It's Beginning to Look a Bit Like Crossmas in Fort Collins
by Kat Statman
Injuries, sponsorship agreements, winter ’cross conditions and much more. This week we have rumors and rumblings from all over the world and all over pro cyclocross. Katie Compton announces a new sponsor; Danny Summerhill injures his shoulder and puts the rest of the season into question; Zdenek Stybar suffers from a strained back and questions his own future; Sven Nys continues his domination regardless of his pit crew; and finally summer ’cross has ended with winter conditions coming to Fort Collins.
Katie Compton Lands a New Sponsor
From the Lazer Helmets Twitter page, we learned today that Katie Compton is now officially sponsored. It seems likely that this is the new sponsorship rumor reported on last week. Read the scoop from Lazer and Katie Compton here.
Can Danny Summerhill Come Back to Save his Stellar Season?
Danny Summherhill, current Under-23 national champion, has injured his shoulder, putting the remainder of his season in jeopardy. Last weekend at a local race in Boulder, Summerhill took a nasty spill while pre-riding the School Yard Cross course, forcing him to go to the ER rather than race that afternoon. With a broken, though possibly only separated (official information is yet to be released) shoulder, Summerhill’s season could be in peril. Missing the critical UCI points from this weekend’s USGP in Fort Collins and missing the next World Cup the weekend of November 21st could compromise his start position at the World Championships. At this point everything hinges on the results of an MRI: “Just got an MRI on my shoulder and I am now wondering why such cutting edge technology takes days to come back with an answer?” With everything up in the air, we will keep our eyes and ears peeled for any news on Summerhill’s shoulder and season plans.
Has Stybar Overdone It?
Summerhill’s injury is not the only one to hit pro ’crossers. Zdenek Stybar has strained his back and missed yesterday’s Fidea Jaarmarktcross as a result. After Stybar took the opening European season by storm, winning his first seven major races, taking the lead in all of the major series and the UCI ranking, Stybar suffered at the Koppenbergcross. He quickly jetted of to Mallorca for some training to reset the system before focusing on the second half. It seems that didn’t work out quite as planned, and he has locked his lower back, affecting his ability to walk and run. Stybar hopes to return for Hamme-Zogge Superprestige, but with back problems that will be tough. Can the young world champion hold on and continue to show his pedigree?
Stybar Tells All On Styby TV
On Styby TV, a regular video show on his website, Stybar insists that his real goals are not until the end of the year with another World Championship. He also confirmed that unless Telenet-Fidea can give him what he wants, he is ready to leave the organization, and that Lars Boom will be a man to watch at the select events he’ll be racing this weekend. Enjoy the video and tell us what you think.
How Long Will Sven Nys’ Mechanics Keep Their Jobs After Jaarmarktcross?
Will Sven Nys’ mechanics keep their jobs after the Jaarmarktcross debacle? Sven was once again showing why he is the king of ’cross, especially when conditions turned their worst during yesterday’s race. No one could stay with him after the first lap, and it was damage control for many. But Nys’ third consecutive dominating performance almost went sour when his mechanics were not there in the pits with a clean and prepped bike. You would think that Nys’ mechanics would be on top of things, know how fast he was going and plan accordingly to make sure that they are prepped and ready every time he gets to the pits. Well not this time. As the ever-calm professional, Nys didn’t lose his cool and waited until a competitor’s crew brought him a bike, then went on tore-establish his gap and show that even with with the mishap he was still the best on the day. Check out the video:
It’s Finally Here: Winter Cyclocross. Who Will Take Home the USGP Leader’s Jersey in Fort Collins?
It has finally come, winter cyclocross. This season, except in the Pacific Northwest it seems, has been plagued with warm, dry and dusty conditions for the USGPs and NACT race weekends. Finally, with a winter storm rolling through Fort Collins the past few days, it looks like we will have some winter conditions to see who is ready for the hard part of the season. It’s the time of year when the strongest mentally and physically survive the ice, snow and mud. Will Tim Johnson storm away with double victories or will Jeremy Powers show that he is prepared to take on the USGP overall crown? Can Ryan Trebon show his true colors? Will Adam Craig use his handling skills to out-ride everyone like he did in California this past weekend? On the women’s side, will Katie Compton be ready to go and continue her domination of races in the US? Or, will it be a tag team from Luna with Georgia Gould, Katerina Nash and Amy Dombroski? Look for intense battles all weekend.
Amy Dombroski to Change Teams?
And, speaking of Dombroski – we at Cyclocross Magazine have heard rumblings of a team change by the young cyclocross talent. She’s putting together her own solo program with the focus on cyclocross and Worlds 2013 in Louisville. Dombroski reports the parting of ways as an amicable split with her current Luna team, and says that Nationals on December 12th will be her final race in that team’s kit. New sponsors are in the works, but look to Cyclocross Magazine for an update as soon as more info becomes available, and watch for Dombroski to be in the mix this weekend in Ft Collins at the USGP!
