After last weekend’s disputed sprint in Koksijde, which Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) took after squeezing out Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Revor), today’s World Cup event in Igorre would not possess similar fireworks at the finish. Pauwels accelerated away from the Belgian veteran with five laps to race, and when Nys had to change his bike shortly thereafter, the result became a foregone conclusion.
The Sunweb-Revor rider had 44 seconds on Nys by the finish to take the win. Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) out-dueled Bart Aernouts (Rabobank Giant-Offroad) for the final podium spot.
Nys had taken control of the race after three laps, and briefly got away alone with Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor) attempting a chase. As Vantornout’s bid proved unsuccessful, Pauwels sensed the danger. The World Cup leader quickly closed down the gap to Nys with Zdenek Stybar (Quick Step) in tow. As the two Belgians began pushing the pace, Stybar struggled to keep up and was eventually dropped.
For the next several laps, it appeared as if conditions were ripe for another showdown in a final sprint, but with five laps to race, Pauwels ensured that this would not happen. The win helped Pauwels pad his advantage in the World Cup standings. He now owns 300 points, to Sven Nys’ 285.
After last weekend’s disputed sprint in Koksijde, which Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) took after squeezing out Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Revor), today’s World Cup event in Igorre would not possess similar fireworks at the finish. Pauwels accelerated away from the Belgian veteran with five laps to race, and when Nys had to change his bike shortly thereafter, the result became a foregone conclusion.
The Sunweb-Revor rider had 44 seconds on Nys by the finish to take the win. Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) out-dueled Bart Aernouts (Rabobank Giant-Offroad) for the final podium spot.
Nys had taken control of the race after three laps, and briefly got away alone with Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor) attempting a chase. As Vantornout’s bid proved unsuccessful, Pauwels sensed the danger. The World Cup leader quickly closed down the gap to Nys with Zdenek Stybar (Quick Step) in tow. As the two Belgians began pushing the pace, Stybar struggled to keep up and was eventually dropped.
For the next several laps, it appeared as if conditions were ripe for another showdown in a final sprint, but with five laps to race, Pauwels ensured that this would not happen. The win helped Pauwels pad his advantage in the World Cup standings. He now owns 300 points, to Sven Nys’ 285.
“It looks good, but the final victory is far from being a reality,” Pauwels told Sporza regarding his overall standing in the World Cup. “This win gave me a lot of pleasure. I treasure this one more than the win in Tabor, because here the course is more difficult.”
It turned out to be a flat tire that necessitated the bike change for Nys, but the Belgian was cordial at the finish.
“Pauwels was the deserved winner today,” he stated. “It is to his credit that he didn’t let me come back after the puncture. In the end I’m happy with second place, especially since I did a lot of work in training this week.”
While the course in Igorre had more mud than riders have experienced so far this season, the race was not the mud-fest that occurred in 2010, when Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) took it out ahead of Francis Mourey (FDJ).
With Albert sidelined with a broken wrist, the battle for the win was left to the usual players.
Rob Peeters (Telent-Fidea), confident after his third place in last Sunday’s Superprestige Gieten, got the hole shot ahead of Radomir Simunek (BKCP-Powerplus). After getting a bit of a gap on the first lap, Peeters dropped back and shared the lead with several others as the laps began to tick off quickly.
Speeds were high early on, with the course more muddy in some places than in others. A big group was still together as the bunch began the third of eleven laps. Nys came to the front as the bunch hit the line and immediately accelerated away, with Vantornout trying to counter.
But the Landbouwkrediet rider kept the pressure on and Vantornout was unable to ever fully make the juncture, and Nys gained a handful of seconds over the field. Pauwels was sitting further back in the field due to an early bike change. He would mention later that he started the race using the wrong type of tire treads.
“When Nys went away, I was too far back,” Pauwels added. “But I felt good and was able to join him. I did not know that Sven had punctures. Suddenly, I was alone, but I chose to go full gas and it was a good choice.”
It had only taken Pauwels less than one full lap to catch up to Nys, and though he had originally taken Stybar with him, the Czech rider was never able to fully attach to the two Belgians. With seven laps to go, he crossed the line five seconds in arrears, and would continue fading from there.
Two laps later, Nys had the flat that proved costly, and though he exited the pits with a seven second deficit, he would never reach Pauwels again. After briefly closing the gap to four seconds, Nys ran out of gas. Pauwels kept the pressure on, and with three laps to go, he had earned a 14 second lead on Nys.
Meanwhile, the race for third was taking shape behind, as Stybar was caught by Meeusen and Aernouts, who had left the rest of the chase behind. Over the course of the next lap, this Belgian duo would also distance Stybar, and the duel between Meeusen and Aernouts became the most interesting match on the course.
Up ahead, Pauwels kept toiling alone, eventually easing up on the final lap as his lead over Nys had grown to 26 seconds. Pauwels had plenty of time to sit up and wipe the mud off his Sunweb-Revor skin suit before raising his arms over the line. After calling off the chase, Nys acknowledged the crowd 44 seconds later, and all eyes turned to the battle for third.
Meeusen came screaming around the left-hand bend into the finishing straight, and Aernouts couldn’t hold the line behind, wiping out into the barrier. But he was able to dust off and remount before Stybar came back, finishing fourth.
“Each lap I came right through that last corner [without trouble], but just before the finish I may have taken too big of a risk,” Aernouts admitted. “Luckily I only have some scrapes. The positive of today is that I had good legs again.”
Aernouts maintains a one-point lead over Meeusen in the World Cup standings. He and Meeusen sit fourth and fifth in that competition, with 221 and 220 points respectively. Stybar is currently third, with 250.