Cyclocross Kannibaal praying for rain as warm weather makes courses too easy for his rivals
As the European cyclocross season gets into full swing, not everybody is enjoying the unseasonable warm, dry weather in the Flemish part of Belgium, according to Sporza. Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) is a master over the muddy courses that are more usual at this time of year, and the dry weather, that has left the courses dry and fast, is making it harder for the Kannibaal van Baal to assert himself over his rivals.
The past decade's undisputed king of cyclocross is looking vainly at the sky, but the immediate forecast is for more of the same fair weather.
"The conditions are strange,” Nys told Het Laatste Nieuws. “The late summer, for me, is quite frankly going on too long. I checked; in the past month it has only rained on one, two or three days.
"I hope there will be a heavy, long lasting cold snap coming,” he continued. “If I look at the forecasts, there is no change immediately; but we must deal with as it comes."
This Friday sees the Jaarmarktcross in Niel, on its traditional November 11th date, while Sunday will see the third round of the Superprestige series in Hamme-Zogge. Nys won both of these races last year as the courses were reduced to puddle-strewn quagmires, but this time the dry conditions should see entirely different races.
"On heavy courses I can make the difference,” Nys explained. “But if speed and tactics get the upper hand, I become one of the many and everything must fall into place.”
So far this season Nys has showed good form, but the dry weather has meant that he has only won three races. The biggest of these though was the second World Cup round in Pilzen, Czech Republic; while he was denied the chance to challenge for a ninth victory in the Koppenbergcross by a late puncture.
Nys could only manage seventh at last weekend’s GP Mario De Clercq in Ronse, but he put this performance down to feeling empty after failing to eat properly on a brief Mallorcan training camp. Having recovered himself – reportedly with his first frites for more than half a year – he is ready for the coming races.
"I expect a half road race,” he said. “But my good legs of the Koppenberg haven’t disappeared with one poor performance. In Pilsen I proved that I can be successful in this kind of cross race."