Sven Nys secures eighth overall title
Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) convincingly won the final round of the Gazet van Antwerpen (GvA) Trofee in Oostmalle, Belgium in convincing solo fashion. The Belgian champion escaped on the sixth of nine laps of the dry, sandy course to finish well clear of World champion Zdenek Stybar (Telenet-Fidea) and Bart Aenouts (Rabo-Giant).
With just two points separating Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) and Kevin Pauwels (Telenet-Fidea) at the start of the race there was more at stake than just the day’s result. With Nys all alone the whole of the Telenet-Fidea team did its best to prevent him from getting away; on the intermediate “tussensprint”, after two laps, Stybar took the three points but Pauwels suffered a problem with his brakes and teammate Rob Peeters was unable to stop Nys from taking two.
Pauwels now trailed the Kannibaal by four points and so would have to beat Nys by several places at the finish.
Nys tried to get away alone but was shadowed by Stybar, and the two of them were soon joined by Aernouts. Meanwhile, behind them a group containing Albert, Pauwels, Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) and Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea) was chasing and soon caught up again.
Aernouts was the next to try to get away, with Stybar and then Pauwels trying to get across to him. The Rabo-Giant rider was caught before the finish line with five laps to go though and the next lap was a very technical one with Pauwels and his Telenet-Fidea team battled with Nys.
On lap six Albert attacked and managed to get away. Gerben de Knegt (Rabo-Giant) tried to bridge across the to the Belgian champion but was pulled back by the chasing group; Albert though, was gone.
Behind Albert, Wellens and Stybar conspired with Pauwels to prevent Nys from getting away; the Landbouwkrediet rider responded by slowing the race down through the corners to force the others to constantly change their pace.
On the final lap disaster struck for Pauwels as he punctured; he was not far from the pits and managed to change his bike quite quickly, but he had lost contact with Nys and there was not enough time left in the race to make it back up to the group again.
Nys, seeing that Pauwels was having problems, upped the pace and pulled the first chasing group further away.
Albert was well clear by now though and the Belgian champion was able to milk the applause of the crowd along the finishing straight. He pulled off his full-fingered gloves, throwing one to each side, and took the victory in his usual bare-handed condition.
Nys led the chasers into the finishing straight but, checking over his shoulder to see that Pauwels was nowhere close, he stopped his sprint and sat up. This allowed Stybar and Aernouts to come past, but the Kannbaal didn’t care as he celebrated even more than Albert had done, knowing that he’d taken his eight overall GvA Trofee.
Pauwels could only manage ninth at the finish, which cost him his second place in the standings to Stybar; the World champion has finished his last race for Telenet-Fidea and joins Quick Step in a little over a week’s time.
Result GvA Trofee Oostmalle
1. Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus
2. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Telenet-Fidea
3. Bart Aernouts (Bel) Rabo-Giant Offroad Team
4. Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
5. Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet-Fidea
6. Rob Peeters (Bel) Telenet-Fidea
7. Gerben de Knegt (Ned) Rabo-Giant Offroad Team
8. Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Revor
9. Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Telenet-Fidea
10. Tom Meeusen (Bel) Telenet-Fidea
Final GvA Trofee standings
1. Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet 169pts
2. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Telenet-Fidea 163
3. Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Telenet-Fidea 160
4. Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus 141
5. Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet-Fidea 129