Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet-KDL) and Katie Compton (Trek) emerged triumphant from the third round of the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup at Belgium’s infamous Koksijde course.
Riders tackling the sandy course in Flanders, used for last season’s world championships, faced the added challenge of driving rain.
British riders placed highly again, with three women in the top 10, and Ian Field (Hargroves-Specialized) finishing in the top 30 of the highly competitive elite men’s series.
Nys added to his reputation as one of the greatest ‘cross riders ever with a record sixth victory at Koksidje.
He showed his class by reeling in Albert with a lap to go and powering away through deep sand that had forced the world champion to dismount, leading his countryman home by 14 seconds.
Francis Mourery (FDJ-Big Mat) was third, a further five seconds behind Albert.
Albert remains the series leader with a margin of 30 points over Nys and Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor), the fifth man home in Koksijde.
In the women’s race, Britain’s Nikki Harris (Telenet-Fidea), scored her highest finish in a round of the UCI World Cyclo-Cross World Cup by finishing second.
Harris, one of three British riders to finish in the top 10 of the women’s event, briefly held the lead but was passed by eventual winner, Katie Compton (Trek). Victory for the American national champion extended her lead in the series.
British champion, Helen Wyman (Kona), finished fifth, after taking an early lead, while Gabby Day (Rapha-FOCUS), was tenth. The following day, Wyman saw off the challenge of world champion, Marianne Vos (Rabobank) at the Superprestige in Gieten, Holland.
Compton now leads the overall standings in the World Cup by 40 points from joint second placed Wyman, Harris, and Sanne van Paassen (Rabobank).
Elite men – result
1) Sven Nys (BEL) – Landbouwkrediet-KDL – 59.34
2) Niels Albert (BEL) – BKCP-Powerplus +14”
3) Francis Mourey (FRA) – FDJ-BigMat +19”
4) Bart Aernouts (BEL) – AA Drink +33”
5) Klaas Vantornout (BEL) – Sunweb-Revor +1.20
6) Rob Peeters (BEL) – Telenet-Fidea +1.27
7) Dieter Vanthourenhout (BEL) – BKCP-Powerplus +1.32
8) Thijs van Amerongen (NED) – AA Drink +1.37
9) Lars van der Haar (NED) – Rabobank-Giant +1.44
10) Philipp Walsleben (GER) – BKCP-Powerplus +1.55
Elite women – result
1) Katie Compton (USA) Trek – 44.10
2) Nikki Harris (GBR) Young Telenet-Fidea +1.27
3) Sanne Cant (BEL) Veldritacademie Enertherm-BKCP +1.56
4) Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (FRA) BH-SR Suntour-Peisey Vallandry +2.04
5) Helen Wyman (GBR) – Kona +2.16
6) Sanne van Paassen (NED) – Rabobank +2.33
7) Jasmin Achermann (SWI) Rapha-Focus +2.54
8) Sabrina Stultiens (NED) – Rabobank +3.16
9) Pavla Havlikova (CZE) – Young Telenet-Fidea
10) Gabriella Day (GBR) – Rapha-Focus +3.29
