I like the way this course is laid out, and the way some of the sections of race route have huge width between the fencing. While other sections are very technical with steep drops and side hill off camber portions that test bike handling to the highest degree. On this day the track is brutal! Any time you see the best riders in the world slogging along through grassy fields, with mud and rain completing the main dish, you know it is demanding. Any average rider would have tremendous difficulty to just get around this track I guarantee.
Watch as Niels Albert slowly cracks to the steady pressure eventual winner Sven Nys applies with 2 laps to go. This video has some very good slow motion action and highlight clips that very much show the anguish and suffering the racers face from the technicality of the track and the harsh weather conditions on the day. Check out Niels Albert crash on the super slick, slimy, and steep downward section of track after a long run up, and slide down the hill like he was on a mud slide. Cool to see the fans send his bike down toward him after he gets back to his feet!
This video has some very cool shots of the famous run up section at Mclaren. And I like the way the video is all Josh Snead all the time. View Snead making one amazing save from a front end get off, just as he was making contact to the lead duo in the final laps of the race. Snead showed stellar bike handling to pull out of a sure wipe out and continue to ride on.
Don Myrah ends up being the star of the show as he chases down a extremely hard uphill surge from Chris McGovern, and those two riders end up fighting out the win. McGovern does his best to distance Myrah on the last lap. I was there that day, and I remember clearly Myrah sneaking through lapped rider traffic during the final portions of the last lap near the finish. This gave Myrah just enough room to get a gap on McGovern and hold it all the way to the finish line. The announcer/voice over for the video loved Snead, but gave due credit to Myrah who celebrated his win in fine style with a emphatic two arm victory salute.
Third video goes back to 2008 under the lights at Sierra Point- BASP Series. The nigth race classic from the BASP Series is this coming Saturday, so I had to throw in some video action from this special Nor-Cal event. I like this video, which was created by Cyclofiend, as it shows the Men's B division from 2008. Many riders make an appearance in the video clip, as the Men's B division is always loaded with dedicated Cross enthusiasts. This video should start getting the juices flowing for a fun night at the races coming this Saturday at Sierra Point in Brisbane for BASP #3.
Above photo- Check out the crowds from the Koppenbergcross held in
Melden - Oudenaarde, Belgium. In the center of the crowd is reigning World Champion Zedneck Stybar navigating a tricky downhill section.
Cross is #1 in Belgium, but in 2013 Cross will be the "big show" in the USA as the UCI Elite World Championships come to America for the first time ever! Certainly it will be standing room only for the main events at Cross World's 2013- USA.
