
Rob Peeters (Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace Cycling Team)
0:00:33
3
Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team)
0:00:40
4
Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team)
0:00:53
5
Jim Aernouts (Sunweb-Napoleon Games Cycling Team)
0:00:56
6
Dieter Vanthourenhout (Sunweb–Napoleon Games)
0:01:06
7
Wietse Bosmans (BKCP-Powerplus Cycling Team)
0:01:18
8
Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Napoleon Games Cycling Team)
0:01:30
9
Bart Aernouts (AA Drink Cycling Team)
0:01:34
10
Michael Vanthourenhout (Sunweb-Napoleon Games Cycling Team)
Row 9 - Cell 2
DNF
Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus Cycling Team)
Row 10 - Cell 2
DNF
Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Napoleon Games Cycling Team)
Row 11 - Cell 2
DNF
Joeri Adams (Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace)
Row 12 - Cell 2
DNF
Sven Vanthourenhout (Crelan-AA Drink Cycling Team)
Row 13 - Cell 2
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