CX weekend roundup
Rochette 10th at UCI World Cup
There was plenty of action Sunday at the latest round of the UCI World Cup in Tábor, Czech Republic. Newly crowned European champ Lars van der Haar (The Netherlands/Baloise Trek Lions) continued his hot streak, beating Eli Iserbyt (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) and to the line. Quinten Hermans (Belgium/Tormans.) In the women’s race, world champ Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Baloise Trek Lions) pipped Puck Pieterse (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Fenix) and Annemarie Worst (The Netherlands/777.)
Men’s race
Iserbyt led the pack onto the dirt from the pavement on the first lap. The Tormans duo of second round winner Quinten Hermans and Corne van Kessel kept a close eye on him. At the 6:00 mark a little group swooped around Iserbyt. Toon Aerts, who took the Zonhoven round, led a long string over the line.
It was still lined out on lap two. Van der Haar, World Cup runner-up twice this season, took his turn at the front.
Aerts assumed the pace making on Lap 6, but dropped back to grab a new machine. Iserbyt bolted. Van der Haar buried himself to seize the World Cup leader’s wheel. Hermans, Vanthourenhout and Aerts scrambled to keep up.
Into the penultimate lap, three riders from the group of eight had been dumped. Vanthourenhout and Aerts toiled to close in on van der Haar and Iserbyt, with Hermans in the middle.
The bell lap would prove the battleground between van der Haar and Iserbyt, Hermans still playing catch up. Iserbyt had space to make up through most of the circuit. Van der Haar would not be denied.
Women’s race
Brand seized the hole shot after the starting gun, with Puck Pieterse grabbing her wheel. Kata Blanka Vas sewed up a gap and created a seven-woman string. Pieterse attacked at the midway point of the first lap. A mob of 10 finished the first 3.4-km lap in 9:01. Maghalie Rochette was 16th and Sidney McGill 32nd.
Denise Betsema, the winner of the Zonhoven round, became more active on lap four, but Vas and Pieterse didn’t want her setting the pace. By jumping the hurdles, Pieterse pushed out a six-second gap. Rochette crossed the line in 14th, and McGill was 31st.
By the final lap, Brand stamped on the pedals after the planks and pushed out a gap, with Puck her closest pursuer. Suddenly it was Worst doing the chasing. But Brand hung tough to triumph. Pieterse was psyched to be runner-up for the second round in a row. Rochette would climb the ranks and finish in tenth.
Next weekend the UCI World Cup heads to Koksijde, Belgium for the legendary race around the sand dunes. You can watch the 2021-2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup at FloBikes.
