Landbouwkrediet rider the class of an illness-reduced field; Marianne Vos continues near-perfect season
Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) was by far the best of an illness-reduced field to take the first ever edition of the Fidea Classics in Leuven, Belgium. The 35-year-old Kannibaal managed to wear down, then escape from former teammate Rob Peeters (Telenet-Fidea) with just over two laps to go, to take yet another solo victory.
Behind the two battling Belgians, French champion Francis Mourey (FDJ) was the best of the rest, having escaped the main chasing group but unable to close the gap to the leading pair.
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A virus running though the cyclocross peloton meant that the race was missing World number one Kevin Pauwels and Sunweb-Revor teammate Klaas Vantornout, Belgian champion Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus), and crowd-pleaser Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea).
Peeters leads from the front but Simunek takes early control
Peeters was away first but it was Radomir Simunek (BKCP-Powerplus) that led the race over the footbridge for the first time. The Czech rider’s speed began to pull Peeters, Nys, BKCP-Powerplus teammate Philipp Walsleben, and Mathieu Boulo (Roubaix-Lille Metropole) clear as they traversed the infield section, but cousins Sven (Landbouwkrediet) and Dieter Vanthourenhout (BKCP-Powerplus) managed to fight their way across in the sticky wooded section.
Simunek was clearly on it today though, in the absence of team captain Albert, and only Peeters and Nys were able to hold his pace as they headed towards the finish line for the first time.
As Nys led across the line, teammate Sven Vanthourenhout was the closest chaser at five seconds, with the rest spread out behind him. With Nys looking over his shoulder and waiting for the first half of the second lap, his teammate managed to make it across to the leaders on the twisty grass section at around halfway. Of the four in front, there were now two from Landbouwkrediet and, with his teammate safely on board Nys hit the front and lifted the pace.
The nearest chasers were now Walsleben and Mourey and, despite Nys setting the pace, they were edging closer; on the technical wooded section Nys rode away, only to be caught by Peeters on the muddiest part, which cut the lead group back down to two as they approached the line.
At the end of lap two they were several seconds clear of Mourey, with Simunek, Sven Vanthourenhout, Walsleben and Jonathan Page (Planet Bike).
Peeters and Nys just can’t get rid of one another
Peeters spent the first half of the next lap trying to shake Nys, but the Kannibaal – Peeters’ former teammate – refused to be dropped. Mourey was still chasing, some seven seconds back, with the group strung out behind him; Page had been dropped by the chasers though, and was being passed by Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea) and Lars Boom (Rabobank).
With three down, and five to go, the two leaders were just five seconds ahead of Mourey, but the others were now 21 seconds behind.
It was Nys’s turn to apply the pressure on the first half of the lap, and briefly managed to put daylight between himself and Peeters. They were together once more on the grassy midsection, but the acceleration widened the gap to Mourey a little, to 18 seconds by the race’s halfway point at the end of the lap.
The fifth lap followed a similar pattern to the fourth, with a Nys acceleration chased down by Peeters; catching him as he passed through the pits for a bike change. A better exit from the sticky mud towards the end of the lap saw Peeters briefly clear, but Nys was on him before he hit the finishing straight and led across with three to go.
Mourey was doggedly chasing in third place, now 20 seconds behind, with Simunek and Sven Vanthourenhout another 20 seconds behind him.
Finally Nys makes the gap and it’s race over
Neither of the two former teammates was able to shake the other throughout first half of the sixth lap, although a brief dig from Nys towards the end just about managed it. Peeters was beginning to tire by now and was having more and more trouble closing the gaps up to the Kannibaal’s wheel.
As they hit the line with two to go, Nys had a four second lead and, with Peeters looking tired, it looked like the race was over.
With the break finally made Nys opened up the taps and sprinted away and, through the wood in the first half of the lap, the distance between him and Peeters widened. Through the sticky mud in the second part, where he’d appeared to struggle before, Nys looked his usual smooth, assured self and it widened further still.
At the bell Nys’ lead had shot up to 33 seconds, with a jaded Peeters in more danger of being caught by Mourey – who was a similar distance behind him; only a disaster could stop Nys now.
Nys’ final lap was as smooth as the previous one though, and the Kannibaal ate up the course as he headed towards the first ever Leuven victory. A final bike change with just a few metres of dirt to go saw him sprint up the finishing straight on a spotless machine, and he raised both hands as he crossed the line.
Peeters, looking behind him for any signs of Mourey, came over almost a minute later, sitting up to display his jersey to the photographers; Mourey was just a few seconds behind him.
Marianne Vos in a class of her own in women’s race once more
Marianne Vos (Nederland Bloeit) continued to make the domination of women’s cyclocross look easy, with yet another dominant victory. The World champion escaped the field from the start once more, with only European champion Daphny van den Brand (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) able to stay anything like close to her.
Vos sprinted away from the line, with van den Brand ale to stay close to her around the first lap. Before long the two Dutchwomen were the only two left in the picture, although van den Brand was unable to quite make it up to the wheel of the World champion, and the gap between them began to steadily widen.
Behind the leaders the chase was led by Sophie de Boer (Telenet-Fidea), along with teammate Pavla Havlikova, Belgian champion Sanne Cant (Boxx), and Gabby Day (The Chainstay), but they could make little progress as Vos simply rode away on her own once more.
The World champion was simply in a class of her own again, taking her ninth straight victory a long way ahead of van den Brand, who was almost caught by de Boer on the line.
Result Fidea Classics Leuven Elite Men
1. Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
2. Rob Peeters (Bel) Telenet-Fidea
3. Francis Mourey (Fra) FDJ
4. Radomir Simunek (Cze) BKCP-Powerplus
5. Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
6. Philipp Walsleben (Ger) BKCP-Powerplus
7. Jonathan Page (USA) Planet Bike
8. Joeri Adams (Bel) Telenet-Fidea
9. Egoitz Murfoitio (Spa) Hirumet
10. Kenneth Van Compernolle (Bel) Style & Concept
Result Fidea Classics Leuven Elite Women
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit
2. Daphny van den Brand (Ned) AA Drink-Leontien.nl
3. Sophie de Boer (Ned) Telenet-Fidea
4. Pavla Havlikova (Cze) Telenet-Fidea
5. Sanne Cant (Bel) Boxx Veldritacademie