Cyclocross (CX): Info & 2010 news from all over!

by **Sir Crashalot** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 1:08 pm

Better late than never!!!

Yes folks! The cyclocross thread is now entering it's 6th year of existence :lol:

Here's the link to all the historical stuff on RunningMania
Cyclocross (CX): Info & 2009 news from all over! viewtopic.php?f=4&t=31003
Cyclocross (CX): Info & 2008 news from all over! viewtopic.php?t=23263
Cyclocross (CX): Info & 2007 news from all over! viewtopic.php?t=13609
Cyclocross (CX): Info & 2006 news from all over! viewtopic.php?t=3147&start=0
Cyclocross (CX): Info & 2005 news from all over! viewtopic.php?t=89

2 forums devoted to CX
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=47
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=23

Various articles on bike setup, training, tactics, nutrition, etc http://www.cycle-smart.com/Articles/index.html
US Gran Prix Cyclocross Series http://www.usgpcyclocross.com/
The North American Cyclo-Cross Trophy http://www.nacyclocross.com/

& so it begins!!!!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-cy ... en/results

Wow!

by **Sir Crashalot** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:33 pm

http://www.marinbikes.com/2010/bike_spe ... alnum=1175

http://www.pinarello.com/ita/fcx_cross_449.php

Just some 'cross goodies!

by **Sir Crashalot** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 3:28 pm

World Championship Cyclocross in Kentucky 2013??
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showth ... p?t=200263

by **Sir Crashalot** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 3:36 pm

Bilenky Junkyard Cross!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7CxQXH9 ... r_embedded

Check it out! They have more snow there than we do here....
:lol:

by **Sir Crashalot** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 4:25 pm

For those who like Roubaix, check this out!
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A3IkRQE ... r_embedded

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCYXz29U ... r_embedded

It's really cool!

by **Sir Crashalot** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 1:35 pm

What is cyclocross?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_W8AsilPMM

Utah Cross & "The Best Snow on Earth!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuxnUZyz ... re=related

Rolling Thunder Cyclocross 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4oNaa0N6EM

Cyclocross on PBS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_anSe0NFf0

by **Sir Crashalot** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 4:41 pm

Taped delayed internet broadcast of the World Championship on Jan 31st at 12:00pm EST
http://www.universalsports.com/news/art ... 98217.html

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showth ... p?t=200664

by **Sir Crashalot** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:11 pm

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-cy ... en/results

UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships, Tabor - CZE, CM
January 30, Junior Men: Tabor
Czech Paprstka gives home nation dream start at Worlds
By: Brecht Decaluwé and Richard Tyler

Tomas Paprstka (Czech Republic) gave his home crowd the perfect start to the 2010 Cyclo-cross World Championships, winning a sprint finish to claim the junior men's title in Tabor on Saturday. Paprstka edged out France's Julian Alaphilippe by half a bike length at the finish after the two dropped final-lap companion Emiel Dolfsma (Netherlands) in the closing stages of the race. Dolfsma finished third, nine seconds down on the leaders.

"I'd like to thank all spectators," said Paprstka after his win. "They were unbelievable and supported me so much. I enjoyed the conditions on the course today. This is my biggest win ever and hopefully there will be more like that in the future."

An exhausted Paprstka admitted that the sprint finish had played perfectly to his pre-race plan. "Last night my coach and I talked about the finish. He said the rider who hit the pavement first would win the sprint," he said. "It turned out like that and thus I knew I could win."

"We haven't made plans for a party, but for sure we will celebrate this victory."

Despite being narrowly edged out at the finish, Alaphilippe was pleased with second place. "I'm not really disappointed. On a course like this after a tough race I'm happy with the result that I've got. I was surprised to battle for the win but I came for the best possible result," he said.

"During the last laps I was in a group with three Dutch riders and then one crashed out of there. I attacked in an effort to get back to the leader. Once I got there I had sore legs and opted to wait for the sprint, which he won."

Of the Dutch riders, David van der Poel had been touted as the strongest contender for the win, but it was Emiel Dolfsma who led the team home with a bronze medal performance.

"During the last lap I was getting very close to the leader and one always tries to win but in the drop after the last bridge I crashed when my front wheel slid away. Then I was too far but I had run out of gas anyway. I opted to hold on for third instead of taking too many risks in an effort to get back to the front," he said.

While clearly happy with his own result, Dolfsma admitted that the team had expected a stronger showing in Tabor. "We had a few very strong riders so having only one rider on the podium isn't fantastic; we expected more from it. I wasn't the Dutch rider with all the expectation and that got me motivated. I didn't perform to the expectations at the European championships because of illness so then I focussed everything on the Worlds."

Slippery start

The Junior men's World Championship race began with the much-talked about conditions of the Tabor course playing havoc with the 46 rider field. Scrambling in the icy conditions, the opening kilometre quickly became a procession of riders - some on their bikes, some running - in search of clear track.

Those best able to avoid the carnage were the French, Dutch and Belgian squads, who had started on the front of the grid. France's Emilien Viennet was the first rider to push away from a quickly formed group of leaders that included pre-race favourite David van der Poel (Netherlands), Gert-Jan Bosman (Netherlands), Gianni Vermeersch (Belgium), Julian Alaphilippe (France) and Matej Lasak (Czech Republic). Viennet's slim advantage was short-lived however as he slipped over, with Vermeersch able to avoid the Frenchman and assume the lead.

At the end of the first lap, the group remained largely intact, with Bosman and Vermeersch leading Lasak, Van der Poel and Viennet across the line in 8:15 for the first of the five 3.2 kilometre laps.

On the second lap, Vermeersch went in search of the outright lead, but despite his best efforts could not shake his companions as the lead group gained confidence on the course and remained together to cross the line largely intact.

Paprskta mounts a Czech charge

Lap three created the first real shake-up of the leaders as Tomas Paprstka (Czech Republic) shot through the group and grabbed pole position at the front of the race. Using the barriers to navigate the tight corners of the course, Paprstka quickly built a six second lead over a chase led by Dutch and French jerseys.

Consolidating his lead throughout the penultimate lap, Paprstka looked strong as Dolfsma (Netherlands) and Alaphilippe (France) re-doubled their efforts to catch him from behind. Meanwhile, Bosman and Van der Poel's challenge appeared all but over.

Closing a 14 second gap at the start of the final lap, Alaphilippe was the first to reach Paprstka, with Dolfsma linking up as the trio passed the first of the back-markers. Despite having held the lead alone for two laps, Paprstka surged once more, with Alaphilippe the only one able to respond. Dolfsma slid out in a corner to spoil his final chance of a return to the front end of the race.

Swinging around the final corner side-by-side, Paprskta left nothing to chance as he opened the sprint over Alaphilippe. The Czech's power was too much for the Frenchman as he finished half a bike length behind the new junior World Champion.

Dolfsma crossed the line nine seconds later, but was clearly satisfied with his performance, pumping his fists in celebration of his podium position.

Cody Kaiser was the best placed of the US riders, finishing in 33rd, 3:05 down on Paprstka.

Results 1
Tomas Paprstka (Czech Republic) 0:40:30
2 Julian Alaphilippe (France)
3 Emiel Dolfsma (Netherlands) 0:00:09
4 Matej Lasak (Czech Republic) 0:00:19
5 Gianni Vermeersch (Belgium) 0:00:20
6 Gert-Jan Bosman (Netherlands) 0:00:39
7 David Menut (France) 0:00:48
8 David Van Der Poel (Netherlands)
9 Laurens Sweeck (Belgium) 0:00:56
10 Michiel Van Der Heijden (Netherlands) 0:01:00

by **Sir Crashalot** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:13 pm

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-cy ... en/results

January 30, Under-23 Men: Tabor
Pawel Szczepaniak wins U23 title
By: Cycling News
Dominant day for Poland as Pawel leads brother Kacper in Worlds 1-2

Pawel Szczepaniak became the first Polish rider to win a cyclo-cross World title as he triumphed in the under 23 World Cyclo-cross Championship race on Saturday afternoon in Tabor, Czech Republic. On a special day for Poland and his family, Szczepaniak's brother, Kacper, finished second, ahead of Arnoud Jouffroy of France.

"I am very happy to win the first World title for Poland. We were very strong today," said Szczepaniak immediately after his win.

From the moment he assumed the lead on the second lap of the race, Szczepaniak's hold on the rainbow jersey never really looked in doubt. Though he shared a lap at the front with his brother and their compatriot Marek Konwa, Pawel's relentless pace saw him finish a clear winner.

"Today I was very good, I was always riding on the attack," said Szczepaniak, as he explained his tactics. "I always try to start the World Championships in optimal form. I was second at the European championships [in November], but I always try to have a form peak [for the Worlds]."

Crossing the line 20 seconds after his brother, Kacper Szczepaniak added to a record-setting day for the Polish as he took possession of a World Championship silver medal. The younger of the siblings was succinct in his assessment of the race outcome. "I'm happy with second place and for my brother's win," he said.

Only a second further back, Arnoud Jouffroy grabbed the final position on the podium after a strong performance in the final two laps of the race. It was a gratifying result for the Frenchman, who overcame a series of obstacles to grab bronze.

"The Polish guys started off very quickly. I managed to come back one time but then I made a couple of mistakes that put me behind. I was riding in fifth position with Tom [Meeusen] and we lost sight of the leaders," he said of the first half of the race. "After switching bikes there were still 2.5 laps to go. I realized I had enough strength and time left for the final part of the race to battle for third place."

For many, the biggest surprise of the race was Tom Meeusen's failure to medal. The Belgian had carried a heavy burden of expectation into the race and indicated that a season of success may have put paid to his chances today. "As a Belgian you have to be strong in every race whereas those guys can peak towards two to three races," he said afterwards.

Race winner Szczepaniak admitted that the focus on Meeusen had put him at an advantage. "Meeusen probably won about fifteen races so I was an outsider; that suits me better," he said.

Regardless of the attention heaped on him prior to the race, Meeusen paid respect to the strength of the Polish team throughout the race. "Fourth is the most unfortunate place to finish but more wasn't possible... maybe third," he said. "When trying to get back to the Poles in front I hit the red zone. Then I had shifting problems and had to switch bikes. The Polish guys rode as a block. They rode strongly today, I couldn't do anything to come back to them."

Dutchman wins dash to first corner

With a course softened by the junior race in the morning, a 59 rider field lined up for the under 23 event. Taking full advantage of his favourable grid position, it was Micki van Empel (Netherlands) who was the quickest out of the gate and grabbed hole-shot into the first corner.

Behind him, Marek Konwa (Poland) led a field that quickly stretched out into single file. Despite his strong start, within three corners Van Empel had relinquished his position to Konwa and Tom Meeusen (Belgium) as immediate gaps began to form at the first hurdles. After a rapid first lap, Konwa and Italy's Cristian Cominelli led Meeusen, Arnoud Jouffroy (France) and Jim Aernouts (Belgium) as the first five over the line.

Poles take control

Though early days, the second of seven laps would go a long way in shaping the final outcome of the race. Pawel Szczepaniak replaced Aernouts in the first five, before Kacper Szczepaniak followed his elder brother in an effort to hook up with teammate, Konwa.

By the end of the lap, the Polish trio had assumed the race lead and stretched to a five second lap over Jouffroy, with Meeusen a further three seconds back. Already, the gap to the remainder of the field had begun to blow out, with van Empel and Italy's Elia Silvestri forming the next pair to cross the line.

As the Poles continued to work in harmony, a spirited effort from Jouffroy brought him almost back on terms with the leaders' mid-way through the third lap. Behind the Frenchman, Meeusen was clearly in no mood to break his momentum as he defied the technique of his colleagues to bunny-hop the hurdles.

Jouffroy never quite closed the gap to leaders, as Pawel Szczepaniak left his compatriots to take a six second lead at the start/finish line. Kacper Szczepaniak and Konwa were followed nine seconds later by Jouffroy, with Meeusen two seconds further back.

The fourth lap saw the Polish trio break up as Meeusen traded places with Jouffroy in the procession. For the next two laps the race appeared to settle with each of the first five riders assuming their own position on the course. Pawel Szczepaniak led over brother Kacper, with Konwa, Meeusen and Jouffroy spread across 40 seconds worth of time gaps.

As all the riders began to show the effects of the event's frenetic pace, Konwa was the first to falter as he tripped on his ascent of the stairs on the penultimate lap. Surprisingly, it was Jouffroy who was next to appear at the base of the steps - Meeusen falling victim to his earlier efforts to pull back the leaders. Jouffroy took maximum advantage of Konwa's stumble as he drove past the Pole to deny any chance of a red-and-white podium sweep.

As he swept carefully through the final few corners Pawel Szczepaniak afforded himself the luxury of a fist pump, grabbing a Polish flag from the crowd en route to the line 20 seconds clear of his brother. A resurgent Jouffroy had left his run a little late, but finished third, one second further back. Meeusen, too, was able to push past Konwa, but was disappointed with his fourth place finish.

Despite the success of his compatriots, Marek Konwa was inconsolable after finishing fifth. The race's early leader, Konwa was devastated not to have joined his teammates on the podium. "With three laps to go I crashed and hurt my knee," an emotional Konwa told Cyclingnews at the finish.

Relegated to the second half of the field in the early laps, the US contingent were always faced with an uphill battle. Zach McDonald and Danny Summerhill the best placed of the non-Europeans in 28th and 29th, respectively.

"The World Championships it has always been hit or miss for me. It took a while before my legs got going and then I started picking up riders," said Summerhill, who will return to States shortly after an extended stint in Europe. "I'm definitely missing family and friends, but I'll see them all again soon. I'm in much better spirits than last year."

Full Results
1 Pawel Szczepaniak (Poland) 0:55:37
2 Kacper Szczepaniak (Poland) 0:00:20
3 Arnaud Jouffroy (France) 0:00:21
4 Tom Meeusen (Belgium) 0:00:46
5 Marek Konwa (Poland) 0:00:56
6 Arnaud Grand (Switzerland) 0:00:58
7 Robert Gavenda (Slovakia) 0:01:00
8 Sascha Weber (Germany) 0:01:09
9 Tijmen Eising (Netherlands) 0:01:20
10 Elia Silvestri (Italy) 0:01:27

by **Sir Crashalot** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:37 pm

Sir Crashalot wrote:World Championship Cyclocross in Kentucky 2013??
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showth ... p?t=200263

http://www.cxmagazine.com/video-preview ... hips-venue

A Video Preview of the 2013 World Championships Venue in Louisville?
Back in December, we brought you a video preview of the upcoming permanent cyclocross course at Louisville’s Eva Bandman park (also below), the likely venue for a 2013 Cyclocross World Championships in Louisville.

The UK’s Simon Burney is part of the committee that decides on World Cup and World Championship venues for cyclocross and mountain biking, and shared some telling words back in the fall on his opinion about the Louisville venue. “The area, terrain and surroundings lend themselves perfectly to a major race venue, and with the city of Louisville firmly behind the project, the future certainly looks exciting as bigger events choose Louisville as their preferred venue,” he said. Could “bigger events” include World Cups and World Championships? It looks likely.

Check back soon as we bring you more of this breaking story. Psyched? Think it’s a joke? Drop a comment below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5E9W26i ... r_embedded

by **Sir Crashalot** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:22 pm

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-cy ... en/results

January 31, Elite Women: Tabor
Vos storms to second successive World title
By: Brecht Decaluwé and Richard Tyler

Dutchwoman in class of her own as Kupfernagel takes second

Marianne Vos rode to an emphatic victory in the elite women's race at the 2010 World Cyclo-cross Championships on Sunday in Tabor, Czech Republic. It was the Dutchwoman's second successive victory at the Worlds and the third world title of her short but already phenomenal career.

Five-time World Champion Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) had no answer for her younger rival, but showed her own class to seal the silver medal. Vos' compatriot Daphny Van den Brand ensured there was plenty of orange on the podium, with a third place finish.

"I'm really happy that it worked out once again. A third world championships title is fantastic," said Vos after her win.

Vos charged away from her competitors on the second lap of the race and wouldn't be seen again before the finish. Despite the apparent ease of her victory, Vos admitted afterwards that the overnight return of icy course conditions had made the race a tense affair. "Half the course my gap was increasing, so I thought if I made no mistakes I could win," she said. "But I had to concentrate the whole time, it was very hard in the icy conditions."

Comparing this year's race with her home win in Hoogerheide twelve months prior, Vos admitted that things had felt even better this time around. "There was a big difference with last year. Last year it wasn't that easy but the course was completely different. This one feels even better. I felt very much stronger today; stronger than in 2009."

Hanka Kupfernagel was a satisfied recipient of a World Championship silver medal, which in the context of her injury-affected 2009/2010 season could only be viewed as a success. "The last couple of weeks I've been getting better. Today it was difficult during the first laps," she said. "In the third lap I made some mistakes and lost contact with Marianne, but after the season I've had I'm happy with second place."

Third placed Daphny Van den Brand was initially disappointed not to have come away from the race with a better result, but was relieved to have held off Katerina Nash. "Now I'm glad with the result, but when I crossed the finish I was a bit dissapointed," she said after she collected her bronze medal. "I wasn't good today; Marianne was better."

"I certainly heard that she [Katerina Nash] was on my tail. The Czech's were going crazy," said Van den Brand. "I chose to ride my own race and didn't look back. I had the luck; she crashed three times."

Cold conditions for Compton's return

Sub-zero temperatures greeted the women's field in Tabor along with a light dusting of overnight snow. Amongst the 43 starters was Katie Compton, who took her position in the front row of the grid start. The American had ridden on the rollers an hour before the start and reported no sign of the cramps that had kept her out of competition for the two weeks prior to the race.

As the flag dropped, it was the Dutch combination of Daphny Van den Brand and Marianne Vos that reached the first corner at the head of the race. The French, too, got the best of the start as Cristel Ferrier-Bruneau, Caroline Mani and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot quickly became the names to occupy positions in the top-ten. Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) and Sanne Cant (Belgium) were also visible as two Czech riders came together and held up the second half of the bunch in the first of the tight early corners.

Van den Brand assumed the lead for the first lap as she stretched things out to quickly form a small selection that included herself, Vos, Kupfernagel and Ferrier-Bruneau. The French pair of Mani and Ferrand-Prevot appeared happy to pace off one another several seconds back. The leaders crossed the start/finish in 8:59 for what would be first of a five lap race. Working hard to make up for a less-than-ideal start, local hope Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) followed in seventh place as she worked to get back on terms with the leaders.

Disappointment for Compton as Vos goes in search of title number three

Just after the start of the second lap a dejected Katie Compton could be seen limping away from the course, still plagued by cramp. At the other end of the race spectrum was Vos, who used the second circuit to surge away from Kupfernagel, who moved into a solo chase position. Ferrier-Bruneau, Van den Brand, Mani and Ferrand-Prevot filled the next four spots, with Katerina Nash and Italy's sole entrant Eva Lechner next on course.

With her lead established, Vos clearly looked the most comfortable in the treacherous conditions, while both Ferrier-Bruneau and Nash became victims to patches of ice. Vos continued to extend her lead, with a nearly thirty second advantage established in the space of the third lap. Mani and Ferrand-Prevot began to fade as the first five riders established what would be their final positions. Ferrier-Breuneau also went the way of her compatriots as Vos, Kupfernagel, Van den Brand, Nash and Lechner filled the top five.

While Vos maintained her furious cadence, seemingly dancing on the ice, Kupfernagel appeared to become more comfortable as she pegged the gap to the Dutchwoman at the 30-35 second mark. Nash almost made contact with Van den Brand before a slip saw the gap between the two once again open up. With the final podium order becoming clearer, Nash began to trade fourth and fifth position with Lechner.

Vos' final lap closely resembled her previous three - bar an extra measure of concentration as the final corners approached. Swinging onto the tarmac for the 100 metres dash to the line, a wry smile filled the 22-year-old's face. Arms raised and glasses removed, it was a joyful Marianne Vos that basked in the adulation of a vocal and appreciative crowd. Kupfernagel, too, grinned as she crossed the line 45 seconds later, with Van den Brand the next to appear.

Katerina Nash's game of musical chairs with Lechner had ceased as she came through for fourth. Great Britain's Annie Last had the race of her life to claim an impressive 11th place, while Meredith Miller took 12th, the best placed US rider in the field.

Results
1 Marianne Vos (Netherlands) 0:42:59
2 Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) 0:00:45
3 Daphny Van Den Brand (Netherlands) 0:01:02
4 Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) 0:01:20
5 Eva Lechner (Italy) 0:01:41
6 Christel Ferrier-Bruneau (France) 0:01:47
7 Caroline Mani (France) 0:01:53
8 Pauline Ferrand Prevot (France) 0:02:11
9 Sanne Van Paassen (Netherlands) 0:02:28
10 Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (France) 0:02:31

by **Sir Crashalot** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:26 pm

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-cy ... en/results

January 31, Elite Men: Tabor
Stybar takes emotional home World Championship win
By: Brecht Decaluwé and Richard Tyler

Solo victory for Czech star as Vantornout, Nys take silver, bronze for Belgium

Zdenek Stybar lived up to enourmous expecations to claim the elite men's World Cyclo-cross title in Tabor, Czech Republic on Sunday afternoon. Having spent more than half of the nine-lap race in sole leader a mud-spattered, but clearly overjoyed Stybar had plenty of time to celebrate his win in front of an adoring home crowd.

Belgium's Klaas Vantournout fought hard to close the gap to Stybar in the final two laps but was forced to settle for a silver medal, 21 seconds back. Belgium also secured the third step of the podium as Sven Nys powered away from Martin Bina (Czech Republic) in the dash for the line.

"I'm very happy but I still can't believe that I actually won. This is a dream. Maybe I'll realize it when I'm wearing the rainbow jersey next week," said Stybar. "Riding those last hundred meters in front of a home crowd was unbelievable. It was a moment to cherish."

Despite what turned out to be a convincing win, the new World Champion admitted he'd found it difficult to judge his extent of his advantage on the hilly and twisting Tabor course. "Once in front I didn't know what the gap was. When looking at the big screens I only saw myself, but it wasn't until later that I received info from people along the course."

In contrast to pre-race favourite Stybar, Klaas Vantornout's gritty second place finish delivered a firm message to those that had ignored the depth available in the Belgian team.

"All season long those three names [Stybar, Nys and Albert] were the favourites and because of one good result Kevin Pauwels was added to the list," said Vantornout after the race. "I was overlooked and that motivates me; then the animal in me breaks loose."

Drawing heart from his silver medal performance, Vantornout conceded Stybar was a level above today. "I had a very good season and I rode well every week. During the Belgian national championships I finished second behind Nys and now I'm second behind the strongest rider, Stybar. Finishing second was the best possible result for me today."

Third placed Sven Nys backed up his compatriot's comments about the race winner and predicted a bright future for the Czech World Champion. "Except for his flat tyre [on the opening lap] Stybar rode a perfect race. In the long term he'll be the rider who will win most world titles."

Despite being disappointed, Nys' medal winning performance appeared fair reward for his efforts in an incident packed race that saw him hit the ground on several occasions. "Third place isn't bad but I made too many mistakes," he said. "I rode to win today, not to finish second. Physically I was as good as Stybar but technically today everything went completely wrong."

The biggest surprise on the results sheet was Niels Albert. The defending champion failed to finish the race and pulled out two laps from the finish. Despite his pre-race status as joint favourite, Albert never featured in the race, with 12th place the highest position of his truncated tenure.

Belgians and Czechs lead the charge

The elite men's field set-off under a beautiful blue sky in Tabor as the morning's snow showers retreated over the horizon. Philip Walsleben (Germany) and Ireland's Andrew Layhe were the only absentees from the 66 rider start list. The German decided not to jeopardise the remainder of his season and headed home on Sunday morning to complete his recovery from a virus.

Belgium's Klaas Vantornout grabbed the hole-shot as the remaining 64 riders barrelled towards the first corner. Starting on pole position on the grid, Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic) quickly assumed the lead from Vantornout as riders fought to establish their positions early. While Vantornout's compatriot Sven Nys also got off to a strong start, their teammate Niels Albert was quickly pushed back into 10-15th position.

With the sun's presence the course had softened through the middle of the day, with ice and snow giving way to mud and slush. As the chaos of the start began to settle, the Belgians and Czechs dominated the front of the field. Stybar, Vantornout, Nys, Radomir Simunek (Czech Republic) all present and accounted for.

Stybar's lead was short-lived as he became what would be a steady stream of riders heading to the pits for a replacement bike after trouble with his right pedal in the middle of the first lap. At the end of the first circuit it was Vantornout who led the field with Simunek latched onto his wheel, 15 seconds clear of the rest.

The second lap provided eight riders with the opportunity to form a break at the front of the race. Vantornout, Simunek, Nys, Christian Heule (Switzerland), Francis Mourey (France), Gerben De Knegt (Netherlands), Kevin Pauwels (Belgium), with Stybar in close pursuit. Despite the early stage of the event, it was clear that defending World Champion Niels Albert wouldn't play a role in the final outcome as he assumed a position in the already distanced main pack.

The two laps that followed saw the order change several more times. Simunek, Heule, Vantornout and Stybar all taking short turns at the head of the race. The constant pressure created a further selection as the quartet of Simunek, Heule, Vantornout and Stybar moved ten seconds clear of Nys, De Knegt, Pauwels, Mourey and a re-joined Martin Bina (Czech Republic).

Stybar's second surge begins

His earlier mechanical trouble quickly becoming a distant memory, Stybar appeared pick his moment perfectly. He attacked, and quickly gained 25 metres as the chase behind returned to an eight-man composition. Stybar's advantage grew rapidly. By the end of the lap he'd built an 18 second buffer as he put his head down for the five lap dash to the finish.

As Stybar settled, the chase was reduced to just four riders: Vantornout, Nys, Bina and Heule. The Swiss, too, dropped of the pace soon afterwards as Mourey and Simunek formed the third group on the road. Status quo prevailed for the next three laps, as Stybar consistently stretched his advantage up towards half a minute. Behind, Nys put in a strong surge to close the gap to the flying Czech, but a crash in a turn put paid to his chances.

With two laps to race, Vantornout had now commenced a solo pursuit for Stybar's wheel, but with a 30 second gap to close there was little hope of coming back to the inspired Czech star. Nys and Bina waged their own war for third place as they fired a series of attacks at one another.

As the bell tolled for Stybar's final lap, Vantornout had closed to 20 seconds but it was clear it wouldn't be enough. The leader powered through the first half of the lap before switching to a more conservative approach to the final kilometre of the 3.2 kilometre circuit. That caution was thrown to the wind however as he passed his team pit as the first round of high-fives were delivered.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Stybar hit the tarmac and made his way through a corridor of noise and Czech flags to claim the title of elite World Cyclo-cross Champion for the first time in his career.

Vantornout also arrived alone to take silver, while Nys prevailed over Bina in one-sided sprint to the line.

US Champion Tim Johnson was the best placed of the North American riders in the field with a 14th place finish. In the closing laps, Johnson's lap times made for particularly impressive reading as he sped up in his approach to the finish line. Jamie Driscoll rode to a similarly consistent 19th place. Jonathan Page and Jeremy Powers finished in 30th and 41st, respectively.

Full Results
1 Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic) 1:08:58
2 Klaas Vantornout (Belgium) 0:00:21
3 Sven Nys (Belgium) 0:00:38
4 Martin Bina (Czech Republic) 0:00:40
5 Francis Mourey (France) 0:00:56
6 Martin Zlamalik (Czech Republic) 0:01:02
7 Christian Heule (Switzerland) 0:01:07
8 Radomir Simunek (Czech Republic) 0:01:18
9 Gerben De Knegt (Netherlands) 0:01:49
10 Bart Wellens (Belgium) 0:02:13
11 Marco Aurelio Fontana (Italy) 0:02:25
12 Nicolas Bazin (France) 0:02:26
13 Steve Chainel (France) 0:02:28
14 Timothy Johnson (United States Of America)
15 Marcel Wildhaber (Switzerland) 0:02:37
16 Erwin Vervecken (Belgium) 0:02:45
17 Thijs Van Amerongen (Netherlands) 0:02:47
18 Marco Bianco (Italy) 0:02:54
19 James Driscoll (United States Of America) 0:03:07
20 Lukas Flückiger (Switzerland) 0:03:09
21 John Gadret (France) 0:03:11
22 Isaac Suarez Fernandez (Spain) 0:03:13
23 Laurent Colombatto (France) 0:03:14
24 Christoph Pfingsten (Germany) 0:03:17
25 Kevin Pauwels (Belgium) 0:03:29
26 José Antonio Hermida Ramos (Spain) 0:03:32
27 Fabio Ursi (Italy) 0:03:34
28 Jean-Pierre Drucker (Luxembourg) 0:03:42
29 Kamil Ausbuher (Czech Republic) 0:03:52
30 Jonathan Page (United States Of America) 0:04:05
31 Joachim Parbo (Denmark) 0:04:15
32 Thijs Al (Netherlands)
33 Ondrej Bambula (Czech Republic) 0:04:21
34 Peter Presslauer (Austria) 0:04:31
35 Ian Field (Great Britain) 0:04:43
36 Milan Barenyi (Slovakia) 0:04:50
37 Bart Aernouts (Belgium) 0:04:56
38 Petr Dlask (Czech Republic) 0:04:57
39 Johannes Sickmueller (Germany) 0:04:59
40 Gusty Bausch (Luxembourg) 0:05:00
41 Jeremy Powers (United States Of America) 0:05:13
42 Paul Oldham (Great Britain) 0:05:33
43 Wilant Van Gils (Netherlands) 0:06:07
44 Jody Crawforth (Great Britain) 0:06:12
45 Javier Ruiz De Larrinaga Ibanez (Spain) 0:06:19
46 Constantino Zaballa Gutierrez (Spain) 0:06:37
47 Luca Damiani (Italy) 0:06:48
48 Vaclav Metlicka (Slovakia) 0:06:50
49 Keiichi Tsujiura (Japan) 0:07:27
50 Ryan Trebon (United States Of America) 0:07:37
51 Martin Haring (Slovakia) 0:08:39
52 Robert Glajza (Slovakia) -1 lap
53 Rodger Aiken (Ireland)
54 Szilard Buruczki (Hungary)
55 Bold-Erdene Boldbaatar (Mongolia) -3 laps
56 Naranbat Ariunbold (Mongolia) -4
57 Dror Pekatch (Israel) -5
58 George-Daniel Anghelache (Romania)
DNF Niels Albert (Belgium)
DNF Egoitz Murgoitio Rekalde (Spain)
DNF Mariusz Gil (Poland)
DNF Magnus Darvell (Sweden)
DNF Enrico Franzoi (Italy)
DNF Arnaud Labbe (France)
DNS Philipp Walsleben (Germany)
DNS Andrew Layhe (Ireland)