Boom races to snowy victory in Zolder ahead of Albert

Lars Boom (Rabobank) captured the win in the only cyclo-cross World Cup round he is racing this season, the sixth round in Zolder, Belgium. The 24-year-old Dutch champion dealt best with the deep snow that had turned the former Belgian F1 car circuit into an extremely challenging and often dangerous course.

After showing great skills on the bike, Boom tackled a cup of beer, showing he was not taking his cyclo-cross adventure too seriously.

"For me this is the most ideal way to prepare for the road season, but don't think I have no respect for the real cyclo-cross riders. Of course, I'm starting these races with a little bit of ambition because I don't want to come here and finish 20th," Boom said.

World Cup leader Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) finished second at 13 seconds behind Boom, but the Belgian strengthened his lead in the World Cup. Albert now holds a lead of more than 60 points, which is the amount of points at stake for the winner of a World Cup round.

"It's always possible to finish out of the points in a race and then my lead is gone, but surely I'm going to defend my lead in the World Cup in the last two races," said Albert. "Then I have at least one jersey at the end of the season."

The leading duo exchanged turns in the lead position during the first five laps, and when Boom dropped his chain for a second time during the third lap, he was trailing by about 15 seconds. "The chain wasn't fine-tuned and on the bumpy downhills, it often dropped but after changing bikes. It was alright," Boom said.

The Dutch champion Boom bridged back up to Albert and in the sixth lap, the latter got stuck into the deep snow on the upper part of the course. "It's a disgrace they didn't remove the snow in that section," both Albert and Boom said. The 24-year-old Belgian Albert wasn't able to close the gap of 13 seconds on his Dutch peer in the closing laps, and he finished second.

"I think we were each other's match technically, but on the road he was phenomenal. He has more power and can make more revolutions. The road was a bit too long for me," said Albert, talking about the start-finish straight of the car circuit.

Veterans Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea) and Gerben de Knegt (Rabo-Giant Offroad) captured their best results of the season by finishing respectively third and fourth, both at more than a minute from the winner. For Wellens, it was the first podium result since November 11 in Niel.

"It's great to finally climb the podium after falling just short 11 times this season [five - Ed.]. I had a terrible start but went better throughout the race," said Wellens. "I've never ridden in these conditions in my long career."

During the fifth lap, Wellens bridged up to De Knegt, who quickly encountered a mechanical, forcing him to focus on fourth place rather than third. "Too bad because I think I matched his speed. Riding through the snow is like riding through sand and that's something I'm good at," De Knegt said.

Belgian champion Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) rode an anonymous race and finished fifth in Zolder. Nys never made it to the front of the race and struggled in the slippery conditions. After the race Nys talked about severe pain in his back. "I crashed on the street this week and already received treatment, but clearly not enough; I felt like a novice," Nys told Sporza.

Czech rider Radomir Simunek excels in icy conditions, and he lived up to the expectations when rode in third place during the fifth lap. On a straightforward section, he suddenly slipped and touched the barriers, going spectacularly over the handlebars. The winner from the Scheldecross in Antwerp probably broke his collarbone.

Tomorrow, most cyclo-cross stars head to Diegem where world champion Zdenek Stybar (Telenet-Fidea) will make his comeback after a knee injury.

The next round of the World Cup will be held in Pont-Château, France on 2011, January 16.

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