Czeck Zdenek Štybar (Telenet-Fidea) continued his string of success today in the season’s fourth World Cup event in Koksijde, Belgium, beating Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) in a sprint with Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb Pro Job) rounding out the podium just behind. The day also marked the return on Belgian Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea), who’s season had been derailed for three months due to illness.
The race set off with a fast pace delivered by French Champion Farncis Mourey (Francaise des Jeax) with the expected front runners in tow, minus World Champion Neils Albert (BKCP-PowerPlus), who had to pick his way to the front after a bad start.
After a stint off the front for Štybar and Nys, the duo were eventually joined by Bart Aernouts (Rabobank), Albert, De Knegt, Mourey, Vantornout his Sunweb Pro Job teammate Sven Vanthourenhout and evergreen Erwin Vervecken (Revor-Jartazi). Štybar made a bid to go it alone, mastering the sand dunes on the Koksijde course, but couldn’t break away from the group.
With three laps remaining Albert and Štybar were out front with a 10 second gap over the rest, but Nys overcame his earlier problems with the sand and caught the pair. His efforts wreaked havoc in his wake cracking Vervecken and Vanthourenhout. De Knegt and Aernouts dangled just behind unable to get on terms with the leading trio.
At one to go the group came back together, and an attack by Aernouts proved to be the perfect launching pad for another exploit in the sand by Štybar. Nys and the Czech rider pulled away from the group with Vantornout tailing behind. Meanwhile the World Champion scrambled behind trying to avoid a replay of last week where he missed out on the podium in Hamme-Zogge. Albert caught the group and attacked simultaneously with Štybar, but the efforts from his chase saw him fade from the top three.
Ahead Nys put in a big effort to come alongside Štybar at the line, but the Belgian came up a half wheel short, with Vantornout hanging on to force Albert into another fourth place.
Wellens finished a solid 13th in his first race back, while American Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) looked to be on good form, but a crash in front of him in the sand along with two flat tires saw him finishing in 27th place. Look for his blog entry on Monday to get his reactions from the weekend’s races.