Along with the United States, many countries around the globe also had their 2016 Cyclocross National today. We give you a play-by-play account of the Belgian National Championship, and brief results from a host of nations throughout Europe.
Belgium
Elite Men
Wout Van Aert claimed the 2016 Belgian National Championship, surging ahead in the third lap to take the lead and the eventual win despite a crash in lap five that sent him into the barriers and over the handlebars.
It ain't over till the fat lady sings. #BKLille #CXnats pic.twitter.com/8y6Z0Z6Hd2
— cyclingreporter (@cyclingreporter) January 10, 2016
Michael Vanthournhout, Laurens Sweeck, Gianni Vermeersch, and Tom Meeusen all took early turns at the front, setting a pace akin to a criterium before Van Aert made his move. Vermeersch and Meeusen were quick to react and tried to go with Van Aert but were unable to match the pace.
Once at the front Van Aert was unstoppable. Sweeck moved up by lap five to take over the chase with Kevin Pauwels trailing in third. Meeusen, on the other hand seemed to have played his cards early, fading back behind Vermeersch, Vanthournhout, and others including Sven Nys who was moving up himself.
Van Aert’s lead was enough that by the time he recovered from his crash in lap six, incidentally in the same section that briefly took down the top three elite women simultaneously in their race, the chasers were still well behind and never the wiser.
With three to go Sweeck was still holding onto second place but Pauwels was now closing in followed not far behind by Nys and Vanthournhout. But just as Pauwels made the connection, an apparent mishap cost him a potential podium position as the cameras spotted him pulling off to the side, holding his left hip in pain before rejoining the race to eventually finish seventh.
Nys, now in third with two laps to go and Vanthournhout on his wheel, made a last minute correction on a tight right-hander sending him to the ground. The veteran was quick to recover, however, and he let Vanthournhout lead through the next lap, playing his cards to time a move that would secure third place.
Clearly disappointed with fourth, Vanthornhout nonetheless put in a terrific performance. Sweeck also had an excellent race, holding on to second place while moments before an emotional Van Aert had crossed the line victorious.
Elite Men Top 10
- Wout Van Aert
- Laurens Sweeck
- Sven Nys
- Michael Vanthournhout
- Toon Aerts
- Vincent Baestaens
- Kevin Pauwels
- Tim Merlier
- Tom Meeusen
- Jim Aernouts
Elite Women
After a close first half of the race, Sanne Cant was able to finally distance herself from Ellen Van Loy to take the 2016 Belgian National Championship.
Loes Sels finished third after losing contact with Cant and Van Loy in lap three, falling on a particularly muddy and rutted section of the course, taking Van Loy out in the process. Van Loy was able to recover quickly however, and damages from the mishap were mitigated as Cant, riding in third position at the time, happened to fall simultaneously in the same section of her own accord.
Van Loy put in a good fight until a bad line on the same muddy section in lap five gave Cant the advantage which she used to its full potential, extending the lead to 16 seconds at the finish.
Elite Women Top 10
- Sanne Cant
- Ellen Van Loy
- Loes Sels
- Joyce Vanderbeken
- Jolien Verschuren
- Githa Michiels
- Karen Verhestraeten
- Anja Nobus
- Cindy Bauwens
- Katrien Thijs
France
Elite Men
Cloudy skies turned to heavy rain as the French National Championships turned into a slugfest between Francis Mourey and Clement Venturini. The duo battled it out, staying neck-to-neck nearly the entire race with Mourey edging out his fellow countryman, crossing the line in 56:57, just five seconds ahead of Venturini. Putting in a consistent performance, John Gardet secured third with a time of 57:59.
Elite Men Top 10
- Francis Mourey
- Clement Venturini
- John Gardet
- Julien Roussel
- David Menut
- Quentin Juaregui
- Flavien Dassonville
- Anthony Didier
- Yoann Corbihan
- Alois Falenta
Elite Women
Caroline Mani stole the day grinding through thick mud to solo to victory at the 2016 French National Championships. Mani broke away early on and held her lead to finish 1:55 ahead of Laure Bouteloup. Marlène Morel Petitgirard took third in 37:50.
Elite Women Top 10
- Caroline Mani
- Laure Boutelop
- Marlène Morel Petitgirard
- Laura Perry
- Pauline Delhaye
- Emilie Jamme
- Perrine Clauzel
- Audrey Menut
- Cyriane Muller
- Gaëlle Carreau
Netherlands
Elite Men Top 10
- Mathieu van der Poel
- Lars van der Haar
- David van der Poel
- Corne van Kessel
- Thijs van Amerongen
- Stan Godrie
- Gert-Jan Bosman
- Michael van der Heijden
- Niels Wubben
- Twan van den Brand
Elite Women Top 10
- Thalita de Jong
- Sabrina Stultiens
- Maud Kaptheijns
- Sophie de Boer
- Sanne van Passen
- Bianca van den Hoek
- Anna van ver Breggen
- Annemarie Worst
- Lizzy Witlox
- Esmee Oosterman
Italy
Elite Men Top 10
- Gioele Bertolini
- Enrico Franzoi
- Cristian Cominelli
- Daniele Braidot
- Luca Braidot
- Lorenzo Samparisi
- Marco Ponta
- Nicolas Samparisi
- Mirko Tabacchi
- Martino Fruet
Elite Women Top 10
- Eva Lechner
- Anna Oberparleitter
- Alessia Bulleri
- Nicoletta Bresciani
- Jasmine Dotti
- Krizia Ruggeri
Czech Republic
Final meters for new Czech #CX champion @radomirsimunek @ #CXKolin // #CXnats #cyklokros @ERA_Murprotec #veldrijden pic.twitter.com/UaRHcCCZVG
— Jirka Urban (@jirkaurban) January 9, 2016
Elite Men Top 10
- Radomir Simunek
- Michael Boros
- Adam Toupalik
- Tomas Paprstka
- Lubomir Petrus
- Jan Nesvadba
- Vojtech Nipl
- Matej Lask
- Emil Hekele
- Filip Eberl
Elite Women Top 10
- Martina Mikulaskova
- Pavla Havlikova
- Nikola Noskova
- Jana Czeczinkarova
- Denisa Lukesova
- Denisa Lukesova
- Vendula Kuntova
- Katerina Mudrikova
- Elizabeth Ungermanova
- Martina Kukulova
Switzerland
Elite Men Top 10
- Lars Forster
- Julien Taramarcaz
- Nicola Rohrbach
- Lukas Fluckiger
- Lukas Winterberg
- Simon Zahner
- Florien Vogel
- Severin Saegesser
- Mathias Fluckiger
- Matthias Stirnemann
Elite Women Top 10
- Sina Frei
- Nicole Koller
- Lise-Marie Henzelin
- Milena Landtwing
- Nathalie Schneitter
- Nicole Hanselmann
- Lara Krahemann
- Olivia Hottinger
- Fabienne Niederberger
- Svenja Wuthrich
