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For ist first edition in Niederanven, the International Cyclo-cross of the ACC Contern can once again show a nice line-up with riders out of 6 countries or more in Luxembourg.
One attraction for the local fans will be without doubt the participation of Jempy Drucker, one of his very rare appearences in the country. Eventually, the boy who has cyclo-cross in his blood has chosen to
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Jempy Drucker in Oostmalle in 2007
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compete continously against the very best of the discipline and therefore has most of his starts in Belgium, where the heart of the sports beats. With a nice success tough, since his win in the junior World-Cup in St Wendel in 2004 was followed by numerous nice placings in the youth categories: for example 6th in the Junior European Championships 2004 and 8th in the U23 World Championships in Zeddam in 2006. Last seasen, Jempy wasn't at his best in the World Championships, but his postions in the different rankings at the end of the season prove that he is one of the best U23 cyclo-crossers in the world: 11th in the World Cup, 7th of the GVA Trophy and 5th overall in the Superprestige. In Luxemburg, Drucker has collected over the years 6 National titles and last year, he has won for the first time in his career an International Elite cyclo-cross in Mühlenbach. For the season 2007/2008, the Fidea rider is more motivated than ever and he has done a
serious road preparation during the summer with for example a 3rd place in the Volta a Leida in Spain, a 2nd place at the Mainfranken-Tour (6th overall) or a silver medal in the Luxemburg National championships. This hard labour has already been rewarded off-road with a third place in his first cyclo-cross of this season in Neerpelt, despite a crash. After that, the Fidea rider had less luck and sickness kept him away from the races for a few weeks. On October 28th in Niederanven, Jempy Drucker II will make his comback in the international circuit and he surely wants to do better than his father, who was second behind Dutch rider Noel Van der Leij in Contern in 1986.
Besides Drucker, more of the best Luxemburgish specialists are expected to line up, but not the reigning National Champion Gusty Bausch.
The Belgian rider will of course line up at home, in Zonhoven, but some of them will do the journey to
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Davy Commeyne Asper-Gavere 2006
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Niederanven, like Davy Commeyne. The 25th of the UCI world rankings will surely be the favourite number one because he seems in form: 5th recently in Lebbeke behind Franzoi, 9th in Knokke-Heist or 11th in Harderwijk behind Sven Nijs. The former Junior National Champion has climbed three times onto the podium at U23 world championships (two bronze and one silver medals), without ever being able to claim the title. Commeyne made a big entrance on the professional circuit in 2002 with a win in Ostende and, two years later, he won the race in Dottignies in front of the world's best riders. He has also finished 2nd in Oostmalle and 3rd in Hoogstraaten, two of Belgium's most prestigious events. Last year, the Palmans rider took again a bunch of good places: 2nd in Dudzele, 3rd in Knokke, 6th in Dottignies, 8th in Niel, 9th in Overijse, in Hamme-Zogge and in Vossem as well as a 10th position in Asper-Gavere. Just like Commeyne, Wesley Van der Linden has failed to win a world championship by little, beaten by home rider Enirco Franzoi in the Monopoli U23 race. He had dominated the whole season with victories in Hoogherheide, Lievin, Kalmthout, Aalter, Frankfurt, St-Michielsgesteel and Ruddervorde. The following year,
the Belgian National champion of the yeras 2003 and 2004 dominated again the U23 field with wins in Diegem, Gavere, St. Michielsgesteel, Guipuzcoa, Loenhout and Hoogstraten. After a disillusion at the world championships in Pont-chateau, where he finished 10th after having been anounced as the big favourite, Van der Lincen chose to turn his back to the mud and try a career on the road. He did some good performance in races like Paris-Corrèze, the Tour of Austria or the Tour de l'Avenir (he wore the best climber jersey) and this winter, the newly recruted Sunweb rider decided to return to cyclo-cross and he took already one victory in Vendin and a second place in Le Quesnoy (France).
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Arne Daelmans in Oostmalle 2007
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Arne Daelmans will be for the second time at the start of the ACC Contern cyclo-cross. The three times winner of the cyclo-cross in Muhlenbach has become professional only late at 28 years. But since 2001, he has scored some very important victories like in Rijkevoersel, Lille or Oostmalle and first-class placings like on the Koppenberg (2nd in 2003), at the GP Adrie Van der Poel (3rd in 2004) or at the Belgian National Championships (4th in 2003 and 2004). Unfortunately, the career of the tall Belgian was brutally interrupted in Summer 2004 due to a nasty crash in the Regio-Tour. A broken knee has prevented Daelmans from riding for over a year and he made his comeback in 2005 with a third place in Contern and a 2nd one in Rikjevoersel. Daelmans has never reached the same level again than before his accident, but he is still used to podium places in Belgium and Luxembourg like over the last two years in Kayl (3rd), Leudelange (3rd), Differdange (2nd) and Muhlenbach (2nd). Daelmans took also the bronze medal on the Belgian National Championships for elite without contract riders behind Van Santvliet and Willemssens. Tom Van den Bosch, on his side, is only at the beginning of his career and he thinks that the 2007/2008 season, his first as elite-rider, will be a good one. It started out really well for the Palmans rider who took already three victories in races for riders without contract (Wiekevorst, Kessel-Fort, Heusden-Zolder) and has finished 24th in the first Superprestige event in
Ruddervoorde. He was very good as young rider and took a silver medal in the Junior Belgian National Championships and a bronze medal in the military world championships. Last year, for his last U23 season, Van den Bosch has finished 8th of the final Superprestige rankings and 15th of the world championships in Hooglede-Gits. Bert Scheirlinkx is a good and complete road-racer, who can defend his chances as well in a bunch sprint than in a mountain stage. His best results are 7th in Dwaars door Vlaanderen, 9th in the GP de Wallonie, 3rd at the Tro Bro Leon and 4th in Rund um Köln. Lest year, Scheirlinckx has won in Gerhaardsbergen and taken another bunch of good places: 2nd at the Polynormande, 3rd of the Hel van het Mergelland, 3rd of a stage at the Tour de l'Ain and at the Circuito Montanes, where he has only been beaten in the sprint by Danilo Hondo, 9th overall of Paris-Correze. Unfortunately, he was involved in a crash at the GP E3 in march 2007 and broke his collarbone twice, which of course was a major setback for him regarding the rest of the season. Together with his brother Staf, now rider at Cofidis, Bert used to line-up in cyclo-cross races in his younger years. After having matched with the likes of Wellens, Commeyne or Van Tourenhout in the novices and junior categories, the two brothers now want to return regularily to the discipline which they liked very much.
The Czech delegation will be present in Contern again, headed this time by Jan Chrobak. He is one of the best performers in Swiss events or in the Budvar Cup in his home
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Chrobak and Hekele on the podium 2006
Emile Hekele leads Jan Chrobak (Contern 2006)
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country, where he is among the Top 10 on a regular basis. Last season, he had for example a 4th place in Pilzen and Kolin, but also a second position in Louny, where only former world champion Zdenek Mlynar was faster than him. Chrobak also was part of the Czech World-cup team last season, which is a strong performance given the opposition by riders like Stybar, Simunek, Ausbuher or Mlynar. In Contern, he had finished 6th in 2004 before stepping onto the podium last year. It was in the very last meters that David Willemsens got rid of him and he was only a few seconds late at the finish. This winter, Jan has already competed in the Budvar-cup, named now TOI-TOI cup and has taken 7th positions in Unieov and Louny, as well as 8th place in Hlinsko. Emil Hekele, the 7th of the U23 world championships in Poprad, is also used to honour places in Luxemburg and particularely in Contern (3rd in 2004 and 2006, 7th in 2005). Last season, he took Top 10 places on a regular basis in Czech, Swiss (5th in Schmerikon, 8th in Dagmarsellen), Luxemburgish (6th in Muhlenbach) and German races. The young Lukas Prihoda, winner of the Grand-prix Comat in the junior category in 2004 is busy on his second season with the U23. He was among the best juniors of his country with a 15th position in the World Championships in Zeddam and wants to make some good results in the U23 category this season. They will be joined in Niederanven by some of their country-mates like Martin Nemecek or Michal Binda and mountain-bike specialist Jan Skarnitzel. The 9th of the U23 world championships this summer in Fort Williams is one of the riders who combine very well the two disciplines because in cyclo-cross, he has on his palmares a 6th place in the junior world championships 2005 and 6th and 7th places in the U23 European Championships.
The two last German Champions
are also expected in Niederanven. The reigning champion, René Birkenfeld has dominated the cyclo-cross in Germany last year with 2 victories (Lohne and Gelenau) as well as 6 podium places in the Deutschland-Cup, which also meant the overall victory in this series for him. A 7th place in the World-cup
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Sickmüller and Birkenfeld (photo: rene-birkenfeld.de)
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event of Hoogherheide also has given an international note to his good season. Of course, Birkenfeld has prepared well for this season to show his National jersey, on the road with for example a stage victory and a 5th place overall in the FDB Insurance Ras in Ireland and on the mountain bike with for example a 4th place in the Trans-Germany stage race or a 6th position in the Cape Epic race in South Africa. The hard work seems to pay off because this winter, the Stevens rider has already taken a second and a third place in the two events of Hambourg behind Groenendaal and a third place in the TOI-TOI Cup of Louny behind Zdenek Stybar. The same Stybar who has won the World-cup race last Sunday in Kalmthout, where Birkenfeld finished in 24th position. Johannes Sickmüller was German champion in 2006 and runner-up behind his team-mate in 2007. He is also a good mountain-bike rider and collects the medals in the National championships of both disciplines. Last year, he has finished 13th of the world-cup race in Hoogerheide and this winter, he has already taken some Top Ten placings: 2 times 4th in Hamburg, 7th in Hlinsko and 9th in Pilsen. Sickmüller has participated in the cyclo-cross in Contern during the year 2005, where he has been beaten by Klaas Vantornout only in the very last lap and he took revange for the second place a few weeks later by winning the cross in Mühlenbach in very impressive manner.
France will be represented in Niederanven by
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David Derepas in Hooglede-Gits
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David Derepas, who has been one of the best cyclo-cross riders of his country for nearly 10 years now. He is a real allrounder who practices also on the road with for example a ninth place during a stage of the Giro d'Italia or on the track with two French National Championships titles. The international cyclo-cross career of David Derepas took off down in 1996 with an 5th place at the junior world championships. Then followed an 8th position at the U23 world championships 1999 and a 4th behind Wellens, Vannoppen and Commeyne in the year 2000. In addition to several victories in regional events, the rider from VC Roubaix showed himself mainly in the French National series, the Challenge National (4 podium places, a 4th place overall in 2005 and a 6th place overall in 2006). At the opening act of this season in Sarrebourg, the second of the National championships in 2002 took the 6th position behind Francis Mourey. Last year, Derepas finished 4th of the cyclo-cross in Roubaix, beaten only in the very last lap by DeKnegt, Verwecken and Gadret, 4th in the French National Championships, 16th in the World Championships in Hooglede-Gits as well as 16th, 2 times 18th and 2 times 20th in world-cup events. Some of the best riders of the Lorraine region will also come along with Derepas, like Renaud Vaubourg,
the actual 6th of the U23 Challenge National and regional champion of Lorraine, winner of the cyclo-cross in St-Dié last week-end, Pascal Perrin, 2 victories this year and second in St-Dié, as wekk as Raymond Chainel, 3rd in St-Dié.
From Spain, Isaac Suarez will come to Luxemburg, the U23 National champion of the year 2001. Last year, he finished second at the elite National Championships and added three victories to his palmares (Oviedo, Manzanares, Valencia). During his career, he has also finished second of the International cyclo-cross of Ispaster and won in Mujica.
changes and additions possible ...
1st Grand-prix de la Commune de Niederanven >>
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