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2010 Worlds Preview: Juniors & U23 Men

Posted on January 28th, 2010 by Erik

On Saturday, the 2010 World Cyclocross Championships will kick of with the Juniors and Under 23 Mens races. Here’s a preview of what to expect and who to look out for this weekend:

Juniors

The juniors will kick off the World Championships this year, and it promises to be the closest races of the event. Last weekend’s World Cup was won by David van der Pol (son of legendary Dutchman Adrie van der Poel ) and thus, establishes him as the favorite to win. However, the juniors rarely compete against each other (more…)

CycloCross Power Rankings – Week 20

Posted on January 28th, 2010 by Erik

Just when I had written-off Niels Albert’s chances for a Worlds repeat, he comes storming through to surprise everyone, winning the final round of the World Cup in Hoogerheide, Netherlands. Needless to say, it was a bittersweet weekend for Albert, because Zdenek Stybar did just enough to take home the World Cup overall, finishing 2nd. Stybar received a heap of help from his teammate Kevin Pauwels who finished 3rd and never really challenged Stybar’s bid for his first World Cup title. Pauwels was followed across the line by fellow countrymen Klaas Vantornout and Sven Nys to fill-out the top-5. And, with the Belgians picking up 6 of the top 10 spots, they’re clearly ready for the World Championships this weekend. Behind the Belgian brigade, Gerben de Knegt finished inside (more…)

2010 Worlds Course & Weather Conditions

Posted on January 27th, 2010 by Erik

This weekend’s World Championships promise to be very exciting. Our crack squad here at The Run Up has been analyzing weather reports and current conditions to figure out what the course will really be like on Saturday and Sunday. The course is predominately grass, with a long paved section that runs through the Start/Finish area. The technical course features a variety of twist and turns and traverses a pair of hills, leading to plenty of elevation changes and a few long, straight sections. All in all, it favors a powerful, technical rider. (more…)

2010 Worlds Coverage

Posted on January 26th, 2010 by Erik

The Run Up is proud to announce that it will begin its 2010 Cyclocross World Championships coverage today. Over the next four days, we will provide in depth previews and predictions for all four races this weekend. Today, we will begin with the official rosters for Worlds (available here) as well as some preliminary previews and information. So check back at least twice a day to see our take on the biggest race in cross.

CycloCross Power Rankings – Week 19

Posted on January 23rd, 2010 by Erik

With a bevy of freshly-crowned National Champions, the cyclocross world returned to a bit of normalcy this past weekend with the penultimate round of the World Cup in Roubaix. The course, which finishes on the famed Roubaix Velodrome, has become famous for its harrowing descents and horrific conditions. Sure enough, the sloppy mud and technical nature of the course led to a natural selection containing all of the big names—except Niels Albert who was clearly suffering from the broken rib he received thanks to a run in with a drunk fan at the Belgian National Championship. Zdenek Stybar was the strongest on the day; he rode clear of the rest of the top-5 with a few laps to go. As a result, he takes sole control of the (more…)

CycloCross Power Rankings – Week 18

Posted on January 14th, 2010 by Erik

This past weekend, the superstars of cyclocross split-up and went home as the Belgians, Dutch, Czech, French and Italians (just to name a few) all held their National Championships this past weekend. Arguably, the biggest race is the Belgian Championship—they have the biggest names and the deepest field of any country. Sven Nys’ victory in Oostmalle came as no surprise; the seven-time National Champ has been on a tear lately. In the Czech Republic, it was much of the same as Zdenek Stybar took home top honors ahead of a respectable group of riders. The biggest surprise came in the Netherlands, where Lars Boom seemingly popped-out of nowhere to out-sprint Gerben de Knegt to take the win. All-in-all, it was another exciting weekend; now everyone can (more…)

CycloCross Power Rankings – Week 17

Posted on January 7th, 2010 by Erik

The New Year kicked-off in style this week with no less than a dozen cross races in Europe. No race was more important than the GP Sven Nys, which in addition to being named after a cross superstar, was a round of the Gazet van Antwerpen Trophy. Nys took the victory himself in incredible fashion over Zdenk Stybar, while Niels Albert finished a distant 3rd. Behind them, Gerben de Knegt continued his push towards a national title and potential World Championship podium, finishing 4th; while a resurgent Francis Mourey took 5th. Beyond the top-5, there were a few surprises, including an absent Bart Wellens and a fading Kevin Pauwels. The rest of the top-ten was filled with the usual cast of characters. (more…)

CycloCross Power Rankings – Week 16

Posted on December 31st, 2009 by Erik

It’s Christmastime throughout the world and that can only mean one thing: lots and lots of European cyclocross racing. Since last week’s Power Rankings came out there have been 4 big races: a Belgian national-level event, a round of the World Cup in Zolder, and rounds of the Superprestige and GVA Trophy. The only consistent theme throughout all 4 races was the domination by the Belgian riders. Nys bookended the week with wins at the Noordzeecross and the GVA Trophy race in Loenhout. In between, Kevin Pauwels picked-up a huge win, taking Round 7 of the World Cup, while Niels Albert won the Superprestige race in Diegem. Needless to say, it was an action-packed week and a great one for the home riders. (more…)

CycloCross Power Rankings – Week 15

Posted on December 26th, 2009 by Erik

In what was supposed to be the weekend where the World Cup overall would be decided—or at least create a clear leader—the opposite happened. We are now left with a tie for the World Cup title between Niels Albert and Zdenek Stybar—each with 435 points. More importantly, a resurgent Sven Nys has thrown his hat in the ring with three World Cup races remaining after taking the victory in style this weekend in more than deplorable conditions in Kalmthout, Belgium. Nys’ race was marred by some first lap disasters including a dropped chain and a crash, but he battled back, taking the lead on the final lap—where he crashed once again near the finish. Needless to say, Nys proved that he can win when it counts; he’s perhaps the best rider in snow, sleet and rain. Behind Nys, it was the usual (more…)

2009 American Invasion

Posted on December 18th, 2009 by Erik

This Sunday will mark Round Six of the World Cup in Kalmthout, Belgium. It will also mark the beginning of the annual “American Invasion” of the European cross circuit. Every year, following a full season of racing in the US, dozens of American cross racers head over to Europe for a few weeks of racing. Most of the riders are part of the Euro ‘Cross Camp, that provides housing and support for a bevy of (mostly) young American riders. This weekend is usually the toughest for the riders as they travel to Europe for the first time and try to get settled in. We will have a lot more on the “American Invasion” over the next couple of weeks, but for now, we’ll provide a preview of this weekends action. (more…)

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