Albert takes dominant win at Koksijde World Cup
Mourey beats Walsleben and Nys to second
Niels Albert (KBCP-Powerplus) won the Dunecross in sunny Koksijde, Belgium for the third time in impressive style on Saturday. At what was round three of the 2013-2014 World Cup, Albert repeated his own solo ride from the 2012 cyclo-cross world championships, destroying the opposition. As he crossed the line, he copied the iconic finish of Paul Herygers from the 1994 Worlds in Koksijde; Albert hopped on and off his bike and waved his hands in celebration.
"It wasn't planned," said Albert of his finishing style. "That's when you get the best moments. I didn't study the footage before the race, but what Herygers did back then made for memorable images. Koksijde is a little bit from me but also a little bit from Paul. The finish line was a bit shorter than in 1949 [sic]; that's why I didn't have a lot of time. This remains my world championship race," Albert said.
French champion Francis Mourey (FDJ) beat Philipp Walsleben (BKCP-Powerplus), Sven Nys (Crelan-Euphony) and Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) in the sprint for second place. World Cup leader Lars van der Haar (Rabo Development Team) struggled hard in the closing laps and finished 10th but he remains in the white leader's jersey. Second-placed World Cup rider Walsleben got back to two points.
"Things didn't go well for me today. I'm surprised that I'm still leading," Van der Haar said.
During the fourth of nine laps, there were a couple of key moments in the lead of the race. First, Belgian champion Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) went over the handlebars when taking on the so-called Herygers-dune. After that section, the large lead group was split up, and Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) led Albert.
When Meeusen moved out of the way, Albert went full gas. "Before the race, I was a bit nervous, but as soon as I got going, nothing was going to bring me down," Albert said.
With Meeusen fading, it was his German teammate Walsleben who put himself in front of the main chase group, helping Albert to quickly build up a comfortable lead.
"I tried to lower the pace. On the other hand, it was not possible for me to get back to him," Walsleben said.
While Albert was powering away in front, Nys was struggling at the back of the chase group. He rode into other riders and got stuck in the wiring with Meeusen riding into him. Nys showed his annoyance, but he nevertheless recovered and blasted forward in the closing laps. Nys bridged up to the first chase group with Walsleben and Mourey, bringing along Pauwels. In the sprint, Nys came just short of finishing on the podium.
Mourey showed his fast legs in the final dash. "Before the race, I wanted to get on the podium. When Niels took off, I eyed second or third place. I kept an eye on Nys in the final lap because he's fast. Second place is great," Mourey said.
The cyclo-cross peloton left Koksijde on Saturday evening with a long drive to Gieten, in the north of the Netherlands ahead of them. That's where tomorrow's Super Prestige race will be held.
Albert promised to go for the double, a feat he's not yet achieved. "I'll do anything I can to get the double. It will not be easy," Albert said.
Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus Cycling Team | 1:04:49 |
2 | Francis Mourey (Fra) FDJ.fr | 0:00:32 |
3 | Philipp Walsleben (Ger) BKCP-Powerplus | |
4 | Sven Nys (Bel) Crelan KDL Cycling Team | 0:00:34 |
5 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Sunweb-Napoleon Games Cycling Team | 0:00:37 |
6 | Tom Meeusen (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 0:00:54 |
7 | Bart Aernouts (Bel) AA Drink Cycling Team | 0:01:05 |
8 | Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Napoleon Games Cycling Team | 0:01:13 |
9 | Corne Van Kessel (Ned) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 0:01:14 |
10 | Lars van der Haar (Ned) Rabobank Development Team | 0:01:33 |
11 | Rob Peeters (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 0:01:49 |
12 | Thijs van Amerongen (Ned) AA Drink Cycling Team | 0:01:54 |
13 | Niels Wubben (Ned) Rabobank Development Team | 0:01:56 |
14 | Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | |
15 | Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Selle Italia-Guerciotti | 0:02:16 |
16 | Marcel Meisen (Ger) Kwadro-Stannah Cycling Team | 0:02:52 |
17 | Michael Wildhaber (Swi) Scott Swisspower MTB Racing Team | 0:02:57 |
18 | Lubomir Petrus (Cze) BKCP-Powerplus Cycling Team | 0:03:00 |
19 | Julien Taramarcaz (Swi) BMC Mountainbike Racing Team | 0:03:02 |
20 | Twan van den Brand (Ned) Orange Babies Cycling Team | 0:03:05 |
21 | Thijs Al (Ned) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 0:03:12 |
22 | Patrick van Leeuwen (Ned) Orange Babies Cycling Team | |
23 | Martin Bina (Cze) Kwadro-Stannah Cycling Team | 0:03:29 |
24 | Radomir Simunek (Cze) Kwadro-Stannah Cycling Team | 0:03:37 |
25 | Eddy van IJzendoorn (Ned) Team Natubalans-Apex | 0:03:55 |
26 | Nicolas Bazin (Fra) BigMat-Auber 93 | 0:04:09 |
27 | Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga Ibanez (Spa) MMR Spiuk | 0:04:35 |
28 | Ian Field (GBr) Hargroves Cycles | 0:04:54 |
29 | Mariusz Gil (Pol) Kwadro-Stannah Cycling Team | 0:05:20 |
30 | Fabien Canal (Fra) ASPTT Definitive Tec | 0:05:30 |
31 | Jonathan Page (USA) Fuji-Spy-Competitive Cyclist | 0:06:03 |
32 | Martin Haring (Svk) CK Banska Bystrica | 0:06:29 |
33 | Marco Ponta (Ita) Centro Sportivo Esercito | - 2 laps |
34 | Vladimir Kyzivat (Cze) Johnsons Controls AS Mlada Boleslav | |
35 | Micki Van Empel (Ned) Crelan KDL Cycling Team | |
36 | Kenneth Hansen (Den) Cannondale-Haderslev | |
37 | Sascha Weber (Ger) Team Differdange-Losch | - 3 laps |
38 | Ondrej Bambula (Cze) CEZ Cyklo Team Tabor | |
39 | Robert Gavenda (Svk) Dukla Trencin Trek | |
40 | Milan Barenyi (Svk) Trek KCK Oslany | |
41 | Vaclav Metlicka (Svk) Johnsons Controls AS Mlada Boleslav | - 4 laps |
42 | Inigo Gomez Elorriaga (Spa) Bioracer-Caravanos Erandio | |
43 | Yannick Mayer (Ger) Team Baier Landshut | |
44 | Christian Helmig (Lux) Team Differdange-Losch | |
45 | Michal Malik (Cze) KC Kooperativa SG Jablonec | |
46 | Angus Edmond (NZl) | - 5 laps |
47 | Fredrik Edin (Swe) Cykloteket Racing Team | |
48 | Jon Gomez Elorriaga (Spa) Bioracer-Caravanos Erandio | |
49 | Christoph Ambroziak (Ger) Gunsha Racing Team | |
50 | Michel Vuelta Izquierdo (Spa) Nestor Martin | - 6 laps |
51 | Ivan Jovanovic (Srb) DNCS-Pro 2012 Cycling Team |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Lars van der Haar (Ned) Rabobank Development Team | 202 | pts |
2 | Philipp Walsleben (Ger) BKCP-Powerplus | 200 | |
3 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Sunweb-Napoleon Games Cycling Team | 190 | |
4 | Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus Cycling Team | 170 | |
5 | Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Napoleon Games Cycling Team | 161 | |
6 | Bart Aernouts (Bel) AA Drink Cycling Team | 151 | |
7 | Francis Mourey (Fra) FDJ.fr | 130 | |
8 | Corne Van Kessel (Ned) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 130 | |
9 | Thijs van Amerongen (Ned) AA Drink Cycling Team | 127 | |
10 | Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Selle Italia-Guerciotti | 124 | |
11 | Rob Peeters (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 110 | |
12 | Niels Wubben (Ned) Rabobank Development Team | 108 | |
13 | Thijs Al (Ned) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 105 | |
14 | Tom Meeusen (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 100 | |
15 | Julien Taramarcaz (Swi) BMC Mountainbike Racing Team | 92 | |
16 | Marcel Meisen (Ger) Kwadro-Stannah Cycling Team | 91 | |
17 | Sven Nys (Bel) Crelan KDL Cycling Team | 89 | |
18 | Ian Field (GBr) Hargroves Cycles | 88 | |
19 | Martin Haring (Svk) CK Banska Bystrica | 86 | |
20 | Lubomir Petrus (Cze) BKCP-Powerplus Cycling Team | 86 | |
21 | Twan van den Brand (Ned) Orange Babies Cycling Team | 86 | |
22 | Michael Wildhaber (Swi) Scott Swisspower MTB Racing Team | 82 | |
23 | Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 81 | |
24 | Mariusz Gil (Pol) Kwadro-Stannah Cycling Team | 80 | |
25 | Egoitz Murgoitio (Spa) Grupo Hirumet Taldea | 76 | |
26 | Martin Bina (Cze) Kwadro-Stannah Cycling Team | 74 | |
27 | Patrick van Leeuwen (Ned) Orange Babies Cycling Team | 71 | |
28 | Simon Zahner (Swi) EKZ Racing Team | 68 | |
29 | Marco Ponta (Ita) Centro Sportivo Esercito | 68 | |
30 | Jonathan Page (USA) Fuji-Spy-Competitive Cyclist | 61 | |
31 | Fabien Canal (Fra) ASPTT Definitive Tec | 60 | |
32 | Wietse Bosmans (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus Cycling Team | 57 | |
33 | Ondrej Bambula (Cze) CEZ Cyklo Team Tabor | 52 | |
34 | Vladimir Kyzivat (Cze) Johnsons Controls AS Mlada Boleslav | 50 | |
35 | Sascha Weber (Ger) Team Differdange-Losch | 48 | |
36 | Micki Van Empel (Ned) Crelan KDL Cycling Team | 47 | |
37 | Kenneth Hansen (Den) Cannondale-Haderslev | 41 | |
38 | Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga Ibanez (Spa) MMR Spiuk | 39 | |
39 | Robert Gavenda (Svk) Dukla Trencin Trek | 35 | |
40 | Arnaud Jouffroy (Fra) Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team | 35 | |
41 | Radomir Simunek (Cze) Kwadro-Stannah Cycling Team | 32 | |
42 | Vaclav Metlicka (Svk) Johnsons Controls AS Mlada Boleslav | 30 | |
43 | Magnus Darvell (Swe) Team Kalas Merida | 29 | |
44 | Eddy van IJzendoorn (Ned) Team Natubalans-Apex | 26 | |
45 | Yannick Mayer (Ger) Team Baier Landshut | 26 | |
46 | Nicolas Bazin (Fra) BigMat-Auber 93 | 25 | |
47 | Andreas Moser (Swi) Zaunteam Mittelland | 22 | |
48 | Milan Barenyi (Svk) Trek KCK Oslany | 22 | |
49 | Jordy Luisman (Ned) Team Lemelerveld | 18 | |
50 | Inigo Gomez Elorriaga (Spa) Bioracer-Caravanos Erandio | 18 | |
51 | Lukas Winterberg (Swi) MG Cycling Team | 17 | |
52 | Michal Malik (Cze) KC Kooperativa SG Jablonec | 15 | |
53 | Joachim Parbo (Den) Cielo-Challenge-Bicyclista | 14 | |
54 | Marco Bianco (Ita) Carraro Team Trentino | 14 | |
55 | Ole Quast (Ger) Stevens Racing Team | 13 | |
56 | Jon Gomez Elorriaga (Spa) Bioracer-Caravanos Erandio | 10 | |
57 | Angus Edmond (NZl) | 10 | |
58 | Yu Takenouchi (Jpn) Colba-Superano Ham | 8 | |
59 | Christian Helmig (Lux) Team Differdange-Losch | 7 | |
60 | Jan Nesvadba (Cze) Madeta Fitness-Specialized | 7 | |
61 | Christoph Ambroziak (Ger) Gunsha Racing Team | 7 | |
62 | Filip Adel (Cze) KC Hlinsko | 6 | |
63 | Fredrik Edin (Swe) Cykloteket Racing Team | 4 | |
64 | Lukas Batora (Svk) CK Banska Bystrica | 2 | |
65 | Michel Vuelta Izquierdo (Spa) Nestor Martin | 1 |

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