Another new feature here on TheRunUp: the Euro File. It’s a quick review of some midweek racing as well as a preview of whats on tap for the upcoming weekend. Enjoy!
The Superprestige is in Full Swing
World Champion Niels Albert won the third round of the Superprestige series in Gavere, Belgium on Sunday. Albert extended his lead in the series by two points over Sven Nys, who missed out on a chance of a 50th career win in the Superprestige (more…)
We’re 10 weeks into the season and one fact has remained true: cyclocross is unpredictable. Determining the best rider in Europe and North America is tough. Once again, Ryan Trebon and Tim Johnson split victories in the US. In Europe, Sven Nys picked up another victory, as did Niels Albert. So what can we determine from this past week of racing? In the US, Ryan Trebon may be the best one-day rider with Tim Johnson a close second. In Europe, Nys can still win, but Albert always wins on the bigger stage. And it appears that neither of these trends will end anytime soon. Nys still seems to be one step behind Albert, for whatever reason he can come up with. Meanwhile, Ryan Trebon looks to be the odds-on favorite for a repeat at Nationals unless Johnson can make it a multi-day affair. Behind, there’s (more…)
Note: These are last weeks rankings that never got posted.
Now that we’re past the midway point of the season in the United States, we’re starting to see several riders who are clearly better then the rest. The issue that remains is filling in the top ten beyond the top five. This weekend should have given us a clearer view of the US scene since there was only two UCI races in the US. However, most of the top cross guys decided to take the weekend off and rest up before embarking on a final month of cross leading up to nationals.
In Europe, the top ten remained primarily the same as we’re seeing more consistent riding from the top names of the sport. On both contitnets the top five appear to be set for a while as the lead groups aren’t changing. However, within those lead groups, we’re seeing some interesting changes. This weekend, Jermey Powers and Jamey Driscoll picked up solid wins, while Niels Albert returned to the top step of the podium slightly ahead of ZdenK Stybar, who continues to ride extremely well. (more…)
The season’s biggest trends continued on both sides of the Atlantic this past weekend. In the United States, Cyclocrossworld.com still dominates the big races, but the little guys are getting some exposure at the smaller UCI races. On the other side of the Atlantic, there are two riders, Sven Nys and Niels Albert, who seem capable of winning every race they enter. So what does this mean? Well, if you show up to a race in the US and a member of the Cyclocrossworld.com team is there, you will likely lose. Similarly, if you race in Europe and your last name isn’t Stybar, you have little to no chance of winning as well. (more…)
The 2009 US cross scene has been dominated by the usual names, Johnson, Powers, Page, Trebon, etc. However, the Northeast has seen the rise of some new talent, most notably, Dan Timmerman. After launching out of the gate with two UCI wins, Timmerman has continued his success with a few more victories and a variety of podium appearances. As a result, Timmerman is in a prime position to capture the Verge NECCS Title and is in the conversation as a podium contender at the US National Championships later this year. Right now, he’s focused on riding his bike, have some fun, and enjoying life in upstate New York. After talking to him, it’s hard to believe that he’s 29th in the UCI World Rankings right now (7th among Americans). He did however take some time out to answer a few questions as we try to figure out why the Richard Sachs rider is doing so well. (more…)
Time to throw a few eggs in the frying pan, grab a Bloody Mary, and try to recover from another weekend of cross in the United States. The Monday Morning Hangover is designed to give you the lowdown on what happened this weekend, in a simple, easy to digest format. Because, in all honesty, after those first couple of beers can anyone really remember what happened? This past weekend there were two rounds of the NACT in Colorado and two rounds of the MAC in New Jersey. All races were UCI C2 races except Sunday’s Boulder Cup in Bolder, CO. (more…)
Last week I made a bold statement saying that Niels Albert will dominate any race he enters. As many suspected, I was wrong. However, I did predict that Sven Nys would get out of his early season funk and remind us all why he’s the greatest cross racer ever. His victory at Kiremko Nacht van Woerden was predictable against a smaller, lack luster, field. However, the way he won Koppenberg Cross was remarkable. Albert put in a great performance considering his poor start and other issues, but eventually cracked and was saved by the fact that nobody took advantage of it. The other usual suspects where at the front, the only surprise coming from Zdenk Stybar, who launched an attack that eventually failed. It was very interesting to see these younger guys start to go for the win rather then just ride in the shadows of Nys and Albert. In the US, (more…)
Just one week before Round Five of the TOI TOI Cup was to take place, Hlinsku was covered in snow, with many expecting the first true winter cyclocross race. However, the snow quickly melted and it was dry and overcast, but relatively warm late-autumn weather on race day. The change in weather was welcomed by the thousands of fans who attended the mid-week race in the Czech Republic. The 2500 meter course was a very traditional cross course that started and finished near city hall in the town of Hlinsku. (more…)
For many, it’s hard to believe that this past weekend marked the midway point of the 2009 USAC Cyclocross National Racing Calendar. The season, which began in mid-September, will roll right on through November into early December before wrapping up in Oregon.
The big winners this past weekend were Dan Timmerman and Maureen Bruno Roy who picked up a pair of wins in New Gloucester, Maine at Downeast Cyclocross Days one and two. Katerina Nash picked up the elite women’s (more…)
