The weather in The Netherlands may have been foul, but Belgian Sven Nys (Rabobank) was in a sunny mood following his win at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday in Hoogerheide. With only a week until the world championships in his home country, Nys scored a decisive win under appalling conditions, a steady cold, driving rain that relented only when it turned into hail. The rain and dropping temperatures created a dynamic race with riders suffering and thriving in turn throughout the entire 60 minutes.

While Nys went on to win comfortably, his early race left many in the partisan crowd scratching their heads. With Czech Petr Dlask (Fidea) and Belgian Erwin Vervecken (Fidea) creating the early split, Nys lingered towards the end of the top 10 for the first lap-and-a-half. But once the field started to string out along the soupy undulating course, Nys came back to the front and set a brutal pace that proved too much.

"I thought it was not a slow start but the other guys started very fast. It was too fast for me and I ride my own race," said Nys, who wrapped up another World Cup crown with his seventh win in 11 starts.

"I saw that after two laps the gap was not so big, so half a lap later I was in the front. It was no problem. I did an attack and nobody could follow me, so I see my condition is very good. Mentally it’s very good to win now, seven days before the world championships so everything is okay."

Behind Nys, chaos reigned. Newly crowned Belgian champion Bart Wellens (Fidea) abandoned after three laps, suffering from the cold and wet. As the race wore on the conditions got colder and colder, and American Jonathan Page (Morgan Blue) suffered more than most. After a fourth row start Page had worked his way into fifth and was closing in on fourth. But the cold wind that blew across the course with two laps to go sent a chill into the American, causing a virtual inability to pedal. Page lost more than a minute in the final lap-and-a-half, dropping from fifth to ninth. U.S. champion Ryan Trebon (Kona) notched his best ever World Cup finish, coming in just behind Page in 10th. Trebon’s consistency and patience proved the perfect combination on a day when every element was in play.

"I was also cold," admitted Nys. "But the legs, that’s the most important thing, and when you ride at the front it’s always mentally better. It was very hard."

Kupfernagel shows solid form going into the world's

Photo: Chris Milliman

Hanka Kupfernagel (Focus) turned in a wire-to-wire win the elite women’s race, beating defending world champion Marianne Vos with little trouble. U.S. champion Katie Compton (Spike) rose as far as third in the opening laps but settled back into an eventual 10th place in her first foray into European ‘cross.

In the most exciting race of the day, Dutch phenom Lars Boom (Rabobank) outdueled top Belgian up-and-comer Niels Albert (Fidea) for the under-23 men’s race. Boom and Albert swapped the lead countless times before the Dutchman shut the door for good on the final lap.

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup #11
Hoogerheide, The Netherlands. Jan. 21
Elite men
1. Sven Nys (Ned) Rabobank, 1:06:47
2. Petr Dlask (Cze) Fidea Cycling Team, at 1:37
3. Erwin Vervecken (B) Fidea Cycling Team, at 1:56
4. Enrico Franzoi (I) Lampre Fondital, at 2:01
5. Christian Heule (Swi) Stevens Racing Team, at 2:18
6. John Gadret (F) AG2R Prevoyance, at 2:36
7. Rene Birkenfeld (G) Harvestehuder RSV v. 1909, at 2:45
8. Simon Zahner (Swi) Bürgis Cycling Team, at 2:55
9. Jonathan Page (USA) Morgan Blue, at 3:07
Other North Americans
10. Ryan Trebon (USA) Kona, at 3:21
25. Erik Tonkin (USA) Kona, at 9:42
29. Tristan Schouten (USA), Trek-VW) +1 lap

Elite women
1. Hanka Kupfernagel (G), 42:02
2. Marianne Vos (Ned, at 0:04
3. Helen Wyman (GB), at 0:36
4. Maryline Salvetat (F), at 1:04
5. Laurence Leboucher (F), at 1:10
6. Reza Hormes (Ned), at 1:26
7. Birgit Hollmann (G), at 1:31
8. Christelle Ferrier (F), at 1:39
9. Vania Rossi (I), at 2:05
10. Katie Compton (USA, at 2:18
Other North Americans
19. Rhonda Mazza (USA), at 4:09
29. Deidre Winfield (USA, at 5:29
33. Christine Vardaros (USA), at 6:15