1996 Cyclocross World Championships, won by Adri van der Poel
Prior to the 1996 Cyclocross World Championships in Montreuil, France, the sport was known for big time gaps, muddy slogs, and a slew of silver Worlds medals by Dutch star Adri van der Poel.
That all changed in 1996, with a fast, frozen, wide-open course that was conducive to exciting pack racing, with a few dozen contenders left with just a few laps to go. It was also an era when Belgium didn’t dominate the front of cyclocross races, with strong teams of Italians, Dutch and Belgians, with a sprinkling of contenders from countries like France, Switzerland and Denmark thrown in.
At the 1996 Cyclocross World Championships, after countless lead changes, Van der Poel finally took the rainbow jersey, outkicking an Italian duo of Daniele Pontoni and Luca Bramati in an exciting sprint that capped a suspense-filled race.
Van der Poel would later lead up cyclocross for the UCI, and this 1996 race would be influential in his desire to have faster, more pack-friendly cyclocross racing. In his leadership role at the UCI, Van der Poel even made barriers optional at the sport’s highest level, leaving them out of World Championships in hopes of replicating the pack racing seen in Montreuil.
Van der Poel’s sons, Mathieu and David, now race at the sport’s highest level, with Mathieu, still a U23 racer, winning the Superprestige Elite race opener in Gieten.
Adri van der Poel was also famous for citing blaming eating a pie made by his pigeon-racing father from doped-up pigeons when he tested positive for Strychnine, and would later cement his celebrity status by picking the season’s first asparagus shoot.
The 1996 Cyclocross World Championships is viewable in blurry, grainy resolution below in four parts. Enjoy.
