Belgian champion aiming at an incredible tenth win in the competition after other rankings are now out of range
Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) goes into Sunday’s Superprestige race in Gieten, Netherlands with a 5 point lead over his nearest rival Zdenek Stybar (Telenet-Fidea). The Belgian champion has won the last two events in the series, in Hamme-Zogge and Aspere-Gavere, Belgium, and wants a third victory this weekend to increase his advantage over the Czech World champion. The closest other rival is Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus), but the 10 point deficit is surely too much for the 2009 World champion with half the series over.
The series began perfectly for Stybar, who took victory in the first two races in Ruddervoorde and Zonhoven, Belgium. Lately though, Nys has come to the fore, partly through the Czech’s knee injury, but also due to the wetter and colder conditions suiting the strengths of Nys better.
Nys started the season with the intention of aiming at the overall classification of all competitions, but the dry conditions of the early season have caused him to forget about the Gazet van Antwerpen (GvA) Trofee and the World Cup; instead he is concentrating most of all on the competition that he has dominated in recent years.
"Because at the beginning of the season I didn’t go so well on the fast courses, my ambition quickly switched to the Superprestige," explained the Belgian champion to de Standaard.
While he will doubtless be starting Saturday’s World Cup race in the Dunes of Koksijde, Belgium with the intention of taking a fourth win in the race, his focus will very much be on the Dutch race the next day.
"After two wins and two third places, I am quite successful there [in the overall standings],” he continued. “Halfway through the competition I am five points ahead of Zdenek Stybar; a gap that I basically need to open further because the new course at Gieten suits my capabilities particularly well.
“If I succeed in distancing myself even more from Zdenek Stybar then it would look good, especially with a view to my tenth overall victory in the Superprestige," he added.
After Sunday’s race the Superprestige series takes a month-long break, returning on December 27th in Diegem, Belgium.
Superprestige standings after four rounds:
1. Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) 56pts
2. Zdenek Stybar (Telenet-Fidea) 51
3. Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) 46
4. Kevin Pauwels (Telenet-Fidea) 45
5. Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea) 45