Although by our standards, the 2015 Women’s Cyclocross World Championship was perhaps one of the most thrilling championships to watch in recent memory, we have a Throwback Thursday of another championship that rivals the excitement.
Tabor seems to breed close races, and in 2001, this was no exception. While Hanka Kupfernagel of Germany beat several riders from the Netherlands in the Women’s Elite Race by a little over 30 seconds, the Men’s Elite Race went underway with an eventual finish of much narrower margins.
A young Sven Nys nearly at the start of his professional career lined up beside some of the most talented cyclocross riders, although he had reason to feel optimistic, as his first World Cup win had come at Tabor only a year and a half prior. Still, he would have to battle against some Belgian Juggernauts and Czech hometown heroes.
The crowds were cheering for natives Jiri Pospisil, Petr Dlask and Vaclav Jezek. However, in the international scene, Mario De Clercq had to have been one of the heavy favorites. Erwin Vervecken, who was constantly doomed to second place in the World Championship, wanted desperately to break his streak in the right direction.
If you haven’t seen the end of this race, we won’t spoil it for you, but it was certainly a race for the ages. Enjoy the video posted by KalundborgCC on YouTube.
