Kevin Pauwels stumble gifts World champion his biggest victory of the year on fast French course; too easy again for Marianne Vos
Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) took the biggest victory of his season so far on the fast, dry course of the World Cup race in Liévin, France. The World champion benefited from a mistake by World Cup leader Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Revor) as he tripped at the bottom of the stairs in the second half of the final lap, allowing Stybar to ride to the finish unopposed.
Stybar and Pauwels had – under the impetus of the latter – broken clear of the pack in only the second of eleven fast laps, along with BKCP-Powerplus duo Radonir Simunek and Philipp Walsleben. Walsleben had not been able to hold the pace for long, but Simunek managed to stay with the two leaders until three laps to go; he was dropped by a burst from Stybar but managed to hold on to take third place.
Belgian champion Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) was the strongest of the chasers, but early technical problems put him too far back when the winning move was made. A course that didn’t suit the characteristics of the Kannibaal meant that he was to lead the main group across the finish line some 44 seconds behind the winner.
Dry weather over the preceding days meant that the course, run under sunny, cold, conditions was fast and dry, although mud on the surface made some sections a little slippery. With the sandpit removed from the course, the only real obstacles were to be a few short, steep climbs that caused a number of riders to put their feet down in the congestion of the pack, and a set of steps.
So little mud was there, that Stybar’s white rainbow skinsuit was as spotless at the finish as it had been at the start.
Rob Peeters tries to get away and Kevin Pauwels does
Rob Peeters (Telenet-Fidea) – who won his first ever race in Lebbeke the Friday before – was the fastest away, along the long starting straight; the field was strung out behind the 26-year-old as it hit the first lap, with all of the favourites present near the front.
As the lap went on Thijs van Amerongen (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) took over and stretched the race further; pulling a few metres off the front, with Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor) leading the rest behind him.
Such was the speed on the hard, fast circuit, that the first lap was completed in 5’54” at an average of more than 27kph.
Into the second lap Pauwels, clad in the blue-trimmed white jersey of World Cup leader began to put the pressure on; managing to pull a few seconds clear with Simunek and Walsleben. The trio was four seconds ahead of a sprinting Zdenek Stybar (Quick Step) across the line, with the main pack at seven seconds.
Stybar made short work of catching up with the leaders, and Walsleben was soon dropped. Technical problems had forced a bike change for Sven Nys midway around the lap though, which saw the Belgian champion languishing near the back of the group; the high speed meant that he was having problems moving up.
The gap grows but Pauwels gets no help
Across the line Pauwels looked to his two Czech companions to see if they were willing to help, but both indicated that – as the World Cup leader – it was down to the Belgian to do the work; they were ten seconds clear of the pack as they ended lap three.
Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus), Peeters and Steve Chainel (FDJ-BigMat) were leading the chase, with others – including Nys – just behind them. The trio, with Stybar now agreeing to work, were 21 seconds clear at the end of another fast lap though, with the fast course making things easier for the fugitives. Stybar’s pace-setting, along with Pauwels, began to put Simunek into difficulty though, and the Czech began to yo-yo off the back wheels of the two men in white.
Albert was continually the most determined of the chasers, pulling Vantornout a little clear. Nys had finally made his way to the front though, along with Chainel and a number of others and, as Albert gesticulated in frustration at Vantornout’s apparent unwillingness to chase his team captain up front, the Belgian champion squeezed through and picked up the pace again.
Between them Nys an Albert had cut the deficit by a second by the end of lap five, but Stybar was fully committed now and he and Pauwels between them would prove tough to pull back. Simunek was still with the leaders at this point, but very much the passenger of the three, with it all he could do to hold on.
Nys pulls some chasers clear
Nys was beginning to turn up the wick on the front of the chase group and, with Albert struggling to hold on, pulled Chainel and Vantornout off the front. The gap was not long though, with Albert doing everything to close that gap, along with Peeters and a number of others.
Despite the ferocity of Nys’ pace though, the gap to the leaders had grown to 26 seconds as the Kannibaal looked to the others in the finishing straight.
More pressure from Pauwels put Simunek under pressure again, and Stybar also appeared to be struggling a little to hold on to the World Cup leader.
Chainel was now leading the chasers, with Nys taking a temporary back seat, but the gap was still growing; in the middle of the lap it was up to 33 seconds and, as they crossed the line with four to go, Pauwels, Stybar and Simunek were 40 seconds clear.
The next acceleration from Stybar proved to be one too many for Simunek, and he also briefly dropped Pauwels, but the Sunweb-Revor rider managed to fight his way back up to the World champion; now forming a leading duo.
Simunek was dangling, just eight seconds behind the front two and hanging on to the final podium place, as they crossed the line with three to go. Dieter Vanthourenhout (BKCP-Powerplus) and Vantornout meanwhile, had broken clear of the others, and sprinted across the line a few seconds ahead.
The speed of the course meant that it was almost impossible for the chasers to go much faster than the leaders though, and the gap was stubbornly refusing to drop.
A two-man race with two laps to go
Into the penultimate lap Pauwels and Stybar were still a tantalising eight seconds ahead of Simunek; this time it was Chainel who had broken clear with Vantornout, but they were now 47 seconds back – with the rest just a few seconds behind them; with Simunek now really struggling, the race was now almost certain to go down to one of the two leaders.
Throughout the lap Pauwels and Stybar tried to put pressure on one another, but took the bell together.
Simunek was now at 12 seconds but, although Nys had closed the gap to 46 seconds, he still looked safe for a World Cup podium finish.
The final lap was progressing as the previous one had, with neither able to put pressure on the other. Suddenly Pauwels tripped on the steps though, and Stybar was away.
The World champion managed to negotiate the rest of the lap without problems, kissing his pink Specialized bike as he rolled over the line, then lifting it into the air to show the cameramen once he’d finished.
Pauwels managed to take third without any problem, with Simunek holding on to third; Nys led the charging chasers over the line 44 seconds behind.
All to easy for Marianne Vos yet again
The women’s field was once again no match for the irresistible force that is Marianne Vos (Rabobank), who made victory look all too easy once again. The World champion broke away early in the 40 minute race, along with compatriot, European champion, and World Cup leader Daphny van den Brand (AA Drink-Leontien.nl), and the pair were never seen again. Both came off on the slippery surface, allowing van den Brand to briefly get away, but Vos quickly chased across to rejoin her in the lead.
A chase group, made up of US champion Katy Compton (Rabobank-Giant), Belgian champion Sanne Cant (Boxx), British champion Helen Wyman (Kona), and former French champion Caroline Mani (France) tried to limit the damage inflicted by the two Dutchwomen; there was no stopping Vos and van den Brand though, and between them they managed to stretch their lead to over a minute.
Into the final lap Vos finally dropped her compatriot, and accelerated away for yet another solo victory. Despite dropping back a little, van de Brand held on to take second place – and hold on to her World Cup lead, ahead of the following week’s final round in Hoogerheide, Netherlands – ahead of Compton, who had escaped the chasing group.
Result World Cup Liévin Elite Men
1. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
2. Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Sunweb-Revor
3. Radomir Simunek (Cze) BKCP-Powerplus
4. Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
5. Francis Mourey (Fra) FDJ-BigMat
6. Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Revor
7. Simon Zahner (Swi) BMC Racing Team
8. Rob Peeters (Bel) Telenet-Fidea
9. Steve Chainel (Fra) FDJ-BigMat
10. Thijs van Amerongen (Ned) AA Drink-Leontien.nl
Result World Cup Liévin Elite Women
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Rabobank
2. Daphny van den Brand (Ned) AA Drink-Leontien.nl
3. Katy Compton (USA) Rabobank-Giant Offroad Team
4. Caroline Mani (Fra) France
5. Helen Wyman (GBr) Kona Factory Racing
6. Sophie de Boer (Ned) Telenet-Fidea
7. Nikki Harris (GBr) Telenet-Fidea
8. Lucie Chainel-Lefevere (Fra) France
9. Pavla Havlikova (Cze) Telenet-Fidea
10. Sabrina Schweizer (Ger) Germany