Canadian Cyclist Cyclocross World Championships: Men's UPDATES

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January 30/11 7:22 am - Cyclocross World Championships: Men's UPDATES

Posted by Editoress on 01/30/11

Men's World Championships

Our coverage made possible with the support of Shimano

The sun continues to shine in St. Wendel and this will make the course hopefully drier as the 59 starters in the Elite men's race head out for 60 min (10 laps?) 12 laps

The crowd for the women's race was large. Some photographers missed the finish of the women's race as they could not get through in time. The Belgian fans are (as always) the biggest contingent, but the Swiss have come out in large numbers too.

7:57 am (EST)

The temperature has gone up a bit since this morning and the course is actually getting 'slicker' in some places.

Lap 1

Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic) leads the bunch as they set a frenetic pace. Just before the barriers a crash at the back. Men have no problem with that off camber climb

Already a group with Sybar and Belgians forming at the front

The Canadians were caught behind the crash and are now in the last group

Lap 2

8:05 am Still Stybar with Tom Meeusen (Belgium) on his wheel. Jonathan Page ( United States of America) sitting 5th

Derrick St John (Canada) is in the pit with a mechanical

8:07 am: The Belgians are attacking. Sven Nys (Belgium) has gone to the front and is setting the pace with Stybar 2nd

8:10 am : Niels Albert Kevin Pauwels (Belgium) has now jumped off the front and is now away with a small gap on a large group of chasers.

8:11 am: He has been caught and Nys goes to the front again.

Lap 3

Nys at the front of a nearly all blue group. Page sitting 3rd,

Francis Mourey (France) now taking the lead

Craig Richey (Canada) seems to have found his motor and is catching riders and moving forward. St John has not recovered from his mechanical and is well back

Lap 4

8:18 am: Stybar, Nys and Philipp Walsleben (Germany) cross to start Lap 4

Kevin Pauwels (Belgium) 3rd, Marco Aurelio Fontana (Italy) 4th, Klaas Vantornout (Belgium), Steve Chainel (France), Bart Wellens (Belgium), Francis Mourey (France)

8:22 am: Leaders have been joined by the chasers (Fontana, Vantornout and Pauwels) and there are now 6 out front. Mourey crashed and lost contact. Page is off the pace as well

Lap 5

8:25 am

Stybar, Nys, Vantornout, Walsleben, Pauwels, Fontana cross together. Chainel and Bart Wellens (Belgium) Tom Meeusen (Belgium) cross at 15 sec

Lap 6 (6 to go)

8:30 am

Nys and Stybar hav a gap of 7 seconds on 3 chasers: Vantornout, Walsleben, Pauwel. Fontana at 16 sec. Chainel and Wellens at 29 sec

Canadians are well back ....and will soon be lapped?

Lap 7 (5 to go)

2 Leaders cross with a gap of 19 sec on the 3 chasers. Fontana at 23 sec, Chainel at 40 sec

8:37 am

Up the stairs and it is Nys leading the way, but Stybar looks comfortable

8:39 Stybar attacks

Chase group now 4 as Fontana has joined them

Stybar has a good gap on Sybar as they head to the end of the lap

Lap 8 (4 to go)

Stybar, Nys at 7 sec, 4 chasers at 57 sec

Next group is Gadret, Heule, Wellens, Meeusen, Mourey but they are well back at 1:20

8:45 am

Stybar is hammering away from Nys who does not seem to have much left in the tank.

This will be Stybar's final Worlds with Telenet-Fidea team - he moves over to the road with Quick Step in March

Lap 9 (3 to go)

Stybar, Nys at 20 sec. , 4 chasers at 1:05

MTBer Fontana is having an impressive ride. Bunny hopping the barriers and no problems at all with the slippery off camber section, but he does not have the speed of the others on the flats.

We think the Canadians have been pulled

Lap 10 (2 to go)

8:54 am

Stybar, Nys at 17 sec. Walsleben 3rd at 1:05 Vantornout 4th at 1:06, Pauwels 5th at 1:09. Fontana 6th at 1:20. Mourey 7th at 1:37

Lap 11 (1 to go)

9 am

Stybar crosses with a gap of 18 sec on Nys. 3 chasers cross together at 1:26. Fontana at 1:34

It is going to be a battle for 3rd. Walslebentook a bike change at the end of the last lap and is being very aggressive, but the Belgians just may gang up on him

9:04 am

It just got more interesting for 3rd, as the chasers have been caught by Mourey and Fontana

Final

Unofficial

1 Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic), 1:06:37

2 Sven Nys (Belgium) at 0:189

3 Kevin Pauwels (Belgium), 1:15

4 Francis Mourey (France), 1:16

5 Philipp Walsleben (Germany) 1:18

6 Klaas Vantornout (Belgium) 1:23

7 Marco Aurelio Fontana (Italy) 1:51

8 Bart Wellens (Belgium) 2:01