Not a lot of racing to report on but some interesting transfer, contract and sponsorship news surfaced this week: Lars Boom and his role at Rabobank, sponsors for Gabby Day, Vos back to winning , Nys and the dernys, Van den Bosch finds a new home and Neils Albert adds to his resume.
Lars Boom Rises in Rabobank Ranks
Lars Boom, former World Cyclocross Champion and current Dutch Cyclocross Champion, has been busy finalizing his plans for the end of his off-season. One race on his calendar sticks out from the rest. Boom has been called on by his team to be one of Rabobank’s co-leaders at the final Grand Tour of the year, the Vuelta d’Espana. Boom and teammate Robert Gesink, who is recovering from a broken wrist at the Tour de France, will head the Rabobank assault at the Spanish tour. Will this play into Lars’ hands, giving him early season form greater than that of his rivals? Or, will Lars suffer at the hands of the extra riding, leaving him flat come winter. We are all waiting on these results.
Gabriella Day His the Big Time
Cyclo cross specialist clothing company Schlamm along with Cyclocross-stuff.com have confirmed sponsorship of Gabby Day for the coming winter season. Gabby will be using Schlamm clothing to warm up prior to races.
“The clothing range from Schlamm, whose name comes from the Swiss word for mud, is great,” said Gabby. “I especially like the Koksijde bib tights as they are the world’s first zip-off bib tights that can be removed in seconds just before the start of a race.”
“The Portland Rain Suit wet weather clothing is really stylish too, so I should always be warm and dry before the starting gun fires which as anyone who has raced in Belgium in the winter will know is most important.”
Marianne Vos Makes Headlines, AGAIN
World Cyclocross Champion Marianne Vos was getting tired of me talking about her near-misses and podium finishes, so she decided to show me what was what by going out and winning the latest stop of the Women’s World Cup Road Circuit, the Open de Suède Vargarda. Vos was the first rider home out of a leading group of 21 that contested the day’s final sprint. For Vos, it was her third win in a World Cup event this season. Vos now sits in second place in the World Cup standings, only three points behind Emma Johansson.
Vos’ victory was two days after coming in fifth in the Open de Suède Vargarda TTT, finishing up 2:57 behind the Cervelo Test Team, the team which Vos managed to narrowly out sprint in the road race. Coming in third place was the Flexpoint team of Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel who were a mere 1:24 behind the Cervelo Test Team.
Sven Nys a Main Protagonist at the Antwerp Derny Spectacle
Sven Nys made a fine showing against some of the Tour de France’s most effective riders in the post-tour showcase, the Antwerp Derny Spectacle. The race, which was contested in heats, saw Sven Nys come away victorious in the first set of action ahead of Frank Vandenbroucke and Wouter Van Mechelen. In the final heat, Nys was once again on the offensive, taking off in attack early in the race, and bridging up to Vandenbroucke, who had left the pack early in the race. The pace at the front was not enough to hold off the Columbia-HTC team, headed by Mark Cavendish, who closed down the gap and delivered Cavendish to victory, leaving Nys nothing to show for his efforts.
Revors Financial Woes are AA Drink’s Gain
The financial woes suffered by the Revor Cycling team have ended up in the favor of the AA Drink Cycling Team, as Tom Van den Bosch, who had seen himself out of a contract with Revor now can call himself a teammate of Thijs Al and Eddy Van IJzendoorn. As of September 1, 2009, Van den Bosch will be a member of the AA Drink Cycling Team, after he was told that Revor could not honor his current contract. Van den Bosch adds more firepower to a team that is already ready to compete with cyclocross’ big boys, even despite the loss of Dutch great Richard Groenendaal.
Neils Albert Wins Final Stage at Tour of Alsace, Zahner Takes Overall
Neils Albert, current World Cyclocross Champion, showcased that he is not a one-trick-pony when it comes to the bicycle, taking home the hilly final stage of the Tour of Alsace, winning out of a small group which also included overall leader Simon Zahner. The stage, which included a number of difficult ascents, cemented Albert’s reputation as one of cycling’s biggest talents as it also did for Zahner, in taking home the overall victory. Lubomir Petrus, teammate to Albert and first year Espoir, put in a strong showing to take home second in the youth competition. Not only did Albert take home the final stage victory, but also the points jersey for the tour.
Wondering what your favorite mudders have been up to? Doing your homework so you can win Cyclocross Magazine’s fantasy cyclocross league next season? We’ve got you covered with our new, weekly report on your favorite top ‘crossers. Each week Jake Sisson will bring you the latest news, gossip, and maybe even a tweet or two on the pro scene. This is installment #19. Installment #18 is here. Got something worth reporting? Let us know!
