Van den Brand jumps up to a win in the snow in Kalmthout. © Bart Hazen
by Dan Seaton
Kalmthout, Belgium – The storm that brought slick conditions to the early races in Kalmthout picked back up just in time for the start of the women’s World Cup in Kalmthout today, burying the course again and setting up a dramatic shootout between World Champion Marianne Vos and Dutch National Champion Daphny Van Den Brand. While race officials struggled to keep bridges and paved sections of the course clear of the worst of the snow, which fell heavily in the hour before the race and continued to fall throughout, racers simply tried to stay upright on the course.
Right from the start, Vos and Van Den Brand distinguished themselves, quickly opening a gap over the rest of the field, including Christel Ferrier-Bruneau, who held third place over newly-crowned US national champion Katie Compton early in the race. The Dutchwomen traded shots throughout the race, riding fast and relaxed in a field where most racers looked anything but. Behind them, Compton quickly reached and shed Ferrier-Bruneau, but couldn’t make a dent in the leaders’ twenty second gap.
By the end of the second of five laps, the top three had gained nearly a minute on the rest of the field, where a three woman race for fourth took shape between Belgian Sanne Cant, German Hanka Kupfernage and Ferrier-Bruneau.
Katie Compton had a slow start and finished third at a snowy Kalmthout World Cup. © Bart Hazen
But the real drama was at the front, where Vos and Van Den Brand continued to trade shots throughout the race. Vos repeatedly attacked in the first half of the course, where some long, less technical stretches on the road favored the World Champion. But no matter what gap she managed to open, it seemed that Van Den Brand could close it on the second half of the course, which featured more technical handling and several very slick sections that took racers out throughout the day.
Both racers had their share of slips and bobbles, but in the end it was Van Den Brand who was able to capitalize on a series of bobbles by Vos on the final lap. Van Den Brand led as the pair turned the corner and headed for the finish where, between the terrible conditions on the final stretch of road and her five meter gap, she rode to a decisive victory – her first World Cup win of the season. Vos, realizing she was beaten, rolled slowly across the line, waving to the crowd.
Compton took third close to a minute ahead of Hanka Kupfernagel, who outsprinted Sanne Cant for fourth place. American Christine Vardaros finished 36th.
After the race, Vos told Cyclocross Magazine that she had never ridden in anything like today’s conditions before. “I think it’s the first time I experienced this kind of weather, with this snow,” she said. “But it’s exciting. Of course, it’s a little bit dangerous, but it’s fun too. You have to watch out, stay concentrated all the time, every corner is slippery, but I had fun.”
Vos said she was happy with her ride, despite the second place finish. “It went quite well today,” she said. “You have to just keep on going, and just concentrate all the time and stay on the path. Normally Daphny has more technical skills than me, she’s more a ‘cross racer than I am. Normally I have to use my speed and road skills. It went quite well, but in the last lap I was a little tired and less concentrated and made a couple of mistakes, one time I had to come off my bike, and I lost her wheel and let her go.”
Compton told Cyclocross Magazine that she also enjoyed the race. “Conditions were fun today,” she said. “Slick and snowy and there was one only one line to ride. It was pretty much a challenge to keep the bike upright—it was more finesse than power today.”
Compton also said that she had a poor start and simply couldn’t recover from it. “I couldn’t make any headway. I had good legs today, I felt pretty smooth, but I think I was just missing that little bit of finesse in the turns, and Daphny and Marianne were riding really well. I don’t think they were making many mistakes. Once they got that gap—they’re as strong as I am—I’m just not going to catch them.”
Read more reactions from Compton as well as the American men here
Photo Gallery:
Full Results:
Full Results:
1. VAN DEN BRAND Daphny – Destil / ZZPR.nl – NED – 36:33
2. VOS Marianne – DSB BANK – NEDERLAND BLOEIT – NED – +00:04
3. COMPTON Katherine – Planet Bike – USA – +00:35
4. KUPFERNAGEL Hanka – – – GER – +01:20
5. CANT Sanne – BKCP / Power Plus – BEL – +01:20
6. FERRIER-BRUNEAU Christel – VISION 1 RACING – FRA – +01:37
7. VAN PAASSEN Sanne – – – NED – +02:22
8. MANI Caroline – VIENNE FUTUROSCOPE – FRA – +02:43
9. VAN RIJEN Linda – – – NED – +02:47
10. CHAINEL-LEFEVRE Lucie – – – FRA – +02:59
11. HAVLIKOVA Pavla – – – CZE – +03:12
12. HARRIS Nikki – – – GBR – +03:43
13. DAY Gabriella – – – GBR – +03:46
14. ACHERMANN Jasmin – – – SUI – +03:49
15. TRIQUET-CLAUDE Nadia – – – FRA – +04:00
16. HORMES Reza – – – NED – +04:09
17. GRIMBERG Arenda – – – NED – +04:13
18. VANDERBEKEN Joyce – – – BEL – +04:46
19. DE BOER Sophie – – – NED – +04:48
20. ZWICK Martina – – – GER – +04:49
21. DEMARET GUICHARDOT Maureen – – – FRA – +04:50
22. STAFFLER Evelyn – – – ITA – +04:51
23. BRANDAU Elisabeth – – – GER – +04:51
24. ALESSIO Veronica – GAUSS RDZ ORMU – COLNAGO – ITA – +04:57
25. LECHNER Eva – GAUSS RDZ ORMU – COLNAGO – ITA – +05:08
26. BOBER Nancy – – – BEL – +05:16
27. TALEN Rebecca – – – NED – +05:21
28. BRESCIANI Nicoletta – – – ITA – +05:21
29. HANSEN Nikoline – – – DEN – +05:54
30. VAN LOY Ellen – – – BEL – +06:27
31. MIKULASKOVA Martina – – – CZE – +06:30
32. JURANEK Susanne – – – GER – +06:32
33. PIRZKALLOVA Zuzana – – – CZE – +06:33
34. STULTIENS Sabrina – – – NED – +06:35
35. DE BIE – LEYTEN Nicole – – – BEL – +06:44
36. VARDAROS Christine – Champion Systems – Zanata – USA – +06:46
37. VERHESTRAETEN Karen – – – BEL – +07:34
38. BRESCIANI Daniela – – – ITA – +07:58
39. GODART Suzie – FENIXS – LUX – +08:12
40. THIJS Katrien – – – BEL – -1LAP
41. TOYOOKA Ayako – – – JPN – -1LAP
42. DARCEL Camille – – – FRA – -1LAP
43. THOMAS Vicki – – – CAN – -1LAP
44. VOJTASOVA Zuzana – – – SVK – -1LAP
0. WYMAN Helen – – – GBR – DNF4
0. INGELS Veerle – – – BEL – DNF2
0. RIEDL Elke – – – AUT – DNS
0. DOMBROSKI Amy – – – USA – DNS
