Nys victorious at Koksijde World Cup

Another cyclo-cross race, another spectacle provided by the duo of Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet-Euphony) and Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus). This time the battlefield was the sandy world championship course at Koksijde, Belgium, where Albert won the rainbow jersey back in January.

On Sunday, however, Sven Ny took a masterful, measured victory in the third round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup while world champion Niels Albert had to settle for second at 14 seconds. Frenchman Francis Mourey (FDJ-BigMat) rounded out the top three, 19 seconds behind Nys.

Nys bounced back from a lacklustre first half to get back on solo leader Albert's wheel on the penultimate lap. Albert led Nys across the finish line into the final lap and momentarily kept Nys at bay, but a fateful bobble by the world champion on a slick, right-hand bend provided Nys the opportunity to pounce.

Nys slipped by Albert's left alongside the barriers and accelerated onto a short, sand dune power climb. Nys showed off his considerable technical skills when he rode over the seemingly unrideable dune, while Albert had to dismount and run. Nys's performance on the dune appeared to remove all the wind from the sails of  Albert's chase effort as Nys sped away to win for the sixth time in Koksijde, becoming the sole record holder for victories at the legendary 'cross venue.

"Last year [worlds in January] it wasn't pleasant to ride here. I wanted to come back and show I can ride through the sand. I think I did that today," Nys said.

Albert remains the leader in the World Cup with 215 points, 30 more than both Nys and Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor), who finished fifth in Koksijde. Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Revor) crashed hard halfway the race and finished a distant twelfth place, tumbling from a shared lead with Albert to fourth overall after Koksijde at 184 points.

"During the world championships my form was at 100 percent, now I was at maybe 95," Albert said. "Back then making the lines in the sand went unnoticed but now I felt it. I'm glad to be the leader in the World Cup but nothing's won so far. Of course I'll defend my lead."

During the first half of the race both Albert and Nys were absent from the top-10, at the back of a long line of riders. In front Klaas Vantornout rode his usual strong first laps until Mourey opened the throttle up front. Albert answered this attack and increased the pace, leaving only Albert, Mourey, Bart Aernouts (AA Drink) and a little later also Nys in front.

Albert kept going flat-out and he created a gap on the rest with Nys still dangling at the back of the chase group. "If you're caught behind there's two things you can do: force your way to the front and use more energy or wait until there's space. That way I conserved my energy," Nys said, opting for the patient approach.

During the last couple of laps Nys put on a master class of 'cross skill and talent as he rode the lengthy sand sections and bridged up to Albert to set the stage for a dramatic finale between the season's prominent protagonists. Nys explained he wanted to sit on Albert's wheel and wait for the sprint, but his rival made a mistake and Nys was granted the lead anyway, sealed by riding a dune that Albert had to run.

"It was like a dream coming through, perfectly over it," said Nys. "You arrive at the foot with the idea of trying it. Right away I felt ‘I can ride up this thing'. Then you get the adrenaline boost and you don't feel anything. It's one to review several times on TV," Nys said.

The dune 'cross, with its tradition to name the toughest dunes after champions such as Paul Herygers and Niels Albert, perhaps should pay tribute to this demonstration and its record holder by referring to this heretofore unnamed dune as the "Nys dune".