Women's Cycling News Round-up 02-09.02.2014

World 'Cross Champs - more to come...

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Vos smashes World 'Cross Champs; Brit Helen Wyman wins bronze
Outside Belgium cyclo cross has never had a profile anything like that enjoyed by its sibling road racing, but once a year the entire cycling world stocks up on the Leffe and prepares for dose of good, filthy fun as the riders get down and dirty and fight it out for the biggest prize in 'cross - the World Championships.

In recent years, Marianne Vos' domination of the sport has been so great that bookies probably kept a drawerful of pre-printed betting slips with her name inserted where there'd usually be a blank space - your chances of getting any cash back had you have bet on anyone else was about as likely as your chances of getting it back if you'd dropped your wallet in the Hoogerheide mud. For the last couple of seasons, however, it's been increasingly apparent that rather than "killing the sport" - as some people, presumably ones who've never heard of Eddy Merckx, who was the last rider that can be compared the Dutch superstar, claimed would happen - the Vos phenomenon has had an enormously positive effect: just as the British rider Helen Wyman said would happen, the rest of the field has had to work hard to improve so as to be in with a chance, and women's cyclo cross has become a very great deal more competitive and fascinating as a result. This year, that process has really come to a head - Vos has been World 'Cross Champion seven times, donning the rainbow jersey in all but two of the years since 2006 but for the first time in a long time a large percentage of fans were tipping other riders for victory, with the USA's Katie Compton and Wyman both being named likely victors.

As was the case at the final round of the World Cup at Nommay in France last week, the widely predicted and much-anticipated battle between Vos and Compton never happened - right at the start of the race the American collided with three-time Czech champion Pavla Havlikova and both riders had difficulty untangled their bikes, losing a lot of time. Compton, though, is a very strong rider indeed; she was still in with a good chance of catching up and Vos would only have had to make a tiny mistake for her rival to take control. The thing is, though, Vos doesn't make many mistakes, and later in the race Compton's asthma, which forced her to abandon at Nommay, started to play her up once again. It seems highly likely that, sooner or later, Compton will take the rainbow jersey, but it wasn't to be this year and in the end she took ninth place.

Vos' technique is well-known: she simply finds her pace and then keeps going, and if anyone can stay with her for the duration then they might (and it's a very big might) be able to match her legendary surge of power to the line. In this race she set her pace early, suddenly accelerating hard halfway through the first lap to a speed that suited her. Italian Eva Lechner went with her and looked strong, but the speeds that suit Vos are virtually unhuman and she fell behind by the end of the lap. From that point on, it was virtually beyond doubt that Vos would take another title and there will be those who say that deciding the outcome so early makes for a boring race. However, there is joy to be had in watching an artisan skilled in his or her craft, and Vos is as expert at the technique of cycling as she is as generating vast wattages - time and time again she picked her lines and executed them to absolute perfection, hardly ever putting a tyre more than a centimetre away from where it needed to be to maintain momentum despite the slippery conditions and taking the corners so quickly that the mud hardly had time to stick to her socks, which looked almost as clean when she finished the race after 39'25" as when she started. She is a truly remarkable athlete and entirely deserves every victory she takes, even if her main rival has been taken out.

Lechner, who had now given up on catching Vos and was concentrating on staying as far ahead of the rest as she possibly could; she worked stupendously hard and her second place finish 1'07" behind Vos was impressive. Meanwhile, there was a full-scale melee going on further back down the parcours for the silver and bronze booty: Wyman, who leads many races for a good part of the initial lap due to her lightning-bolt starts, was third for a long time but Compton, still in at this point, and Belgian superstar Sanne Cant were tracking her every move. Had Compton not have experienced difficulties she's almost certainly have finished top three, perhaps even ahead of Lechner; as it was, Wyman ended up only having to deal with Cant who, for a while, managed to get ahead and looked very much like the probable third. Wyman's fast reactions serve for more than just fast starts, though, and Cant only needed to make the slightest misjudgement during the final lap for Helen to leap past her and grab the third place on the podium 1'17" behind Vos.

Of the other members of Wyman's British team, Nikki Harris was the next-fastest in fifth place, while Gabby Durrin was 26th and Hannah Payton 35th.

We hope to photographs of the race as soon as possible.

2014 World Cyclo Cross Championships Top Ten
1 Marianne VOS (Netherlands) 39'25"
2 Eva LECHNER (Italy) 40'32"
3 Helen WYMAN (Great Britain) 40'42"
4 Sanne CANT (Belgium) 40'45"
5 Nikki HARRIS (Great Britain) 41'58"
6 Lucie CHAINEL-LEFEVRE (France) 42'09"
7 Loes SELS (Belgium) 42'12"
8 Thalita DE JONG (Netherlands) 42'17"
9 Katie COMPTON (USA) 42'23"
10 Caroline MANI (France) 42'24"
Full result

Women's Cycling News 12-19.01.2014

Tour de San Luis - Wyman wins eighth CX Nats - CX, Road and ITT Nats around the world - Otegem CX - Tour de San Luis - Shorts and Interesting Links - Photo of the Week - more to come...

Tour de San Luis
Stage 1
British rider Hannah Barnes (United Healthcare) was the fastest in a 41-rider bunch sprint to win the first stage. Team mate Alison Powers led Barnes out 500m to the line; Barnes jumped with 150m to go and powered past the rest of the bunch.

Yudelmis Dominguez Masague, riding for the Cuba National Team, picked up the most points in the two intermediate sprints and now leads the Sprints classification.

Barnes, making her race debut for the team, will now be widely considered a favourite for overall victory as the race consists chiefly of short stages likely to end in further bunch sprints. The final stage takes place on Saturday.

Stage 1 Top Ten
1 Hannah BARNES (United Healthcare) 1h51'44"
2 Paola MUNOZ ST
3 Arlenis SIERRA CAÑADILLA (Cuba NT) ST
4 Yudelmis DOMINGUEZ MASAGUE (Cuba NT) ST
5 Valeria PINTOS ST
6 Clemilda FERNANDES SILVA (Brazil NT) ST
7 Serika GULUMA ORTIZ ST
8 Barbara FRISCH ST
9 Bibiana NARVAEZ ST
10 Marlies MEJIAS GARCIA (Cuba NT) ST
Full result

Stage 2
Hannah Barnes abandoned following crash and required medical treatment.

Clemilda Fernandes Silva (Brazil NT) wins the stage. Yudelmis Dominguez Masague (Cuba NT) leads the Sprints classification; Arlenis Sierra Cañadilla is the leading rider in the Youth classification and also leads the Combination category.

Stage 2 Top Ten
1 Clemilda FERNANDES SILVA (Brazil NT) 1h35'02"
2 Marlies MEJIAS GARCIA (Cuba NT) ST
3 Luciene FERREIRA DA SILVA ST
4 Arlenis SIERRA CAÑADILLA (Cuba NT) ST
5 Fernanda DA SILVA SOUZA ST 1
6 Andreina RIVERA +04"
7 Serika GULUMA ORTIZ +04"
8 Cristiane SILVA +04"
9 Paola MUNOZ +04"
10 Estefania PILZ +04"
Full result and GC

Stage 3
Alison Powers (United Healthcare) wins with a 3'18" advantage, propelling herself into first place overall with a lead of 3'04 as well as becoming new leader of the Combination classification. Team mate Alexis Ryan wins bunch sprint for second place.

Yudelmis Dominguez Masague (Cuba NT) leads the Sprints classification; Arlenis Sierra Cañadilla remains leading rider in the Youth classification.

Stage 3 Top Ten
1 Alison POWERS (United Healthcare) 1h39'25"
2 Alexis RYAN (United Healthcare) +3'18"
3 Luciene FERREIRA DA SILVA ST
4 Clemilda FERNANDES SILVA ST
5 Marlies MEJIAS GARCIA (Cuba NT) ST
6 Arlenis SIERRA CAÑADILLA (Cuba NT) ST
7 Yudelmis DOMINGUEZ MASAGUE (Cuba NT) ST
8 Paola MUNOZ ST
9 Talia Ayelen AGUIRRE ST
10 Valeria PINTOS ST
Full result and GC

Wyman wins eighth National Cyclo Cross Championships

Having last year ended Helen Wyman's seven-year reign at the top, locally-born 27-year-old Nikki Harris was odds-on favourite for the British Cyclo Cross National Championships on Sunday - and Wyman would most certainly have agreed.

Podium
(Image c/o Jack Chevell)

Whatever happened, though, it was no secret that this race was almost certain to be a competition between the two women right from the start, with the rest of the field fighting it out among themselves for third place: both are based in Belgium and as a result have opportunity to attend a far greater number of races than the British-based riders. Whilst 'cross does appear to be on the up here, we don't have anything like as many races as in Belgium, where the sport is enormously popular and draws crowds of thousands; Wyman and Harris have a selection within in relatively easy reach of their Flemish homes throughout the season.

Wyman's had an excellent season so far, winning the European Championships for a second consecutive year back in November and is evidently in fine form. Harris was second in that race too, though, and has also performed superbly this season. There's no doubt that sooner or later the baton is going to be passed, but when the heavy rain on Friday night combined with Saturday's races to turn the Moorways parcours into a quagmire of which even the infamous Flemish races would have been proud, things began to look ever better for 32-year-old Wyman because in conditions that slimy, experience counts and her formidable bike-handling-in-treacherous-mud skills are well-known - and well-respected - throughout the cyclo cross world.

Harris was able to match her friend and rival's typically lightning-fast start, but once out on the fields it was clear that she wasn't going to be able to keep up and before very long at all Wyman had ploughed away into the thick of it. All those years as the best 'cross rider in Britain have left the St. Albans-born rider with an ability to read the track that is almost psychic - where other riders see the surface and have to experiment in the early laps to find the best lines, Wyman has an uncanny ability to see what lies beneath and find the firmest paths through it, enabling her to start building her advantage from the moment the race gets under way. Then, because she's got the strength to match, she can keep going.

However, after crossing the line completely caked in mud, even Wyman herself was genuinely surprised by her winning margin: finishing in 41'14" compared to Harris' 42'28", she was an incredible 1'14" faster and isn't ready to let go of that baton just yet. Just how much of an advantage they had over the rest of the field was apparent when Ffion James of Abergavenny Road Club finished 4'23" after Harris for third place.

Megan James (Abergavenny CC), Lucy Horrocks (Team Hope) and Ellie Russell (Mid Shropshire Wheelers) were first, second and third in the Under-14 event; Charlotte Broughton (MG Decor), Isabella Boon (Derby Mercury RC) and Jessica Roberts (RST) in the U-16; Tracey Fletcher (Team Empella), Claire Smith (Cotswold Veldrijden), Marie Jackson (Paul Milnes Cycles) topped the Veteran Women.

What makes Helen's victory even more remarkable is the fact that she underwent root canal surgery on the Friday before the race. You can read all about that in her own report.

Elite Women Top Ten
1 Helen Wyman (Kona/FSA Factory Team) 41'14"
2 Nikki Harris (Telenet Fidea) 42'28"
3 Ffion James (Abergavenny RC) 46'51"
4 Abby-Mae Parkinson (RST Racing Team) 47'08"
5 Amira Mellor (Paul Milnes Cycles/Bradford Olympic) 47'46"
6 Diane Lee (Mulebar Girl-Sigma Sport) 48'12"
7 Alice Barnes 49'38"
8 Beth Crumpton (Hargroves Cycles RT-Specialized-Trant-Next-Elliott's) 50'16"
9 Delia Beddis (ViCiOUS VELO) 50'22"
10 Tracy Moseley (Malvern Cycle Sport) 50'42"
Full results for all events

Around the World
Britain's Championships weren't the only ones taking place over the weekend - there were more CX Nationals taking place around the world and even some Road Nationals. In the "CX Top Four" nations the were few surprises with Sanne Cant winning in Belgium, Marianne Vos winning in the Netherlands, Katie Compton winning in the USA and Pauline Ferrand Prevot winning in France.

Each nation's results are at the end of the following links...

CX Nationals Austria - CX Nationals Belgium - CX Nationals Croatia - CX Nationals Denmark - CX Nationals France - CX Nationals Germany - CX Nationals Hungary - CX Nationals Ireland - CX Nationals Italy - CX Nationals Luxembourg - CX Nationals Netherlands - CX Nationals Poland - CX Nationals Spain - CX Nationals Switzerland - CX Nationals USA

Rushlee Buchanan kicked off her year with new team United Healthcare in fine style by winning the New Zealand Road Race Championships, the first road racing championships to take place in 2014. Jaime Nielsen took the Individual Time Trial title, taking an unexpected 28" less than Linda Villumsen to get to the finish.

In the Australian Championships, Orica's Gracie Elvin took the Road Race when she was first over the line from a bunch of eight favourites that all recorded the same time. The ITT went to Felicity Wardlaw.


Otegem CX

Belgian champ Sanne Cant was 7"
slower than Helen Wyman

So on Sunday you won a decisive victory at a major national sporting competition. What do you do on Monday? I know what I'd do - sleep until midday, get up to a leisurely breakfast and then be in the pub for 3pm. But I'm not Helen Wyman who, having won the British National Cyclo Cross Championships for the eighth time on Sunday, traveled 600km in a camper van to back in Belgium on Monday morning ready to race at the Otegem CX. Which she also won, beating Sanne Cant, who won an eighth title of her own at the Belgian CX Championships on Sunday.

Otegem Top Ten
1 Helen WYMAN 37:35
2 Sanne CANT 37:42
3 Sophie DE BOER 37:47
4 Ellen VAN LOY BEL 38:09 
5 Pavla HAVLIKOVA 38:50 
6 Loes SELS 38:54 
7 Jolien VERSCHUEREN 39:48 
8 Asa Maria ERLANDSSON 40:15 
9 Karen VERHESTRAETEN 40:39 
10 Cindy BAUWENS 41:24
Full result


Shorts and Interesting Links
World champion Vos's Rabo Liv team presented (Cycling News)
Compton races to 10th US cyclo-cross title (Cycling News)


Photo of the Week

"Yes, it weighs half a ton - but with Kirsten pedaling, it'll still win the final sprint!"

(With thanks to Kirsten Wild and Lucy Garner)

Women's Cycling News 03-10.11.2013

Wyman wins Euro 'Cross Champs - Van Dijk victory in Curaçao - Annie Simpson wins Round 2, National 'Cross Trophy - Successful surgery for Vos - Bruins is back - Free intro to Paracycling in Worcester - Transfers and Team News: Stradalli to supply Colavita bikes, Argos-Shimano complete 2014 roster - Shorts and Interesting Links - more as it happens

Wyman wins European Cross Championships

Wyman is Euro 'Cross Champ
for the second year in a row

Until very recently, cycling was a niche sport in Britain. It used to be huge here - in fact, when the 19th Century "bicycle craze" died in France, it thrived on this side of the Channel, and races (both in velodromes and on road - on actual roads at first, later on airfields and similar places when the National Cycling Union's ban on racing on public roads came into force) drew big crowds. Then, for whatever reasons, it disappeared from the mainstream and didn't reappear until the British track team started beating everyone else and Millar, Cooke, Cav, Pooley, Wiggins, Froome and the rest won some big road races: suddenly the nation fell in love with cycling in a way it hadn't done for decades.

Cyclo cross used to be a big thing here too. Speak to veteran cyclists who remember the 1930s (and you should, because before long there won't be any of them left) and they'll tell you that local 'cross races could pull in large numbers of spectators once upon a time - but talk to the general public and a high percentage of them don't even know what 'cross is. With British domination of the European Championships, that could change and 'cross could go mainstream - but only if British Cycling put the same effort into promoting it as they've put into track and road.

Helen Wyman - who, if  the popularity of her sport does take off, might become the household name she's long deserved to be - opeted for her standard tactic: a fast get-away from the start line. This time, however, she wasn't the fastest and when she got caught in an especially stick section was overtaken several times; but then she identified a line nobody else spotted and started to gain time - by the end of the first lap, half a minute. Then, she brought her wealth of experience into play and simply kept going too fast for anyone to catch her, so that by the final lap she had comfortably over a minute in the bag and was able to ride the rest of the race without taking risks. That doesn't equal "boring," though: when the seven-time National Champion blasted solo over the finish, she clocked 39'33" - one minute and eleven seconds faster than fellow British rider Nikki Harris, who finished in 40'33" and 1'24" faster than third place Lucie Chainel-Lefevre of France.

The Netherlands, being the top country in the UCI 'cross rankings (Britain is second, by only 15 points, incidentally), was no doubt hoping and expecting a podium place; Sophie de Boer rode typically well and looked to be in with a good chance at a medal but began to tire in the final lap; her time of 40'58" left her fourth. Belgium, where 'cross is massive and even the little-known village races have the atmosphere of a British cup final football match, probably also expected a rider in the top three; Ellen van Loy, who has found superb form this season, was fifth at 41'03" and Sanne Cant, current National Champion, was sixth at 41'07". Some way back but, crucially, far ahead of the rest was another British rider, Gabby Durrin, taking seventh place at 42'54".

Helen, Nikki and Gabby are excellent, highly accomplished riders and all extremely likable people too, ready-made ambassadors for cyclo cross; if British Cycling were to use their success to promote the sport (BC's report, which appeared on their website on the 5th, consists of just five sentences), the 2013 Championships could well be the last with no British riders in the Women Youth category.

A Magic Week - Helen's own account of the Euros

Stefan Wyman ‏@ds_stef 

Just about to head over to @BBCSport to read their full report from the DOUBLE MEDAL BY GB at the European Championships ........ Oh hang on

Gabby Durrin

Elite Top Ten
1 Helen WYMAN (Great Britain) 39'22"
2 Nikki HARRIS  (Great Britain) 40'33"
3 Lucie CHAINEL-LEFEVRE (France) 40'46"
4 Sophie DE BOER (Netherlands) 40'58"
5 Ellen VAN LOY (Belgium) 41'03"
6 Sanne CANT (Belgium) 41'07"
7 Gabby DURRIN (Great Britain) 42'54"
8 Pavla HAVLÍKOVÁ (Czech Republic) 45'32"
9 Karla ŠTĚPÁNOVÁ (Czech Republic) 46'55"
10 Lisa HECKMANN (Germany) 48'01"
Full result

Youth Top Ten
1 Anne KALVENHAAR (Netherlands) 37'24"
2 Sabrina STULTIENS (Netherlands) 37'38"
3 Alice-Maria ARZUFFI (Italy) 38'10"
4 Elena VALENTINI (Italy) 39'03"
5 Martina MIKULÁŠKOVÁ (Czech Republic) 39'39"
6 Yara KASTELIJN Yara (Netherlands) 40'10"
7 Laura VERDONSCHOT (Belgium) 40'11"
8 Chiara TEOCCHI (Italy) 40'49"
9 Nikola NOSKOVÁ (Czech Republic) 40'50"
10 Lotte EIKELENBOOM (Netherlands) 40'52"
Full result


Van Dijk victory in Curaçao
Top Ten
1 Ellen van Dijk (Specialized-Lululemon) 2h10'10"
2 Lisa Groothuesheidkamp (P.P.C.C.) ST
3 Ines Klok (Rockanje) ST
4 Maaike Boogaard (HRTC Hoorn) ST
5 Joukje Braam +15'23"
6 Hannah Welter (Parkhotel Rooding) ST
7 Leonie Dingemans (KLM Wings Of Support) ST
8 Amanda Tuttle (Girdwood) ST
9 Yvonne Baltus (Den Bosch) +23'53"
10 Kathie Sanderson Morgan (Rif. St.Marie) +24'33"
Full result


Annie Simpson wins in Southampton
Annie Simpson (Team Hope Factory), who is much better known as a road racer (and as a mountain biker, for that matter - she was Under-23 National Champion in 2012), took just ten minutes to stamp her authority on the Southampton round of the National Cyclo Cross Trophy Series. Hannah Payton (Morvelo Kinesis) was the only rider able to stay with her when she did so and the pair soon had a 10" advantage over their nearest rivals.

Payton is a strong and technically very gifted rider, but at 19 years of age to Simpson's 23 she ultimately lacked the experience to gain an upper hand and, going into the final lap, Simpson had edged ahead. By the finish, she'd built that into a 16" advantage, further extending her lead in the Series standings with 70 points to Payton's 68.

Round 2 Nat. CX Trophy Series Top 3
1 Annabel Simpson (Team Hope Factory Racing)
2 Hannah Payton (Morvelo Kinesis Project)
3 Merce Pacios Pujado (Blue Motors)


Successful surgery for Vos
Marianne Vos, who suffered back pain for much of the 2013 season (her results didn't suffer, though), has undergone successful surgery to remove an abdominal cyst that she believed might be the cause of the pain. The operation was carried out at the Medisch Centrum Haaglanden Antoniushoeven in Leidschendam and was performed using "keyhole" techniques, which permit a faster recovery.

"The recovery is going very well and the wound is much less painful than I'd been expecting," said Vos from her home in Meeuwen. She will now continue with her usual rest period before picking up her training regime prior to returning to racing at Heusden Zolder on the 26th of December; then go on to the National and World Cyclo Cross Championships which she states are her main goals this winter.


Bruins is back

Regina Bruins, who was forced to take a hiatus from cycling due to a pulmonary embolism, will return to the sport in the new season.

Bruins began her professiona career in 2007 with Tom van Bemmelen-Odysis and won races right from the start. She is especially known for being a valuable addition to a time trial team, riding with the victorious squad at the 2008 Nationals, but is also a talented individual time trial rider and won the National Championships in 2009 and the Prologue at the Tour de l'Aude the following year; however, unusually for a time trial rider she can also hold her own in a sprint, as was memorably the case when she recorded the same time as Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, Julia Martisova and Annemiek van Vleuten (beating Marianne Vos, Brooke Miller and Emma Johansson by 1'28") at the finish of Stage 6 in the 2010 Tour de l'Aude.

From 2011, when she rode for Skil-Koga, Bruin's results suffered, her best placing all year being a ninth-place stage finish at the Thuringen Rundfahrt; diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in 2012, in which a substance travels via the bloodstream into the lungs, where it blocks the main artery, explained this - but required a period of rest and treatment with blood-thinning drugs, which limit the blood's ability to transport oxygen to muscles and thus dramatically reduce athletic ability. Now 26, Bruins will make her return with the Swabo team.


WCA invites public to CA event

“Establishing Equity in Women’s Professional Cycling” is the theme of an event due to take place at the US Bicycling Hall of Fame in California (303 3rd Street, Davis, CA 95616) on the 16th of November.

Participants in the open forum questions and answers session will include Robin Farina, Alison Tetrick, Olivia Dillon, Tayler Wiles, Emily Kachorek, Jono Coulter, Kurt Stockton, Craih Roemer, Lisa Hunt, Stacy Sims and Dave Verrecchia.

The event is open to the public, ought to be fascinating and might well lead to big, positive changes in the sport. If you can get there, it'd be worth doing so. More information here.


Want to give paracycling a go in the UK?
Paralympics GB's SportsFest, taking place at the University of Worcester Area this month, is free to attend and, in addition to cycling, offers a range of other sports including triathlon, archery, shooting and hockey (full list here).

The event takes place on the 24th and 25th and is free. More info here.

Transfers and Team News
Stradalli to supply Colavita bikes
Stradalli, the Florida-based firm that has produced carbon racing bikes since 2009, will supply bikes to the Colavita-Fine Cooking team in 2014. The team will ride the new RP-14 road bike and the Phanton II time trial machine, and the deal marks Stradalli's debut as a team sponsor.

Stradalli's philosophy is to produce the best possible bikes for the best possible price, and the "Red-Pro" Ultegra-equipped bike is an example of this - retailing at less than $3,000, it looks to be one of best bargains in road cycling. The Phantom II, designed from the ground up, is the most aerodynamic bike Stradalli have ever produced.

Transfers
All the latest moves at Women Cycling Fever
Argos-Shimano, which will race under a new name in 2014, has revealed its finalised new roster. Kelly Markus, who has ridden for Argos-Shimano for the last two seasons but was not offered an extended contract with the team despite good results at the Belgian Open track event in 2013, will  move to the new Rytger team. Claudia Hausler, who won the Giro Donne in 2009 and in 2013 the controversial Giro della Toscana, will also join Argos after a year with Tibco-To The Top. The team's full roster is Kyara Stijns, Marijn De Vries, Claudia Hausler, Sara Mustonen, Kirsten Wild, Lucy Garner, Floortje Mackaij, Maaike Polspoel, Julia Soek, Willeke Knol

Rytger is also taking Nina Krebs Ovesen, Elinor Huusko, Pernille Mathieson and Simone Eg.


Shorts and Interesting Links
Maxxis Babes
Like Maxxis tyres? I did, too - the Courchevel is a damn fine touring tyre. So it's a shame they've done this.
(As spotted by @_Blixa_)

Interesting Links
GB women's team pursuit quartet can catch men, says Shane Sutton (Sky)
Videos from the 2013 Manchester Track World Cup (Unofficial Unsenctioned Women's UCI Cycling Blog)
Olympic cycling heroes to race along Hinckley’s streets when The Women's Tour comes to town (Hinckley Times)
It’s silver medal for Welsh ace Becky James in her World Cup bid (Wales Online)
‘Our day will come’ says world champion James (Yahoo)
Laura Trott ends Manchester World Cup on a golden note (Cycling Weekly)
Silver and bronze for Katie Archibald (Edinburgh News)
GB win double Team Pursuit gold (BBC)
Scottish records fall at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome (BBC)
Chloe McIntosh [and Chloe McGonville] in gruelling AIS cycling selection camp (The Courier)
Van Gilder wins Cycle-Smart day two (Cycling News)
Interview with Jo Rowsell (The Tour)
These ugly high heels are specifically designed for cycling (GristList)

Vio Cyclo Cross Masters Results

Just as they have done for the last two years, the current World Champions proved their mettle with victory on the unique indoor parcours at Hasselt - but it was Marianne Vos who dominated, rather than Niels Albert. In the time trial, conducted over a lap of the course, Albert took fifth place after a surprising victory by Dieter Vanthourenhout, the 26-year-old BKCP-Powerplus rider beating him by just 3.38" with 2'15.33" while Zenek Stybar took second place with a time of 2'15.45". Vos, meanwhile, beat second place Daphny Van Den Brand - racing her last race before retirement - by a far more decisive 14.26" at 2'32.43", while third place Joyce Vanderbeken was 17" down.

In the main race, Albert was victorious when he beat second place Stybar by the tiniest of margins, both men recording the same time. Vos, meanwhile, delivered a more crushing defeat for a second time; on this occasion beating second place Van Den Brand by 6" with a time of 20'29". Make no mistake, however - this was not a boring race, despite recent suggestions that the 24-year-old Dutch woman's supremacy might be killing women's 'cross, and she fought hard for it.

Vos and Van Den Brand - a sight we shall no longer see, as this was Daphny's last race
(image credit: Rolf Van Der Zwart CC BY 2.0)

It was Van Den Brand who led at the end of the first lap while Sanne Cant took second, giving the huge crowd of spectators a rare opportunity to see Vos in third position. By the end of Lap 2, Vos was leading both "on the road" and on overall time, while at the end of Lap 3 things had been shaken up - Vos still led overall, but was second over the line just behind Britain's Helen Wyman who had demonstrated why she's been National Champion for seven consecutive years by making her way to the front of the race after an uncharacteristically slow start. Vos was fastest again on Lap 4 but then finished Lap 5 in third place behind Van Den Brand and Joyce Vanderbeken, Cant now tiring and crossing fourth. In the penultimate lap, Vos was second after Van Den Brand gained a 2" advantage, Wyman taking third.

Sabrina Stultiens

As they entered the final, seventh lap, Vos was leading overall with Van Den Brand second and Cant third. This was the point at which she proved just how good she is: whereas all the other riders except for Sabrina Stultiens were noticeably slower - Van Den Brand finished the lap 7" slower than Lap 6, Cant 11" - Vos got faster, knocking a second off her Lap 6 time (Stultiens was 4" faster and was third over the line, but as she was in fifth place overall it made no difference). Wyman, the only British rider in the race as Gabby Day was kept away by injuries sustained in a crash at the last round of the GVA Trofee at Oostmalle last weekend, was fifth over the line and took sixth place overall.

Some people consider it nothing but a crowd-pleasing sideshow, but with Rabobank's recent announcement that it's considering entering Vos into a few men's races in order to prevent her becoming bored this event's Battle of the Sexes - in which the World Championship's top three men race against the top three women - was always going to be an interesting aside. Few expected a female winner, much as it would have been a great thing to see, but the result was not as quite a few people might have predicted: Niels won with Kevin Pauwels receiving the same time in second place, but Vos was a mere 1" behind them in third place with Van Den Brand only another second behind her for fourth. Fifth place Rob Peeters was 9" slower than Vos, which would appear to suggest that while Vos might not win every men's race she enters (should the "announcement" not prove to be the publicity stunt it rather resembles), she'd still hold her own.

Women
1 VOS Marianne (Rabobank) 20:29

2 VAN DEN BRAND Daphny (AA Drink) +6"
3 CANT Sanne (BKCP-Powerplus) + 48"
4 VANDERBEKEN Joyce (Style&Concept) +1'25"
5 STULTIENS Sabrina (Brainwash) +1'40"
6 WYMAN Helen (Kona Factory Racing) +2'25"
7 VARDAROS Christine (Baboco) +3'01"
8 BOBER Nancy (Style&Concept) 3'21"
9 DE BIE-LEYTEN Nicolle (Telenet-Fidea) 19:51 -1 lap
10 VAN LOY Ellen (Kreikel) 17:19 -1 lap

Battle of the Sexes

1 ALBERT Niels 5'24"
2 PAUWELS Kevin 5'24"
3 VOS Marianne 5'25"
4 VAN DEN BRAND Daphny 5'26"
5 PEETERS Rob 5'34"
6 CANT Sanne 5'57"

Vio Cyclo Cross Masters

Vos dominates women's cycling. Tonight,
we get to see how she fares against the men

The final round of the GVA Trofee last weekend has been widely called Daphny Van Den Brand's last CX race, as she plans to retire after an incredible quarter-century of racing. However, she has one race left: it takes place this evening in Hasselt and it's the Vio Cyclo Cross Masters, unique in that it takes place indoors.

The premise of the event is simple: take all the greatest 'cross stars of the closing season and then have them battle one another for supremacy on a parcours designed to represent the most challenging obstacles found in the year's races with sand, ladders, beams and washboards all making an appearance along the 1km track. It is, according to the official website, "A rock 'n' roll event where cyclo cross is promoted as a true sporting spectacle."

The races differ somewhat to standard 'cross events. There's an individual time trial over a single lap, then the women race for twenty minutes and the men for thirty. Best of all, and for the very first time this year, there's a Battle of the Sexes - in it, the top three World Cup women and their male counterparts will compete against one another, the women getting an advantage of two laps. Plenty of us have been wondering how current World Champion Marianne Vos might fare if she raced against men, and since she'll be taking part this is our chance to find out.

British National Champion Helen Wyman will be racing, Gabby Day - despite inclusion on the start list - apparently will not.

Starters: 

1 Marianne Vos Rabobank
2 Daphny Van den Brand AA drink
3 Sanne Cant BKCP Powerplus
4 Helen Wyman Kona
5 Sabrina Stultiens Brainwash
6 Joyce Vanderbeken Style and Concept
7 Ellen Van Loy Kriekel Cycling team
8 Christine Vardaros Baboco cycling team
9 Gabriella Day The Chain Stay
10 Nicole De Bie-Leyten Telenet Fidea

Van Den Brand wins Oostmalle

Winning the last race of your career is always going to be good - but if all your competitors pay tribute to you and you beat the current Word Champion, it must be absolutely fantastic.

Daphny Van Den Brand: a great race, a great season and a spectacular career
(image credit: Thomas Ducroquet CC BY-SA 3.0)

Daphny Van Den Brand will therefore be celebrating tonight, because this is precisely what happened to her today at Oostmalle, the final round of the GVA Trofee. First, all the riders wore their hair in pigtails (see Helen Wyman here), as she has always done in races, to show tribute; and then she beat none other than Marianne Vos (who was in this race, despite the dodgy start list we'd seen which said she wasn't!). The home-made pie baked for her by the Telenet-Fidea team will have been welcome too, looking as delicious as it did.

"Afterwards, I asked Marianne if she let me win," says Daphny, who will now retire from cyclo cross, "but she said I was the better rider."

Congratulations, Daphny, on a great race, a great season and a spectacular career. The cyclo cross world will miss you.

Things didn't go so well for Gabby Day - the British rider crashed early in the race and was taken to hospital. Get well soon, Gabby!

"@Gabby_Day
Nasty crash at the very start of todays race, taken to hospital & have had stitches in my face. Battered and bruised all over, very sore :-("

(More pigtails!)

Results:

  1.  Daphny Van Den Brand
  2.  Marianne Vos
  3.  Sanne Van Paassen
  4.  Sanne Cant  
  5.  Nikki Harris  
  6.  Sabrina Stultiens 
  7.  Arenda Grimberg  
  8.  Helen Wyman  
  9.  Pavla Havlikova  
  10.  Joyce Vanderbeken  
  11.  Amy Dombroski  
  12.  Sophie De Boer  
  13.  Nicolle De Bie Leyten  
  14.  Nikoline Hansen  
  15.  Evy Kuijpers  
  16.  Iris Ockeloen  
  17.  Ellen Van Loy  
  18.  Lana Verberne  
  19.  Karen Verhestraeten    
  20.  Nancy Bober  
  21.  Katrien Thijs  
  22.  Anja Geldhof  
  23.  Margriet Kloppenburg  
  24.  Christine Vardaros  
  25.  Katrien Vermeiren  
  26.  Nele Van Maldeghem  
  27.  Madara Furmane  
  28.  Janice Geyskens  
  29.  Marijke De Pauw  
  30.  Tine Verdeyen 
  31.  Sandie Verriest 
  32.  Caitlyn La Haye 
  33.  Maaike Lanssens 

GVA Trofee: Oostmalle

Click to enlarge
(image credit:  WSC Oostmalle)

Bad news - Sunday the 19th of February brings the last big cyclo cross meet of the season. However, the upset is slightly lessened by the fact that it's the GVA Trofee at Oostmalle; one of the most twisty, turny, technical tracks to have ever felt the rough touch of a pair of Rhinos. There are some similarities between this parcours and the legendary Koksijde with some sections on runway and some on sand; but the terrain that characterises this race is woodland. The highest points just reach 29m, but with the lowest at 17m on a parcours 3km in length there are some steep ramps with a maximum gradient of around 6.7% in places.

From the start line (51°16'36.78"N 4°45'35.66"E) the riders have a 390m blast along the runway to start off, a state of affairs that will suit Helen Wyman after she's been demonstrating how fast she is in an opening sprint recently,  then it ends abruptly with a sharp left onto sand, potentially shattering the lead of any rider who was fastest from the line and passing over the reins to those riders who can best handle the technical sections. After 200m (look here for an old oak tree which, with its roots half exposed, looks as though it's trying to crawl away), the parcours again turns left and follows a track for a few metres , then turns left to travel past the "Publiekstent" (which is probably where you need to go if you want beer), through a tight V-shaped bend and onward to the pits. After turning right, riders dip briefly into woodland and negotiate a couple of tight left-hand turns, then emerge back onto the sand and follow the edge of the woods back past the runway.

Having followed the perimeter of the woods for 110mm, the riders duck back into the trees for a relatively uncomplicated and straight 100m back through to the sand on the other side and then turn left before the path leads into the woods again 20m later. The following section, just under half a kilometre in length, is entirely in the woods and features some tight bends, sharp corners and all the usual puncture risks that lurk within a forest environment. It comes out back onto sand, then after 23m it's left and back into the woods again. This section has fewer bends than the last, but climbs fairly steeply and then descends fast just before it spits the riders back out onto the sand and into some hairpins. Once through, they make a second pass of the pits and remain on sand as they follow the path around the north-western banks of the lake to a track.

After just a few metres on the track, the parcours leads back onto the sand in the opposite direction it came for around 45m, then turns sharply right into the woods once more. This final 475m is entirely forested and features several technical sections, including sharp corners hairpins and the always-amusing beams over which most riders will shoulder their bikes but those with the skills (or desire to show off) will bunnyhop (51°16'37.51"N 4°45'46.09"E). It emerges at the runway next to the VIP tent near the start line, where another lap begins. On the final lap, riders will sprint along the runway to the finish line located just before the first corner (51°16'28.03"N 4°45'47.98"E).

Altimetry (click for enlargement)

Les Déesses de la Route Choices: Daphny Van Den Brand is the most obvious - she's been on fire over the past month and this, the last race of this year's Trofee, would be a fantastic way to end her 'cross career - she plans to retire once the season ends. Both the Sannes, Van Paassen and Cant, could also do well here and will be looking for a chance to end the season on a high note, as will British riders Nikki Harris, Helen Wyman and Gabby Day. Harris has ridden exceptionally well in her last two or three races and there's no reason she won't do so again here. As mentioned earlier, that long sprint from the start and up to the finish line will suit Wyman very well; however, she says she's been suffering with a stomach bug this week - best wishes for a speedy recovery Helen. Then, there's Marianne Vos, of course - the seemingly unbeatable World Champion. Finally, Christine Vardoros will no doubt also want to do well after her chances at Heerlen last week were ruined by an asthma attack. That she kept going and finished the race on that occasion proves she certainly has the determination!


Programme: 10:00 Novices, 11:00 Juniors, 12:00 Under-23, 13:45 Elite Women, 15:00 Elite Men (CET)
Streams: Cycling Fans are showing the Elite Men. If anyone manages to locate a stream for the Elite Women, please let us know either by email, Tweet or in the messages after this article.

GP Heuts Heerlen CX results

Daphny Van Den Brand
(image credit: Thomas Ducroquet CC BY-SA 3.0)

"Here in Heerlen, I could tell the others were tiring so I took a bit of a risk. When I came to the last corner, I knew the victory was mine." (Daphny Van Den Brand)

It's been an excellent weekend for Dutch cyclo crosser Daphny Van Den Brand - yesterday, she won the Superprestige Middelkerke race and today she repeated that success on the frozen parcours at Heerlen after giving Sanne Van Paassen and Nikki Harris the slip as the three of them raced to the end of the final lap.

A last sprint along the tarmac gave her a ten second advantage as she crossed the finish line, with Van Paassen crossing eight seconds ahead of British rider Harris. Helen Wyman won this race last year and was a favourite today - however, despite a customarily excellent launch away from the start she's still having some problems in the freezing conditions during the latter part of this season after coming down with a chest infection that has cut a swathe through women's 'cross, making her fifth place finish 1'16" behind Van Den Brand  perfectly respectable.

Babaco's Christine Vardoros suffered with her asthma in the cold weather and therefore did well to take 17th place all things considered. "Asthma strikes again in Heerlen today," she told fans via her Facebook page. "With very cold dry air i was wheezing within a minute of the start and pedaled backwards for the whole race, somehow managing to ride slower and slower. It took everything i had just to cross the finish line in what felt like - and probably was - slow motion. Sooo bummed." She later said that she'd have stopped had it not have been for the knowledge that so many people were cheering for her, and anyone who suffers asthma will be more than a little impressed that she kept going and finished the race.

It was notable that, despite the question placed to her by a UCI interviewer following the World Championships at Koksijde two weeks ago, the absence of Marianne Vos did not make the race any more competitive; all riders rode as hard today as they have done when competing against the Dutch superstar with no apparent increase in effort.

Van Den Brand now has three races to go before she ends her 'cross career at the end of this season. "It's time to let the new generation take over," she says.

Dutch website Wheeler Watchers have excellent photos to illustrate the icy conditions.

Elite Women Results

  1.  Daphny Van Den Brand 00:37:50
  2.  Sanne Van Paassen   00:10
  3.  Nikki Harris 00:18
  4.  Sophie De Boer 00:36
  5.  Helen Wyman 01:16
  6.  Arenda Grimberg 01:26
  7.  Sabrina Stultiens ST
  8.  Reza Hormes Ravenstijn 01:54
  9.  Nikoline Hansen 02:02
  10.  Joyce Vanderbeken 02:10
  11.  Amy Dombroski ST
  12.  Iris Ockeloen 03:02
  13.  Ellen Van Loy 03:10
  14.  Evy Kuijpers ST
  15.  Nancy Bober 03:35
  16.  Yara Kastelijn 04:05
  17.  Christine Vardaros 04:21
  18.  Margriet Kloppenburg 04:40
  19.  Madara Furmane 05:37
  20.  Lotte Eikelenboom ST
  21.  Marianne Alleleijn ST

Full results

Heerlen GP Heuts Elite Women details

Saturday, 11th of February 2012
09.00 - Final course construction
12.00 - Free practice
15.00 - End of practice
15.30 - Track inspection
Sunday, 12th of February 2012
09.00 - Free practice      
10.00 - Under-23
11.00 - Masters
12.00 - Elite Training  
13.45 - Elite Women
14.45 - Honouring World Champions  
15.00 - Elite Men
16.00 - Finish




The race begins with a 205m sprint along the Stadionbaan (50°52'45.20"N 6° 0'8.57"E), a wide and hard-surfaced area which will encourage high speeds as riders jostle to take first place leading into the first lap. It then passes between two "hillocks" (according to the course guide - they look rather like building spoils) for 50m, a section that can become muddy but which may be frozen solid - transforming a sticky patch into one that could shake teeth loose. Next up comes 65m on grass leading to a 90 degree right onto a long hard-surface section of 518m - it's narrow enough to make overtaking difficult and any rider who gained the upper hand in the initial section will have the opportunity to turn it into a potentially race-winning lead here, possibly in the early stages of the race, but the pack will be in hot pursuit.

Helen Wyman - Britain's
greatest hope

Having turned right, 378m on rougher grass takes the riders over some rough ground and more grass, then over ditches and up to a narrow road - further opportunity for the rider who was fastest through the preceding technical section to extend their lead. 117m of tarmac leads back onto grass and a right turn once onto the grass, which will be slippery as early frost/snow begins to melt and then become worse once a few laps have churned things up a bit. 380m leads to the pits, then loops around to double back past some trees before turning through a left-handed loop, over a track and back onto the first field. It heads through a hedge before a wide right-handed loop on grass and back to the hedge, emerging briefly on the other side entering the woods. A track leads to a  ladder with 24 slippery, narrow, splintered wooden steps (if they can, many riders will probably take their chances running or even riding up the slope to the right of the steps - they look treacherous and, as if traction wasn't already an issue, the space between them will be filled with loose nut casings from the overhanging beech tree) and onward to a surfaced lane curving right for 50m.

Having turned right onto a mud track, which once again may be frozen solid, riders continue for 50m and then head left onto the grass to make a second pass of the pits before arriving at another mud track 126m later. Here, they turn left and follow it for 95m, then enter a technical 50m section with tight bends leading back to the start line. At the end of the final lap, they will continue past the start line towards the sports club building to the right of the parcours where the finish line is located (50°52'41.55"N 6° 0'12.70"E). The entire parcours is 2.56km in length.

Britain's favourite cross rider Helen Wyman won here last year, and hinted to Cyclopunk on Twitter that she believes herself to be in with a chance again this weekend - and with that 205m tarmac section to start and then a sort grassy section before 518m on tarmac, we think that the work she's been putting into improving her starts will pay dividends this time around. In several of her last races, Helen left the start line like a rocket; blasting away from the pack so quickly that even the likes of Marianne Vos couldn't keep up: if she can do that again, she may well build up enough of an early advantage to keep her lead. As the strongest British crosser around today, we wish her the best of luck. Nikki Harris has also been riding exceptionally well this season and will often do well on the same courses as Helen, doubling our chances. However, as in any CX event, keep an eye on Daphny van den Brand - this is her final season, and with Marianne Vos sitting this one out she'll certainly have her eyes on the podium's top step, while the Sannes Cant and van Paassen have both had an excellent season and may prove capable of keeping the British riders out of the top three.

01.	Daphny van den Brand	NED	AA Drink Cycling Team
02.	Sanne Cant	BEL	BKCP - Powerplus
03.	Sanne van Paassen	NED	BrainWash Wielerploeg
04.	Nikki Harris	GBR	Young Telenet Fidea CT
05.	Helen Wyman	GBR	CX Groot Brittannie
06.	Sophie de Boer	NED	Young Telenet Fidea CT
07.	Sabrina Stultiens	NED	BrainWash Wielerploeg
08.	Arenda Grimberg	NED	CX Nederland
09.	Joyce Vanderbeken	BEL	Style & Concept CT
10.	Reza Hormes-Ravenstijn	NED	Orange Babies
11.	Nikoline Hansen	DEN	CX Denmark
12.	Nancy Bober	BEL	Style & Concept CT
13.	Tessa van Nieuwpoort	NED	Stevens Racing Team
14.	Margriet Helena Kloppenburg	DEN	CX Denmark
15.	Amy Dombroski	USA	CX USA
16.	Ellen van Loy	BEL	CX Belgie
17.	Lelde Ardava	LAT	DPA Cycling Team
18.	Marianne Alleleijn	NED	CX Nederland
19.	Evy Kuijpers	NED	CX Nederland
20.	Iris Ockeloen	NED	CX Nederland
21.	Yara Kastelijn	NED	CX Nederland
22.	Lotte Eikelenboom	NED	CX Nederland