EUROTRASH Monday: Van der Poel Back with a Bang!

The World cyclocross champion, Mathieu van der Poel, made his come back in the mud on Sunday – And how. With dominance from the start. Results, reports, video and rider quotes from the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup races in Zonhoven and Hulst.

TOP STORY:

• Tom Boonen talks about Fabian Cancellara’s ‘engine’: “I thought: that’s weird”

Rider news:

• Wout van Aert dedicates a run to Rik Van Looy: “Rest in peace, emperor”
• Sick Wout van Aert to miss the Superprestige Mol
• Tadej Pogačar takes the KOM on the Coll de Rates
• Cat Ferguson has to miss Christmas cross after crashing in Hulst
• Eli Iserbyt has an emotional message
• Demi Vollering follows the example of Van der Poel and Pogačar
• Marlen Reusser reveals her big goal for 2025
• Non-selection for the Tour was the reason for Dylan Teuns leaving
• British sprinter Ethan Vernon breaks collarbone in training crash
• Stefan Küng sees an airbag as a possible safety solution

Team news:

• Visma | Lease a Bike signs American talent via long-term deal
• INEOS Grenadiers signs Theodor Storm
• Picnic PostNL gives young Colombian his first professional contract

Race news:

• Olympia’s Tour starts with individual time trial

Plus:

• INEOS Grenadiers off-script December camp 2024 video

Monday morning EUROTRASH coffee time.

TOP STORY: Tom Boonen Talks about Fabian Cancellara’s ‘Engine’: “I Thought: That’s Weird”
Fabian Cancellara was the top man in the Classics of the spring of 2010, then there were stories and rumours of mechanical doping. Cancellara was said to have had an engine in his bike in the Tour of Flanders, where he left Tom Boonen standing on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. These rumours were never proven, but the rumours changed the relationship between Cancellara and Boonen. The Belgian spoke about it on Stamcafé Koers, a podcast by Het Nieuwsblad.

At first Boonen preferred not to say anything about Cancellara’s alleged engine when the subject came up in the podcast. He felt that he was ‘the last’ who should say anything about it. “Because I don’t know what’s true or not. I have my thoughts about it, but I’ll keep them to myself”. Boonen does say that he saw Cancellara do something strange in the finale of the Tour of Flanders. Cancellara changed bikes twice in a short time and Boonen was sitting close to him the second time. “At one point I saw him doing everything he could to sit on the right side of the road before that left turn. Then he jumped off his bike and grabbed a new one. Three seconds later he was sitting next to me again. I thought: that’s strange, planning a bike change there. Why did that happen? I don’t know.”

Boonen also notes that Cancellara walked to the press room and doping control after the podium ceremony. “At the finish in Ninove it was quite a distance from the podium to the press room and doping control. So everyone always went with their bike. And from there back to the buses, because they were a bit further away. When we came off the podium, one bike was gone. We (Boonen was second, Gilbert third) took our bikes, while he (Cancellara) was struggling on foot to get through all the people. At the time I didn’t think about it, but afterwards you start thinking about it.”

Even though he saw these things happen, Boonen doesn’t accuse Cancellara of using a motor. But the relationship between the two did change because of the stories. “Fabian is Fabian, a special person, but it’s not that we didn’t click. I’ve ridden some great races with him. And until that year I didn’t experience anything with him. True or not, after that I did put up a bit of a barrier between Fabian and me. That’s my responsibility: I didn’t want it anymore. And that was probably misinterpreted on the other side. Whether it’s true or not, I don’t think I suffered any damage from it. And I have nothing to hide. If that were the case with him, then of course it’s a different story.”

Two years ago, Boonen and Cancellara were together in London for Rouleur Live. “I have a good story about that,” Boonen laughed. “We went there with Classified (the gear system that Boonen promotes) and they asked if I wanted to do something on stage. I agreed. The next day they called me again. Whether I also wanted to do something together with Fabian, because he would be there too. Fabian had said that I probably wouldn’t like it, because it was a bit difficult between us. I replied: Oh absolutely not, I would love to sit on stage with Fabian. On one condition: that he brings his bike from the Tour of Flanders 2010. I added that they could tell him that. Presenter Matt Stephens thought it was genius and would say something about it during the interview, but in the end he didn’t dare.”

Should the story of the ‘bike’ remain a myth? Boonen concludes: “Let it stay that way.”

Fabian Cancellara attack in Paris Roubaix 2010:

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Zonhoven Men 2024
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) managed to win on his return to cyclocross. The World champion rode away from the competition in the first minutes of the race and then soloed to victory without any problems. Thibau Nys (Baloise Trek Lions) was second and Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) third.

The Zonhoven World Cup was all about Mathieu van der Poel’s return to cyclocross racing. The rainbow jersey was the top favourite, but the other cross riders, such as Toon Aerts, Michael Vanthourenhout, Laurens Sweeck and Pim Ronhaar were there to put up a fight.

Van der Poel started on the third row and so had to make up some ground. He did this quickly and in the first minute of the race he already moved up to second place. Only Toon Aerts was still in-front of him. On the descent of the Kuil, the decisive part of the Zonhoven circuit, van der Poel passed Aerts and kept his effort going. No one had an answer. After the first lap, Van der Poel already had 20 seconds lead over a group of riders led by Pim Ronhaar with Aerts, Eli Iserbyt, Joran Wyseure, Laurens Sweeck, Mees Hendrikx and Thibau Nys. World Cup leader, Michael Vanthourenhout, had missed the beat, although he did start to move up. Two riders from the group escaped, teammates Pim Ronhaar and Thibau Nys. They were ahead of the others, but were losing ground on Van der Poel, who had more than 30 seconds after 2 laps. This continued on lap three. His lead built up 50 seconds on Nys. Ronhaar, who had dropped back to the group after a bike change, was at a minute.

Van der Poel slowed a little, but was still going faster than the others, so he was still increasing his lead. The group of pursuers had split. On the fifth lap, it was Lars van der Haar and Joran Wyseure who started to chase Nys as the race was all about who would be second. Van der Poel rode on at his own pace, while Iserbyt and later also Aerts returned to Van der Haar and Wyseure. On the penultimate lap, this group split apart again, due to a crash by Iserbyt. Aerts was in third place at the bell, 16 seconds behind Nys, who was almost a minute and a half behind Van der Poel, who could take it easy in the final lap to win his first cross with a clear lead. There was still a fight for the podium. Nys had to give it everything to hold off Aerts and Wyseure. Third place went to Wyseure, who beat Aerts in the last metres. Lars van der Haar was fifth.

Race winner, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “This was one of the best first races I’ve ever done and one I didn’t really see coming. As I said before the start, I approached my first race differently. I did a bit less intervals and a bit more endurance. I wanted to get through this busy period a bit fresher than last year. But yeah, I felt really good from the start. The technique was also really good, so I’m happy. More than on schedule. I didn’t expect this myself today. I think it was to my advantage that it was such a tough race. I could just ride my own pace from the start. I’m really happy with the feeling I had. I got off to a good start. In the beginning, you can’t do much when you’re in the group. I actually took the last corner before we went to the Kuil quite badly. I made a mistake. But I think I came out of the mud better than the rest after that. I was on the right track right away, also when leaving the pit. I just rode a fairly constant pace, a pace that suited me well. When you are alone, you can divide the course a little better. I could catch my breath a little better for the technical parts. Then you also make fewer mistakes. My apologies, I always ride my own cross and I enjoyed it. Zonhoven is a cross that I like to do, Mol is also a cross that I like to ride. I am looking forward to that. I think that is a shame (Van Aert can’t race on Monday in Mol due to illness). Especially for him. I think that he, just like me, likes to do a few crosses. He didn’t have many on his list and then this one falls away too.”

2nd, Thibau Nys (Baloise Trek Lions): “To be honest: this feels like a victory. I mean: it’s been a few weeks and races since I had such a good feeling. I sometimes had a good feeling, but then I was unlucky. Now everything fell into place again. I’m very happy with that. Even if it had been for a fourth or fifth place, I’m just happy that I could do my thing again. I immediately felt that this was a lap where I could warm up my engine and convert it into speed. I have the feeling that I’m missing the cross-specific feeling. That’s of course quite important as a crosser, haha. But today I was able to bring the speed back onto the course. That results in a great day. Take away Mathieu van der Poel and I’ll be riding the entire race alone at the front.”

3rd, Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon): “This is a very nice result for me. I had a very good start. After that I could ride at my own pace. In the last lap I was able to catch up with Toon (Aerts) and I finished third. It was difficult to catch up with him, but in the last half lap I passed him. I overtook him at the pits and thought: I now have to ride one long sprint to the finish. Then it is fantastic that I make it before him. It is certainly nice to start the Christmas period in this condition. I think I have been good all season, except for two races. Then it is nice to achieve a third place in such a tough race as the one in Zonhoven. With these weather conditions it was more of a mudcross than a sandcross, but I really enjoyed it. I had a great time today. Yesterday was difficult for me. I made a lot of mistakes. Today it was really on my own the whole race. I am super happy that I was able to ride to third place. Watching? (Van der Poel) I didn’t see him much, haha. I saw him pass by once after a hundred meters and then he was already gone. It’s just phenomenal how he rides around here, without much cross-specific preparation. And we have been training for months. But it is super nice for the sport that he is at the start and will ride some races this winter. There were a lot of people.”

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Zonhoven Men 2024
1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck in 1:00:39
2. Thibau Nys (Bel) Baloise Trek Lions at 1:30
3. Joran Wyseure (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 1:33
4. Toon Aerts (Bel) Deschacht-Hens-FSP at 1:41
5. Lars van der Haar (Ned) Baloise Trek Lions at 1:47
6. Laurens Sweeck (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 1:52
7. Niels Vandeputte (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 1:58
8. Eli Iserbyt (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal at 2:22
9. Jens Adams (Bel) Lotto-X-Oats Athletes For Hope at 2:30
10. Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal at 2:37.

Zonhoven’24

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Zonhoven Women 2024
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado Fenix-Deceuninck) won the Zonhoven World Cup cyclocross on Sunday. She rode away from Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM) and Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) in the penultimate lap, for them to finish in second and third places.

Marie Schreiber, who surprisingly won the Hulst World Cup on Saturday, also had the best start in Zonhoven. The Luxembourger was the first off-road. Of the other favourites, Lucinda Brand also got off to a good start, while Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and especially Puck Pieterse were a bit further back. Zoe Bäckstedt took over the lead from Schreiber on the first passage of the Kuil. The British rider then made a gap on the rest of the field. After one lap, she had a 5 second lead over Annemarie Worst, the first chaser. A group including Brand and Alvarado followed 13 seconds later, while Pieterse was on her own at 21 seconds. At the start of the second lap, the situation changed, because Worst crashed, causing her to fall far back and she had to abandon in a lot of pain.

Lucinda Brand and Inge van der Heijden got together behind Bäckstedt. After two of the six laps, they came within 20 seconds. Behind them followed Vas, Alvarado and eventually Pieterse. They still had a chance of victory, although Brand looked to be the best as she distanced herself from Van der Heijden in lap four and crossed to Bäckstedt. In the pouring rain, she left the British rider behind. Brand made a mistake and lost her momentum and Bäckstedt caught and passed her. She gained a few seconds on Brand, who was now joined by Alvarado. The two pursuers caught Bäckstedt again in the fifth lap. Now Alvarado, who had been in pursuit for a long time, took the initiative. She pushed hard, created a gap and started the final lap with a 10 second lead on the chasers and held it to the final. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider took her eighth victory of the season. In the battle for second place, Bäckstedt beat Brand. Fourth place went to Van der Heijden, while Pieterse filled the last place in the top five.

Race winner, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck): “Today was a different day than yesterday. Yesterday I threw up everything twenty minutes before the start. I didn’t expect much anyway. I knew it wasn’t going to be a good day, but I tried. I felt better today. It was a new day. I had hoped it was just a one-off yesterday anyway. I slept well and kept everything inside last night and tonight. I also just felt better again. I was hoping for a good day. It took some time to get into it, but it went well. The first half I didn’t really believe in it, because she rode so far away. At one point I was on Lucinda’s wheel and we are two riders who keep riding until the end. At one point we came very close, so then I thought: it’s for the win today. Especially after the feeling of yesterday. Today was completely different. I didn’t expect to win, so that makes it even better. I missed two races and didn’t have a good day yesterday. So I think it will be difficult to win. Hopefully I can keep riding well in the World Cup and then we’ll see.

2nd, Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM): “In the first two laps I thought: maybe I can keep this up a bit longer, but in the final Ceylin and Lucinda were just super strong. My legs were a bit tired, but I could fight with Lucinda for that second place. I had to give it my all, but luckily I could beat her. I almost fell once. You could hear the crowd screaming ‘ooooo’ and in my head it was also like: ‘ooooo’. That was really fun, haha.”

3rd and World Cup leader, Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions): “I’m not really satisfied. It was a bit up and down the whole race. When I passed Zoe (Bäckstedt), I felt super strong. It went really well for one lap. Until I faltered in that hairpin bend. Then my legs filled up again and it closed up completely. Do I have an explanation for that? I know that the cold on my legs doesn’t help, but I don’t know about the rest either. It’s just a horrible bend, which I’ve struggled with all my life. I really try to do what they say, but it just doesn’t help.”

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Zonhoven Women 2024
1. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck in 54:11
2. Zoe Backstedt (GB) Canyon//SRAM at 0:05
3. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Baloise Trek Lions at 0:15
4. Inge van der Heijden (Ned) Crelan-Corendon at 0:41
5. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 0:50
6. Kata Blanka Vas (Hun) SD Worx-Protime at 1:31
7. Marie Schreiber (Lux) SD Worx-Protime at 2:10
8. Leonie Bentveld (Ned) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal at 2:18
9. Sanne Cant (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 2:51
10. Manon Bakker (Ned) Crelan-Corendon at 2:55.

Zonhoven’24

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Hulst Men 2024
Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team) won his first World Cup cyclocross race as a professional. The 24-year-old Belgian rode solo from start to finish and held off Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team). Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) was third.

On Saturday the cross riders had a golden opportunity to take a win in Hulst, before World champion Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert make their appearances. Michael Vanthourenhout was the top favourite after his recent successes. He had to compete against Thibau Nys, Pim Ronhaar, Laurens Sweeck, Toon Aert and Lars van der Haar.

Van der Haar had a good start, but the best start was from Niels Vandeputte. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider quickly got away on his own. At the finish line he had a few seconds on Van der Haar and Vanthourenhout, who were joined by Iserbyt, Felipe Orts and Thibau Nys in lap two. A bit later in that lap, after a slip by Vanthourenhout, Emiel Verstrynge and Pim Ronhaar also came back to the front.

There was a large chase group, but soon that group split up again. Van der Haar and Nys looked to be in trouble. Vandeputte’s lead increased and after three laps he already had 30 seconds on Orts, Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout. Vanthourenhout crashed several times, causing him to lose contact with Iserbyt and Orts. Later he would fall back even further. Orts took a small lead in the fourth lap, but the Belgian champion stayed close to the Spaniard. He came back briefly, until Orts rode away again. The Ridley Racing Team rider also got closer and closer to Vandeputte, who had a 13 second margin after five laps. Iserbyt was at 16 seconds and Ronhaar at 26 seconds were also not without a chance of victory.

In the penultimate lap, Orts came within 9 seconds of Vandeputte, but at the finish line it was 13 seconds again. Iserbyt and Ronhaar had come together, but they would battle for third place. The victory was now between Vandeputte and Orts and the Belgian was still in the best position. In the final lap Vandeputte held on to his lead without too many problems. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider, who had won the U23 Koksijde World Cup in 2019, has won a World Cup for professionals for the first time. Behind Vandeputte, Orts finished in second place. Ronhaar, who had passed Iserbyt, was third. Cameron Mason made up the top five.

Race winner, Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team): “It was probably one of my best days ever on the bike. I felt great today, both technically and physically. I had a good start from the second row. I tried to put pressure on the other guys right away. I got a little gap, and then you don’t have to wait. I didn’t expect during the first lap that I would be able to keep the gap the whole race, but I’m really happy that I could finish it. This means a lot to me. I’ve won some big races now, big TV races. But a World Cup is on another level. Especially now, at the start of the Christmas period. This gives a lot of morale. I am now really looking forward to the upcoming races. I had quite some bad luck. For example, I had made the Antwerp World Cup a big goal, but then I got sick the day before. I couldn’t perform at my best there. I then decided to skip the Dublin World Cup and go to Sardinia, but that World Cup was cancelled. I got sick again last week, the day before the Namur World Cup. I watched the TV with a heavy heart, because that is a very nice race. I would have liked to race there, but this victory makes up for the setbacks of the past few weeks.”

2nd, Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team): “I am happy to be back on the podium after a bad feeling in Namur, today I felt really good again. This is a really good start to the Christmas period. I saw in the last two laps that the gap had shrunk to less than ten seconds. I thought for a moment that I could still win. But in the end it turned out to be impossible. He was the best rider today. I stayed second and that is my best result ever in a World Cup. This gives me a lot of confidence. Today was a good result for me, but tomorrow and the day after I will be racing again. This is the best period for cyclo-cross. I want to continue like this.”

3rd, Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions): “I’m not really satisfied. I made too many mistakes. I think I could have done one place better. Niels was outstanding today. He didn’t make any mistakes, I think. After two laps I was already forty seconds behind, so there was nothing I could do about him. But maybe I could have beaten Felipe Orts, if I had made fewer mistakes. But I’m okay with it. It was very treacherous, very different from the reconnaissance. The women also went over it of course. It was more slippery than expected. That was a surprise to everyone. I do have the feeling that I wasn’t really able to dig deep. It was more about technique than content. We’ll do that tomorrow. In the beginning I made too many mistakes, but after that I rode solid laps and was able to move up.”

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Hulst Men Result:
1. Niels Vandeputte (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team in 57:55
2. Felipe Orts Lloret (Spa)) Ridley Racing Team at 0:09
3. Pim Ronhaar (Ned) Baloise Trek Lions at 0:20
4. Eli Iserbyt (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal at 0:36
5. Cameron Mason (GB) Cyclocross Reds at 0:58
6. Emiel Verstrynge (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 1:13
7. Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal at 1:30
8. Toon Aerts (Bel) Deschacht-Hens-FSP at 1:36
9. Lars van der Haar (Ned) Baloise Trek Lions at 1:41
10. David Menut (Fra) As Bike Racing at 1:49.

Hulst’24:

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Hulst Women 2024
The Hulst World Cup cyclocross was surprisingly won by Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime). The Luxembourger went solo after a fast start and held on for the rest of the race. Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) finished second and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) was third.

World champion Fem van Empel was missing from the Hulst World Cup due to a training crash, where she injured her knee. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Puck Pieterse and Lucinda Brand were all there for the battle. Brand had a bad start, due to not get into her pedal immediately. Marie Schreiber had the best start. Blanka Kata Vas, Zoe Bäckstedt and Leonie Bentveld were not far behind her. Schreiber created a gap in the opening lap and crossed the finish line with an 11 second lead over Bäckstedt, the first chaser. Pieterse, Vas and Brand followed at 17 seconds, Alvarado was in a group just behind, together with Annemarie Worst and some others. In the second of six laps, the chase changed a few times, but Schreiber kept pushing hard and extended her lead to 30 seconds.

The first pursuers at this point were Brand, Pieterse, Bäckstedt, Worst and Inge van der Heijden. The five didn’t stay together in the lap that followed: Brand first went on her own, later Pieterse and Van der Heijden joined her. At the halfway point the chasers were at 23 seconds behind Schreiber. Pieterse, Van der Heijden and Worst remained at that time in lap four, but Brand reduced the difference to 19 seconds. However, she was not fast enough and Schreiber didn’t lose anything in the penultimate lap. When the bell rang, she still had 16 seconds on Brand, while Pieterse followed a few seconds later. That turned out to be enough for the SD Worx-Protime rider to win. After winning three smaller cross races earlier this season, she was the best in a World Cup for the first time. It was also the first time since October 31, 2021 that a World Cup race was won by a non-Dutch rider. Second place went to Lucinda Brand, who also remains in the lead of the World Cup. Puck Pieterse took third place.

Race winner, Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime): “I have no words for this, I still can’t believe it. I had a good start, I took the lead and suddenly I had a big lead. I kept expecting them to come back, but with two laps to go I thought: shit, I can really win here. I got really nervous. I tried not to make any mistakes, but I felt really good. My legs were great. But in the last lap I made some mistakes, because I realised I was going to win. My dog ​​died on Wednesday. The last few days I really wasn’t there with my head. I thought: I want to win for him. On the bike I was really in a tunnel. I was so focused, but at the same time so nervous. I really didn’t know how it would turn out. But I’m really happy with this win. At the beginning of the season I wanted to get better every race. The last few races I felt like I was close, but there was always something missing. Today it came out. I always have a good start, but then I often fall back. That I now lead from start to finish feels pretty sick. It is something I can be proud of. They are legends (Lucinda Brand and Puck Pieterse). It is special. I think I can now say that I am one of the top riders in cross. That is an incredible feeling. I am super happy with today. I will try to enjoy this, but tomorrow is already the next cross. Maybe everyone is paying attention to me now. No, I have my victory now. The pressure is off. Tomorrow is a new day.”

2nd, Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions): “I quickly felt that I myself was making a small mistake somewhere. I was never a hundred percent in the flow on this lap. And I knew that she (Schreiber) had the space to do her own thing and loves this circuit. It suits her very well. Then it is very difficult to make up time. There are not many places where you can ride away on power. Of course you keep hope, but it was not like I thought: I’m going to do this job. I had a bit of a strange feeling today. I was more nervous than usual. That is a bit unusual for me. So yes, I am happy with this result. I am happy that I was still able to perform like this. I don’t really have an explanation for it, I hope it doesn’t happen too often.”

3rd, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck): “I think the feeling was a bit better. In the first half of the race I kept coming back, but then I made another stupid mistake, after which I had to chase again. That cost me a bit too much energy today. Everyone knows that she has a fast start. It’s cool to see that she managed to keep that up in the second half of the race, because normally she falls back a bit. But today she was super strong. Very impressive. We all knew that she would win one day, but to do it on a course like Hulst is really impressive. But of course I want to go a few steps higher. There are still some things to work on, but overall it’s fine.”

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Hulst Women Result:
1. Marie Schreiber (Lux) SD Worx-Protime in 53:45
2. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Baloise Trek Lions at 0:20
3. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 0:28
4. Annemarie Worst (Ned) Cyclocross Reds at 0:40
5. Inge van der Heijden (Ned) Crelan-Corendon at 0:52
6. Leonie Bentveld (Ned) Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal at 1:04
7. Zoe Backstedt (GB) Canyon//SRAM at 1:29
8. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 1:53
9. Kata Blanka Vas (Hun) SD Worx-Protime at 2:10
10. Manon Bakker (Ned) Crelan-Corendon at 2:25.

Hulst’24:

Wout van Aert Dedicates a Run to Rik Van Looy: “Rest in peace, emperor”
Wout van Aert is back in Belgium after his training camp in Oliva, Spain. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider went for a run on Thursday morning and dedicated it to Rik Van Looy, who passed away on the night of Tuesday/Wednesday at the age of 90. “Rest in peace, emperor,” Van Aert posted on Strava.

Van Looy, also known as the ‘Emperor of Herentals’, was one of the greatest Belgian cyclists of all time. His palmarès includes all five monuments, two World Championships, 39 stage victories in major tours and other Classics. Wout van Aert, like Rik Van Looy, comes from Herentals and yesterday he posted a tribute to his late fellow citizen on Instagram. He also paid him a tribute: “Rest in peace, emperor”, is his caption on a Strava.

With a ten-kilometre run, Van Aert puts some extra training in his legs, in the run-up to his return to cyclocross. The three-time world champion will be back in action on Monday (today), as he is expected to the start the Superprestigecross in Mol. In the Zilvermeercross he will also cross swords with his rival, Mathieu van der Poel.

He will then ride in Loenhout, Gullegem and Dendermonde, after which he will leave for a training camp with Visma | Lease a Bike. After that there are two more races on the calendar with the World Cups in Benidorm and Maasmechelen, but then a week before the World cyclocross championships in Liévin, France, he will stop riding cross.

Wout van Aert dedicates a run to Rik Van Looy – ‘Rust zacht keizer’:

Sick Wout van Aert Will Miss the Superprestige Mol
Visma | Lease a Bike has announced that we will not see the first cyclocross duel between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel on Monday. Van Aert will not be at the start of the Superprestigecross in Mol due to illness.

“Unfortunately, Wout van Aert has fallen ill and will not recover in time for tomorrow’s race in Mol”, wrote Visma | Lease a Bike on social media on Sunday. “We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back in action soon.”

At the beginning of December, after much speculation, Wout van Aert finally announced his cyclocross programme for this winter. It will be a very limited cyclocross season for Van Aert, as he was only to be in action six times. The Zilvermeercross in Mol was supposed to be Van Aert’s first cyclocross, but illness has stopped his participation. It is questionable whether he will be able to complete all his remaining races. His programme also includes Loenhout (27/12), Gullegem (04/01) and Dendermonde (05/01), after which he will go on a training camp with Visma | Lease a Bike, training for the 2025 road season.

After that camp, the 30-year-old Van Aert will ride two more World Cup races in Benidorm (19/01) and Maasmechelen (25/01). The three-time World champion will ‘probably’ not make a bid for a fourth rainbow jersey in Liévin, France.

No cross in Mol for Van Aert:

Tadej Pogačar Takes the KOM on the Coll de Rates
The World champion, Tadej Pogačar, has been riding well during his training camp. The Slovenian uploaded his ride on Friday to Strava, where he set a new top time on the Coll de Rates and took the Strava KOM.

Pogačar rode the 6.4 uphill kilometres in 12 minutes and 21 seconds, an average speed of 31.2 kilometres per hour. That is almost 17 seconds faster than Peter Øxenberg, the 19-year-old Dane who will ride for INEOS Grenadiers from next season. Two-time Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard previously clocked in at just over 13 minutes. Pogačar didn’t do that on his own, some video on social media shows Pogačar sat on a UAE Team Emirates climbing train. The Coll de Rates is also one of the most popular training climbs in Spain, many pro teams use it for test purposes when on a locally based training camp.

Another record for Pogačar:

Cat Ferguson has to miss Christmas cross after crashing in Hulst
Cat Ferguson suffered no serious injuries in her crash in the World Cup Hulst, according to her Movistar team on social media. However, the 18-year-old top talent will take it easy after her fall and miss some crosses from her program.

Ferguson fell on a steep descent, where Amandine Fouquenet also fell. How the Frenchwoman is, is not yet known. But with Ferguson, the damage turns out to be too bad, although Movistar continues to observe the situation. In addition, the crosses around Christmas will be missed.

In the remainder of 2024, Ferguson’s program was the Zonhoven World Cup (22/12), the Superprestige Mol (23/12), the Gavere World Cup (26/12), the Exact Cross Loenhout (27/12), the Besançon World Cup (29/12) and the Superprestige Diegem (30/12). It is not yet clear exactly which of these rides she will skip as a result of her crash, but Zonhoven and Mol no longer seem to be possible.

Cat Ferguson has to miss some cross races:

Eli Iserbyt Has an Emotional Message
Last week, top cross rider Eli Iserbyt had to abandon the race in Namur. The Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal rider has been struggling with Piriformis syndrome, a pinched nerve in his left leg, for a long time. The pain has recently become stronger. The Belgian shared an emotional message on Instagram. “It is not an injury, it is a way of life.”

“I started the 2022 cyclocross season with discomfort in my left leg, but I didn’t think much about it,” Iserbyt says on his own Instagram. “I thought it would pass. Little did I know that it would be a frustrating search for relief. Discomfort became pain, which in turn resulted in loss of strength. Many frustrating moments followed and countless questions that remained unanswered. What is it? What can we do about it?”

Piriformis syndrome turned out to be the cause of the pain. This irritated the deepest muscle in the leg and is located under the gluteus. “From the moment I get out of bed until I go back to sleep. The nerve in my left leg is the culprit. But what exactly is causing the pain? I still don’t really have an answer.” Piriformis syndrome is difficult to treat. Iserbyt considers dry needling to be the only method, but that too can only be done to a limited extent.

“At the beginning of my career, I wanted to push my body beyond its limits,” Iserbyt continued. “I wanted to defeat the ‘enemy’ and strive for the best possible result. Every time. Today, that enemy is in my body. I have been fighting it for the past two years. With the support of the team, we were able to reduce the pain. But sometimes the enemy takes control again. That happened on Sunday in Namur. Stopping was the only solution.”

“I have learned to live with this pain and have been able to give it a place. Even as I write this, I have had to adjust my seat position five times and stretch my leg ten times. This is not an injury. This has become a way of life over the past two years. I remain hopeful for the upcoming races and will, as always, give everything to achieve good results,” concluded Iserbyt.

An ongoing problem for Eli Iserbyt:

Demi Vollering Follows the Example of Van der Poel and Pogačar
Demi Vollering had an eventful 2024 season. After a few setbacks and a tricky transfer to FDJ-Suez, but a new year is just round the corner. She has a new start in a French team and a new approach. In her quest for success, Vollering has gone for a similar approach to that of Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar.

Demi Vollering has known for months that she would make the switch to the French team. It was only a month after the World championship in Zurich that FDJ-Suez announced that she had signed and after the Tour de France, she started working with her new trainers. “Somewhere after spring, I knew that I wanted to ride there,” Vollering said in an interview with NOS. “I walked out the door with a big smile after the first conversation and felt the fire in that team.” The Dutch rider will use this fervour in a measured way. In contrast to previous years, the Dutch leader will plan more rest and training time during the season.

“We mainly work with career goals and less with season goals. In concrete terms, this means that, like Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel, I will ride fewer races, but I will be in top form almost everywhere I start. I find that exciting, but I am very curious about it. My main goals will in any case be the Ardennes classics and the Tour de France again. Winning the Tour again is super important to me.”

Less racing and more rest for Demi Vollering in 2025:

Marlen Reusser Reveals her Big Goal for 2025
Marlen Reusser is looking ahead to next year with confidence. The 33-year-old Swiss rider didn’t race much last season because she was struggling with Long Covid, but she has now fully recovered. “I am healthy again and have my old life back,” she told Blick last week. Reusser contracted corona in the early spring of 2024. She then broke her jaw in a Tour of Flanders crash, but she returned to racing in May, but she increasingly suffered from fatigue. As a result, she was out of action from mid-May.

Reusser sometimes found it difficult to get out of bed. “You do something and get even sicker,” she said. “There were moments when I seriously doubted whether I would ever be on the bike again. We couldn’t figure out what it was.”

In the end Reusser was diagnosed with Long COVID. The recovery then took a long time, but with the help of hypnosis sessions, she says she fully recovered. “I’m training at full speed again and preparing for the new season,” she now sounds cheerful. “I’m making great progress with every training.” The three-time European time trial champion is moving from SD Worx-Protime to Movistar. She has signed a three-year contract with the Spanish team, for which she will make her debut in Mallorca in January. After that, she will be the leader in the Vuelta, Giro and Tour. Reusser wants to be in top form again for these Grand Tours, but she is also mainly aiming at the World championships in Rwanda at the end of September. “The World Championship title is my big goal,” she said ambitiously.

Marlen Reusser looking forward to the new season:

Non-Selection for the Tour was the Reason for Dylan Teuns Leaving
Dylan Teuns hopes to shine again next year with his new team, Cofidis, after he had reached a dead end with Israel-Premier Tech. His transfer to the French team gained momentum after his non-selection for the Tour de France.

The 32-year-old Belgian spoke about it in an interview with Sporza. “I had already started preparing for the Tour, had the Dauphiné in my legs and felt myself growing during the altitude training camp.” “The team decided to take a sprinter (Pascal Ackermann) and he needed a few riders to support him.”

“That put me in the balance with another rider,” Teuns explained. “In the end, I was not allowed to go. I thought that was a rather weak explanation. Because of that non-selection, I decided to look for other places. Israel-Premier Tech hadn’t made me a concrete proposal at the time either.”

Teuns was able to count on interest from Cofidis, where he will be a leader, especially in the Classics. “I’ll kick off my spring in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, normally followed by Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and the Strade Bianche. That’s a block in which I already want to be good, but the real big focus is on the block from the Tour of Flanders up to and including Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In that period I want to reach the top level that I had last year in the Tour again.” Last season Teuns was very close to a podium place in the Tour of Flanders, but he was caught by a chasing group in the final metres. “That’s why I want to realise that dream.”

A race that Teuns would also like to ride is the Brabantse Pijl, but is this a serious option? “In 2025, the Brabantse Pijl will move from Wednesday to Friday, because the Ronde van Limburg has taken over that spot,” Teuns explains. “I am not in favour of that, because that means I will probably have to choose between the Brabantse Pijl and the Amstel Gold Race. That is such a shame, because there are only four climbing Classics in the spring.”

Dylan Teuns for the Classics:

British Sprinter Ethan Vernon Breaks Collarbone in Training Crash
Bad luck for Ethan Vernon in the run-up to the new season. The British sprinter crashed during a training ride in Spain last week and broke his collarbone. Vernon has since undergone successful surgery, Israel-Premier Tech announced via social media.

The 24-year-old Vernon was in Spain with his Israel-Premier Tech teammates for a training camp, but during a bike ride there was a crash. The British rider was taken to hospital with a fracture to his left collarbone and underwent surgery on Wednesday. “The surgery was successful and Ethan has now been released from hospital. We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back in training for the new cycling season,” the team wrote on X.

Vernon is one of the sprint finishers in the Israel-Premier Tech squad. The fast Briton, who also races on the track, had three victories last season. He won two stages of the Tour of Guangxi. Sep Vanmarcke, who has since retired as DS at Israel-Premier Tech, spoke highly of Vernon during the recent Tour of Guangxi. “Look, Ethan is now 24 years old, but perhaps an atypical sprinter. He is incredibly strong. The team pursuit has made him incredibly strong. He sprints a bit like Marcel Kittel, who had a lot of power that he could carry for a long time. And I see something like that with Vernon.”

“We don’t know yet where he can end up. But he is young and has a lot of potential. He will always do the track for a while. That in itself is also good for his continued development. But next year he will fully build up to the road season, that is where his focus will be. Then you would think that things should be even better.”

Ethan Vernon breaks collarbone:

Stefan Küng Sees an Airbag as a Possible Safety Solution
The discussion about safety in bike races has been an important subject recently, but what options are there to make cycling safer? According to Stefan Küng, an airbag system could provide a solution, but the Swiss rider is keeping his options open.

Küng has had several bad crashes in the past and welcomes any initiative to make cycling safer. Work is being done on developing an airbag. According to aerObag, a project that has been working on a prototype of a product in recent months, this could well become commonplace in the peloton.

However, Küng also has a reservation in an interview with Sporza. “At one point, the international ski federation FIS wanted to make it mandatory for all skiers to wear an airbag in competitions. But I read that many skiers then applied for an exemption because they were concerned about the functioning of the system. They feared that they could injure their necks when the airbag is inflated. If an airbag really works and is made mandatory in the race, it could be a solution,” Küng is hopeful. “It will cost money. But what is 500 euros if you can prevent serious injuries or even deaths with it?”

According to Küng, more needs to be done to make racing safer. For example, there has been a lot of talk about dangerous sections in races for a long time. “We have feared for ten years that there would be a serious fall in the run-up to the Kanarieberg and the consequences would be serious. The fact that the Kanarieberg (and the descent to it) has now been removed from Dwars door Vlaanderen is a good thing.”

“But the run-up to the Oude Kwaremont is actually exactly the same,” the Groupama-FDJ rider believes. “At 80 to 90 kph we fly over a fast and wide road, descending. If two riders ever touch each other with their wheels there, thirty riders will fall to the ground with the impact. The same goes for the descent towards Ronse. We have to ask ourselves whether there are other possible routes,” Küng argues. “But the climbs in the Flemish Ardennes are very close together, so there are not many alternatives. It is a difficult topic,” he concludes.

Stefan Küng knows all about safety:

Visma | Lease a Bike signs American talent via long-term deal
Visma | Lease a Bike has signed 17-year-old American Ashlin Barry with a long-term project. Barry will become part of the development team from next season and will transfer to Visma | Lease a Bike in 2026.

Visma | Lease a Bike has its sights set on talents outside Europe. Barry participated in a limited number of races in 2024 as a first-year junior, but demonstrated his capabilities. He won the American national road and time trial titles and took victories in the Ster van Zuid-Limburg, Valley Sun Tour, Henderson Classic and Tour du Bocage. In addition, the American can compete in several disciplines. A victory in the UCI Gravel Series Blue Mountains and a second place in the World Omnium Championships on the track show his versatility.

Ashlin Barry is the son of former professional cyclists Michael and Dede Barry. Now he will follow in his parents’ footsteps and join JEGG Skil DJR, the junior team that works with the Dutch WorldTour team, in 2025. “We see enormous talent in Ashlin, along with considerable room for growth,” said Robbert de Groot, Head of Development at Visma | Lease a Bike. “We are therefore very pleased that he will be part of our team in the coming years. This is the first time that we have signed someone so young directly for our WorldTeam. It reflects our confidence in Ashlin’s potential and underlines our belief in the long term.”

After completing his final year as a junior at JEGG Skil DJR, Barry will move to Visma | Lease a Bike in 2026. “Whether and for how long he will race for the Development Team and when he will make the step up to the WorldTour will depend on his progress,” De Groot explained. “Thanks to our development pyramid, which consists of a junior, development and WorldTeam, we can remain flexible and offer riders like Ashlin a tailor-made path to promote their growth. When it comes to talent development, we can really offer tailor-made solutions.”

Ashlin Barry couldn’t believe his luck: “Visma | Lease a Bike is truly a dream team. It’s incredibly inspiring to sign with the same team as riders like Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard. They are great examples of how you can develop further within this team. Of course, I’m still very young and I’m still discovering my specialties. I think the classics and time trials suit me best, but I’m convinced that this team is the perfect choice to guide me on that journey.”

Visma sign Ashlin Barry:

INEOS Grenadiers Signs Theodor Storm
Theodor Storm and Peter Øxenberg will both ride for Lotto Kern-Haus PSD Bank next year. Both Danes were on the INEOS Grenadiers roster for 2025, but the British team has decided to sign them to the German Continental team, which has a partnership. For Storm, it is a miracle that he can race again, after being struck by Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Storm had a contract with INEOS Grenadiers last year, but didn’t compete in any races. Why this was, was unknown for a long time. Now Storm, who will be one of the international top junior riders in 2023, has given an explanation on Instagram. “I know it has been a long time since you have heard from me, but now I am ready to tell you more about what has happened to me over the past year and, perhaps more importantly, what my future holds,” Storm wrote. “In January I had to take a step back from cycling because, right after the European Track Cycling Championships, I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome and spent months in hospital.”

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a nervous system disorder, an autoimmune reaction, which is accompanied by increasing muscle weakness and muscle paralysis. It can start very suddenly and turn your life upside down. This is also the case for Storm. “It has been the toughest year of my life,” he reflected. “And it has been difficult in many ways. I went from achieving my dream of becoming a pro one moment to fighting for my life the next.”

Storm, who thanks his family and INEOS Grenadiers for their support, is now on the mend. “Although it all felt incomprehensible, I can count myself lucky that my recovery has gone so well. The doctors say it is possible for me to return to 100%. I have the worst behind me and am back in full training, but there is still work to be done.”

Storm will initially not race with INEOS Grenadiers, but with Lotto Kern-Haus PSD Bank. “I am looking forward to returning to racing next year with Lotto Kern-Haus PSD Bank. This choice was made in consultation with INEOS. It will help me to gradually pick up racing again, in the right way for the long term. I will attend the Grenadiers training camp and get all the support I need,” said Storm, who will make his comeback in December during a 100 kilometre madison on the track in Ballerup, Denmark.

Peter Øxenberg, another 18-year-old talent from Denmark, was announced in June as a new addition to INEOS Grenadiers. He has signed a contract with the British team until the end of 2027, but will first compete for Lotto Kern-Haus PSD Bank for a season. Øxenberg comes over from the Continental ColoQuick team. He took the record on the Coll de Rates in the spring of 2024. He also impressed INEOS with several good results as a junior and he also stood out as a promising rider last year. He was second in Eschborn-Frankfurt U23 and won a stage in the Orlen Nations GP.

Theodor Storm racing again – With Michael Mørkøv in the euro champs:

Picnic PostNL Gives Young Colombian his First Professional Contract
Picnic PostNL will soon announce a new name for the WorldTeam. The Dutch team has signed Juan Guillermo Martínez, CiclismoInternacional reported on Wednesday. Martínez is a 20-year-old Colombian climber, who has been riding for the Q36.5 Pro Cycling development team for the past two seasons.

It is a remarkable transfer, since Picnic PostNL (dsm-firmenich PostNL) is not known as a team that gives South American riders a chance at the highest level. Juan Guillermo Martínez managed to convince the team management with his performances, especially in the U23 category. With the development team of Q36.5 Pro Cycling, he has already raced many times in Europe in the past two seasons, while he also contested a few stage races in the Spanish circuit as a final year junior.

Martínez also distinguished himself in his own country. He came second in the junior race Vuelta del Porvenir. This is the South American equivalent of the Tour de l’Avenir. He managed to get himself noticed with Q36.5 Pro Cycling. The Swiss team decided to place him in the training team. In his first European year, good results were still lacking, but last season he showed himself several times, mainly in the prestigious Giro della Valle d’Aosta U23. In the stage race won by Jarno Widar, he finished sixth in the final classification and also won the mountain jersey. After his successful Giro della Valle d’Aosta, Martínez continued his momentum, as he triumphed in the difficult Bassano-Montegrappa climb. With these performances, he managed to secure his place in the Colombian selection for the Tour de l’Avenir. However, he was unable to make an impact there.

The young Colombian also raced against the pros several times last season. In April, he rode the Giro della Romagna (1.1), in July he was at the start of the Giro dell’Appennino (1.1, where he finished seventeenth) and his last race of 2024 was the Coppa Agostoni (1.1). Martínez, who only turned 20 at the end of November, will join the WorldTeam, but will also ride a few races with the development team in 2025. As a neo-pro, he has signed for at least two seasons.

Juan Guillermo Martínez to Picnic PostNL:

Olympia’s Tour Starts with Individual Time Trial
The next edition of the Olympia’s Tour (26-30 March 2025) will start with an individual time trial. The start and finish of the time trial are in Tiel, near the office of main sponsor Metec. It is not yet known how long the stage will be.

“By starting a race with a time trial, time differences are immediately created, which gives a potential winner an immediate time advantage, but also ensures that the competition has a target to attack,” Thijs Rondhuis of organiser Courage Events, explained the choice for a time trial.

There is also another reason to start with a time trial, Rondhuis says. “In the context of talent development, it is crucial that time trials can be held regularly, a part of cycling that is unfortunately rarely offered. Early in the year, we therefore offer participants in Olympia’s Tour the opportunity to gain experience in riding against the clock.”

However, Rondhuis does think that the time trial will be ‘only partly decisive’. “In the Dutch spring, the wind can cause echelons to form and that means you have to keep an eye on the classification every day. That is the dynamic that has made Olympia’s Tour so special and attractive for over a century.”

The rest of the route of Olympia’s Tour 2025 is not yet known. The organisers will reveal the rest of the stage schedule in the coming weeks. In 2024, Olympia’s Tour was won by Tim Torn Teutenberg, who will be riding Lidl-Trek next year. The German beat two other riders who are making the step to the WorldTour. Rasmus Søjberg Pedersen will ride for Decathlon AG2R in 2025 and Jelte Krijnsen for Jayco AlUla.

Stage 1 TT for the Olympia’s Tour:

INEOS Grenadiers Off-Script December Camp 2024 Video
Welcome to Spain and December Camp with the INEOS Grenadiers! In a new location, our riders and staff are gearing up for the season ahead. Go behind the scenes and hear from the team at one of the most crucial camps for any pro cycling squad.

Off-Script December Camp 2024 | INEOS Grenadiers | Behind the scenes

Watch the PEZ YOUTUBE Channel here

See PEZ FACEBOOK here

Follow PEZ INSTAGRAM here

The PEZ NEWSWIRE!
Don’t forget to check the “NEWSWIRE” section, you can find it on the homepage, just above the PEZ Shop section. The bits of news that missed the EuroTrash deadline are in there, plus any news as-it-happens will be added there too.

Any comments, drop me a line, at: alastair@pezcyclingnews.com or Twitter. And check the PezCyclingNews Twitter and Facebook Page. And say hi on Zwift when you pass me.

The post EUROTRASH Monday: Van der Poel Back with a Bang! appeared first on PezCycling News.