French national champion Francis Mourey took the win Saturday at Nommay Cyclocross. © Renner Custom CX Team
by Gregg Germer
NOMMAY, FRANCE – The 34th edition of the Nommay Cyclocross race started off under very cool and overcast skies with a stiff wind. The dry course featured a good bit of up and down elevation change, but only one dismount, with a set of stairs just after the starting straight.
Elite Women
The women’s race featured mountain bike World Champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot, former World Champion Hanka Kupfernagel, Swiss Champion Jasmin Acherman, Gabby Day of Great Britain, Amy Dombroski of the USA and Lucie Chainel of France.
Day (Renner Custom CX Team) took the hole shot off the start; leading the group up the stairs following the starting straight. Just after the descent off of the run-up the group went into a sand section that cause a pile up which took down both Ferrand Prevot (AC Bazancour) and Achermann (VC Rain–Focus). Quickly after the leaders started to establish a gap with Chainel (CC Etupes) and Kupfernagel (ITERA) holding a 10 meter gap over Day. Dombroski (Crank Brothers) trailed Day by five seconds.
Day was able to reach Kupfernagel just after Chainel put in an attack and established a tentative 10 second lead of the pair. Day and Kupfernagel were able to work well together and establish a solid lead over Dombroski and a fast-chasing Ferrand Prevot, but were unable to put any time into Chainel. On the final lap, Kupfernagel put in a hard attack and gapped Day with a very tentative lead which she was able to hold and roll across the line five seconds ahead of Day but 37 seconds off of race winner Chainel. Dombroski was eventually caught by Ferrand Prevot to finish fourth and fifth, respectively. Achermann came back from her crash to finish sixth.
Elite Men
In the men’s race, tactics played a huge role as after only half a lap, two large groups, the first containing 12 riders, and a second containing 10, were just five seconds within each other. The lead group contained race favorites Francis Mourey (FDJ) and Steve Chainel (FDJ), along with Enrico Franzoi (Guercciotti), Julien Absalon (UC Remiremont), Nicolas Bazin (BIG MAT) and Sascha Weber (Differdange) among the ranks.
Mourey put in an attack just two laps into the race and established a small 15 second gap, which he proceeded to steadily grow over the 11 laps of the race. He was a level above the competition and by the finish established a 1:54 gap over laps that averaged just less than 5 minutes, 30 seconds.
A very tactical race played out behind with no one willing to put in much effort on the fast and dry course. Chainel lead a small group sprint ahead of Franzoi and Swiss rider Marcel Windhaber (VC ESCHENBACH). Sascha Weber lead the rest for fifth place.
Results Below Photo Gallery.
RESULTS
Men
1. Francis Mourey (Fra), 59:31
2. Steve Chainel (Fra), 1:01:25
3. Enrico Franzoi (Ita), 1:01:27
4. Marcel Wildhaber (Sui), 1:01:30
5. Sascha Weber (Ger), 1:01:30
6. Cristian Cominelli (Ita), 1:01:30
7. Thijs Al (Ned), 1:01:37
8. Julien Absalon (Fra), 1:01:47
9. Nicolas Bazin (Fra), 1:01:58
10. Elia Silvestri (Ita), 1:01:58
11. Simon Zahner (Sui), 1:01:58
12. Patrick Van Leeuwen (Ned), 1:02:03
13. Fabio Ursi (Ita), 1:02:05
14. Laurent Colombatto (Fra), 1:02:12
15. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra), 1:02:33
16. Melvin Rulliere (Fra), 1:02:33
17. Maxime Marotte (Fra), 1:02:45
18. Bastien Duculty (Fra), 1:03:03
19. Gianni Denolf (Bel), 1:03:13
20. René Lang (Sui), 1:03:16
21. Théo Dumanchin (Fra), 1:03:32
22. Jérome Chevallier (Fra), 1:03:42
23. Irwin Gras (Fra), 1:03:48
24. Raymond Kunzli (Sui), 1:03:52
25. Nico Brüngger (Sui), 1:04:20
26. Damien Mougel (Fra), 1:04:27
27. Pirmin Lang (Sui), 1:04:37
28. Fabien Doubey (Fra), 1:05:19
29. Loic Doubey (Fra), 1:05:19
30. Ritchie Denolf (Bel), 1:06:13
31. Dario Stauble (Sui)
32. Clément Venturini (Fra)
33. Vaclav Metlicka (Svk)
34. Craig Richey (Can)
35. Anthonin Didier (Fra)
36. Peter Frei (Sui)
37. Emilien Viennet (Fra)
38. Josef Soukup (Cze)
39. Markus Bauer (Ger)
40. Markus Kuriger (Sui)
Women
1. Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (Fra), 41:07
2. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger), 41:44
3. Gabriella Day (Gbr), 41:49
4. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra), 42:23
5. Amy Dombroski (USA), 43:26
6. Jasmin Achermann (Sui), 43:42
7. Lise-Marie Henzelin (Sui), 43:56
8. Stéphanie Vaxillaire-Denuit (Fra), 44:53
9. Martina Zwick (Ger), 45:24
10. Marlène Morel Petitgirard (Fra), 46:13
11. Camille Darcel (Fra), 46:13
12. Amélie Morel Petitgirard (Fra), 46:38
13. Margriet Helena Kloppenburg (Den), 47:04
14. Eva Colin (Fra), 47:27
15. Laura Perry (Fra), 47:57
