British National Champ Helen Wyman (Kona / FSA). 2009 Azencross - Loenhout GVA Trofee Series. © Bart Hazen
A busy Christmas schedule has now finished for Kona – FSA rider Helen Wyman with a fifth place finish in the Loenhout. Part of the GVA series, this race was very important to Helen to try to gain some valuable points to edge her closer to the overall GVA Trofee series lead (Helen currently lies in second place, behind Pavla Havlikova). The race started very well, with Helen gaining the race lead off the long road straight and through the first technical section.
She then settled into a rhythm with what had become six leading riders. The current form of the three “flying Dutch women” was, however, going to be too much to handle and Helen slipped into a battle for fourth and fifth places with the in-form Belgian star Sanne Cant.
With more than a week of snow, the course was really effected by the amount of water that had been lying on the ground. As the day warmed up, the conditions got worse. “When the conditions change so much during the day, it’s always difficult to get your tire choice right, and the pressures you use. There were also five races on the course, which is almost guaranteed to change the way the course rides,” said a very muddy Helen after the race.
Helen later reflected on the last few races, “It’s been a pretty good block, really. I’m focused 100% on the end of the season. Training sometimes therefore has to come first and it affects your race day performances. But that’s the way it has to be. Still, fifth here today was good and moves me closer to the lead in the GVA overall. 11th in Zolder was also pretty solid as I really wasn’t anywhere near the top of my game. I’m looking forward to another solid training block now and working hard for the end of January.”
Read Cyclocross Magazine‘s full Loenhout race coverage here. For more on Helen Wyman, visit her website.
