Belgian cyclocross Kannibaal wants team to sign Sven Vanthourenhout
Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) may not be the dominant force that he was a few years ago, but the Kannibaal van Baal is still the biggest draw in cyclocross. The fact that he is the name that so many of the fans in Belgium pay to watch racing has meant that Luc Versele, the CEO of the Professional Continental team’s main sponsor has, according to Sporza, offered Nys an extension to his contract through 2014.
“It is true that I have an appointment this week with Golazo, who manages the interests of Sven,” Versele told Het Nieuwsblad. “We’ll find accord with each other; hopefull Nys will sign by the end of the week.”
While the Landbouwkrediet team is at the second Professional Continental level, and gets to ride most of the biggest races in Belgium, Nys is by far its biggest rider. The team took just one victory in 2010: Frederic Amorison’s stage of Dwars door het Hageland.
Although Nys has found himself challenged much more now by younger riders such as current World champion Zdenek Stybar (Telenet-Fidea), 2009 World champion Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) and the up and coming Kevin Pauwels (Telenet-Fidea) he is still capable of double-race-winning weekends just like the just one passed. He owes a lot to Albert’s final lap puncture in Saturday’s race in Essen, as well as the sofenting tyre of Lars Boom (Rabobank) in Overijse on Sunday (although Boom admitted after the race that he would not have caught Nys), but he nevertheless beat the rest of the problem-free field.
Nys has been the only top-level cyclocross rider in the 23-man Landbouwkrediet roster since the departure of Rob Peeters to Telenet-Fidea. The Belgian champion spent ten seasons with Rabobank, before moving to Landbouwkrediet in 2008, where he was one of many. If he is to commit himself to his current team further Nys would like his friend Sven Vanthourenhout, whose contract with Sunweb-Revor ends this year, to join him.
The two Svens were teammates at Rabobank and continue to go on training camps together.
“I want him with me for five years,” said Nys. “I hope it happens; my boss knows my wishes.”