With 40,000 'cross fans over two days and good weather, the 2008 UCI World Cyclo-cross Championships...
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World women's 'cross champion Hanka Kupfernagel's bike is a Focus.(Image credit: Tim Maloney)
One of the most popular riders on the 'cross scene is Bart Wellens.(Image credit: Tim Maloney)
Big Lars Boom rode his big Colnago C50 'Cross to victory at this year's UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Italy.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Boom's Colnago C50 'Cross carbon fiber fork and Shimano Dura-Ace carbon fibre wheels adorned with winning mud.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
The Colnago C50 'Cross substitutes a more conventional looking wishbone seat stay arrangement instead of its roadgoing B-Stay.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
The "Freuler" style elongated seat lug provides a more stable and rigid platform for the tall Boom, who uses Selle San Marco's classic Concor saddle. The rear brake cable is routed directly (and very unconventionally) through the center of the seat lug with an improvised noodle from a linear-pull MTB brake.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Boom's drivetrain is Shimano Dura-Ace 10-speed all the way with narrowly spaced 42/46T chainrings up front, a 12-25T cassette and XTR pedals.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
World women's 'cross champion Hanka Kupfernagel hails from Germany and is sponsored by Focus Bicycles, a German brand created by former German 'cross and MTB champ Mike Kluge.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Sponsored by SRAM since 2006, Hanka rode the Chicago company's new Red groupset to its first ever 'cross world championship, with Red levers mated to a Force crankset and rear mech.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Kupfernagel's Red levers are mated to an FSA bar and stem. Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate wheels offer decidedly premium rolling stock.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
A focused Jonathan Page checks his tire pressure in the USA team box before the race.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Page's Ridley X-Night is the same frame model ridden to consecutive 'cross world titles in 2006 and 2007, fitted with Oval Concepts R700 stem and bars and no auxiliary brake levers.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Page's Oval Concepts R700 seatpost is topped by a well-worn Selle San Marco Aspide saddle.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
The New Hampshire 'cross star's fan club include his wife Cori with son Milo in the baby carrier and daughter Emma ready to cheer on her dad.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
One of the most popular riders on the 'cross scene is young Belgian Bart Wellens from Vorselaar, current Belgian 'cross champ and star of his own reality TV show, "Wellens en Wee". His enthusiastic supporters travelled from Belgium to Treviso to pump for Bart.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
More Wellens supporters and their "unique" sartorial style.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Wellens' Ridley includes an integrated seatmast.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Smilin' Mass man Tim Johnson rode to glory this season winning the US 'Cross Nationals and donning the Captain America stars and stripes.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Johnson's signature Cannondale XTJ uses an Optimo aluminum frame and Easton carbon fibre fork, all powered by SRAM's Red groupset shown here with spiffy yellow brake hoods that match the XTJ's color scheme.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Like Page, Johnson also opts to go without bar top-mounted brake levers.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Rabobank's other ginormous Dutch crossman Gerben DeKnecht waits for his mechanic to fill up the spares. DeKnecht told Cyclingnews that he was running 1.65 bar of tire pressure in Treviso, well above his usual 1.35 bar.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
DeKnecht's bike is also equipped with the elongated seat lug along with the same improvised rear brake cable routing. The accompanying carbon seatpost must be slotted through at least some of its length at the bottom.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
The Cannondale of Liquigas pro Enrico Franzoi is similar to that of Johnson with an Optimo aluminium frame and Easton carbon fork, but is finished with Campagnolo Bora (labeled 'Fulcrum') hoops and a fi'zi:k Arione saddle.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Campagnolo supplies Liquigas with its team-only levers, attached to a set of FSA handlebars and matching stem.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Laurence Leboucher's Look 'cross bike features a carbon fibre chain guard.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
World 'Cross champion 2025? Thibault Nys, son of Belgian 'cross great Sven Nys, is already a two-wheeled terror like his father and is reportedly already tearing up the BMX track, just like Papa Sven did at his age.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
With 40,000 cross fans over two days and good weather, the 2008 UCI World Cyclo-cross Championships ended with a celebratory spray of confetti.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com)
Race Tech: 2008 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, February 16, 2008
With 40,000 'cross fans over two days and good weather, the 2008 UCI World Cyclo-cross Championships in Treviso, Italy ended with a celebratory spray of confetti. After a great weekend of racing at the reclaimed gravel pit of Le Bandie, Cyclingnews combed the team boxes for new and interesting cyclo-cross equipment.
World 'Cross Champion Hanka Kupfernagel is German through and through: she was voted the country's most popular women's rider and is sponsored by Focus Bicycles, a German brand created by her partner Mike Kluge, who has also won the 'Cross Worlds on several occassions. Kupfernagel's Cross Team frame is a fairly standard machine, foregoing carbon fiber for more conventional triple butted 7005 aluminium configured in a classic 'cross design. SRAM has sponsored the star since 2006 and Kupfernagel rode the Chicago company's new Red groupset to its first ever 'cross world championship, with Red levers poised on an FSA bar and stem and mated to a Force crankset and rear mech.
One year after capturing the U23 world 'cross championship, Dutchman Lars Boom added the men's elite title to his palmares as he rode his Colnago C50 'Cross across the line to victory in Italy. The purpose-built C50 'Cross differs from the standard C50 road model in both geometry and design with different tubing specs and a 'cross-specific fork and rear triangle with extra clearance for wider tires. A "Freuler"-style elongated seat lug provides additional seatpost support for a more stable and rigid ride, but the extension also allows room for the unusual rear brake cable routing, which is run directly through the seat tube via a stainless tube borrowed from a linear pull mountain bike brake. Boom's bike was fitted with a Dura-Ace carbon fibre wheelset and 10-speed drivetrain with narrowly spaced 42/46T chainrings up front, a 12-25T cassette and XTR SPD pedals.
Belgian champion Bart Wellens was using Ridley's newest X-Night equipped with an integrated post and sharp-edged styling akin to the company's road-going Noah. Component choices include a Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrain, Challenge Grifo tubulars and a host of bits from 4ZA, the parts arms of Ridley. Wellens is famous not only for his riding but also now for his exploits on-screen with his Belgian reality TV show, "Wellens en Wee". Enthusiastic supporters weren't satisfied with just watching Wellens on television for the race, though, as they made the journey from Belgium to Treviso.
American Jonathan Page of New Hampshire was runner-up in the 2007 Elite 'Cross Worlds but unfortunately had to settle on a less than satisfying season this year. Like Wellens, Page's Sunweb team is sponsored by Ridley but Page competed aboard the existing X-Night model instead of the updated version.
Fellow New Englander Tim Johnson had better success this season, winning the US 'Cross Nationals and earning the coveted stars and stripes jersey. Johnson piloted his signature-model Cannondale XTJ, equipped with an Optimo aluminum frame and Easton carbon fibre fork all powered by SRAM's Red groupset. Spiffy yellow brake hoods neatly match the XTJ's color scheme.
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Liquigas pro Enrico Franzoi is also sponsored by Cannondale and like Johnson, Franzoi's machine has an Optimo aluminum frame and Easton carbon fibre fork. Franzoi's bike is outfitted differently, though, with Fulcrum RacingSpeed carbon fibre hoops, a fi'zi:k Arione saddle, red-accented team-only Campagnolo Record levers, and an FSA bar and stem.
