The men are off to race for 60 minutes (~ 10 laps) on this very fast course. The sun is out but it is still cold (for Europe that is)
Early in the 1st lap it is a long, long line of riders and setting a stiff pace at the front are the favourites. By the 1/2 way point gaps are starting to already open up at the back are riders not able to match the pace. Lap 1 completed in a time of 6 min 50 seconds.
Lap 2 Niels Albert (Belgium) attacks just after the start of the lap and is being chased by Steve Chainel (France). Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic) is at the front of the chasers.. still a long line of 20+ riders
Sven Nys , Sven Vanthourenhout (correction) (Belgium) and Stybar are bridging up. Boom is nowhere to be seen. Lap 2 completed in 6:04
Derrick St John and Aaron Schooler are at the back, well back off the pace.
Lap 3 Boom has a mechanical problem, but can't afford to stop until the pits and laps' end. Stybar is leading the chase with Nys on his wheel.
Lap 4 Lap completed in a time of 6:02. Albert still away with Stybar chasing at 10 seconds. Nys and Sven Vanthourenhout are caught by a large chase group at 30 seconds. Boom gets a new bike, but is having trouble getting back up to speed. Bart Wellens (Belgium) has jumped off the front and is attmpting to bridge up to Stybar
Lap 5 8:55am EST - Still Albert, with Stybar chasing at 11 seconds, Wellens at 26 seconds and the group at 37 seconds. At lap end the Cnucks are sitting 55th for St. John and 59th for Schooler.
Lap 6 Albert still leading with Stybar slowly reeling him inand the entire Belgian contingent being led by Nys, is at the front of the chase group, time trialing up to the leaders. Wellens is caught. Boom and the Dutch squad are nowhere to be seen.
Lap 7 9:08am EST - 4 to go. As he hits the line, Albert has 11 seconds on Stybar. The bunch ~ 10 with 4 (or 5) Belgians (Nys, Wellens, Vantornout), 2 French and 1 Dutch (?) is at 57 seconds back.
Lap 2 Niels Albert (Belgium) attacks just after the start of the lap and is being chased by Steve Chainel (France). Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic) is at the front of the chasers.. still a long line of 20+ riders
Sven Nys , Sven Vanthourenhout (correction) (Belgium) and Stybar are bridging up. Boom is nowhere to be seen. Lap 2 completed in 6:04
Derrick St John and Aaron Schooler are at the back, well back off the pace.
Lap 3 Boom has a mechanical problem, but can't afford to stop until the pits and laps' end. Stybar is leading the chase with Nys on his wheel.
Lap 4 Lap completed in a time of 6:02. Albert still away with Stybar chasing at 10 seconds. Nys and Sven Vanthourenhout are caught by a large chase group at 30 seconds. Boom gets a new bike, but is having trouble getting back up to speed. Bart Wellens (Belgium) has jumped off the front and is attmpting to bridge up to Stybar
Lap 5 8:55am EST - Still Albert, with Stybar chasing at 11 seconds, Wellens at 26 seconds and the group at 37 seconds. At lap end the Cnucks are sitting 55th for St. John and 59th for Schooler.
Lap 6 Albert still leading with Stybar slowly reeling him inand the entire Belgian contingent being led by Nys, is at the front of the chase group, time trialing up to the leaders. Wellens is caught. Boom and the Dutch squad are nowhere to be seen.
Lap 7 9:08am EST - 4 to go. As he hits the line, Albert has 11 seconds on Stybar. The bunch ~ 10 with 4 (or 5) Belgians (Nys, Wellens, Vantornout), 2 French and 1 Dutch (?) is at 57 seconds back.
St. John has broken his chain and is running to the pit
Halfway through the lap, Nys has attacked the chase group and gone clear. Stbar has Albert in his sights as the approach the end of the lap.
Lap 8 9:16am EST - As they start the lap the gap from Albert to Stybar is 14 seconds. Nys at 51 seconds and group at 57 seconds
Lap 10 1 to go. Albert (6:15) , Stybar at 19 seconds, Nys still 3rd but well back, then a large gap to the chasers
1 Canadians has been lapped.
Final
Unofficial
1 Niels Albert (Belgium), 1:02:24
Halfway through the lap, Nys has attacked the chase group and gone clear. Stbar has Albert in his sights as the approach the end of the lap.
Lap 8 9:16am EST - As they start the lap the gap from Albert to Stybar is 14 seconds. Nys at 51 seconds and group at 57 seconds
Lap 10 1 to go. Albert (6:15) , Stybar at 19 seconds, Nys still 3rd but well back, then a large gap to the chasers
1 Canadians has been lapped.
Final
Unofficial
1 Niels Albert (Belgium), 1:02:24
2 Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic), at 0:21
3 Sven Nys (Belgium), 0:38
4 Bart Wellens (Belgium)
35 Jeremy Powers (United States Of America)
52 Jonathan Page (United States Of America)
54 Derrick St John (Canada)
56 Aaron Schooler (Canada)
DNF Ryan Trebon (United States Of America)
35 Jeremy Powers (United States Of America)
52 Jonathan Page (United States Of America)
54 Derrick St John (Canada)
56 Aaron Schooler (Canada)
DNF Ryan Trebon (United States Of America)
---
Women's report
It may not have been the strongest rider who won the women's title at the Cyclo-cross Worlds, but it was certainly the smartest. Marianne Vos gave host Netherlands their second title of these championships when she out kicked defending title holder Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) and American Katie Compton to win. Wendy Simms was Canada's top finisher in 18th, followed by Natasha Elliot in 21st and Pepper Harlton in 31st.
Race Notes:- The crowd has gotten so large, that the officials have taken the unprecedented step of closing the transfer points from the inside to the outside of the course
It may not have been the strongest rider who won the women's title at the Cyclo-cross Worlds, but it was certainly the smartest. Marianne Vos gave host Netherlands their second title of these championships when she out kicked defending title holder Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) and American Katie Compton to win. Wendy Simms was Canada's top finisher in 18th, followed by Natasha Elliot in 21st and Pepper Harlton in 31st.
Race Notes:- The crowd has gotten so large, that the officials have taken the unprecedented step of closing the transfer points from the inside to the outside of the course
1 Marianne Vos Netherlands
3 Katherine Compton United States Of America
13 Georgia Gould United States Of America
18 Wendy Simms Canada
21 Natasha Elliott Canada
31 Pepper Harlton Canada
U23 men report
Germany decided to follow the Dutch example of the Junior Men this morning, and finish 1-2 in the 50 minute Espoir race this afternoon. Philipp Walsleben wasn't quite as dominant as Tijmen Eising in the morning, but he still pulled off a convincing win after attacking at the halfway mark of the 8 lap race. His compatriot Christoph Pfingsten won the sprint for second ahead of Poland's Pawel Szczepaniak. Once again, cyclo-cross superpower Belgium was shut out of the medals, with favoured Quentin Bertholet weeping after crossing the line in sixth place. Canada had one finisher - Andrew Thomas, in 47th, with Brian Robinson (53rd) and Kyle Fry (55th) both caught by the leaders on lap seven.
Race Notes:
- Thomas was disappointed with his 47th place: "I was going for something in the top-30, but there was a big crash right by the pit zone, and I went down, and by the time I got going, I was last. At that point, there was nothing that I could do but just try and pick people off. I'm pretty pleased with how I was riding, and I think without the crash I could have been in the 30s."
- Belgium has now been completely shut out of the medals for the first day of competition, an event which no one can remember having happened before. That it should happen just after the Belgian sports minister announced that cyclo-cross would lose government funding since it isn't an Olympic sport is a double blow to the cycling federation.
UCI President Pat McQuaid was interviewed on local TV about the withdrawal of funding. He commented: "we only just heard about it over the internet, so I can't really say anything at this point. We will sit down with the [Belgian] federation to discuss a response ... but it should also be pointed out, that if only Olympic sports were funded, there would be only 28 sports in the world that received funding, and this would certainly not support the social aspect of sport."
3 Katherine Compton United States Of America
13 Georgia Gould United States Of America
18 Wendy Simms Canada
21 Natasha Elliott Canada
31 Pepper Harlton Canada
U23 men report
Germany decided to follow the Dutch example of the Junior Men this morning, and finish 1-2 in the 50 minute Espoir race this afternoon. Philipp Walsleben wasn't quite as dominant as Tijmen Eising in the morning, but he still pulled off a convincing win after attacking at the halfway mark of the 8 lap race. His compatriot Christoph Pfingsten won the sprint for second ahead of Poland's Pawel Szczepaniak. Once again, cyclo-cross superpower Belgium was shut out of the medals, with favoured Quentin Bertholet weeping after crossing the line in sixth place. Canada had one finisher - Andrew Thomas, in 47th, with Brian Robinson (53rd) and Kyle Fry (55th) both caught by the leaders on lap seven.
Race Notes:
- Thomas was disappointed with his 47th place: "I was going for something in the top-30, but there was a big crash right by the pit zone, and I went down, and by the time I got going, I was last. At that point, there was nothing that I could do but just try and pick people off. I'm pretty pleased with how I was riding, and I think without the crash I could have been in the 30s."
- Belgium has now been completely shut out of the medals for the first day of competition, an event which no one can remember having happened before. That it should happen just after the Belgian sports minister announced that cyclo-cross would lose government funding since it isn't an Olympic sport is a double blow to the cycling federation.
UCI President Pat McQuaid was interviewed on local TV about the withdrawal of funding. He commented: "we only just heard about it over the internet, so I can't really say anything at this point. We will sit down with the [Belgian] federation to discuss a response ... but it should also be pointed out, that if only Olympic sports were funded, there would be only 28 sports in the world that received funding, and this would certainly not support the social aspect of sport."
do you know why it is not going to be an Olympic sport? i heard ballroom dancing might..do you know what criteria they have to go through to be an olympic sport?
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