Albert tops Nys at Azencross
Last lap fall in pit area costs Nys shot at victory
Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) has won the fifth round of the GVA Trophy in Loenhout, Belgium for the second time in his career. Top honours in Loenhout came down to a two-man battle between Albert and Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet), who had separated themselves from a five-man lead group during the fifth of eight laps.
Just as in the Superprestige Diegem race two days ago, it appeared that victory would be decided in a sprint finish between Albert and Nys, but the Belgian champion's recent run of bad luck continued as Nys fell in the pit area on the last lap while making a bike exchange. Nys quickly got back on his feet and mounted his fresh bike but could not close the gap on Albert, who had bypassed the pit and soloed to victory.
"Sven and I fought out a close game today. We both made mistakes but in the end I expected a sprint would be the decider," said Albert. "Suddenly Sven crashed and I didn't hesitate to go from there. Too bad because I would have loved to sprint against Sven, then I would know before the Belgian championships who the fastest was."
For Sven Nys it was yet another blow that kept him from winning a race. "The run of bad luck doesn't seem to come to an end. It's becoming a bit too much," Nys said. The Belgian champion has already had potential victories erased in three previous races due to a faulty pit exchange, a pedal which fell off and a dropped chain.
Nevertheless, Nys did a good job in the overall standings in which he made up six points on leader Kevin Pauwels (Telenet-Fidea). On New Year's day Nys can become the new overall leader in his home town of Baal.
World champion Zdenek Stybar (Telenet-Fidea) rounded out the podium in third place, finishing 47 seconds down on Albert in his second race after his return to competition. In the final lap Stybar left his teammate Pauwels and German champion Philipp Walsleben (BKCP-Powerplus) behind.
Belgians Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea), Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor) and Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) rolled across the line more than a minute behind winner Albert.
Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) battled his way into this group and grabbed ninth place just ahead of Bart Aernouts (Rabobank-Giant Off Road). For Page it was his best result of the season in a European C1-ranked race. "Exactly. I'm happy I raced well and happy with where I'm at. Now it's a matter of confirming this result," Page said.
Niels Albert also grabbed the €1000 bonus for clocking the fastest lap time of the race. Albert won this mini-competition just ahead of Kevin Pauwels and Philipp Walsleben.
The next round of the GVA Trophy will be held in Baal, Belgium on New Year's day.
1 | Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus | 0:56:22 |
2 | Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | 0:00:11 |
3 | Zdenek Štybar (Cze) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 0:00:47 |
4 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 0:00:52 |
5 | Philipp Walsleben (Ger) BKCP-Powerplus | 0:00:59 |
6 | Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 0:01:12 |
7 | Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Revor | 0:01:21 |
8 | Tom Meeusen (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 0:01:27 |
9 | Jonathan Page (USA) Planet Bike | 0:01:28 |
10 | Bart Aernouts (Bel) Rabobank-Giant Off Road Team | 0:01:29 |
11 | Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank | 0:01:45 |
12 | Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Sunweb-Revor | 0:02:23 |
13 | Christian Heule (Swi) Champion System LBS | 0:02:25 |
14 | Nicolas Bazin (Fra) Auber 93 | 0:02:28 |
15 | Petr Dlask (Cze) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 0:02:33 |
16 | Marco Bianco (Ita) | 0:02:41 |
17 | Kenneth van Compernolle (Bel) Sunweb-Revor | 0:02:47 |
18 | Enrico Franzoi (Ita) BKCP-Powerplus | |
19 | Marcel Wildhaber (Swi) Scott-Swisspower MTB-Racing | 0:02:48 |
20 | Mariusz Gil (Pol) Baboco - Revor Cycling Team | 0:03:09 |
21 | Gerben De Knegt (Ned) Rabobank-Giant Off Road Team | 0:03:13 |
22 | Dieter Vanthourenhout (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus | 0:03:24 |
23 | Eddy van Ijzendoorn (Ned) AA Drink Cycling Team | 0:03:33 |
24 | Egoitz Murgoitio (Spa) | 0:03:39 |
25 | Thijs van Amerongen (Ned) AA Drink Cycling Team | 0:03:43 |
26 | Jan Verstraeten (Bel) KDL-Trans | 0:03:44 |
27 | Ben Berden (Bel) Qin Cycling Team | 0:03:50 |
28 | Thijs Al (Ned) AA Drink Cycling Team | 0:04:03 |
29 | Patrick van Leeuwen (Ned) | 0:04:27 |
30 | Wilant van Gils (Ned) CX Nederland | 0:04:29 |
31 | Kevin Cant (Bel) Van Goethem Prorace Cycling Team | 0:04:34 |
32 | Ian Field (GBr) Hargroves Cycles | 0:04:40 |
33 | Patrick Gaudy (Bel) | 0:05:33 |
34 | Rob Peeters (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | |
35 | Tom van den Bosch (Bel) AA Drink Cycling Team | 0:05:36 |
36 | Rene Birkenfeld (Ger) Harvesterhude Rv | 0:05:42 |
37 | Robert Gavenda (Svk) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 0:06:06 |
38 | Marek Cichosz (Pol) Legia-Felt | 0:06:10 |
39 | Mitchell Huenders (Ned) BKCP-Powerplus | |
40 | Keiichi Tsujiura (Jpn) | 0:06:22 |
41 | Rikke Dijkxhoorn (Ned) Van Vliet EBH Elshof | -1lap |
42 | Stijn Huys (Bel) | |
43 | Isaac Suarez (Spa) | |
44 | Bart Verschueren (Bel) Champion System LBS Team | |
45 | Brian Matter (USA) Gear Grinder | |
46 | Martin Zlámalík (Cze) Sunweb - Revor | -2laps |
47 | Jody Crawforth (GBr) Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Scott/GSI | |
48 | Tom De Kort (Bel) APB Cycling Team | |
49 | Yu Takenouchi (Jpn) | |
50 | Sebastien Le Naour (Fra) | |
51 | Florian Le Corré (Fra) Flers Cyclisme 61 | |
52 | Mitchell Hoke (USA) Clif Bar Development Team | |
53 | Tim Van Nuffel (Bel) Van Goethem - Prorace | |
54 | Craig Richey (Can) Cyclocrossracing.Com p/b Blue | -3laps |
55 | Mark Lalonde (USA) Cal Giant-Specialized | |
56 | Ryan Iddings (USA) Redline | |
57 | Sean Babcock (USA) Kona | |
58 | Fernandez Suarez (Spa) | |
59 | Gianni Denolf (Bel) Baboco - Revor Cycling Team | |
60 | Jimmy Tielens (Bel) Team Saeco Heist O/D Berg | -4laps |
61 | Ryan Knapp (USA) BikeReg.com | |
62 | Hikaru Kosaka (Jpn) | |
63 | Davy Yeater (USA) River City Bicycles-Cannondale | |
64 | Shaun Adamson (Can) Cycle-Smart | |
65 | Gareth Whittall (GBr) | -5laps |
66 | David Andrew Quist (USA) Team Clif Bar Cycling |
1 | Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | 3 | pts |
2 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 2 | |
3 | Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 1 |
1 | Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus | 0:06:49 |
2 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 0:00:02 |
3 | Philipp Walsleben (Ger) BKCP-Powerplus | 0:00:03 |
1 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 106 | pts |
2 | Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | 102 | |
3 | Zdenek Štybar (Cze) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 89 | |
4 | Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 81 | |
5 | Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus | 80 | |
6 | Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Revor | 76 | |
7 | Bart Aernouts (Bel) Rabobank-Giant Off Road Team | 71 | |
8 | Gerben De Knegt (Ned) Rabobank-Giant Off Road Team | 49 | |
9 | Tom Meeusen (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 48 | |
10 | Enrico Franzoi (Ita) BKCP-Powerplus | 47 | |
11 | Rob Peeters (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 44 | |
12 | Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Sunweb-Revor | 36 | |
13 | Philipp Walsleben (Ger) BKCP-Powerplus | 34 | |
14 | Dieter Vanthourenhout (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus | 32 | |
15 | Thijs van Amerongen (Ned) AA Drink Cycling Team | 24 | |
16 | Jan Denuwelaere (Bel) Rendement Hypo Cycling Team | 20 | |
17 | Tom van den Bosch (Bel) AA Drink Cycling Team | 19 | |
18 | Christian Heule (Swi) Champion System LBS | 19 | |
19 | Radomir Simunek Jr. (Cze) BKCP-Powerplus | 16 | |
20 | Mariusz Gil (Pol) Baboco - Revor Cycling Team | 16 | |
21 | Eddy van Ijzendoorn (Ned) AA Drink Cycling Team | 14 | |
22 | Petr Dlask (Cze) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 14 | |
23 | Jonathan Page (USA) Planet Bike | 14 | |
24 | Francis Mourey (Fra) FDJ | 13 | |
25 | Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank | 10 | |
26 | Robert Gavenda (Svk) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 9 | |
27 | Ian Field (GBr) Hargroves Cycles | 8 | |
28 | Kenneth van Compernolle (Bel) Sunweb-Revor | 7 | |
29 | Nicolas Bazin (Fra) Auber 93 | 7 | |
30 | Thijs Al (Ned) AA Drink Cycling Team | 6 | |
31 | Marco Bianco (Ita) | 6 | |
32 | Ben Berden (Bel) Qin Cycling Team | 3 | |
33 | Romain Villa (Fra) | 2 | |
34 | Marcel Wildhaber (Swi) Scott-Swisspower MTB-Racing | 2 | |
35 | Patrick van Leeuwen (Ned) | 1 |
1 | Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | 11 | pts |
2 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 7 | |
3 | Zdenek Štybar (Cze) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 6 | |
4 | Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 2 | |
5 | Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus | 2 | |
6 | Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Revor | 2 |
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Kelderman diagnosed with concussion and fractured vertebrae after SUV hits Bora-Hansgrohe riders
Seven riders involved as car reportedly pulls out in front of them on final day of training camp -
2021 team preview: Liv Racing
Lotte Kopecky and Alison Jackson take reigns for team looking for more wins and talent development -
Amanda Spratt confident world-class Australian races will make a comeback in 2022
'Women's Tour Down Under is building and building, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it on the WorldTour calendar next year' -
Schillinger suffers fractured vertebrae after being hit by car at Bora-hansgrohe camp
German rider and six teammates hit by a car while training in Italy
Sign up to the Cyclingnews Newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how to do this, and how we hold your data, please see our privacy policy
Thank you for signing up to Cycling News. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.