Cant beats Vos at Krawatencross; Helen Wyman third

Beating the World Champion must feel great. When that World Champion is Marianne Vos, and you also beat the European Champion Helen Wyman, it must feel absolutely fantastic - which explains Belgian Champion Sanne Cant's delight as she took the top step of the podium following Saturday's BPost Bank Trofee Krawatencross race at Lille. The victory was sweetened yet further due to the Belgian having been fourth  at last weekend's World Championships where Vos won and Wyman was third - and by the fact that Vos won this very race for the last two years, beating Cant (3rd 2012, 2nd 2013) on both occasions. Wyman, who is British Champion for the eighth time this season as well as European Champion for the second time, seemed unable to match Cant and Vos as the race progressed and left the pair fighting a private battle all of their own, each rider refusing to back down all the way to the final approach to the finish. With the race looking certain to end in a sprint the majority of fans will have been expecting Vos to add yet another victory to her spectacular palmares despite Cant's skill on a sandy parcours such as this, but then the Dutch superstar's foot slipped from the pedal. She probably lost no more than a fraction of a second, but it was enough: Cant noticed and attacked hard, taking the tiny advantage that was she needed to triumph. Wyman will also be pleased with her result: she's never stood on the podium at this race before. The only other British rider was Nikki Harris, who took fourth place. Although Wyman still leads the series overall, her advantage is now just 31" to Cant (Harris is third at +1'11"). The final round, taking place at Oostmalle on the 23rd of February, promises therefore to be one of the season highlights. Helen Wyman's race report Video: Cant wins Krawatencross Krawatencross Full Result 1  Sanne Cant (Enertherm - Bkcp)  BEL 2  Marianne Vos (Rabobank Women Team)  NED 3  Helen Wyman (Kona)  GBR 4  Nikki Harris (Telenet Fidea Cycling Team Young NPI)  GBR 5  Loes Sels (Young Telenet Fidea)  BEL 6  Sophie De Boer (Kdl Cycling Team)  NED 7  Yara Kastelijn (Rtc Buitenlust)  NED 8  Ellen Van Loy (Young Telenet-Fidea)  BEL 9  Pavla Havlikova (Young Telenet - Fidea)  CZE 10  Githa Michiels (Toka Print Mtb Team)  BEL 11 Karen Verhestraeten (Sengers Ladies Cycling Team) BEL 12 Reza Ravenstijn-Hormes NED 13 Jolien Verschueren (Dncs/pro 2012 Cycling Team) BEL 14 Esmee Oosterman (Wrv DE Peddelaars) NED 15 Laura Verdonschot (Vzw Lotto - Ladiescycling) BEL 16 Maud Kaptheyns NED 17 Katrien Thijs (UP Cycling Team) BEL 18 Hilde Quintens BEL 19 Lotte Eikelenboom (Drc De Mol) NED 20 Kim Banga NED 21 Christine Vardaros (Baboco - Revor Cycling Team) USA 22 Shana Maes BEL 23 Ilona Meter (Rcp Stevens) NED 24 Nele Van Maldeghem BEL 25 Suzie Godart LUX 26 Suzanne Verhoeven NED 27 Gertie Willems BEL 28 Meg De Bruyne BEL 29 Lena Bischoff-Stein 30 Nathalie Nijns BEL 31 Tine Verdeyen BEL 32 Lene Vrijsen BEL 33 Mara Schwager GER 34 Caren Commissaris (UP Cycling Team) BEL 35 Valerie Boonen BEL 36 Laura Krans NED 37 Anja Geldhof BEL 38 Brenda Kaczmarczyk BEL 39 Yenthe Boons BEL 40 Jessika Timmermans BEL 41 Cindy Diericx BEL 42 Britta Werners GER 43 Caitlyn La Haye BEL 44 Sandra Sintobin BEL

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GVA Trofee: Krawatencross at Lille Results

Race article here

We all knew that in a race that favours a rider who excels on all types of terrain, Marianne Vos was going to take some beating today. Daphny Van Den Brand and Sanne Cant decided that they were the best riders to take on the cycling superhero - and they came close to ending her incredible winning streak too. Van Den Brand, who retires at the end of this 'cross season, stuck close to the 24-year-old for much of the race and prevented her from leaving all opponents fighting for the podium's lower steps, but even she couldn't keep up forever; tiring in the second half as Vos drove the pace ever higher. "Daphny made ​​a mistake and I used that chance to push harder," the current World Champion told reporters after the race.

In the end, Vos' ability to push even harder as she sprinted to the line won her the race. "In the technical sections, I again and again made time on her," Cant said, "but at the end I lost." Vos, who is racing this season with the new Rabobank Women's Team that was constructed around her, has now won seventeen consecutive races.

CXHelen Helen Wyman 

@ 

@JohnCyclopunk to be fair today it was so cold that it levels the playing field for everyones lungs! Like racing siberia!

Nikki Harris was best-placed British rider in fifth place, while Helen Wyman took seventh. Gabby Day, still feeling the effects of the chest infection Wyman caught a few weeks before her, was 16th.

Results (Full results, including Juniors, Novices, Under-23 and Elite Men here)

  1 Marianne Vos Rabobank Ladies Team
  2 Daphny Van Den Brand WV Schijndel
  3 Sanne Cant Boxx VeldritAcademie
  4 Sanne Van Paassen Brainwash 
  5 Nikki Harris 
  6 Arenda Grimberg 
  7 Helen Wyman 
  8 Pavla Havlikova 
  9 Sabrina Stultiens Brainwash 
  10 Sophie De Boer WV Schijndel 
  11 Joyce Vanderbeken 
  12 Reza Hormes Ravenstijn 
  13 Nicolle De Bie Leyten 
  14 Nancy Bober 
  15 Nikoline Hansen 
  16 Gabriella Day 
  17 Lana Verberne 
  18 Karen Verhestraeten Sengers Ladies Cycling Team 
  19 Amy Dombroski Crank Brothers 
  20 Iris Ockeloen 
  21 Christine Vardaros Baboco - Revor Cycling Team 
  22 Anja Geldhof 
  23 Katrien Thijs 
  24 Kim Van De Steene 
  25 Nathalie Nijns Lotto Belisol Ladies 
  26 Caren Commissaris 
  27 Shana Maes 
  28 Janice Geyskens 
  29 Caitlyn La Haye 

GVA Trofee: Krawatencross at Lille

Click to enlarge

The World Cup is done and dusted, the bikes cleaned up and kits laundered after last weekend's  Koksijde World Championships; but the GVA Trofee still has two rounds to go and the penultimate race, the famous Krawatencross, takes place on Saturday the 4th of February near the Belgian city of Lille and not far from Turnhout and Antwerp - with excellent road links to the several towns and cities in the area, a good attendance is guaranteed.

Krawatencross is one of the most popular among spectators as the majority of the 2.8km route can be seen clearly, with several points along the length offering a good view of two or more sections. The unusual parcours consists of a little bit of everything, with sections on sand, grass, tarmac, woodland and loose pebbles along a roughly G-shaped track around a lake just to the north-west of the E34 motorway (51°17'3.17"N 4°50'39.50"E). Riders need to be able to perform well on the several very different types of terrain to be in with any real chance of a podium place; and just for good measure it looks as though they're going to have to contend with snow as well this year. In other words, it's a race that favours the very best of the all-rounders. Marianne Vos, anyone?

While Vos, the 24-year-old Dutch rider about whom the new Rabobank Women's team was constructed seems unstoppable at the moment, Sanne Cant won here last year and will doubtless be eager to bring an end to Vos' run of sixteen consecutive wins. Daphny Van Den Brand is currently leading the Trofee series and, as she plans to retire at the end of this season, will also be hoping to add glory to be World Cup victory. Britain's Helen Wyman has been working to improve her starts, leading the sprint away from the line at Hoogerheide and Koksijde in the last few weeks - and with this race starting off with a 230m section along a straight road, she'll also be a challenge to Vos.

Elite Men at Krawatencross 2011
(image credit: Ronnes CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The race begins with a 230m sprint down a forest road that intially dips, then rises a couple of metres before a slight dip and rise towards the end (51°17'3.44"N 4°50'27.18"E), very much an ideal place for Wyman to perform another of the explosive starts, then turns right onto grass and heads back the way it came. A few metres beyond the start line, the riders turn left and onto sand; immediately entering a tight S-bend which, on sand, will require first-rate bike handling skills. Once through it, they remain on sand as they follow the banks of the lake for 200m on their way into the first woodland section.

A wide loop curves to the left through the trees, then emerges for 50m stretch across more sand before heading once more into the woods and following a curved track leading to a bridge. Having crossed it, the race arrives at a road and passes straight over. A sharp left into a second tight loop on sand - another tough test of handling skills. Afterwards, a 220m sand section leads past the pits and via a right/left combination and into a grass section of similar length. This is followed by 280m in woodland and up the steepest climb of the race - immediately after turning right, the riders begin an 8m ascent in around 55m; with a maximum gradient of 9.4%. The rest of the section takes the riders to the pebbles (51°17'0.06"N 4°50'45.98"E) - a difficult surface which, at 270m, will be one of the most challenging parts of the parcours.

A right turn leads back onto the sand and through a tight Z-bend around the pits, then back over the same road as earlier and across a second bridge. A long woodland section, technical in part with some tight loops, then leads for 549m back to the start line and back along the first track. The finish line will be located just before the first right turn onto grass.

Altimetry (click for enlargement)

Official site

Streams: Sports-Livez will be providing a live stream of the Elite Men's race - unfortunately, after being spoiled with the Cup and Championship, those of us who like to follow the Women will have to make do with Twitter updates again.

Starters (Alphabetical and very subject to change - details are sketchy)

Dombroski, Amy
Van den Brandt, Daphny
Boonen, Valerie
Cant, Sanne 
Commissaris, Caren
Day, Gabriella 
De Bie-Leijten, Nicolle 
De Boer, Sophie 
Geldhof, Anja
Geyskens, Janice
Godart, Suzie
Harris, Nikki 
Havlikova, Pavla 
Hormes Ravenstijn, Reza 
Kloppenburg, Margriet 
Kuijpers, Evy
Kupfernagel, Hanka 
La Haye, Caitlyn
Lambracht, Bettina
Lambracht, Jessica
Lanssens, Maaike
Maes, Shana
Bober, Nancy
Van Nieuwpoort. Tessa
Nijns, Nathalie 
Ockeloen, Iris
Thijs, Katrien
Van de Steene, Kim
Van Paassen, Sanne 
Van Rijen, Linda 
Vanderbeken, Joyce 
Vardaros, Christine 
Verbeeck, Keshia
Verberne, Lana
Verhestraeten, Karen
Verriest,  Sandie
Vos, Marianne 
Wyman, Helen 
Zwick, Martina