Cyclocross Worlds Race Recaps:Vos Is Boss, Nys Still Kings

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The 2013 Cyclocross World Championships were the stunning success that the US needed to put on.

It was an amazing weekend, and the races lived up to the hype. The best in the world descended on Louisville, Kentucky for the biggest day in ‘cross. The course, knocked by Niels Albert last week as too fast and not selective, became the muddy quagmire Albert swore it couldn’t be.

From the gun, Francis Mourey took off, with the very, very Czech mud specialist Martin Bina leading a spirited chase in front of a train of Belgians. Kevin Pauwels, Klaas Vantournout, Sven Nys, Niels Albert and essentially the entire Belgian team was in the top ten after two laps, with the flock of Americans slowly falling off the pace. Jonathan Page rode as high as 11th place, but the experienced Tim Johnson ended up as top American in 19th. Yours Truly predicted that, by the way.

The chasers slowly broke up as they neared Mourey. It was a Nys attack that first popped Albert off the back, as Sven tried to bridge to Mourey alone. The tactic was simple. Whoever got to Mourey first would hope that the Belgians behind would stop chasing. Unfortunately for Nys, Mourey exploded, as did Mina, who plummeted out of the top ten in less than a lap.

The Belgians arrived on the front in force, and with Mourey gone, it was Nys and Vantornout  that rode away, leaving behind Albert and then Pauwels with a mechanical. Late, it was the young Dutch phenom Lars Van Der Haar that gave the most threat, but the two leaders were on their own to duel for the title. Nys rode smart, putting pressure on Vantornout on the slick corners and the steep climb that had decided the U-23 race as well. Nys’ experience in bad weather and against Vantornout were vital in the final circuits, and fans could see him steadily increasing pressure until finally Vantornout cracked. It was a small mistake, catching a pedal while running his bike over the top of a hill, but it was the result of a race-long mental duel with the very calm and collect Nys.

With a small gap and with just the barriers to tackle, Nys rode away and had time in the final corner to celebrate. Van Der Haar finished third, giving the Dutch three wins and a third place at the World Championships. Nys was humble in victory and takes home another World Championship, no small accomplishment for the legendary 36 year old.

1 Sven NYS BEL 1:05:35
2 Klaas VANTORNOUT BEL 1:05:37
3 Lars VAN DER HAAR NED 1:06:00
4 Bart WELLENS BEL 1:06:16
5 Philipp WALSLEBEN GER 1:06:19
6 Julien TARAMARCAZ SUI 1:06:19
7 Radomir SIMUNEK CZE 1:06:50
8 Niels ALBERT BEL 1:06:54
9 Thijs VAN AMERONGEN NED 1:07:06
10 Martin BINA CZE 1:07:16
11 Francis MOUREY FRA 1:07:29
12 Kevin PAUWELS BEL 1:07:39
13 Simon ZAHNER SUI 1:08:11
14 Enrico FRANZOI ITA 1:08:13
15 Bart AERNOUTS BEL 1:08:23
16 Marcel MEISEN GER 1:08:29
17 Lukas FLÜCKIGER SUI 1:08:39
18 Rob PEETERS BEL 1:08:51
19 Timothy JOHNSON USA 1:08:55
20 Arnaud GRAND SUI 1:09:07
21 Marcel WILDHABER SUI 1:09:13
22 Jonathan PAGE USA 1:09:17
23 Aitor HERNANDEZ GUTIERREZ ESP 1:09:33
24 Geoff KABUSH CAN 1:09:41
25 Jeremy POWERS USA 1:09:51
26 Marco Aurelio FONTANA ITA 1:10:02
27 James DRISCOLL USA 1:10:12
28 Javier RUIZ DE LARRINAGA IBANEZ ESP 1:10:50
29 Ian FIELD GBR 1:11:13
30 Guillaume PERROT FRA 1:11:19
31 Yu TAKENOUCHI JPN 1:11:22
32 Romain LEJEUNE FRA 1:11:35
33 Christian HELMIG LUX
34 Craig RICHEY CAN
35 Daniel SUMMERHILL USA
36 Vaclav METLICKA SVK
37 Mike GARRIGAN CAN
38 Alexander REVELL NZL
39 Hikaru KOSAKA JPN
40 Lewis RATTRAY AUS
41 Zoltan TISZA HUN
42 Maksym SHEPITKO UKR
43 David QUIST NOR
DNF Ryan TREBON USA
DNF Twan VAN DEN BRAND NED

 

Vos the Boss Confirms

Marianne Vos came in as a massive favorite and only confirmed her place as cycling’s best rider. She had the race wrapped up in just a few laps, while behind, American champion Katie Compton recovered from a dreadful start to surge back through the top ten. Lucie Chanel-LeFevre rallied to pass Dutchwoman Sanne van Passen, ripping up the Dutch 1-2 before a flying Katie Compton rode into second place.

Compton and Vos were truly in a class of their own, and once Compton rode into second place, she rode her own time trial to get as close to Vos as possible. Only a mechanical disaster or bubonic plague could have stopped Vos, who rode a smart and measured race to stay upright and soak in her triumph. The Italian mountain biker Eva Lechner was in prime position, and her eventual sixth place finish was a great result.

Czech Queen Katerina Nash rode herself into third position, but disaster struck on the small climb just meters before the finish. Her chain was stuck, and with 50 meters to go was reduced to trying to kick her bike to the line. Lucie Chainel-LeFevre’s persistence paid off, and she nipped the flailing Nash on the line to give France a third place on the day.

1 Marianne VOS NED 43:00:00
2 Katherine COMPTON USA 44:34:00
3 Lucie CHAINEL-LEFEVRE FRA 45:10:00
4 Katerina NASH CZE 45:12:00
5 Sanne VAN PAASSEN NED 45:15:00
6 Eva LECHNER ITA 45:17:00
7 Jasmin ACHERMANN SUI 45:36:00
8 Sabrina STULTIENS NED 46:06:00
9 Ellen VAN LOY BEL 46:18:00
10 Kaitlin ANTONNEAU USA 46:19:00
11 Amy DOMBROSKI USA 46:26:00
12 Annie LAST GBR 46:36:00
13 Helen WYMAN GBR 47:02:00
14 Alice Maria ARZUFFI ITA 47:09:00
15 Jade WILCOXSON USA 47:14:00
16 Emily BATTY CAN 47:17:00
17 Georgia GOULD USA 47:24:00
18 Sanne CANT BEL 47:26:00
19 Mical DYCK CAN 47:39:00
20 Pavla HAVLIKOVA CZE 47:46:00
21 Christel FERRIER-BRUNEAU FRA 47:48:00
22 Wendy SIMMS CAN 47:56:00
23 Francesca CAUZ ITA 48:07:00
24 Pepper HARLTON CAN 48:22:00
25 Gabriella DAY GBR 49:36:00
26 Ayako TOYOOKA JPN
27 Julie LAFRENIERE CAN
28 Genevieve WHITSON NZL
29 Martina MIKULASKOVA CZE
30 Chika FUKUMOTO JPN
DNF Meredith MILLER USA
DNS Madara FURMANE LAT

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