Prague, the main train station

I didn’t arrive at Plzen in time on Saturday to shoot anything, so the day started for me on Sunday morning, with the juniors’ race. Here Mathieu van der Poel throws his overshoes to a team helper.

There was plenty of snow around but none on the course, it was just very, very muddy.

Quentin Hermans did put up quite a fight and made Van der Poel work hard for this win.

Double whammy – both bikes have lost their saddles. Not a good day for an unknown Italian junior rider.

Hermans’ attack didn’t stick and Van der Poel pulled away and he spent the last two laps in the front on his own.

Katie Compton’s Trek with very cool decals.

This photo shows how busy the start was right after the start of thte U23 field

Mike Teunissen (the man in white) was the force to be reckoned with for the most part of this season. After a bad start, however, he was riding mid-field in an attempt to salvage some points.

The course was very muddy so the mechanics worked their arses off to clean the bikes: most riders changed bikes every time they rode past the depo.

Wietse Bosmans is back – after a frustratingly long bad streak he won his first major race this season

The popular ‘cross reality, ‘Behind the barriers’ in the making

Steve Chainel was only watching the race today

Katie Compton focuses on the start sign, moments before the women’s race

In the first few laps it seemed that Sanne van Paassen would carry on obliterating the field but she became slower and slower and then she lost the fight even for the third place. Note Helen Wyman in the background: this photo was taken in the first lap and it was so muddy that many riders, including her, opted to change bikes with only half lap into the race.

The Rapha-Focus kit is prettiest kit around

I loved Kaitlin Antonneau’s remarkably determined look.

Nancy Bober fell on her knees on a tricky (and very muddy) slope

Nikki Harris didn’t have a good start, but with a great ride she moved up dynamically in the field and she was fast enough to grab a podium place eventually

Another Brit, another great ride: Helen Wyman upped the ante and finished second, one up from last week’s third place. The last time she finished second at a World Cup was back in 2006, the only place she is still missing is the first…

I didn’t know what to expect from the grande dame of the sport but Hanka Kupfernagel showed great form and finished in the top 10.

After a forgettable start, Katie Compton worked her way up to the front of the race and she left the opposition behind in the last lap, riding to the finish line on her own. This win was an important step towards her goal to win the overall title

It just shows how incredibly hard this race was. Most the riders were spent upon finishing

Amy Dombroski flashes a cheeky (and knackered) smile

Francesca Cauz didn’t seem happy with her race

A very happy and equally muddy Mark Legg-Compton

Helen Wyman loving her second place, Nikki Harris smiles quietly in the background

Zdenek Stybar was only a guest today, hence the regular attire

Zdenek Stybar was only a guest today, hence the regular attire

As always, Tom Meeusen started strong. Note the falling Mathieu Boullo in the background

Rob Peeters rode well but during one his visits to the pits, he failed to stop. The rules says that if you enter the pit area, you have to get off your bike, even if you decided not to swap bikes. He has failed to do so, hence he was disqualified.

Gerben de Knegt charges ahead after a quick pit stop.

Radomir Simunek was trying really hard once again, this was his second race in his homeland. Whichever point of the course he arrived at, the crowd welcomed him with huge cheering

Niels Albert attacked early in the race and while the chasing riders were never too far, they have failed to close the gap. In the penultimate lap, the gap came down to only 8 seconds between Albert and Klaas Vantornout

I love Klaas Vantornout, he’s very solid rider, he is always a top contender, but he always seem to lack that tiny little extra push that would allow him finally a major win. He got as close as 8 seconds to Albert but then he never managed to catch up with him and had to settle for second.

Jeremy Powers crashed hard right after the start but he was dead-last by the time they reached the first kilometer of the race. He was visibly demoralised by the setback.

Kevin Pauwels chases Niels Albert

Tom Meeusen’s dedicated face, mud and the photographer’s favourite Golden Hour – what more can one ask for?

Katie Compton cools down, while her back-up bike is spruced up by her victory bouquet.

The mud turned into this horrible, sticky substance by late afternoon, making every pedal stroke very hard work for the riders

Jeremy Powers on the top of the famous staircase of Plzen

Gerben de Knegt starts his last lap. At this point all cards are on the table, most riders do everything they can to not to lose momentum. Yet, in this corner, quite a few riders slowed down to a halt – De Knegt wasn’t one of them.

Niels Albert finishes the race in the ‘crossfire’ of the at least a dozen cameras

Vantornout, the great team mate he is, turns back to check whether Pauwels has got a chance to grab the second place but Peeters’ presence meant that giving up second wouldn’t do any good to Pauwels, so he reluctantly crossed the finish line

The classic, thousand-yard stare, performed by Tom Meeusen

Another knackered rider, Francis Mourey

Rob Peeters was furious when he learnt about the disqualification. The exchange with the UCI commissaire was in Flemish, so I wasn’t able to pick up the nuances.

A bad day for Lars van der Haar, I think his first this season.