With the cyclocross season started up in earnest, there’s not a ton of non-cyclocross related news out there, but here are some of the highlights of the week that was! Rob Peeters is a surprise inclusion in the first Belgian World Cup Squad, but he can’t make it and the stars of Dutch cyclocross come out to play at the UCI Road World Championships. Don’t forget to follow along this weekend with my Live Coverage of the GP of Gloucester! Also, it’s not too late to sign up for Cyclocross Magazine Fantasy Cyclocross!
Rob Peeters a Surprise World Cup Selection, Calls in Sick
Rob Peeters was included in the first Belgian World Cup team selection this week, as Belgian coach Rudy de Bie called up his ten elite men, four elite women, six espoirs and six junior riders. This news was a surprise, as Peeters is the only man on the team to not have competed in any Cyclocross events this season. Peeters will spend the first half of this season as a key Lieutenant to Sven Nys before crossing the aisle to the Telnet-Fidea squad of rival Bart Wellens and Zdenek Stybar. The entire Belgian team for Sunday’s opening race in Treviso, Italy is as follows:
Elite Men: Niels Albert, Sven Nys, Kevin Pauwels, Bart Aernouts, Dieter Vanthourenhout, Sven Vanthourenhout, Klaas Vantornout, Erwin Vervecken, Rob Peeters and Jan Verstraeten
Elite Women: Sanne Cant, Joyce Vanderbeken, Nicole Bober and Nicole De Bie-Leyten
Espoirs: Tom Meeusen, Vincent Baestaens, Jim Aernouts, Jan Denuwelaere, Kenneth Van Compernolle and Kevin Cant
Juniors: Laurens and Dieter Sweeck, Jens Adams, Gianni Vermeersch, Jens Vandekinderen and Frederik Geerts
Despite getting the call for the first World Cup, Peeters is still recovering from a respiratory tract infection, and will be forced to miss the World Cup round in Treviso. Peeters will be replaced by Belgium’s first alternative, Jan Soetens.
Lars Boom to Road Race, Time Trial World Championships
On the back of a strong Vuelta a Espana, where he won a stage out of a breakaway and was the toast of Holland on another, former World Cylocross Champion Lars Boom took his show to the Road World Championships in Mendriso, Switzerland. Boom’s main goal for the weekend was Thursday’s time trial event, a discipline where Boom has shown most of his non-cyclocross promise. Boom has been the Dutch National Time Trial Champion in years past and was hoping to do well on the World stage. No one was ever going to compete with the Swiss diesel train that is Fabian Cancellara, especially on his home turf, but Boom gave it a go, finishing up the day in 16th place, 4:24 behind Cancellara. Not a bad result and certainly a sign of things to come for Boom. In the road race, Boom was a bit out of his league on the hilly parcours, and finished 91st, 10:54 behind winner Cadel Evans.
That Other Dutch Talent Adds to Trophy Case
Marianne Vos, who has won more World Championships than you or I can shake a stick at, including last year’s Elite Women’s World Cyclocross Championships, came oh so close to adding another World Road Race championship to her resume, losing out by a mere 19 seconds to Tatiana Guderzo in the Elite Women’s Road Race Championships last Saturday Vos was in the lead group that included Guderzo, Guderzo’s teammate Noemi Cantele and America’s Kristin Armstrong. Guderzo attacked the leading group with only kilometers left to go, and Vos and Armstrong’s chasing efforts were hampered by Cantele, who was set on letting her Italian teammate escape to victory. In the end, Vos’ assault on Guderzo was not enough, and she’d have to settle for the silver medal. Vos, who already won the Women’s World Cup series this year thanks to constantly consistent results all season, will now have to look ahead to her next shot at a world’s gold medal, a defense of her Cyclocross World Championship.
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 #24. Installment #24 is here. Got something worth reporting? Let us know!
