Compton Takes Another World Cup Win at Heusden-Zolder – Full Report/Results/Gallery

Compton looked pleased as punch with another World Cup win cementing her series lead at Koksijde. © Thoams van Bracht

HEUSDEN-ZOLDER, BELGIUM – It’s Christmas week, and for the Belgians, that doesn’t just mean toys and Santa Claus—it means a horde of racers spend the week racing on some of the most challenging courses that Belgium has to offer. And for the American crowd, it means quite a few racers from the U.S. are in attendance as well.

Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective) took another win today, soloing to victory 18 seconds ahead of Marianne Vos (Rabobank), who spent time away from ’cross early in the season for a minor back surgery. With an exact repeat of what happened in Namur on Sunday and Worlds a month away, the question is: can Compton take the win in Hoogerheide?

Compton came back from a characteristic slow start to overtake World Champion and Belgian champion Cant (Enertherm-BKCP) in the third lap, putting the pressure on Vos to respond.

From the start Vos had accelerated away from the field, followed closely behind by Cant and within the first few minutes, the pair had created a gap of 17 second over the chasers. Compton, meanwhile, was making her way up from around 11th position. By the beginning of lap three, however, Compton had moved into third place and was closing in. Once she closed the gap, Compton took a momentary rest before attacking on the far side of the course.

On the next section of tarmac Vos came around Cant to close in, but the pace put her into the red. Just as in Namur, Vos unzipped her jersey to cool off just as she began to redline, loosing contact with the series leader.

Compton kept the pressure on through the end to hold off the World Champion with Cant holding on for third, 55 seconds behind the leader. Further behind, Nikki Harris (Young Telenet-Fidea), Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (Bj-Sr Suntour-KMC) and Sabrina Stultiens (Rabobank) battled it out to finish in that order, with Harris making her move in the woods toward the end of the race.

Kaitie Antonneau was the first American woman after Compton, taking 14th. Behind her, Arley Kemmerer took 19th and Crystal Anthony finished in 20th with Meredith Miller right behind, and Nicole Duke in 24th. Elle Anderson was 29th and Courtenay McFadden was 30th. Farther back was Mo Bruno Roy in 38th,  and Caroline Mani in 46th (technically not American but since she resides in the US most of the year, we’re counting her!).

World Cup #5 Heusden-Zolder Elite Women’s Photo Gallery:

Heusen-Zolder World Cup Results Elite Women 2013