Cyclocross

You may think of cyclo-cross as a winter sport, but while you were sweating your way around a crit course somewhere in America, Sven Nijs (Rabobank) was winning the GP Eric De Vlaeminck, the summer edition of a winter sport. During a warm race in Zolder, Belgium, Nys had no competitors. Ben Berden finished second after a big gap while Wim Jacobs finished third. Bart Wellens, who won the race this year, abandoned due to the enormous heat. Now, Wellens leaves for a monthlong training camp in St-Moritz, Switzerland, before the real cyclo-cross season begins in September . . . when the weather

“This is the strongest I’ve been for a ’cross world’s … ever,” said Alison Dunlap Friday night, “and that’s because this is the first season that I’ve actually raced a full season, starting in September.” The reigning U.S. national cyclo-cross champion was both confident and relaxed when she spoke with VeloNews at the Ibis-St. Nazaire Hotel, where the American team is based for this weekend’s world cyclo-cross championships in Pont-Château, France. “It’s a really fair course,” Dunlap said. “It’s wide-open, not super technical, only two short runs, and so the strongest person will win.

When most of the 190 riders who will compete in the four events at this weekend’s world cyclo-championships had departed the circuit Friday afternoon, one man remained on his bike, plying a lone furrow around the hillside course. You might guess that it was a junior or under-23 participant making the best use of late-afternoon sunshine to take one more look at the 2.65km Coët-Roz course in Pont-Château, France. But, no, it was the oldest rider here: three-time world champ Mario De Clercq, who will be 38 next month. De Clercq had toyed with the idea of retiring last year, but the stone-faced

Spaar Select’s Erwin Vervecken won the sixth round of cyclo-cross’s Superprestigeseries in Hogstraten, Belgium.Vervecken beat a trio of fellow Belgians in this final major event beforenext week’s world championship race in Pont-Château, France.Defending world and Belgian champion Bart Wellens came back from mechanicaldifficulties but was too exhausted to contest a three-up sprint, satisfiedwith third and a victory by his Spaar Select teammate.American Jonathan Page finished 18th, while his U.S. teammate Jackson Stewart trailed in at 40th and Andy Jacques-Maynes did not finish. American Jeremy

Photos from Saturday's race in Zonnebeke, Belgium.

World cyclo-cross champion Bart Wellens won the fifth round of the six-raceWorld Cup series in Nommay, France, on Sunday, easily beating Holland’sRichard Groenendaal and fellow Belgian Erwin Vervecken.Belgian Sven Nijs, who finished seventh on the day, holds on to theoverall lead in the series, which closes out in Pijnacker in the Netherlandson February 15. Wellens win leaves the overall World Cup race up in theair with four riders – Wellens, Nijs, Groenendaal and Belgian Ben Berdenall capable of winning the title in the final round when double pointsare awarded.Wellens has set his sites

Reigning world champion Bart Wellens added another victory to an alreadyimpressive streak this season as he won the Belgian nation cyclo-crosstitle on Sunday in the Belgian/French border town of Lille. The 25-year-old Wellens finished well ahead of fellow Belgian super‘crossers Mario De Clercq and Sven Nijs on the day when all of Europe holdsits national cyclo-cross championships. Wellens was the first to attack on the 2.7km loop that consisted 710meters of asphalt, 440 of meadowlands, 735 of wood and a tough 895-meterstretch of sand. The course also included three bridges and a staircase

USA Cycling has fleshed out the team it will be sending to the cyclo-crossworld championships January 31-February 1 in Pont-Château, France,adding 12 discretionary selections to its six automatic qualifiers.The team will include:Elite menJonathan Page (Selle Italia-Guerciotti)Jackson Stewart (Clif Bar)Andy Jacques-Maynes (Clif Bar)Elite womenAlison Dunlap (Luna)Carmen D'Aluisio (Clif Bar)Gina Hall (Clif Bar)Ann Knapp (Kona)Rachel Lloyd (Redline-Ritchey)Under 23Jesse Anthony (Hot Tubes)Jeremy Powers (NCC-Bikereg.com)Alan Obye (Balance Bar-Devo)Matt White (NCC-Bikereg.com)Michael Cody

How apropos – Sven Nijs won the GP Sven Nijs on New Year’s Day, and easily, too. His biggest competitor, world champion Bart Wellens, who was five for five in the seven-race Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee series going into today’s race in Baal-Tremelo, in Belgium, was no threat in the snowy weather. Nijs took off very fast from the gun, leaving the pursuing peloton behind after the first lap. Wellens had chosen the wrong tires for the conditions – but even with the right rubber, he could not compete with the flying Nijs. Wellens and Ben Berden refused to abandon the chase, but Nijs had the

World champion Bart Wellens is five for five in the seven-race Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee series after winning the Azencross on Tuesday in Loenhout, Belgium. Wellens attacked on the first lap, and only Sven Nijs could match his pace. It was a two-man race that finally was settled when Nijs went astray in the final corner, leaving the door wide open for Wellens to win his fifth straight race. Nijs hung on for second, followed by Ben Berden in third. American Jonathan Page crossed in 18th place. Results1. Bart Wellens2. Sven Nijs3. Ben Berden4. Erwin Vervecken5. Peter Van Santvliet6. Sven

Belgian Ben Berden soloed to victory on Sunday in the Grand Prix of Belgium, the fourth round of the cyclo-cross World Cup. Dutchman Richard Groenendaal took off on the first lap in Koksijde, pursued by a host of Belgians. Sven Nijs took a spill and lost about 10 seconds, but first Bart Wellens, then Berden were able to join Groenendaal at the front. With three laps remaining, Groenendaal and Berden left Wellens behind – and during the last lap, Berden took off alone to win. Groenendaal hung on for second, followed by Erwin Vervecken, Wellens, Nijs and Sven Vanthourenhout. Nijs, winner of

Our man in Belgium, Marcel Van Hoecke, was on the job in Koksijde at the fourth round of the World Cup. A gallery of the usual Belgian battlers, along with a resurgent Richard Groenendaal and the tenacious Jonathan Page, is presented below. For the story, click here.

Bart Wellens won the latest round of the Superprestige cyclo-cross series on Christmas Day in Diegem, Belgium. It was his fourth win in five outings, and his 16th victory this season. In the early going, a lead group formed containing Wellens, Mario De Clercq, Sven Nijs, Tom Vannoppen and Erwin Vervecken. During a tactical game of “Who’ll take the lead?”, Wellens kept a low profile, but in the fifth lap he went for it, accelerating through a turn. Only De Clercq was able to keep up, but soon even he fell off the pace, eventually finishing second. Vervecken crossed third. American champion

Bart Wellens scored his 15th victory of the season on Sunday at the Vlaamse Druivenveldrit, a Category 1 cyclo-cross in Overijse, Belgium. The only question on his competitors’ minds these days is when Wellens will leave them behind. In Overijse, Wellens waited until the second lap to take off. “I didn't really start all that well,” said Wellens. Regardless of how well he started, Wellens finished just fine – the gap quickly grew too big for the pursuit to close, leaving Mario De Clercq and Sven Nijs to settle for second and third, respectively. Meanwhile, the newly crowned U.S.

Marc Gullickson (Redline) and Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles) made it two for two this weekend, each winning the final weekend’s worth of racing in the Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series. Today, in the Patterson Construction-NEBC Cyclo-Cross, riders were greeted with a course that was shockingly slick with ice, snow, and mud, pushing riders' abilities to the limit. In the men’s series, Mark McCormack (Saturn) held the lead in the overall standings over last year's series winner, Marc Gullickson (Redline), winner of the previous day's race in Rhode Island. Meanwhile, in the

Last year's Verge New England Cyclo-cross Series champions – Marc Gullickson (Redline) and Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles) – returned to the fore on Saturday as the series moves into its final weekend. From the starting whistle in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, the men's elite race was on fire. Series leader Mark McCormack (Saturn) got the hole shot on theuphill sprint start, with newly crowned under-23 national champion JesseAnthony (Hot Tubes) right on his wheel. By the end of the first lap, a leadgroup containing McCormack, Anthony, Gullickson, Ben Turner(7UP-Maxxis), and Zak Grabowski

Pro shooter Rob Karman of Roadbikephotos.com, who captured more than 3000 images from this past weekend's mud-splashed national cyclo-cross championships in Portland, Oregon, is selling those shots – along with a pledge to donate $1 from every 5-by-7 print and $2 from every 8-by-10 to the American Cyclo-cross Foundation (ACF). If you'd like a reminder of what it felt like to wear a few soggy pounds of Oregon real estate on your jersey, this is your chance. And you'll be helping the ACF with its annual drive to help send the U.S. cyclo-cross team to the world championships, which will be held

USA Cycling has released its list of automatic qualifiers for the 2004 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Pont–Château, France (January31-February 1, 2004).By virtue of their elite victories at the national cyclo-cross championshipsthis past weekend in Portland, Oregon, Jonathan Page and Alison Dunlap received automatic nominations in their respective categories.In the U23 men’s category, Jesse Anthony received an automatic nominationas the newly crowned national champion while Jeremy Powers was nominatedon the basis of his UCI cyclo-cross rankings.In the junior men’s category, national

There was no stopping reigning world champion Bart Wellens as he easilywon the third round of Belgium’s Gazet van Antwerpen-trophee series inKalmthout on Sunday.Wellens attacked early in the race and was quickly joined by Sven Nijs,Sven Vanthourenhout and Tom Vannoppen. The foursome managed to elude some big guns in the field, including Mario DeClerq and Richard Groenendaal.In the third lap Wellens showed his strength and rode off alone. Hewas in leading position with more than one minute when a hard-chasing Nijs had a mechanical and was forced to run to the pits, losing any advantage he had

The 2003 U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships kicked off Friday in Portland, Oregon, as collegiate and under-23 women and several masters categories slalomed through the soup toward the stars and stripes. It being December in the Pacific Northwest, the weather was gray and damp, and the course at Portland International Raceway slick and muddy in spots. Still, the track was relatively fast and flat, with a few off-camber bits to keep things interesting.

On Sunday, December 14, one man and woman will be crowned elite national cyclo-cross champions in Portland, Oregon. And while nothing is ever guaranteed in bike racing, there are three near-certainties for the weekend: The race will be contested in wet, muddy conditions; the crowd will be downing plenty of race sponsor Portland Brewing Company’s beer; and the winners of both events will likely have been previously crowned national ‘cross champion. The forecast for the weekend is rain followed by rain and then more rain. Local Cross Crusade promoter Brad Ross is known as a beer-drinking,

In Colorado bike racing, there’s the “fed” and there’s the “rebellion” and rarely the twain shall meet. But this past weekend, Heather Szabo and Travis Brown left no question as to who could claim the state’s cyclo-cross championship. On Saturday, Szabo and Brown both laid claim to the American Cycling Association’s Colorado state cyclo-cross championship, a feat the two repeated on Sunday when they took on the USCF’s Colorado state championship event. Szabo made it look easy Saturday as she led the women’s ACA event from the start, soloing to beat second-place Julie Emmerman on a

Sven Nijs locked up his 13th career World Cup cyclo-cross win on Sunday, taking round three of the six-race series in Wetzikon. Sunday’s win, narrowly ahead of fellow Belgian Bart Wellens, establishes a new World Cup record, an accomplishment all the more impressive considering that Nijs is just 27 years old. The win also means Nijs is undefeated in World Cup competition this season after he won the October 26 opening round in Torino, Italy and again on November 16, in St. Wendel, Germany. Nijs and Wellens fought a heated battle Sunday. The two Belgians shot off the front in the first lap

Sunday's fifth round of the Verge New England Championship Series has been rescheduled due to the snowstorm sweeping the Northeast, organizers said Saturday. The WE Stedman Grand Prix in Rhode Island has been rescheduled for December 20, creating a big double weekend with another category-3 race, the Patterson Construction/NEBC Cyclo-Cross and Series finals, slated the next day in Merrimack, New Hampshire. "We're up and ready to go with the race," said event organizer Joel Brown of Pavé Productions. "We have plows and snowblowers ready, as well as an alternate course from what we've run in

The 2003 Vergegear.com Mid-Atlantic Cyclo-Cross Championship Serieswrapped up with racing action at Blue Diamond Park 'Cross in New Castle,Delaware. This first time venue scored a big thumbs -up from both Mid-Atlantic'crossers and spectators as it was one of the most interesting and diversecourses this season. The host team, First State Velo Sport, made greatuse of the BMX-moto-cross Park terrain while still keeping the course "cross-friendly". That said, good technical skills were still a must for the day. With the sound of moto-cross bikes in the background, the elite womencharged off the

After the all-star fields at the past two stops in the Verge New EnglandCyclo-cross series, Sunday’s round four race in Farmington, Connecticut,seemed downright subdued. Right until the starter’s gun sounded. Despite smaller than normal fieldsand with none of the West Coast crowd in town, the cream rose to the topin Farmington and that cream had a distinctly New Englandy flavor. Saturn’sMark McCormack, the region’s undisputed bike racing hero, stomped awayin the elite men’s event, while Anna Milkowski, riding for the Maine-basedGearworks-Spin Arts squad, won the elite women’s affair. For

He sure isn't the "Lion King." Unlike the case in road racing, it appears as though there is no “curse of the rainbow” in cyclo-cross, as Bart Wellens continues to excel, even while toting the world champion’s jersey this year. Wellens took first in Sunday’s Superprestige in Gieten, in northern Holland. Wellens was the only rider able to stay with an early attack from fellow Belgian Tom Vannoppen. Vannoppen charged off the front in the opening lap, dropping most of the field. Once Wellens connected with the day’s early leader, the two stayed together for only a single lap as Wells took

The smart money was on Bart Wellens or Sven Nijs in Saturday's Bollekescross in Hamme-Zogge, Belgium – but it was Mario De Clerq who pulled off a surprise win, ahead of Ben Berden and Tom Vannoppen. Reigning world champ Wellens finished fifth, while Belgian champ Nijs had to settle for ninth after a last-lap spill with Richard Groenendaal. But regardless of finishing order, it was another banner day for the hometown crowd, with Italy's Enrico Franzoi the only non-Belgian to crack the top 10. American champion Jonathan Page finished 15th on the day, but said he wasn't feeling well and is

Bart Wellens easily took the third round of cyclo-cross’s Superprestigeseries in Gavere, Belgium, on Sunday.Wellens powered to a substantial lead, finishing nearly three minutes ahead of fellow Belgians Erwin Vervecken and Sven Nijs.The reigning world champion took control of the race within the first few meters after the start and never looked back, building his final winning margin over Vervecken to 2:50.Wellens’s win is his second of the series thus far, after he won the opener in Ruddervoorde and then lost to Nijs in round 2 at Sint-Michielsgestel in the Netherlands.Superprestige Round 3,

The big boys of European cyclo-cross tuned up for Sunday's Superprestige race in Asper-Gavere, Belgium, by tackling a 'cross in Hooglede. Our man Marcel Van Hoecke was on the job, and he forwarded some photos of the action. Results1. Bart Wellens (B)2. Sven Nijs (B)3. Ben Berden (B)4. Maxime Lefebre (F)5. Erwin Vervecken (B) For more, see Marcel's website.

With a fresh blanket of snow on the ground, and temperatures toppingout in the 20s, Boulder Racing’s final series race proved to be classiccyclo-cross in all forms. Freezing temps, snow, ice and mud brought thetrue cyclo-crossers out to test their skills. As the day progressed thesnow on the well-ridden track turned the dirt to mud, making clipless pedalsa disadvantage. Indeed, the master’s winner claimed the victory on a veryretro’ pair of toe clips and straps. Both pro races proved to have it abit easier, with the mud refreezing during the races and making it muchless sticky and making the

Sven Nijs and Hanka Kupfernagel both won the second round of the cyclo-cross World Cup series in St. Wendel, Germany on Sunday. Thriving in what can best be described as Belgian conditions; Nijs bettered a surprisingly strong Jiri Pospisil of the Czech Republic. "I was surprised by Pospisil but these conditions favor him," said Nijs, "What remains to be seen is if he can race like this on different types of courses." Nijs, racing in a continuous cold downpour and heavy mud was relieved of his strongest competitor when world champion Bart Wellens crashed in the midpoint of the race and was

If things get any better for Clif Bar riders during their forays to EastCoast cyclo-cross races, they may relocate from their balmy base in SanFrancisco’s Bay Area to the colder, but welcoming air of New England andthe Mid-Atlantic. Clif Bar’s Carmen D’Alusio and Jackson Stewart won theirrespective races at Sunday’s Cycle-Smart International ‘Cross race in Northampton, Mass., the second day running that the NorCal team swept the top spots at an eastern ‘cross event. Fresh off her commanding win in New Jersey, D’Alusio and teammate GinaHall wasted no time making the Northampton race, stop

Team Clif Bar won both elite events in the Highland Park (N.J.) Cyclo-Cross on Saturday, round eight of the Vergegear.com Mid-Atlantic Championship Cyclo-Cross Series. Clif Bar teammates Carmen D’Aluisio and Gina Hall established the early pace in the women’s race, with Hall on the front. D’Aluisio eventually overtook her teammate and rode the remainder of the race solo, increasing her lead with each lap and cruising in for the victory. Hall crossed a minute behind D’Aluisio for second. Anna Milkowski (Gearworks-SpinArts) who had two strong races in the Mid-Atlantic series last weekend,

Northern California cross fans were greeted to a great day of 'cross racing Sunday at the third round of the Bay Area Super Prestige Series. Cyclo-cross powerhouses Travis Brown, Todd Wells, Marc Gullickson, Jackson Stewart and Andy Jacques-Maynes all wore each other down trading for the lead. For most of the race, Brown made concerted efforts to get to that front group and was repeatedly forced to close gaps. With four laps to go, Brown caught the lead group of Gully, Wells and Maynes and attacked in a technical uphill section. The group was back together a lap later and with two laps

ASI/Fuji America has announced plans to offer neutral support servicesat several U.S. cyclo-cross venues this season. The new Fuji Neutral CrossSupport Program will be offered through Northeast Racing Services.This season, Fuji's neutral 'cross support will initially be focused onEast Coast events, but is available to any promoter in North America. Theprogram remains in effect for the remainder of the 2003 cyclo-cross seasonand Fuji expects to offer a full schedule next year.The Fuji Neutral Cross program will be operated and run by Northeast Racing Services director, David Fike. The

There were both new and familiar faces on the podium at Canada’s national cyclo-cross championships in Vancouver on Sunday. Peter Wedge (Kona Factory) took his sixth national title in the men's race, while Wendy Simms (Steed Cycles-Frontrunners) won the women's competition in only her fifth-ever start in a cyclo-cross race. Mountain bike national champion Max Plaxton (Gears Racing) won the junior men's competition, while Kris Sneddon (Kona) took the Under-23 men's title. Wedge dominated the men's race, immediately breaking away from the field. After one lap he was 15 seconds ahead of a

After weeks of racing in unseasonably mild conditions, riders were finally greeted by cold, windy cyclo-cross weather as they arrived in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, for the Saturn Classic, the first day of a double-header weekend in the Vergegear.com Mid-Atlantic Cyclo-Cross Championship Series. The elite races started with a long road prologue that enabled Marianne Stover (Gearworks-Spin Arts) to establish a small gap by the time the women hit the pits for the first time. Sarah Uhl (Saturn) sat in second, a small gap between her and the rest of the field. While Stover and Uhl worried about

Belgian Sven Nijs (Rabobank) won the second round of the Superprestige cyclo-cross series on Sunday at Sint-Michielsgestel, the Netherlands. The champion of Belgium beat countryman and world champ Bart Wellens, the runner-up at 10 seconds back. It was Nijs's 21st Superprestige victory, tying the record of compatriot Roland Liboton. Nijs and Wellens, winner of the series opener October 19 at Ruddervoorde, Belgium, are now tied for the overall series lead going into round three November 23 at Asper-Gavere, Belgium. – Copyright 2003/AFP Results from round two of the Superprestige series:1.

After spending most of Saturday’s Granogue Estate ‘cross race dangling in second place behind winner Todd Wells (Mongoose-Hyundai), Ryan Trebon (Kona-CCA) exacted his revenge on Sunday at the Prophecy Creek ‘Cross in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Trebon took his first elite ‘cross win in the second race of an East Coast UCI double-header, taking the win ahead of Wells. Trebon and Wells comprised half of a four-man break that went away early on the flat, fast course. Clif Bar duo Jackson Stewart and Andy Jacques-Maynes comprised the other half of the break, and looked set to take advantage of the

In another Belgian podium sweep, Sven Nijs drew first blood in the 2003-2004 World Cup with a two-centimeter sprint victory over world and defending World Cup champion Bart Wellens. Fellow Belgian Ben Berden led in the chase group, finishing this World Cup opener in Torino, Italy, ahead of Dutchman Richard Groenendaal and Belgian Sven Vanthourenhout. “I felt very good today, but I knew from the start that I must be tactically perfect and must have great luck," the new World Cup leader told VeloNews. "If I am not the winner, I could easily be 10th.” Wellens told VeloNews that he was not

When Nico Vouilloz and Anne-Caroline Chausson bowed out of the mainstream gravity scene, the possibilities opened back up for riders who carried something other than a French passport. But, at the inaugural Jeep King of the Mountains event, which paired male and female racers into “national” teams, Cedric Gracia (Siemens-Cannondale) and Sabrina Jonnier (Intense) recaptured the glory of yesteryear for France, taking both the men’s and women’s titles and a commanding lead in the country standings. The made-for-TV event, held in Wintergreen, Virginia on June 29, was the first of a three race

Enrico Franzoi said he had a lot of reasons to ride his heart out in the under-23 men’s world cyclo-cross championship on Saturday, but one was more important than all the others. To be sure, Franzoi said riding in front of the home crowd in Monopoli, Italy, offered ample motivation. But Franzoi said he was driven by a promise he made to his late mother this past August, and as it turned out, he had little difficulty keeping it. Franzoi was among the first to reach the critical first turn after a fast start up a slightly rising 600-meter stretch of pavement. “I started strong, like I

This weekend, a sandy, wind-blown stretch of beach right at the top of the heel of Italy’s “boot” will play host to cycling’s oddest annual pilgrimage: The world cyclo-cross championships. As always, the two-day bash will be heralded by bass bands, beer, frites and mayonnaise and the usual assortment of funny hats. Hotels and campgrounds around Monopoli, Italy have been filling up all week and caravans of those and giant European tour buses are filling parking lots throughout the area. The attraction is a grand total of three-and-a-half hours of racing, spread out over two days. And, as has

Bart Wellens led yet another Belgian sweep in cyclo-cross, this time at the fourth round of the UCI World Cup in Wetzikon, Switzerland on Sunday. Wellens - who won here two years ago, before the Swiss ‘cross classic earned World Cup status – was the first of a five-man group Belgians to take the top spots at one of the final warm-ups before the world championships in two weeks. With his win, his second World Cup victory of the year, Wellens takes over the top spot in the World Cup standings, leading defending world champion Mario De Clerq by 15 points. Wellens finished 29 seconds ahead of

National cyclo-cross championships were held throughout Europe on Sunday. As is usually the case, the most closely watched titles were up for grabs in Belgium and Holland, where Sven Nijs and Richard Groenendaal scored wins in the men’s events and Hilde Quintens and Daphny Van den Brand took the women’s titles.With Belgians taking four of the last five elite men’s world titles, Sunday’s race in Wielsbeke, Belgium, may be an indicator of the finishing order at the world championships in Monopoli, Italy on Febrary 2. Sven Nijs outsprinted fellow escapee Ben Berden, finishing 17 seconds ahead of

Belgian Sven Nijs took the third round of the UCI’s World Cup cyclo-cross series in Liévin, France on Sunday, after his Rabobank teammate, Dutchman Richard Groenendaal, encountered difficulties in the second half of the hour-long race. Groenendaal maintains the overall lead in the series and appeared set to win his second World Cup race of the season on Sunday as he powered out of an elite group of riders that included Nijs and world champion Mario de Clerq. Fast start-tough course The race began with a fast charge out of the field by Dutch champion Gerben de Knegt, but the Rabobank man

Richard Groenendaal finally broke the Belgian grip on international cyclo-crossSunday as he won the second round of the UCI World Cup in Kalmthout, Belgium.Racing in front of a crowd of 6000 spectators, the Dutch Rabobank ‘crossspecialist brought an element of suspense back into the discipline’s topseries, leaving the World Cup standings in a three-way tie between himself,Bart Wellens and world champion Mario de Clerq.Groenendaal celebrated his 12th ever World Cup in muddy conditions that areto said to be his specialty. Bart Wellens, winner of the opening World Cupround last month in

It’s been a long and active season on the American cyclo-cross scene this year. Despite the absence of a national series like the SuperCup, the U.S. schedule has offered a full selection of UCI-sanctioned races, leading up to this weekend’s Shimano-USCF Cyclo-cross National Championships at the Domaine Chandon vineyards in Napa, California. The UCI points earned at those events are a valuable commodity for riders hoping to make the U.S. team traveling to the world championships in Monopoli, Italy on the first weekend of February. Topping the list on the women’s side is ClifBar’s Carmen

Fine weather and a fast course welcomed star-studded fields to Napa Valley College for the final round of the Redline Cup of Cyclo-cross, on Sunday December 8, as series leaders Todd Wells and Gina Hall arrived to successfully defend their leads in the West coast series. With the national championships just a week away in nearby Yountville, the Redline Cup finals had dual implications: not only were the daily prizes and series win on the line, but the all-important “natz” starting positions and Worlds' team points also weighed heavily on racers’ minds. Riders battled on a fast course under

Five inches of snow in Southern New Hampshire did little to slow the action for the final round of the 2002 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series in Merrimack, where Mongoose-Hyundai’s Marc Gullickson wrapped up the series title with a convincing win. U.S. 40+ Champion Jodi Groesbeck scored her first win in a women’s series that has been dominated by Seven’s Mary McConneloug, who had already earned the series title, despite her absence on Sunday. Heavy TrafficCalling the Verge Series a priority, Gullickson flew to New England for the final time this year from his Boulder,

Thomas Frischknecht still has significant ties to the San Francisco Bay Area after a long career sponsored by Tom Ritchey and a quick visit to the Bay Area for the Coyote Point Cyclo-cross in San Mateo offered Frischknecht an opportunity to cross swords with some of the best homegrown talent. National Champion Todd Wells was on the start line, Saturn’s Tim Johnson, the Northern California Clif Bar team of Jackson Stewart and Andy Jaques-Maynes, Andy’s twin Ben and Justin Robinson the the Spokesmen/Bullion squad, and northwest powers from Kona/Kenwood Barry Wicks, Bart Bowen and Eric Tonkin

It is said that, when the cat is away, the mice will play, and that was, in a sense, almost literally the case Sunday at the Microsoft Seattle Metro Cyclo-cross Series in North Seatac, Wash. With Jonny “The Cat” Sundt, along with a handful of other top cyclo-cross racers, out of town for the Redline Cup in Salt Lake City, Steve Crosier (Redline) and Christi Berg (Bicycle Centre) took convincing wins over what was left of the local talent pool. It was the sixth round of the Metro Series, this round sponsored by Gregg’s Greenlake, with a course that was equal parts technical and power.

Spaarselect’s Bart Wellens won the opening round of the UCI World Cup for cyclo-cross in Frankfurt on Sunday. Wellens, who won last week’s third round of the Superprestige series, finished 13 seconds ahead of world champion Mario de Clerq and defending World Cup champion Sven Nijs. Dutchman Richard Groenendaal finished fourth, again missing the podium on the heels of a Belgian sweep. The four men remained close throughout the opening portion of the race, with Wellens and Nijs trading the lead. With two laps remaining, Wellens made a decisive attack, building a 10-second gap within 500

The UCI's five-race World Cup of cyclo-cross kicks off this Sundaywith the Grand Prix of Frankfurt. Earlier this year, we had a chance tospeak with the series’s technical director Adri Van der Poel about whathe has in mind for this season, for the future and for the sport in general.When he took over his current job two years ago, Van der Poel said he wasready to make changes: changes in course design, changes in the scheduleand, “hopefully, some changes in attitude.” With more than 20 years of mud-slogging and barrier-hopping behind him,the Dutch superstar brought a rider’s perspective to

Belgian Bart Wellens (Spaar-Select) easily won the third round of the Superprestige cyclo-cross series in northern Belgian city of Gavere on Sunday. Wellens managed to escape early in the race and maintained a healthy one-minute lead throughout the hour-long ‘cross race. Wellens finished 1:22 ahead of world champion Mario de Clerq and well ahead of fellow Belgians Peter van Santvliet and Sven Nijs. Indeed, Belgians swept the top five spots on Sunday, leaving Dutchman Richard Groenendaal, who finished in sixth place along side Belgian Erwin Vervecken, as the day’s top “non-Belgian”

Todd Wells’ Saturday at the Sportsbook.com Cross in Lancaster, Pennsylvania started and ended with a bang. For starters, the Mongoose-Hyundai rider was rear-ended just 20 feet from the race site. The steep downhill section, just after an intersection, led into a 90-degree left turn into Manor Township Park. As Wells joined the line of traffic waiting to make turn into the parking lot, an unnamed local driver crested the hilltop intersection at speed, first smashing into Wells’ mother, who was driving behind him, and who then slammed into Wells’ rented mini-van. Fortunately, Wells handily

There were a lot of new faces on the podium for the 2002 Canadian National Cyclo-cross Championships, in St-Augustin, Quebec. Lyne Bessette(CyclocrossWorld) and Roddi Lega (Alberta) won the Canadian titles, in the face of constant winds that pushed the windchill to a numbing -15C. The 2002 Nationals were held on the grounds of Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy. St-Augustin is on the outskirts of Quebec City, home to Louis Garneau Inc., the cycle clothing manufacturer who was the title sponsor of this year's national championships. While the terrain is mostly flat, the organizers were able to put

For the first time in seven years, U.S. cyclo-crossers will not havea national SuperCup series to target. Whether it was the original eight-racecontest in 1996 held under the auspices of USA Cycling, or the abbreviatedthree-race, east-of-the-Rockies schedule run last year by the Kiron Group,the SuperCup has been the only game in town when it came to a nationalseries.And now, for lack of sponsorship, it’s gone.But don’t fret, fans and racers. With a whopping 18 UCI races scheduledin the United States, there promises to be as much high level racing asever. And beyond that, a sport that once was

Cyclo-cross season is officially underway in the state of Washington, where local pros Jonny Sundt (K2) and Dale Knapp (Kona) went toe-to-toe over the weekend in two races held in the span of less than 24 hours.

Cyclo-cross ordinarily isn’t in the headlines during May – but USA Cycling has just submitted 18 ’cross races, twice as many as last season, to the UCI for its 2002 International Cyclo-cross Calendar. Top-shelf racing will be on tap from coast to coast this year, with the inaugural Redline Cup series in Washington state, Salt Lake City and Napa, California; the Monkey Hill Cyclo-cross in Wilmington, Delaware; and other races in New Hampshire, Oregon, Maine, Colorado, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Ohio. “The growth of the schedule is testament to the cooperation

Left out of the SuperCup cyclo-cross series for the past two years, the West Coast is striking out on its own for 2002 with the three-race Redline Cup of Cyclo-cross series, according to Redline’s Tim Rutledge. The inaugural series of UCI-approved Category 3 races begins October 20 in Tacoma, Washington, the day after a UCI Cat. 3 event scheduled in Portland, Oregon. It continues November 23 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and concludes December 8 in Napa, California, where Rick Sutton and GaleForce Sports Marketing — who promoted the 1999 U.S. national championships at the Presidio in San

Belgians might be passionate about cyclo-cross, but Zolder proved that their love of the sport doesn’t keep them mired in tradition. While ’cross usually conjures up visions of slop-covered racers sliding through mud and hurdling obstacles with almost ballet-like grace, this year’s world-championship course left the barriers, the log-strewn run-ups and the mud for the history books. Instead, with dry weather, no hurdles and temperatures in the 60s, the emphasis was on speed and a touch of teamwork. If Dutchman Richard Groenendaal benefited from a muddy, home-field advantage the weekend

Welcome home. If cyclo-cross has a home, Belgium has to be it. This is where cyclo-cross belongs. The assembly of broadcast towers outside of the pressroom might tell you that. Or maybe it’s Belgian Television’s two hour prime time special devoted to cyclo-cross and this weekend’s world championship in Zolder. If not, maybe the 3000 fans lined up to watch practice laps on Friday might tell you that, in Belgium, cyclo-cross is more than just a pastime. And now that the world championship is home again in Belgium, the Flemish hosts are pulling out all the stops. This weekend’s world

Junior Jesse Anthony (Saturn Development) sealed up a berth on the world championship team with a win at the SuperCup finals on Sunday. Anthony battled for much of the race with Devo riders Jeremy Powers and Brent Bookwalter, Rad Racing's Aaron Bradford, and GoMart's Mike House, who had fought his way up through the pack after a first-lap crash. Those five rode together as a pack in the final lap, before Anthony attacked before the U-turn heading into the final barriers. He opened up a gap and took the win alone, leaving the chasers to battle in a four-way finish for second. Powers took the

Belgian Bart Wellens (Spaar-Select) won the eighth and final round of the Superprestige cyclo-cross series in Harnes, France, on Sunday. Wellens outsprinted Dutchman Richard Groenendaal, who had already wrapped up the overall title after round 7 in Diegem, Belgium. 30 seconds later came Belgian Sven Nijs, followed by world champion Erwin Vervecken. With his win, Wellens finished second in the overall standings, one of eight Belgians in the top 10.

She almost wins on intimidation alone. When asked how they assessed their chances at start of the women’s race at the 2001 World Cyclo-cross Championships in Tabor in the Czech Republic, most riders framed their responses in terms of how they might fare against Hanka Kupfernagel. As the sport’s first world champion, the German has come to dominate the relatively young women’s side of cyclo-cross. And, in its second year as a world championship event, Kupfernagel made sure that the biggest competition of the day would be for second place.

Cyclo-cross, an admittedly small niche in a relatively small sport, has a passionate fan base, especially in Europe. The world championships this weekend in Tabor in the Czech Republic have attracted fans from across the continent. Busloads of Belgians, trainloads of Dutch and long car caravans of Swiss have descended on this Czech city. And with them, they bring all the markings of true fans, hoping to make their affiliations quite clear. Flags are everywhere, but hats and the occassional spike-spined orange jumpsuit can do a lot to clarify who it is you're cheering for.

"It’s Kansas … only with hills." On close inspection, Dale Knapp’s description of the world cyclo-cross championship course in Tábor in the Czech Republic is fairly accurate: The world’s course, huddled beneath a collection of Soviet-era concrete apartment blocks, is quite reminiscent of the U.S. national championship loop in Overland Park, Kansas. And, if weather predictions hold true, there may be a few more reminders of that weekend back in December. Knapp and the rest of the U.S. contingent are based at Tábor’s Goldbrick Hotel, just a mile from the course and, for the most part, the

At the sixth round of the cyclo-cross World Cup series in Pontchateau, France, some eerie bunkers from WWII served as powerful memories that I won’t soon forget. Another powerful memory I'll take home from the January 21 event is one of the toughest cyclo-cross courses I’ve ever raced on. The course was set in a river basin, and someone saw to it that we were to traverse up and down the side of the river valley a number of times just to make things interesting. It worked. With a number of power climbs, fast descents, and off-camber, muddy turns, my last Euro’ race of the season was a

National cyclo-cross championships were held throughout Europe on Sunday, and with the world championships just three weeks away, national teams for the world’s in Tabor, Czech Republic, began to take shape as well. In the Netherlands, Superprestige series winner and World Cup leader Richard Groenendaal easily won the Dutch championship as he prepares for the defense of his world title. In Belgium, two-time world champion Mario De Clercq took his first Belgian title, while the favorite, Sven Nijs crashed twice and could manage only a sixth place finish. Other winners on Sunday included

Petr Dlask won the Czech Republic’s national cyclo-cross championship on Saturday in Tabor, at the same venue where the world cyclo-cross championships will take place February 3-4. Saturday’s race was contested on a 2.85km course that was frozen and covered with snow. Fifth in the World Cup standings, Dlask beat out two other members of the Author Expandia team, Jiri Pospisil and Vaclav Jezek.

Officials from USA Cycling released the final roster of riders bound for Tabor in the Czech Republic to contest the world cyclo-cross championships, February 3-4. SuperCup cyclo-cross series winners Marc Gullickson (Mongoose) and Ann Grande (Kona-Voicestream) will head the eight-rider team. Dale Knapp (Kona-Voicestream) and Rachel Lloyd (Novo-Sycip) fill out the other spots in the U.S. elite squad offered by USA Cycling. Alan Obye and Josh Anthony will race in Under-23 event, while Jeremy Powers and Aaron Bradford will represent the U.S. in the junior men's race. Notably absent from the

Belgian cyclo-crosser Sven Nijs (Rabobank) continued his late-season charge on Sunday, winning the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, round five of the six-round World Cup series. Nijs beat Czech Petr Dlask and Dutchman Richard Groenendaal to take his second World Cup win of the 2000-01 season. Nijs, Dlask and Groenendaal jumped out to the early lead in Zeddam, opening up a gap on chasers such as Erwin Vervecken, Mario De Clercq and Gerben De Knegt. But with three laps remaining, Groenendaal fell back, victim of a mechanical problem. The world champion chased back, only to crash on the

With budget concerns limiting USA Cycling's support of a national cyclo-cross team at world championships in Tabor, Czech Republic, February 3-4, the American Cyclo-cross Foundation has launched a last-minute drive to raise enough money to field an eight-person squad. USA Cycling is funding trips for five riders: one elite man, one elite woman, one under-23 man, and two juniors. The ACF is attempting to raise enough money for three additional riders, at an estimated cost of $1500 per rider. The American Cyclo-cross Foundation is a private group set up to funnel donations from

Rabobank's Sven Nijs proved Sunday's edition of the Superprestige cyclo-cross series in Diegem, Belgium, belonged to the hometown favorites. Nijs finished at the top Belgian sweep of the top five spots. Hey, maybe his teammate, Richard Groenendaal isn't invincible after all. Don't bet on it ... even after the man who has dominated the 2000-2001 cyclo-cross season finished sixth, giving the Dutchman the day's top non-Belgian spot in the seventh race in the eight-race series. While Groenendaal had a tougher time than usual -- finishing in a group, 1:20 behind Nijs -- he remains in charge of

Editor's note: He's back. There, not here, that is. American cyclo-cross racer Alex Candelario returned to Belgium last week to continue his season of 'cross racing where it matters. Candelario started his season in Europe, then came home to contest the U.S. national championships in December (where he finished 10th) and is now back in Belgium for the remainder of the season. He checked in on Tuesday with this latest account of the Belgian 'cross chronicles. On Christmas day, I left the comforts of family and the loved one to venture back to the snowy fields of Belgium.