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Cyclocross Corner

Another exciting cyclocross weekend in the Low Countries, unfortunately, I was in California, so I had to watch football instead.  There was a World Cup race on Saturday in Koksijde, Belguim, known for long plentiful sandy sections.  Sunday was a Superprestige race in Gieten, Netherlands, held in typical muddy conditions.

But first I'll recap from the previous weekend with a GVA-Trofee race in Hasselt, Belguim and a Superprestige in Hamme-Zogge, Belguim.  The NACT also rapped up in the Hamptons.

 

Star-divide

Bart Wellens won GVA-Trofee #4, GP Van Hasselt, giving him his first win of the season.  Kevin Pauwels got second and Rob Peeters third, with Erwin Vervecken and Sven Nys, in fourth and fifth, respectively.  Fidea almost swept the podium, if Rob Peeters hadn't come out of nowhere. 

The following day was Superprestige #4, in Hamme-Zogge, where conditions were snowy.  Nys won the race in commanding fashion, with Klaas Vantornout, and Wellens filling out the podium.  If you watch any highlight, this is the one, it makes me want to race in the snow, but only for one or two laps, not the whole hour.

What happened in America last weekend, you ask.  The last two NACT (North American Cyclocross Trophy) races at the Whitmore's Landscaping Super Cross Cup.  Ryan Trebon won ahead of Jeremy Powers and Todd Wells on Saturday securing the NACT title to Trebon.  Sunday went to Wells with Jamey Driscoll and Trebon, second and third respectively.  Unfortunately, Tim Johnson could not compete for the NACT overall because of a knee injury from the previous weekend. Barry Wicks was also absent, he was in Japan competing in the Kansai cross, where he placed second to Japanese National Champion Keiichi Tsujiura.

Now for our most current weekend.  World Cup #4, in Koksijde, was in very sandy conditions.  There were five deep sand sections, which makes for a lot of running.  This is Vervecken's element and he won here for the fifth time, narrowingly beating Nys in a sprint.  Zdenek Stybar came in third. 

In the women's race, Katie Compton beat the current World Champion, Hanka Kupfernagel in a sprint, with Daphny Van Den Brand securing third.  Kupfernagel led Compton onto the finishing straight, where Compton jumped around her for the win.  Kupfernagel still leads the World Cup standings with Van Den Brand in second and Pavla Havlikova in third.  Compton has moved up to seventh, giving her a front line start for the World Championships, assuming she maintains or improves her standing.

Sunday, November 30, 2008, was Superprestige #5 in Gieten, Netherlands.  Here Vantornout beat Wellens in a sprint, with Nys taking the last podium place.  Wellens and Nys were riding together towards the end of the race with Vantournot ahead.  Vantornout crashed and Wellens bridged, but it cost him too much energy for the sprint.

What were the Americans doing this weekend?  A variety of things.  The Wells brothers, Todd and Troy, competed in Jingle Cross Rock on both days, with Troy beating the elder Wells on Saturday and Todd beating Andy Jacques-Maynes on Sunday.  Jamey Driscoll won the Baystate Cyclocross. 

Injury Updates:

You may have asked yourself, where was Lars Boom, the current World Champion these past races?  Well, he's been out with a Urinary Tract Infection and his doctor thought it best he wait another week before racing. 

Neils Albert is still out with his ruptured spleen.  Hopefully they both saw the "Get Well" sign that JFS_PGH was taking to Gieten.

I've included some highlights from sporza.be, go to the links and click on wedstrijdverslag for the highlights.  Some races also have the last lap, click on laatste ronde.

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Thanks for the notes!

I got my email on Saturday morning that ctv was airing some cross. I was headed to my official’s class though so I couldn’t log in and watch. Hope to watch it on demand some night this week.

IL Cross championships are this Sunday and Nationals are later next week already. Time flies when you’re having fun.

"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."

by nikki on Dec 1, 2008 4:02 PM EST reply actions  

Large Bomb

Can’t wait til his UTI is gone, now I’m all curious about him.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 1, 2008 5:54 PM EST reply actions  

Seeing Vervecken's

on top of the podium is like a blast from the past. That would be like Hermann Maier still winning a ski race… oh wait, he just did.

by Peter Fontecchio on Dec 1, 2008 9:40 PM EST reply actions  

Damn old dudes.
Don’t they realize their time has already happened.
It’s now time for the next generation to take over, so they need to stop showing up to these races and kicking these poor young kids asses.

Why can’t they just retire already?

by Ryan_Liles on Dec 2, 2008 5:13 AM EST up reply actions  

As Nys said

If Vervecken’s racing, he’s trouble.

by Peter Fontecchio on Dec 2, 2008 5:55 AM EST up reply actions  

The Belgian4 tv coverage for yesterday's race was flawless.... and free.

(H/T cyclingfans.com). Coverage started exactly when they said it would (14:30) too.

You hear me Cycling TV? Get you ass in gear.

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."

by Drew Davis on Dec 1, 2008 10:13 PM EST reply actions  

CTV's coverage for the UCI World Cup has been flawless...

but not free. Sorry, but the boys upstairs seem to think that giving everything away for free is a bad business model for some reason. You could always think of those fifty bucks as a voluntary donation to help me and Rebecca afford to eat.

As for starting on time… that’s a pretty valid criticism. But we can only go off the information we’ve been given. By the UCI, which should explain why it’s invariably wrong.

This was a fantastic weekend for cross. Sven Nys is a beast.

by CTV-ROLD on Dec 2, 2008 7:34 AM EST up reply actions  

Not asking for it free but

would ask that times are accurate and that the feed is uniterrupted. Sadly I’ve not found that to be the case any time I’ve tuned in.

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."

by Drew Davis on Dec 2, 2008 12:13 PM EST up reply actions  

Niels Albert is exercising again, gently.....

Just over two weeks after rupturing his spleen, Belgian Niels Albert is back on the bike. Doctors gave permission for him to start light training on rollers.

The 24-year-old crashed while warming up for a cyclo-cross race the middle of November. He remained in intensive care for several days.

Albert started aqua-jogging over the weekend as his first activity and, after a medical check-up Monday, doctors said he could increase his movement.

“Everything is proceeding normally,” said his manager Christoph Roothooft to sportwereld.be. “He can now move some, and therefore he can ride his bike on the rollers.”

Roothooft noted, too, that the doctors impressed on Albert that he was not to force things or become overtired. “So this will drag on for weeks, under observation.” (SW)

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/dec08/dec02news3

by Albertina on Dec 2, 2008 10:24 AM EST reply actions  

It's all about the aqua jogging.

I might quit cycling and take up water-running instead. Less equipment costs, except for the pool.

by brunopitton on Dec 2, 2008 2:30 PM EST up reply actions  

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