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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, December 3, 2023

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it. - Abraham Lincoln

Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 2: 1976 - 2018 is available in print, Kindle eBook & Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Upcoming racing:

• Dec 17: World Cup Namur Cyclocross
• Dec 26: World Cup Gaver Cyclocross
• Dec 27: Superprestige Heusden Zolder
• Dec 28: Superprestige Diegem
• Dec 29: Exact Cross Loenhout-Azencross
• Jan 12-21: Santos Tour Down Under
• Jan 20: Clasica Comunitat Valenciana
• Jan 24-28: Challenge Illes Balears-Volta Ciclista a Mallorca
• Jan 28: GP d'Ouverture-La Marseillaise
• Jan 28: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
• Jan 30 - Feb 3: Saudi Tour

Latest completed racing:

• Nov 5: European Cyclocross Championships
• Nov 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
• Oct 28: Superprestige Ruddervoorde
• Oct 22: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaanse Druivencross
• Oct 12 - 17: Tour of Guangxi
• Oct 15: Japan Cup
• Oct 15: Veneto Classic

Held in Boom, Belgium

Men Elite | Women Elite

Men's Boom Cyclocross

Jori Nieuwenhuis makes it two wins in a row. Telenet Superprestige Veldrijden photo

The race:

Here is a machine translation of the organizer's report.

Joris Nieuwenhuis and Cameron Mason made it an exciting match in De Schorre in Boom. Nieuwenhuis took control in the second lap and the British Mason was the only one who could threaten him. The Dutchman continued to lead authoritatively and made no mistakes, even though Mason remained between 6 and 12 seconds behind throughout the race.

Thibau Nys signed for the hole shot on the grounds of Tomorrowland. Jens Adams immediately took over the lead and even took a few seconds lead over the rest of the pack. Thibau Nys made an impression on the flanks of the Delta slope in De Schorre and caught the escaped Adams by the ropes. His Baloise-Trek teammate Joris Nieuwenhuis benefited from Nys' work, took command and put pressure on his competitors.

Thanks to his technical abilities, the British rider Cameron Mason was able to keep an unleashed Nieuwenhuis within striking distance. Thibau Nys, Eli Iserbyt and Michael Vanthourenhout had to give up more than half a minute in the first quarter of the match. Thijs Aerts and Niels Vandeputte joined this trio in the battle for third place. In this group we had regular position changes, while Mason kept the Dutch leader within striking distance.

The two gamecocks made it a very exciting match. Cameron Mason never caught up with Joris Nieuwenhuis, but did play a few laps yo-yo between 6 and 12 seconds behind. Every lap it was seconds counted for the audience and viewers. Mason had the advantage with his light weight on the steep uphill sections, while rouleur Nieuwenhuis made a difference on the power straights. The Dutchman remained clear and was able to maintain the dominance in this exciting match. Eli Iserbyt, meanwhile, had left behind his last two competitors for third place, Niels Vandeputte and Michael Vanthourenhout.

Winner Nieuwenhuis won his second Superprestige competition in a row: “There is only one explanation for these successes and that is that my lower back is currently holding up well. I already felt in the first round that I was very good and it became a bit quiet. I immediately chose to ride my own pace and my own lines.”

Runner-up Cameron Mason stays close to the course when he is in Belgium: “I came to the race on foot and it was a very nice race. I gave it my all and it was fun to make it such an exciting battle. I couldn't train in advance because I only got back here last night, but I regularly do my running training here at De Schorre.”

Eli Iserbyt, leader in the rankings, could do a good thing: “In the beginning I saw that Joris and Cameron were very strong. I saw that I couldn't follow immediately and quickly made the switch to tomorrow's World Cup. The course here is super beautiful, technical and difficult, but I tried not to take too many risks.”

Results:

Women's Boom Cyclocross:

Fem van Empel's nearest chaser was more than a minute back. Jumbo-Visma photo

Here’s the race report from winner Fem van Empel’s Team Jumbo-Visma:
Fem van Empel has won the fifth race of the Superprestige classification. In Boom, the 21-year-old rider of Jumbo-Visma Women once again proved too strong for her opponents. It is Van Empel's ninth victory in as many races this season.

The Tomorrowland music festival grounds in Boom provided the riders with a challenging course. Empel made a few mistakes and crashed on the opening lap. Puck Pieterse took a slight lead, which the world champion quickly closed. After a mistake by Pieterse, Van Empel went solo. The Dutch rider increased her lead with each lap and eventually triumphed.

"I felt I was lacking a bit of sharpness before the start”, Van Empel said. "That showed in the mistakes I made on the first lap. So, the little crash was a good wake-up call to pick myself up. I decided to stay with Pieterse for a while after closing the gap, but soon found myself alone. The following laps were flawless, and I'm happy with that.”

Van Empel remains unbeaten in the cyclocross season. "It's bizarre. I'm thrilled with the way things are going this season. I work very hard for it every week. Not only the training is important, but also the rest and the environment. It's nice to see all that effort rewarded at the weekend”, Van Empel concluded.

Results:

Here’s the team’s announcement:

Veteran Italian rouleur and sprinter, a 15-year pro, further strengthens Telefónica-backed squad's lineup for next season.

The Movistar Team confirms Saturday it has reached an agreement with Davide Cimolai (Pordenone, ITA; 1989) as their 29th rider for their 2024 men’s pro roster. The Italian, joining from Team Cofidis, will be a member of the Blue outfit next January 1st.

Davide Cimolai wins stage 2 of the 2019 Vuelta a Castilla y Leon. Israel Cycling Academy photo

‘Cimo’ has been, especially in recent years, an outstanding guide for the top sprinters he’s shared teams with, a skilled rouleur and an explosive competitor with strong terminal speed. Despite being usually committed to team duties, he’s also got nine pro wins, including a stage in Paris-Nice (2015), two wins in the Volta a Catalunya (2016, 2017) and the GC in the Vuelta a Castilla y León (2019).

Davide Cimolai:
“Inside of me, I was content and calm with my career ending this very 2023 season, because the last few months had been really hard from a mental standpoint, and my decision had already been taken not to continue. Only an offer from an important team could change that, and it was the case with the Movistar Team. It’s and honour and a source of immense joy for me to be part of such a prestigious squad, where I’m sure I’ll find the right atmosphere and get back the confidence and enthusiasm I had lost.

“I’m joining the team with the ambition of offering my very best. I’m aware that I’m here fundamentally to support Gaviria, and I hope that my help, together with the rest of the team’s, can lead us to great victories. I want to take advantage from this announcement to especially thank Eusebio Unzué for the opportunity – I had the pleasure to meeting him and he’s been such a nice person to me.”

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