Albert takes dominant win at Koksijde World Cup

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.

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