By Steve Medcroft Sven Nys scored back-to-back victories over the weekend, sweeping the World Cup in...
The Finish (Image credit: Luc Claessen)
By Steve Medcroft
Sven Nys scored back-to-back victories over the weekend, sweeping the World Cup in Koksijde, Belgium on Saturday and the Superprestige Series race in Gieten, the Netherlands on Sunday.
The World Cup win was Nys' fourth of the season and solidifies his lead in the World Cup overall competition. Although he fell behind the leaders in the early going, Nys, nicknamed the 'Cannibal' for his voracious appetite for success against all other men, was able to storm through the field and power off the front to win by almost one minute. Fellow Belgian Bart Wellens (Fidea Cycling Team) finished second, outstprinting Sven Vanthourenhout (Rabobank).
In Gieten, after a moment of silence for Isaac Galvez, Nys continued his streak of Superprestige wins, this time with a solid start that put him in an early lead group with Gerben De Knegt (Ned) and Klaas Vantornout (Bel). Two laps from the finish, Nys launched his ultimate acceleration in a sand pit and rode untroubled towards victory. "On this course it was much harder to ride away from the opposition," Nys said. "Until halfway the race I was only busy with defending my good position in the Superprestige Series, I would've been happy with a top three spot. When I noticed the others had a hard time dealing with my tempo I started thinking about the victory," Nys explains.
Nys will compete next in the World Cup in Igorre, Spain on December third.
