Dominant Belgian Championship race does not mean that the young pretender has seized the king’s throne
Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) was declared the new “koning” (king) by Belgian TV commentators as he crossed the line to take a dominant Belgian Championship yesterday, but this kind of talk is a little premature, according to Sporza’s Christophe Vandegoor. The 2009 World champion may have wrested the driekleur jersey off the shoulders of Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) for only the third time since 2003, but the younger man has not seen off the Kannibaal van Baal just yet.
“The Belgian Championships was the most boring ‘cross of the year,” said Vandegoor, “Niels Albert was too strong.”
“It was a one-man show, but Albert couldn’t help that,” he explained, “In normal circumstances you can always expect Sven Nys, but we know the reason for his off-day: flu.”
Albert’s victory was remarkably similar to his 2009 World Championship victory in Hoogerheide, Netherlands; the course was cold, but dry, and his early attack was not chased back by the rest of the field. The big difference though, was that in Hoogerheide the rest of the Belgians did not chase him due to team orders; yesterday they were simply unable to do so.
Although he has the black, yellow and red jersey now and is well on his way to a dominant overall victory in the World Cup, both competitions that have belonged to Nys for many years, Albert has not stepped into Nys’ shoes just yet.
“A final transfer of power? That’s a strong statement,” said Vandegoor, “but if that were to happen in a few years I would say: is that so strange? Nys is 34, Albert 24; but Albert has far from finished with Nys.”
“It doesn’t say everything,” he explained. “Nys has already won eleven times this season, with the Belgian Championships Albert is up to six.”
“In terms of regularity at the highest level has Nys nothing to learn from Albert. I mean every week’s cross, he’s also motivated for the smaller races; he’s always there. In this area Nys still scores slightly better.”
Rather than Albert seizing power from Nys, it is the maturity of the way Albert now talks that impresses Vandegoor. The BKCP-Powerplus rider, who was much criticised last season for youthful arrogance, is sounding much more grown up this year.
"What’s positive for Albert is that he said that he has to do more,” he said. “That is a step into adulthood. I think he now realises that he has to thank the talent that he’s got for a beautiful life later; and that step into adulthood seems to me to be much more important than whether there’s been a transfer of power."
While he will wear the rainbow bands from his 2005 World Championship, and doubtless some Belgian stripes from his numerous national titles, Nys will line up at his next race in the green and yellow Landbouwkrediet jersey for the first time – besides the Belgian Championships – in his career.
The fact that Albert will line up beside him in the driekleur will likely motivate the Kannibaal even more than usual.