Photo courtesy of Tim Van Wichelen
To wrap up the international cyclocross season, which finished last week with the final installment of the GvA Trofee in Oostmalle, Pavé presents a highlight list of some of our favorite moments from an exciting season.
- The season started with some fireworks on American soil as some Europeans came over to the States to grab some UCI points. At CrossVegas, the biggest cyclocross race outside of Europe, Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com’s Jamie Driscoll led much of the race, only to be nipped at the line by a surging Francis Mourey, who’d hidden in the chase group for much of the race.
- Amid his streak of seven consecutive victories, Zdenek Stybar won the World Cup race in Aigle – here he is holding off a fast-chasing field in the final two laps.
- The conditions for the GvA Trofee race in Oudenarde, at the Koppenberg, were miserable – fortunately for Sven Nys. Watch him stay away despite a rear flat (1:24), and then try to descend in the thick mud (3.05) on his way to a big victory during a dominant month when he took over the lead in the GvA and Superprestige.
- The Mud in Hamme-Zogge led to memorable conditions. Watch Nys accelerate away from a struggling Vantornout and Albert at 2.35.
- During the GvA race in Loenhout, Nys had a hard time shaking off Albert in the mud, but planned to take a clean bike for the sprint. Things went awry. It was the season’s third highly-visible mechanic error from Nys’s camp. Nys wasn’t dismayed – a credit to his determination and commitment, and a far cry from last season, when setbacks caused critics to call him deflated and full of excuses.
- The Sprints of Kevin Pauwels. First, to win the World Cup race in Pont-Chateau, he showed his tactical savvy by recognizing that he could win the sprint simply by beating Albert to the final corner. Second, at Krawatencross Lille, he showed the benefits of power, positioning, and an effective bike throw in overcoming Sybar and Nys and drawing close to Nys in the GvA overall.
Stay tuned for the next installment: Wins and Losses of 2010/2011 on Thursday.