Nys overcomes last lap mistakes to win eponymous race
Stybar puts pressure on Belgian Champion
Sven Nys won a hard fought sixth round of the Gazet van Antwerpen Trophy on New Year's Day at his home race in Baal, Belgium.
The Belgian champion held off Zdenek Stybar after a great last lap battle on home soil, winning his race a ninth time.
World champion Niels Albert struggled on the demanding muddy course but limited damages by finishing third. Nevertheless Albert lost the leader's position in the series, and now trails Nys by three points. Stybar follows at ten points behind Nys with two rounds left to race in February.
The start of the race was marred by a crash in front of the peloton after the first corner. It ruined the chances of Radomir Simunek, Martin Zlamalik and Kevin Pauwels, but all the other big guns escaped the crash.
Stybar created the selection during the second lap, leaving world champion Albert behind and leading the race together with home town favourite Nys. The duo cooperated well and distanced Albert.
During the penultimate lap Nys dropped Stybar but a stumble on the stairs allowed the Czech to return. Nys left Stybar behind again early on during the last lap while plowing through the mud. The Czech champion didn't give up and halfway through the lap, at the second ascent of the local climb and the following dangerously twisting drop, Stybar bridged back up to a struggling Nys.
Once back together it was Stybar's time to make a mistake, offering the Belgian champion a couple of seconds which was enough for the victory.
"I've won here more easily in the past. Everbody's at the end of its cycle. We had two days to recover after Loenhout but that wasn't enough. I feel like I've ridden a stage race, everything hurts," Nys said to Sporza.
Despite designing the course himself and being one of the strongest riders, Nys struggled at the end and made a lot of mistakes. "The course is adding value to 'cross but for the riders it's a nightmare. I'm happy that I could offer thousands of my fellow citizens a great day," Nys said.
Runner-up Stybar had mixed feelings about the race in Baal. "I had great legs today but in the last lap I was at my limit. It's not easy to battle against Nys on such a swampy course.
"I made a mistake during the last lap and he was gone. At the climb I thought that I had him but then I was blinded by the sun and made another mistake, again offering him ten meters," Stybar said.
While Stybar was able to push Nys to the limit, world champion Albert didn't stand a chance. "I started with the intension to win but from the second lap on I realized that it wasn't possible; it became a third place. The three points gap with Nys is nothing. Nothing is lost but now it's all about the championships," Albert said, referring to the fact that the next round of the GvA Trophy is held in February.
1 | Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago | 1:42:44 | Row 0 - Cell 3 |
2 | Zdenek Štybar (Cze) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team | 0:00:06 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP - Powerplus | 0:00:46 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Gerben de Knegt (Ned) Rabobank | 0:00:57 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Francis Mourey (Fra) Française des Jeux | 0:01:17 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
6 | Bart Aernouts (Bel) Rabobank | 0:01:33 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
7 | Erwin Vervecken (Bel) Revor-Baboco Continental Team | 0:02:16 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
8 | Philipp Walsleben (Ger) Team BKCP-Power Plus | 0:02:22 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
9 | Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Projob | 0:02:45 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
10 | Christian Heule (Swi) RendementhypoCycling Team | 0:02:55 | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
11 | Thijs Van Amerongen (Ned) Van Vliet EBH Elshof | 0:03:13 | Row 10 - Cell 3 |
12 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team | 0:03:34 | Row 11 - Cell 3 |
13 | Dieter Vanthourenhout (Bel) BKCP - Powerplus | 0:04:28 | Row 12 - Cell 3 |
14 | Wilant van Gils (Ned) Pro Cycling Team ZZPR.nl-Destil-Merida | 0:04:37 | Row 13 - Cell 3 |
15 | Mariusz Gil (Pol) LKS Pom Strzelce Krajenskie | Row 14 - Cell 2 | Row 14 - Cell 3 |
16 | Ben Berden (Bel) | 0:05:45 | Row 15 - Cell 3 |
17 | Rob Peeters (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago | 0:05:54 | Row 16 - Cell 3 |
18 | Thijs Al (Ned) AA Drink - BeOne | 0:06:01 | Row 17 - Cell 3 |
19 | Jan Soetens (Bel) Revor-Baboco Continental Team | 0:06:23 | Row 18 - Cell 3 |
20 | Tom Van Den Bosch (Bel) Rendement Hypo Cyclingteam VZW | 0:06:38 | Row 19 - Cell 3 |
21 | Marco Bianco (Ita) L Arcobaleno Carraro Team | 0:06:48 | Row 20 - Cell 3 |
22 | Bram Schmitz (Ned) Van Vliet - EBH Advocaten - Elshof | 0:06:59 | Row 21 - Cell 3 |
23 | Patrick Van Leeuwen (Ned) Het Snelle Wiel | 0:07:12 | Row 22 - Cell 3 |
24 | Tim Van Nuffel (Bel) Rendement Hypo Cyclingteam VZW | 0:07:17 | Row 23 - Cell 3 |
25 | Magnus Darvell (Swe) | 0:08:05 | Row 24 - Cell 3 |
26 | Ivar Hartogs (Ned) ZZPR.nl-Destil-Merida | Row 25 - Cell 2 | Row 25 - Cell 3 |
27 | Lukáš Kloucek (Cze) Sunweb - Projob Cycling Team | Row 26 - Cell 2 | -2 laps |
28 | Gianni Denolf (Bel) BKCP - Powerplus | Row 27 - Cell 2 | -3 laps |
29 | Brian Matter (USA) | Row 28 - Cell 2 | -4 laps |
30 | David Boucher (Fra) | Row 29 - Cell 2 | Row 29 - Cell 3 |
31 | Keiichi Tsujiura (Jpn) | Row 30 - Cell 2 | -5 laps |
32 | Bart Verschueren (Bel) Revor-Jartazi Continental Team | Row 31 - Cell 2 | Row 31 - Cell 3 |
33 | Naranbat Ariunbold (Mgl) | Row 32 - Cell 2 | Row 32 - Cell 3 |
34 | Boldbaatar (Mgl) | Row 33 - Cell 2 | -6 laps |
35 | Gareth Whitall (GBr) | Row 34 - Cell 2 | Row 34 - Cell 3 |
1 | Zdenek Štybar (Cze) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team | 3 | pts |
2 | Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago | 2 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Gerben de Knegt (Ned) Rabobank | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
1 | Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago | 143 | pts |
2 | Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP - Powerplus | 140 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Zdenek Štybar (Cze) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team | 133 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Bart Aernouts (Bel) Rabobank | 88 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Gerben de Knegt (Ned) Rabobank | 87 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
6 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team | 85 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
7 | Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Projob | 73 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
8 | Dieter Vanthourenhout (Bel) BKCP - Powerplus | 72 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
9 | Erwin Vervecken (Bel) Revor-Jartazi Continental Team | 55 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
10 | Radomír Šimunek Ml (Cze) BKCP - Power Plus | 51 | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
11 | Rob Peeters (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago | 41 | Row 10 - Cell 3 |
12 | Mariusz Gil (Pol) LKS Pom Strzelce Krajenskie | 32 | Row 11 - Cell 3 |
13 | Christian Heule (Swi) RendementhypoCycling Team | Row 12 - Cell 2 | Row 12 - Cell 3 |
14 | Francis Mourey (Fra) Française des Jeux | 31 | pts |
15 | Tom Van Den Bosch (Bel) Rendement Hypo Cyclingteam VZW | 30 | Row 14 - Cell 3 |
16 | Thijs Van Amerongen (Ned) Van Vliet EBH Elshof | 27 | Row 15 - Cell 3 |
17 | Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Sunweb-Projob | 26 | Row 16 - Cell 3 |
18 | Thijs Al (Ned) AA Drink - BeOne | 23 | Row 17 - Cell 3 |
19 | Ben Berden (Bel) Revor-Jartazi Continental Team | 20 | Row 18 - Cell 3 |
20 | Wilant van Gils (Ned) Pro Cycling Team ZZPR.nl-Destil-Merida | 16 | Row 19 - Cell 3 |
21 | Philipp Walsleben (Ger) Team BKCP-Power Plus | 15 | Row 20 - Cell 3 |
22 | Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team | 14 | Row 21 - Cell 3 |
23 | Jan Soetens (Bel) Revor-Jartazi Continental Team | Row 22 - Cell 2 | Row 22 - Cell 3 |
24 | Jonathan Page (USA) Planet Bike | 11 | pts |
25 | Petr Dlask (Cze) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team | 10 | Row 24 - Cell 3 |
26 | Marco Bianco (Ita) L Arcobaleno Carraro Team | 7 | Row 25 - Cell 3 |
27 | Jan Verstraeten (Bel) KDL Trans NV | Row 26 - Cell 2 | Row 26 - Cell 3 |
28 | Ian Field (GBr) Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/GSI | 4 | pts |
29 | Quentin Bertholet (Bel) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team | Row 28 - Cell 2 | Row 28 - Cell 3 |
30 | Steve Chainel (Fra) Bouygues Telecom | Row 29 - Cell 2 | Row 29 - Cell 3 |
31 | Martin Zlámalík (Cze) Prodoli Racing Team | 1 | Row 30 - Cell 3 |
32 | Tim Van Nuffel (Bel) Rendement Hypo Cyclingteam VZW | Row 31 - Cell 2 | Row 31 - Cell 3 |
33 | Bram Schmitz (Ned) Van Vliet - EBH Advocaten - Elshof | Row 32 - Cell 2 | Row 32 - Cell 3 |
1 | Zdenek Štybar (Cze) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team | 13 | pts |
2 | Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago | 9 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP - Powerplus | 8 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Telenet Fidea Cycling Team | 3 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Gerben de Knegt (Ned) Rabobank | Row 4 - Cell 2 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
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