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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, December 4, 2023

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left. - Oscar Levant

Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2019: A Year of New Faces is available in both Kindle eBook and 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 Flamanville, France, December 3, 2023

Men Elite | Women Elite

Men's Flamanville Cyclocross

Eli Iserbyt gets his sixth win of the season. Photo: Photopress.be

The race:

Here is a machine-translation of the race report from winner Eli Iserbyt's Team Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal.

Eli Iserbyt has booked his sixth victory of the season in the World Cup round in Flamanville, France. Even more fun for our team: the first podium place ever in the Women's Elite World Cup for Leonie Bentveld.

It started excellently for us in the women's race: with a holeshot from Leonie Bentveld, who was then able to fully compete for the podium places together with Denise Betsema. This also worked for Leonie, who achieved a milestone in her career with a third place: a podium place in the World Cup, all at the age of nineteen. Denise crossed the finish line in fourth place.

Things went wrong for the men at the start: Eli Iserbyt immediately had to chase. With a strong recovery he then overcame all the competition, eventually winning solo. Eli is now even more firmly in the leader's jersey of the World Cup: he now has a 34 point lead over his first pursuer. In Flamanville, Ryan Kamp finished eighth after a blitz start.

European and Belgian champion Michael Vanthourenhout did not start in Flamanville, with a view to recovering from his shoulder injury.

Results:

Women's Flamanville Cyclocross:

Lucinda Brand has left everyone else behind. UCI photo

The race: Here's the UCI's report.

In the heart of Flamanville, the sixth round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup unfolded with a notable absence – the World Cup leader, Alvarado, sidelined by illness. The challenging terrain witnessed the non-participation of superstars Van Empel and Pieterse, setting the stage for a race marked by unpredictability. With a slippery course awaiting the contenders, the spotlight naturally fell on Lucinda Brand, the formidable force in women's cyclo-cross. This is the story of Round 6, where Brand's dominance took center stage amidst the twists and turns of the Flamanville circuit.

Flamanville hosted the sixth round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, and it was marked by the absence of World Cup leader Ceylin Alvarado (Alpecin - Deceuninck) due to illness, along with the notable no-shows of Fem van Empel (Jumbo - Visma) and Puck Pieterse (Alpecin - Deceuninck). The challenging and slippery course set the stage for a highly anticipated race, with Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) emerging as the frontrunner.

As the race kicked off, Schreiber took the early lead, followed by Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal). Brand, the favored contender, faced a less-than-ideal start but quickly made up ground in the first lap. Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions) and Sanne Cant (Crelan-Corendon) also struggled with their starts, but there was no immediate breakaway in the opening phase, with a group of around 10 riders at the forefront. Marie Schreiber (SD Worx), Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal), and Bentveld took charge, creating a slight gap. Betsema and Schreiber maintained a small lead, while Brand worked hard to close the distance. Entering the second lap, Schreiber led the pack, and the entire field navigated the challenging course, making a stop at the equipment post due to the harsh conditions. Brand nearly caught up after a minor slip from Schreiber. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Brand launched an attack, showcasing her strength. Climbing where others had to dismount, Brand began to establish a significant lead. Her dominance was evident as her advantage exceeded 10 seconds.

Brand initiated the third lap with a 15-second lead over Schreiber. The battle for third place intensified, with riders like Worst, Bentveld, and Betsema vying for the podium. The slippery course resulted in some spills, with riders like Rochette and Sanne Cant hitting the ground. Brand powered through, expanding her lead to 24 seconds by the start of the fourth lap, with Schreiber, Betsema, and Bentveld trailing behind.Bentveld caught up with Schreiber, and both riders were 27 seconds adrift of Brand, who seemed to struggle in the turns. Brand, however, maintained her composure, and by the midpoint of the fourth lap, she could already afford a smile, knowing victory was within reach. Starting the fifth lap, Brand led by 19 seconds over Schreiber and 23 seconds over Bentveld.

The final lap turned into a victory lap for Lucinda Brand, who delivered a fantastic solo effort. Schreiber secured second place, and Bentveld claimed the third spot. The podium was firmly established. In summary, Lucinda Brand's commanding performance showcased her prowess in adverse conditions, securing a well-deserved victory in the sixth round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup.

Results:

Van Wilder's Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this:

“Looking back, I think it’s easy to say our team had a perfect run in Germany. We started off with a bang when Ethan Vernon took the yellow jersey in the prologue after a great ride, so the confidence was high, and we carried the momentum into the second day, which had a relentless final hour of racing.

'

Since we do not cover the Deutschland Tour, here's a photo of Van Wilder winning the 2023 Tre Valli Varesine. Getty Sport photo

"The speed went up there as many teams tried to drop the sprinters, but I remained attentive and when the others decided to drop the hammer, I just followed the moves. We were at the front in just three, with the peloton not far behind, but we shared the workload quite well and rode full gas, holding off the chasers. When I started my sprint, I pushed incredibly hard without looking back, because I wanted so badly to take the stage and all I had in mind was to cross the line first.

"Getting my first victory came with a special feeling, and I loved it that I did that in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey. The remaining stages weren’t easy, as they had plenty of tricky terrain perfect for the others to try an attack, but I was fortunate to have an incredible team around me, which supported me the entire time, controlling the race in the hectic moments and helping me bring home the red jersey.

"Taking my first win and my first GC victory, both in the same week, was something incredible. I was proud of what we achieved there as a team and delighted at the same time that I made an important step on a personal level in that week. I also think that I found my balance when it comes to my role in the squad, and in the future, I would like to grow further and get more solid results in this type of races, but also to help the team in the Grand Tours.”

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