World Champion Niels Albert continued his successful season today by taking his 10th victory of the year in Dottignies. Frenchman Francis Mourey finished second and Italian Enrico Franzoi third.
Today's race is the warm-up for Albert's much anticipated return to the Superprestige cross in Asper-Gavere, Belgium, where he had a horrible crash just before the race last year. He was out for six weeks but made a remarkable comeback from his injury and won the World Championship.
Albert has had a bad week in the morale department, as he was jeered by rival fans at Jaarmarkt Cross in Niel, Belgium. It appeared to fans of eventual race winner Sven Nys, that Albert intentionally cut off the Belgian champion in the race. Both riders acknowledged the move wasn't intentional, but the damage was done.
“Racing is not fun like this. And I have made an extra effort for those supporters by starting here,” a disappointed Albert told Het Nieuwsblad. "If this lasts a few more seasons, I will only race on the road,” a move that would have him following in the steps of former cyclo-cross world champion Lars Boom.
The World Champion said later in the week that he meant what he had said, and told Het Nieuwsblad, "I want deliver a demonstration." His words should make for an exciting race on Sunday.
Read a first-hand account of the race in Jonathan Page's VeloNation blog.