Trek CXC Cup volunteer Zachary Schuster caught up with Steve Chainel (Chazal), fresh off a stunning win at the Trek CXC Cup Day 1 race and sent in this (a bit windy) video.
Chainel wasn’t exactly a dark horse entering the race, and lined up with bib #10 on Saturday. However, the French racer outfoxed nearly the entire Telenet Fidea team, outsprinting Jim Aernouts to take his first UCI cyclocross race of the season, and surprising many spectators and race announcers in the process.
“I was perfect. I prefer when the track is [physical] not tactical. I’m so happy to win this race, because when you have four adversaries in the same team, it’s difficult. Physically I think I was the best…” -Steve Chainel
Chainel has raced in China in the past, twice suffering from mechanical problems that kept him from the win. But now that the Frenchmen is “retired” from professional road cycling, he’s focused on cyclocross for this season.
See Schuster’s chat with Chainel below. (Warning, it got a bit windy.)
See more of our ever-growing 2016 Trek CXC Cup coverage here.
