'Cross Examination: Nys takes Superprestige opener; LaLonde, Haskell win Badger Cross; nats course to get test drive

Nys won Sunday’s Ruddervoorde Superprestige, the first Superprestige race of the season.

Photo: AFP

Nys opens Superprestige series with win
Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the Superprestige opener on Sunday in Ruddervoorde, Belgium.

Fidea teammates Zdenek Stybar and Bart Wellens were second and third at four and eight seconds back, respectively.

Americans Jonathan Page (Sunweb) and Ryan Trebon (Kona-YourKey) crossed in 18th and 19th spots at 1:36 back.

Nys leads the series with 15 points. Stybar sits second with 14 while Wellens is third with 13.

Superprestige Ruudervoorde
1. Sven Nys (B), Rabobank, 1:00:43
2. Zdenek Stybar (Cze), Fidea, at 0:04
3. Bart Wellens (B), Fidea, at 0:08
4. Niels Albert (B), Palmans, at 0:10
5. Klaas Vantornout (B), Fidea, at 0:13
6. Richard Groenendaal (Ned), AA Sport Drinks, at 0:14
7. Sven Vanthourenhout (B), Sunweb, at 0:19
8. Dieter Vanthourenhout (B), Easypay, at 0:38
9. Gerben de Knegt (Ned), Rabobank, at 0:43
10. Petr Dlask (Cze), Fidea, at 0:50

LaLonde, Haskell take Badger Cross
Jesse LaLonde (Bob Brown Cycles-BareKnuckle Brigade) and Devon Haskell (Team Get A Grip Cycles) powered through intermittent rain and mud to win the elite events at Sunday’s Badger Cross in Madison, Wisconsin.

Round four of the Wisconsin Cycling Association Cyclocross Series saw one of the strongest, fastest elite women’s fields so far this year. Haskell and Kristin Wentworth (Team Kenda Tire) have been battling it out all season and once again were the early leaders, with mountain bikers Abby Strigel (Polska) and first-time cyclocross racer Sue Juedes (Mad FORCs-Bike Hub) relentless in their pursuit. In the end, Haskell held on for the win, Strigel surged at the end of the muddy chicanes to take second, and Wentworth took third. In the elite men’s race it was a one-man show as LaLonde rode away from the other contenders on his single-speed to take the win. In second place was another single-speeder, Ron Stawicki (Hayes). Racing resumes on October 20 and 21 with racing in Whitewater and Janesville, Wisconsin. For more information see www.madcross.org.

Cross Crusade opens with record fields
Oregon’s popular Cross Crusade series kicked off October 2 with record numbers — 1078 racers participated, including 178 women.

The race was held at the Alpenrose Dairy, a former U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross venue that incorporates the Alpenrose velodrome.

Shannon Skerritt (Vanilla Bicycles) made a bold, last-minute pass around leader Erik Tonkin (Kona) to win the men’s A race. Carl Decker (Giant) scored the final podium spot.

Wendy Williams (River City Bicycles) took the women’s A win ahead of Kristi Berg (Redline Bicycles). Williams’s teammates filled in the next four spots. —Erik Volengen

Cross Crusade, Alpenrose Dairy
Portland, Oregon
Men’s A
1. Shannon Skerritt, Vanilla Bicycles
2. Erik Tonkin, Kona
3. Carl Decker, Giant
4. Ian Brown, River City Bicycles
5. Molly Cameron, Veloshop

Women’s A
1. Wendy Williams, River City Bicycles
2. Kristi Berg, Redline Bicycles
3. Sue Butler, River City Bicycles
4. Emily Vanmeter, River City Bicycles

Georgia Cross kicks off October 21
The 2007 Georgia Cross series kicks off October 21 in Conyers at the Georgia International Horse Park, site of the 1996 Olympic mountain bike race.

“We had a great year last year and expect it to grow again this year,” said organizer Shey Lindner. “We’re going to let the juniors race for free at the Conyers race to encourage family participation.”

The series consists of seven races in Conyers, Fort Yargo, Monroe, Macon, Augusta, Blue Ridge and Dahlonega. Verge is supplying leader’s jerseys and Cannondale will once again provide demo bikes available to racers on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information see www.georgia-cross.com.

Nebraska series opens with Omaha double-header
The Nebraska Cyclocross Series kicks off October 20-21 at Swanson Park in Bellevue.

The Omaha-area venue was a hit with riders during the 2006 Nebraska CX Series opener. The course is fast and flowing, with sand pits and run-ups.

The series concludes November 17-18 with the Lincoln Weekend in Pioneers Park. The finale will double as the Nebraska State Championship.

For more information, see www.nebraskacyclingnews.com.

Nationals course gets test drive this month
Bound for cyclocross nationals in Kansas City come December? You can get a sneak peek at the course on Sunday, October 28, during the Boulevard Cup.

The nearly 2-mile-long course through Wyandotte County Park in Kansas City, Kansas, was unveiled Monday. Race director Bill Marshall of KLM Marketing Solutions, who has staged several UCI races in the 360-acre park, says its signature element is a pair of back-to-back stair sections, each 40 feet long, about a quarter-mile from the finish line.

“You’ll run up the first set of stairs, get back on your bike for a brief time, then dismount and run up the second set,” Marshall said. “This is going to be crucial, as we found out in Providence last year.”

The course doubles back on itself in several places, has some “decent hills — not the steep ones like you saw in Providence for nationals last year, but ones that are going to be tough in all conditions” — and passes close to a pond that briefly claimed four-time national cyclocross champion Steve Tilford during a race last year. Tilford recovered from his frigid plunge to win.

“We’re officially labeling that pond as the ‘No Tilly Zone’ this year to recognize that feat,” Marshall said.

For more on the Boulevard Cup, see www.kcbike.com. For more on the 2007 U.S. Cyclocross National Championships, slated December 13-16, see www.kccrossnationals.com.

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