:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/40941516/Sven_chases.0.JPG)
The season kicks in Holland, just to get that out of the way early. Gieten isn't the most interesting race of the season (see, I can be nice when I want to), but the organisers say they've added a 'pit' to make it interesting. I very much hope it's a pit of Zonhoven-proportions, but probably not.
The race is half sandy beach, half forest. The sandy bits aren't Koksijde oh-my-god-they-are-crazy though, and are pretty much ridable all the way. Still, it's a lot better than the grass crit it used to be.
The winner gets 15 points, second gets 14, third 13 etc. Niels Albert isn't racing anymore (whimper), but he will still be around as coach to the Vastgoedservice team (the orange guys). Sven Nys will try to win his fourteenth (!) Superprestige overall.
The race starts 45 minutes after this thread goes live, at 17.30 CET.
Also, just because the cx gods know we all like shenanigans, I give you this:
Bus @sven_nys staat vast! Oepsie! #SP_Gieten pic.twitter.com/2xxYeSnpQV
— Karin Mulder (@KaatjeMulder) October 5, 2014
Sven Nys had to park his bus "somewhere where parking a bus isn't possible" (dixit Svenness). The bus got damaged, Sven got pissed and threatened to simply not start (yeah, right). For the record: he will race.