Bet on Cycling

Posts Tagged ‘victory’

Lars Boom looks up at the climb ahead on his last lap. Photo: Dan Seaton

OVERIJSE, Belgium (VN) — Lars Boom, who in 2008 broke a seven-year streak of Belgian domination of the world cyclocross championships and reclaimed the rainbow jersey for the Netherlands, walked away from ’cross in 2009 so he could focus on a burgeoning career on the road.

The decision disappointed legions of Dutch fans who longed for a return to cyclocross prominence for the Netherlands in the wake of the retirement of legend Richard Groenendaal. But the decision also proved prescient, as Boom claimed overall victory in the Tour of Belgium and a stage victory in the Vuelta a España, making him one of the most successful young Dutch racers of the last decade.

And though Boom returned briefly to defend his Dutch national championship this January, the world of elite cyclocross has missed its occasionally controversial young star, and Boom’s announcement that he would launch a comeback this winter thrilled European fans. The Dutchman started his comeback in a snowy but relatively small race in Luxembourg last weekend, but returned to international competition in Overijse Sunday.

Boom, who was hampered by a flat near the end of the race, may have been disappointed with a seventh-place finish, but showed that he remains a force with which to be reckoned, grabbing the hole shot and spending most of the day racing for a spot on the podium.

“I’m here to entertain myself, no more than that,” Boom told reporters after the race. “So you had better pay attention to the real racers. I don’t count myself (among the top riders) anymore. I’m a road racer and just want to use the ’cross season for some preparation, nothing more than that.”

Boom plans to do five more races before wrapping up the season by defending his Dutch national title, including World Cup races in Kalmthout and Zolder, but said emphatically that he won’t contest the world championships in Sankt Wendel in Germany, despite persistent rumors — or perhaps just hope — among the Belgian press that he would.

“You really won’t see me do the world championships this year because I have a training camp in Spain with the rest of my team,” he said.

And though Boom said he was disappointed to have to settle for seventh in his first big race, he was satisfied that he had done better than expected.

“It was a really nice ’cross and the public has definitely been entertained,” he said. “I was also well received. The others had a difficult ’cross in their legs, not me. I hadn’t expected to compete with the top (racers). I thought it would be more difficult. Without that flat tire I might have finished on the podium, but I don’t think I could have threatened Nys.”

Despite Boom’s modesty, Belgian champion Nys told VeloNews that the Dutchman’s return indeed constituted a threat.

“Lars is a real champion,” he said, “and a champion like Lars could win in his first race. He’s trained a lot, you can see that, and of course, it’s difficult to beat him.”

But Nys also pointed out that Boom’s new goal, a win in a cobbled classic like the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix, would be a real test for a man who won’t even turn 25 until the end of this month.

“He’s chosen the road,” said Nys, “and that’s his own decision. I think it’s a big champion who can win the big classics in the beginning of the road season, so we’ll see what happens.”

Boom will return to action next weekend with a pair of races — Scheldecross in Antwerp on Saturday, and Sunday’s fifth round of the UCI World Cup in Kalmthout.

Sven Nys wins the GP Rouwmoer in Essen, Belgium. Photo: Peter Deconinck/AFP

A mechanical in a mudhole derailed Niels Albert’s hopes of repeating his 2009 victory at the GP Rouwmoer on Saturday, leaving the BKCP-Powerplus rider banging his bars in frustration as Landbouwkrediet’s Sven Nys slipped past to snatch the victory.

Albert, Nys, Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor) and Kevin Pauwels (Fidea-Telenet) were off the front in the final lap in round four of the GvA Trofee in Essen, with the first two clearly the strongest of the four. And when Albert opened a sizable gap as he shot up and across the flyover, he appeared to have the win in the bag.

But shortly thereafter, just after slashing through a deep mud bog, Albert gesticulated angrily, pounding his handlebars — he apparently had punctured his rear tire, and as he slipped backward through the chase it was suddenly a threesome fighting it out for the win.

Nys and Vantornout traded attacks and counters, with Pauwels danging just out of contention. But when the Belgian national champion got a gap going into a long sandy stretch, then added to it in a muddy 180-degree turn leading to the paved finishing straight, Vantornout could only settle for second.

Pauwels coasted in for third, rounding out the podium, with teammate Bart Wellens fourth.

A dejected Albert crossed the line fifth.

A cornucopia of a course

There was a little something for everyone along the 2.7km circuit in Essen: grass, sand, mud, a triplet of 180-degree ups and downs, two staircases — one long, one short — plenty of little hills that were barely rideable and the usual flyover. No barriers, but they weren’t necessary. The slick, sketchy circuit actually set riders afoot for a couple of descents and flats, so it did not lack for running.

Nys, a five-time winner here, got right down to business on the first lap, leading Telenet-Fidea teammates Rob Peeters and Wellens, with Vantornout lurking nearby. As they rolled through the finish and into lap two Albert was in a chase group some seven seconds down.

With six laps to go Nys had taken a slight lead over Wellens and teammate Pauwels, and as he rolled through the finish he sat up and waited for them before getting back to work. Albert was nearly a dozen seconds behind in a chase group with Rabobank-Giant teammates Bart Aernouts and Gerben de Knegt and Sven Vanthourenhout (Sunweb-Revor).

Albert chases, Vanthourenhout attacks

Albert drove the chase relentlessly, and with five to go the chasers were just five seconds behind the Nys-Wellens-Pauwels trio. Wellens was struggling a bit and the chase gobbled him up first, just before the three U-shaped climbs and descents. And before much longer it was a seven-man group up front.

Then Vanthourenhout had a go, opening some daylight going through the sand pit, and with four laps remaining Nys was leading the chase some seven seconds back, with Aernouts, De Knegt, Albert, Pauwels and Vantornout.

A lap later Vanthourenhout was still alone in the lead, but the Nys-driven chase was just 10 seconds back. Both Rabobanks had fallen out of the chase, and with Albert and Nys trading pace at the front they were slowly bringing the Sunweb rider back.

Their power cut the chase to three — Nys, Albert and Pauwels — and when Vanthourenhout pitted for a fresh bike, he suddenly found himself in fourth position and going backwards as the trio drove onward.

Albert was giving it all he had. Pauwels briefly lost the wheel, but was able to catch back on as Albert and Nys pitted, and with two laps remaining the threesome had six seconds over a fading Vanthourenhout and Vantornout. Aernouts and De Knegt were long gone, more than 20 seconds off the back and losing ground.

The pursuit connected as Albert led up the short staircase, with Nys on his wheel. But Albert wasn’t interested in having company — he gave it the gas once again, and with Nys and Pauwels on his wheel they left the chasers behind once again going into the flyover. At the long staircase the leaders held a three-second advantage over Vanthourenhout with Wellens just behind.

From off the front to off the back

Going into the bell lap Albert, Nys and Vantornout were clear, with Pauwels dangling a few seconds behind. Then the BKCP-Powerplus rider really laid down the law, opening a big gap over his erstwhile companions as he shot up and over the flyover.

And then, disaster — that mudhole deflated his tire and his hopes, and Albert saw the chasers catch on and then leave him behind.

Vantornout and Nys traded attacks and counters in the finale, with Pauwels fighting to stay in contact. Nys slipped past in a windy section and gave it the gas, but Vantornout repaid him on a sketchy running section, and it was a two-man race at the flyover.

Then Nys took the lead into the sand. Vantornout was right behind, but couldn’t close the gap — and as Nys powered around the U-turn leading from sand to mud to the finishing straight, he clearly had the edge and took the sprint from the front.

Vantornout hung on for second with Pauwels third, Wellens fourth and a clearly dejected Albert fifth.

Pauwels now leads the GVA Trofee series with 87 points. Nys is second with 77 while  Zdenek Stybar (Telenet-Fidea), who did not race today, sits third with 70.

Complete results

Quick results

• 1. Sven Nys (Bel), 1:00:21
• 2. Klaas Vantornout (Bel), 1:00:26
• 3. Kevin Pauwels (Bel), 1:00:29
• 4. Bart Wellens (Bel), 1:00:49
• 5. Niels Albert (Bel), 1:01:03

Eric Marcotte (Team Pista Palace) and Erica Allar (RideClean) won the 28th annual El Tour de Tucson on Saturday in southern Arizona.

Marcotte ended three years of El Tour domination by the P&S Specialized team from Hermosillo, Mexico, outkicking Hector Rangel to win the 109-mile event in 4:32:34. Both men received the same time. Rafael Escarcega (P&S Specialized) finished third at 37 seconds.

Allar was the fastest woman, hitting the line in 4:34:28, good for 17th overall. It was the second El Tour victory for the Tucson resident, who last won in 2008. Teammate Robin Farina was second at 2:33 with Suzanne Sonye (Helen’s-Cannondale) third at 6:33.

The Arizona Daily Star calls El Tour the largest participatory event in southern Arizona. This year’s edition reportedly drew nearly 9,000 racers who chose from distances of 109, 79, 66 and 40 miles.

After boasting that his defeat was “impossible,” Japan’s Kohei Yamamoto was served up a hearty helping of crow, finishing second to Hong Kong’s Chan Chun Hing in the Asian Games mountain bike final on Thursday.

The 25-year-old Yamamoto, who successfully defended his Asian crown in South Korea, in September, finished 15 seconds behind Chan, with China’s Duan Zhiqiang 2:32 back to take the bronze.

Chan covered a the grueling Dafushan mountain course, which was modeled on the one used for the Beijing Olympics, in 2:11:34.

“I had set myself the goal to be the world champion, but now I have lost the Asian Games race I can’t say that I’m the champion, so I’m kind of disappointed,” Yamamoto said.

On his slick website, yamamotokohei.com, he had claimed victory was “a matter of course.”

“How can a man who aims to become number one in the world lose in Asia? It’s impossible to imagine,” he wrote.

He blamed fatigue for his performance, finishing second in the 32.4 km (20 miles) race over six laps, during which he overtook Chan early on, only for the Hong Kong racer to fight back and eventually hold on for a close victory.

“In September I was in the world championships and I’ve been racing since February, so I’m tired physically and mentally,” Yamamoto said.

“Now I have to adjust my mental state before the London Olympics (in 2012).”

Chan’s surprise victory was Hong Kong’s first in Asian Games mountain biking and brings a decisive end to Japan’s stranglehold on the event.

It also adds to the one gold, four silver and single bronze that Hong Kong has won in track cycling at the games.

“We wanted two gold medals — and we got them,” said Hong Kong coach Shen Jinkang.

Chan, a regular top finisher on the Asian circuit, competed for Hong Kong in the team pursuit at the 2006 Asian Games but exchanged the track for the wild and became the former British colony’s first mountain biker to appear at the Olympics.

“I’ve beaten Yamamoto twice before, so I was determined to strive to win in my country or I wouldn’t have been satisfied,” said Chan.

Women

In the women’s final, it was a China one-two, as Ren Chengyuan comfortably took gold, with compatriot Shi Qinglan riding to silver and Rie Katayama, of Japan, winning the bronze.

China’s Ma Yanping won at the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games, but there was no mountain bike event in Doha four years ago.

Ren, who was the hot favorite, carried on the tradition, showing why she is a three-time Asian champion and former under-23 world champion.

Ren had suffered severe disappointment at the Olympics in 2008, finishing only fifth after experiencing technical difficulties, but she was rarely troubled this time.

“I was in the lead for the whole race and was very tired and felt a little lonely,” said Ren.