After a three-year drought, Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink) finally captured his 50th Cyclo-cross World Cup victory in the sand of Koksijde, Belgium.
On a cold, windy, and wet Sunday afternoon, veteran Nys fought out a breathtaking duel with young World Cup leader Wout Van Aert (Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace), which was in the balance right up until the final corner. Van Aert had to bow his head while the crowd was ecstatic to see the mud-clad 39-year-old Belgian rider claim the victory during the third World Cup round of the season.
“It’s awesome,” said Nys. “It’s a great feeling because it’s a victory against the best of the world at the moment. He won so many races with power, with technique, on fast courses, from the beginning of the season up until now. In a really hard race which was cold, muddy and technical, I can win with an acceleration in the final 200-300 metres. That’s crazy in my last season.”
ADVERTISEMENT
World champion Mathieu van der Poel (BKCP-Powerplus) made his comeback in Koksijde after a six-week break from competition due to a left knee injury. The Dutchman briefly led the race early on before fading back. He managed to win the battle for third place at more than a minute from the Belgian duo. European champion Lars van der Haar (Giant-Alpecin) finished fourth.
Van Aert narrowly remains leader in the World Cup standings with 220 points, five more than Nys. Van der Haar lost some ground and trails Van Aert by 20 points.
During the opening lap Nys didn’t seem to be having a great day as he was riding outside the top 10. In front Van der Poel was showing off his rainbow jersey with Van Aert not allowing the Dutchman to ride away too far. Van der Haar briefly got into the mix as well and, while the rain was making the circumstances even more tough at the Koksijde airbase, the three young riders seemed to dominate affairs.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://ift.tt/1PIwCdn
No comments:
Post a Comment