Gieten, Super Prestige Trophy, Round 4Netherlands, November 29, 1998 |
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The 1998-99 Super Prestige CupRound 1, Ruddervoorde, Belgium, October 24, 1998 Round 2, Asper, Belgium, November 15, 1998 Round 3, St. Michielsgestel, Netherlands, November 22, 1998 Round 4, Gieten, Netherlands, November 29, 1998 Round 5, Silvelle, Italy, December 8, 1998 Round 6, Overijse, Belgium, December 13, 1998 Round 7, Hoogstraten, Belgium, December 23, 1998 Round 8, Diegem, Belgium, December 27, 1998 Round 9, Surhuisterveen, Netherlands, December 30, 1998 Round 10, Wetzikon, Switzerland, January 24, 1998 Round 11, Harnes, France, February, 7, 1998 Weather PreviewThe weather for Sunday's 4th round of the SuperPrestige Trophy in Gieten will be bad. The temperature will range from zero to 6 degrees Celsius. There will be mist overnight and slippery conditions during the day. By the afternoon there will be increasing cloud cover and some rain.In fact, it was 7 degrees and sunny by race time. Background Interview and NewsMarc JanssensMarc Janssens is the locomotive of the cyclo cross peloton. He comes into form slowly, his motor takes a while to warm up, but ultimately he stops cruising, and then he is on the frontline driving the peloton. Today (Saturday) he will be racing in Kalmthout. He said: "I have an ambition to win the Gazet van Antwerpen Trophy." On Sunday, he will be racing in Round 4 of the SuperPrestige Trophy in Gieten and he hopes to get a podium place. Gieten is in the north-east of the Netherlands east of Assen and South of Veendam. It is near a relatively large forested area (by Dutch standards). Janssens said: "I am inquisitive about the way Sven Nijs will ride over there (in Gieten), Sven does not bluff and he goes a km per hour faster through the bends than we do. I have asked myself how Groenendaal can draft him. Richard has been nervous the last weeks. How can he make an impression on Sven, he is now desperate looking on his bike." There will be a lot of sand at Gieten, but that is great for Janssens. "As a sub-junior and junior I had not ridden well in the sand. As an amateur I improved because I analysed the technique of Paul Herijgers using the videotape of the World Championships in Koksijde many times. Paul does not know that but since the Worlds at Koksijde I have copied him. That is normal though. It costs nothing to learn and he has helped me a lot." Janssens is 30 years old and that is for many riders a turning point. The aches and pains start growing and the super days become more scarce. Janssens, the Belgian Champion said: "I know it. My back is the most trouble for me. In some races it just doesn't function and I know I will have to wait until next weekend. The pain begins near the kidneys and then goes all over. On some hills I feel like a little old man!" But the power in his legs is not fading. "I am always strong and that remains. But with the passing of the years I think that the crosser becomes less supple and recovery is slower. Why is Sven Nijs so impressive? Because he is so dexterous and has a perfect technique. My recovery is 25 per cent slower than his. Sven is a champion and he has suppleness and skill over the obstacles. When I was younger I could do that too. I used to spring over the obstacles with Danny De Bie as we demonstrated in Pontchateau. But now I cannot do that. I am married, I have a child. And it is a fact that the broken collarbone I sustained has left its effects. Meanwhile, Sven still lives at home. That is a great difference." Dieter Runkel Meanwhile, Swiss star Dieter Runkel, who was the 1995 Elite Cyclo Cross champion, has his thumb in plaster and his season in ruins. He had prepared well for this season after being displeased with his form last year. He announced in Hittnau recently that he thought he was back on track. But last Sunday, he fell at Rueti on the icy parcours and it has bow been revealed that his injuries are worse than were initially diagnosed. He has a broken right thumb. Race ReportSven Nijs took his third SuperPrestige Trophy race at Gieten beating local favourite Richard Groenendaal. Belgian Bart Wellens was a distant third place.The weather improved for the race with a temperature of around 7 degrees Celsius and bright sun. The track at Gieten has a lot of sand to contend with and usually leads to an exciting tussle. The early leaders were the Rabobank trio Sven Nijs, Richard Groenendaal, and Adri Van Der Poel, accompanied by Belgians Ben Berden, Bart Wellens and Marc Janssens. By the end of the first lap Janssens, Van Der Poel, and Wellens were in a distinct chasing group. At the front Nijs and Groenendaal were locked into a two-person dual with Nijs leading his Rabobank teammate Groenendaal by a margin which oscillated between 5 and 10 seconds for the first 30 minutes of the race. Groenendaal benefitted from the support of the local crowd. For most of the race, this was the pattern. The former Under-23 World Champion and now elite star Sven Nijs rode from the front with Richard Groenendaal a short distance behind him. The track was in two parts - the technical sandy part where Nijs demonstrated the superior skills, and a muddy part at the back where Groenendaal was clearly more powerful than Nijs. It was an exciting dual between the two Rabobank riders. But the Dutch Champion eventually submitted to the pace that the younger Belgian star laid down and the gap started to increase. Behind Groenendaal, Belgian Bart Wellens, who had started badly and had to remount, fought his way back into the race and was closing in on the Dutchman. Dutchman Adri Van Der Poel and Belgian Marc Janssens were fighting it out for fourth place about a 40 seconds behind Groenendaal. Both had been checked in the early laps and lost ground. They rode well considering their poor starts. With only one lap left, Richard Groenendaal put down the hammer and took some time back off Nijs, who looked like he was coasting at the end. The big loser for the day was current World Champion Mario De Clercq who snapped a chain on the 3rd lap of the race and was forced to give up. Nijs has now won his third SuperPrestige race of the season and retains the leader's position in the overall rankings. The 1999 season now seems to have witnessed a changing of the guard at the top of the Cross Rankings. For several years, it has been a two-man struggle between Groenendaal and veteran Dutchman Adri Van Der Poel. This year Nijs has the measure of both of them. Round 4, Gieten1. Sven Nijs (Bel) 2. Richard Groenendaal (Ned) 0.10 3. Bart Wellens (Bel) 0.30 4. Marc Janssens (Bel) 0.50 5. Adri van der Poel (Ned) 1.06 6. Wim de Vos (Ned) 1.13 7. Peter van Santvliet (Bel) 1.13 8. Ben Berden (Bel) 2.05 9. Radomir Simunek (Cze) 2.17 10. Andy Daelmans (Bel) 2.32 11. Daniele Pontoni (Ita) 2.32 12. Erwin Vervecken (Bel) 2.32 13. Gerben De Kneght (Ned) 2.32 14. Maarten Nijland (Ned) 2.32 15. Gretinus Gommers (Ned) 2.32 Super Prestige Trophy Standings after Round 4:
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Total
1. Sven Nijs (Bel) 15 14 15 15 59
2. Richard Groenendaal (Bel) 14 12 4 14 44
3. Mario de Clercq (Bel) 13 15 14 0 42
4. Bart Wellens (Bel) 0 13 12 13 38
5. Adri van der Poel (Ned) 12 10 1 11 34
6. Marc Janssens (Bel) 9 8 3 12 32
7. Erwin Vervecken (Bel) 11 7 8 4 30
8. Ben Berden (Bel) 5 9 7 8 29
9. Peter van Santvliet (Bel) 7 11 0 9 27
10. Wim de Vos (Ned) 0 0 13 10 23
11. Radomir Simunek (Cze) 0 5 9 7 21
12. Peter Willemsens (Bel) 10 0 10 0 20
13. Daniele Pontoni (Ita) 8 0 0 5 13
14. Gretinus Gommers (Ned) 0 0 11 1 12
15. Andy Daelmans (Bel) 0 0 5 6 11
16. Tom van Noppen (Bel) 0 3 6 0 9
17. Maarten Nijland (Ned) 3 1 2 2 8
18. Danny de Bie (Bel) 0 6 0 0 6
19. Peter van den Abeele (Bel) 2 4 0 0 6
20. Paul Herijgers (Bel) 6 0 0 0 6
21. David Willemsens (Bel) 4 0 0 0 4
22. Gerben De Kneght (Ned) 0 0 0 3 3
23. Bjorn Rondelez (Bel) 1 2 0 0 3
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