Results tagged “koksijde”
Zdenek Stybar's Cyclo-cross World Cup race in Koksijde, Belgium
Zdenek Stybar's pre-race face.
During the first lap, in the sand pits.
The leader of the race was changing constantly. French rider Francis Mourey started strong, however, after the second lap, Stybar, Nys, Vantornout and Albert were constantly challenging each other.
This photo was taken in the antepenultimate lap and it was obvious that by then that it wasn't Niels Albert's day, his face tells the story.
This time, Stybar was victorious, paying it back to Nys, who had won the sprint finish in Plzen, where they were fighting for the second place.
I've rarely seen such sheer joy on the winners face, during awards ceremonies, it was a refreshing sight.
Sharing the champaign with the fans, who went berserk when their hero got the gold medal.
Gabby Day's Cyclo-cross World Cup race in Koksijde, Belgium
Warming up before the U23 race.
Tackling a wet sand section in the first half of the course.
According to certain sources, the 10th place was possible thanks to the yellow shoes :)
Koksijde was the closest World Cup race in the calendar to the United Kingdom, therefore, there were British fans all over the course, supporting every British rider in the race. On this picture, the girl in the blue jacket in the background and her mates were one of the many enthusiastic supporters.
Another not too long but sandy ascent. Congratulations again to Gabby for the great 10th place!
Koksijde evaluation
1. Venue
- Getting there: It was a longer drive from Brussels, it took us more than 1.5 hours. 3 points
- Sights&City: I spent there only the duration of the race so I'm not really in the position to judge it's merits, however, it didn't seem like a huge place to me. 3 points
2. Course
- Getting there: sings were mostly adequate, though not all the time. However, where the sings failed to show us our way, friendly staff helped to fill the gaps. 4 points
- Layout & getting around: It was a great course with many quirks, however it was hard to get around sometimes as the crowd was huge. 4 points
- Skill level: Finally, some sand! I didn't envy the riders and especially their bikes, though, the wet sand didn't to much good to them (I mean, the bikes). 5 points
3. Press services
- Distance from course: I've seen worse, it was reasonable The press center itself was in the premises of a military base which was unusual, to say the least. However, the planes and helicopters on display played an excellent background for photos in a certain angle. 4 points
- Internet - excellent internet connection, no registration required. 5 points
- Handouts - Handouts were prompt-ish, not bad, but I've seen better than that. 4 points
- Staff - They were very helpful and kind. 5 points
- Catering - Wide array of sandwiches and hot soup was available, plus water and other beverages. A clear winner so far, from this perspective. 5 points
Overall score: 42/50 points
UCI World Cup Cyclo-cross 09/10: Stybar, Nys, Vantornout are the top 3 in Koksijde, Belgium
After two wins last weekend, Zdenek Stybar clinched his first World Cup victory this year. Well done.
Stybar beat Nys in a sprint finish, this is Sven's second second place in this World Cup season.
Treviso's bronze medalist, Klaas Vantornout, finished third again.
UCI World Cup Cyclo-cross 09/10: U23 race in Koksijde, Belgium
Jim Aernouts won the U23 race.
Tom Meeusen demonstrates, how to dismount the bike properly.
3rd place went to Arnoud Jouffroy
Robert Gavenda, World Cup overall leader.
Typical cyclo-cross weather in Koksijde
The weather is really ugly, but we're finally here. The juniors' race will start in a few minutes, so now I'm heading off to the course.
The weather in Koksijde...
