Ghent Six: Night Five With A Foray In Cross
By: Edmond Hood, pezcyclingnews.com :: On Day Five of the Ghent Six Day, Ed Hood took a little drive to see the big Cyclocross race in Gieten. Not a bad day - catch a cross race in the afternoon, and be back in plenty of time for the evening's festivities on the track in Ghent!Stewart’s obsession with visiting every good bike shop in Belgium had to be catered for and we visited three en route to the Duinencross at Koksijde up on the coast.
Let's See Some 'Cross
The course was the usual Belgian model of good design, cramming tarmac, run-ups, steep descents, grass and – of course – sand dunes into a relatively small area. Most of the top guys were there – Nys, Vervecken, Aernouts, Vanoppen, Vanthourenhout and Gadret.
Jonathan Page and Ryan Trebon made it too - all the way from the US of A, but there was not one rider from Britain – all of 25 miles away. We won’t be surprised when the GB boys get lapped at the Worlds, will we? Notable absentees were Richard Groenendaal and my favourite cross guy - now that Ben Berden is suspended and has joined the paratroops [it’s true!] – Bart Wellens.
They're From Where?
For the first part of the race the leaders stayed together with Nys in an unfamiliar fifth or sixth in the string. Belgian property renovation company John Saey, who have sponsored a cyclo-cross team in Belgium for years have pulled off a publicity coup by bringing six riders over from, wait for it – Zimbabwe! It was strange to see their handsome black features among the white sand dunes. It was freezing cold and most of the top boys rode with leg warmers, meanwhile the Zimbabwe contingent trundled round bare-legged as the wind howled in off the North Sea.
By half distance the African presence had disappeared, the icy sleet was bouncing off my bald head and Nys had decided it was time to go. The gap he opened in one lap was remarkable. Behind, a dog fight broke out for the rest of the podium places with Jonathan Page well placed in the group until he cracked on the last lap.
If your name was Sven Nys and you won every single race...ever...you might have your own Nys-mobile too.
It Doesn't Hurt To Be The Best
Befitting a World Champion, Sven Nys’ back-up was top line with his Rabobank mechanics lining up a freshly scrubbed Colnago each lap. Gleaming white aluminium or macho black carbon was on offer. Nys is a bit too perfect for me but he is a remarkable athlete. He has power, speed, determination and the grace of a ballet dancer. With a lap to go Nys eased back to save a bit for Sunday’s Super Prestige cross at Gieten. The sleet had eased too – to torrential rain.
Nys gave us an arms wide victory salute so as the TV cameras got a good shot of his Rabobank logos – the race was televised live. Vannopen out-sprinted Vanthourenhout to sort the podium with the diminutive Frenchman Gadret in fourth. Page was a good seventh and Trebon ninth – how long ‘til the first US champ?
Despite the freezing down-pour the mechanics had to get straight to work cleaning the velos. The top teams have canopies which roll out from the camper van roofs – the smaller teams don’t and the mechanics have to get on with it in the rain.
It took a vin chaud [warm, spiced red wine] and an omelette at Ostend to take the chill out of us before the motorway dash back to Ghent.
Let's See Some 'Cross
The course was the usual Belgian model of good design, cramming tarmac, run-ups, steep descents, grass and – of course – sand dunes into a relatively small area. Most of the top guys were there – Nys, Vervecken, Aernouts, Vanoppen, Vanthourenhout and Gadret.
Jonathan Page and Ryan Trebon made it too - all the way from the US of A, but there was not one rider from Britain – all of 25 miles away. We won’t be surprised when the GB boys get lapped at the Worlds, will we? Notable absentees were Richard Groenendaal and my favourite cross guy - now that Ben Berden is suspended and has joined the paratroops [it’s true!] – Bart Wellens.
They're From Where?
For the first part of the race the leaders stayed together with Nys in an unfamiliar fifth or sixth in the string. Belgian property renovation company John Saey, who have sponsored a cyclo-cross team in Belgium for years have pulled off a publicity coup by bringing six riders over from, wait for it – Zimbabwe! It was strange to see their handsome black features among the white sand dunes. It was freezing cold and most of the top boys rode with leg warmers, meanwhile the Zimbabwe contingent trundled round bare-legged as the wind howled in off the North Sea.
By half distance the African presence had disappeared, the icy sleet was bouncing off my bald head and Nys had decided it was time to go. The gap he opened in one lap was remarkable. Behind, a dog fight broke out for the rest of the podium places with Jonathan Page well placed in the group until he cracked on the last lap.
If your name was Sven Nys and you won every single race...ever...you might have your own Nys-mobile too.
It Doesn't Hurt To Be The Best
Befitting a World Champion, Sven Nys’ back-up was top line with his Rabobank mechanics lining up a freshly scrubbed Colnago each lap. Gleaming white aluminium or macho black carbon was on offer. Nys is a bit too perfect for me but he is a remarkable athlete. He has power, speed, determination and the grace of a ballet dancer. With a lap to go Nys eased back to save a bit for Sunday’s Super Prestige cross at Gieten. The sleet had eased too – to torrential rain.
Nys gave us an arms wide victory salute so as the TV cameras got a good shot of his Rabobank logos – the race was televised live. Vannopen out-sprinted Vanthourenhout to sort the podium with the diminutive Frenchman Gadret in fourth. Page was a good seventh and Trebon ninth – how long ‘til the first US champ?
Despite the freezing down-pour the mechanics had to get straight to work cleaning the velos. The top teams have canopies which roll out from the camper van roofs – the smaller teams don’t and the mechanics have to get on with it in the rain.
It took a vin chaud [warm, spiced red wine] and an omelette at Ostend to take the chill out of us before the motorway dash back to Ghent.
posted by Ryan Amirault at Friday, December 02, 2005
