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Despite the fact that the GVA cyclo-cross event of Koppenberg in Belgium has recently been sheduled on the same date and attracted the best riders with impressive start money, the ACC Contern has tried to compose an international and attractive peloton for their 35th cyclo-cross, with riders out of 6 different countries.
A strong Czech delegation will be led by Kamil Ausbuher, the 1993 junior world champion in Corva, Italy. After this title, the rider has become reknowned in the world of cyclo-cross and performed well ever since. On the following year, Ausbuher took the silver medal in the U23 category in Koksijde, Belgium and in the elite category, he took several wins (2-3 par year) and
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Kamil Ausbuher
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podium places(a dozen per year) in Czech and Swiss races. 2004 maybe was his best year as an elite rider since in addition to his title of
National Champion in front of Dlask and Jezek, he won the world cup race of Tabor ahead of Sven Vanthourenhout and Erwin Verwecken. Last season, the strong Czech rider also took some very valuable top placings in world cup races like the 10th place in Tabor, 17ht at Zolder, 21st in Nommay and 25th in Pijnacker and Koksijde. He was also 18th in the world championships in Hoogerheide last january and showed strong performances in other races throughout Europe: 3rd in Niederanven, the race organized in Luxemburg by the ACC Contern, 2nd in Ceska Lipka, in Mnichovo and in Pilsen in the Czech Republic, 6th in Dübendorf and Hittnau in Switzerland, 5th also in Torhout in Belgium in the race won by Klaas Vantornout. This season, Kamil Ausbuher also seems in outstanding form so far as the took a brilliant 6th place in the first world cup round in Treviso and a 5th position in the cyclo-cross of Podborany, won by Zdenek Stybar.
Next to the experimented Ausbuher, eventual U23 Czech national champion Ondrej Bambula is part of the young generation of top riders. He was a multi-talented and excellent rider in the youth categories where he won the Trofeo Karlsberg as a junor on the road, as well as the overall classification of the Toi-Toi Cup cyclo-cross. Still as a junior, Bambula finished 7th of the world championships in Sankt Wendel, 5th of the world cup event in Nommay and 5th overall of the GVA Trophy. In the U23 category, we still have in memory some epic battles with Jempy Drucker, like in the European Championships in Hittnau when he finished 9th. He is generally very good in championships since he also was 8th of the European championships in Huijbergen and finished 3 consecutive times in the Top 10 of the elite Czech National championships, while still being U23 rider. Last season, Ondrej Bambula clearly was the best young Czech rider since, next to his national title, he also won the overall classification of the Toi-Toi Cup (6th in the elite rankings) and finished 3rd in the world cup race in Roubaix, 4th in Tabor and 6th in Zolder. The rider form Budvar cyklo Team has also won the elite cyclo-cross of Hole Vrchy and finished 6th in the event of Middlekerke behind Nijs, Al, Franzoi, Page and Bina. This summer, Bambula has like most of the top riders combined road races with mountain-biking and, besides his 2nd place in the MTB Czech national championships he won several races on the road in the Czech Republic and in Germany. Of course, this season, the man from Tabor will especially prepare for the world championships in his home town, but the form seems already good in the early weeks of his first complete season as an elite rider: Bambula was 22nd in Tréviso and 26th in Pilsen, last week-end. Beside in these two world cup races, Bambula also lined up in the Toi-Toi cup where he took a 2nd place behind Martin Bina in Kolin, at the beginning of the month.
Another member of the Czech delegation, David Kasek showed lots of consistency since the beginning of the season because he finished
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David Kasek
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3rd in Horna Micina, plus 2 times 6th and 2 times 8th in the four other races of the Toi-Toi Cup. Last season, Kasek has won the race in Lostice and finished most of the Czech races in the Top 10, being among others third in Pilsen and 5th. He has alos lined up in several world cup races, taking 29th position in Zolder and 39th in Pijnacker, and was 5th in the cyclo-cross of Frankfort and 9th in the Czech National championships. Before that, David Kasek was amont the best riders in the world in the youth categories when he won two bronze medals at world championships (behind Bart Aernouts in 2000 in St. Michielsgesteel in the junior category and behind Vanthourenhout in 2001 as and espoir). Kasek didn't perform as well in the following years, beside a ninth place in the U23 European championships in 2003, but his results during the last season prove that he is again on his way to the international top rankings.
Vladimir Kyzivat is also a contender in the Toi-Toi Cup where he finished this season 4th in Kolin behind Bina, Bambula and Mlynar as well as 5th in Olomouc, and he was recently also 6th in the international event of Steinmaur, in Switzerland. Last year, Kyzivat took part in several world cup races in the beginning of the season, finishing among others 28th in Tabor and 35th in Pijnacker. He was also 3rd in Magstad in Germany and took fourth in Ceska Lipka, fifth in Podborny, 6th in Unicov and in Meilen (Switzerland), 7th in Pilzen and 10th in the National championships. He was also very good as young rider when he was 7th of the junior world championships in 2000 and 2nd of the U23 national championships two years later. The same season, Kyzivat was also third in the GVA event of Loenhout. He quickly had also good results in the elite category with several Top 10 pacings in the Toi-Toi Cup and Top 30 positions in the world cup races. But his best season clearly was 2005/2006 when he was an outstanding 9th of the elite world championships in Zeddam, only 49 seconds down on the winner Erwin Verwecken. During the same winter, the young Czech rider won in Kolin and took podium finishes in Pétange, Magstadt and Hlinsko. He was also 5th in Steinmaur as well as 14th and 16th in the world cup races of Igorre and Tabor.
For several years now, Nicolas Bazin has been among the best French cyclo-cross men, behind the dominating Francis Mourey.
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Nicolas Bazin
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The season 2008/2009 was his first one on top international level even if he wasn't really unkown before that. Nicolas Bazin used to be Mountain-Bike racer in early years and he was 3rd in a national French Championships and also participated in several world cup races. In 2004, he finshed second of a stage in the famous "cyclo-cross stage race" of Val d'Orge since then, he took some podium finishes in National and regional races. Last year, the rider from CC Differdange participated in the cyclo-cross World-Cup and represented France with some decent results: 16th in Igorre, 18th in Pijnacker, 21st in Nommay, 22nd in Milano and Kalmthout as well as 24th in Zolder. On a national level, he did well in the Challenge National race series with a 3rd position in Le Creusot and a 4th in Quelneuc and Montrevel. Bazin also raced in Great-Britain where he won the race of Leicestershire and finished 2nd in Exeter behind David Willemssens and in Luxemburg when he took 3rd place in Pétange behind two other French riders, Chainel et Duval. He closed his good season last year in style with the 24th place at the world championships in Hoogerheide, last january. After a busy road season with Team Differdange, where he took 2nd in the regional île de France championships and 7th overall in the Ronde de l'Oise, Nicolas has opened his cyclo-cross campaign as of the beginning of October: 19th in Neerpelt and 22nd in Erpe-Mere, two races won by world champion Niels Albert. A victory at the regional race in La Grand Synthe certainly raised his moral for the upcoming races.
On the Belgium side, the Koppenberg event of course makes it difficult to attract good riders in Contern, but the participation of Pieter Ghyllebert is confirme. The son of former cyclo-cross rider Johan Ghyllebert is a multitalent who combines a decent road career with off-road practice. He just finished his sommer season two weeks ago with a 19th place in the Sluitingsprijs Putte-Kappellen and is already busy with cyclo-cross. The form should be OK since Pieter Ghyllebert recently won the road race of Bulskamp, finished 3rd in Zwevele and 5th of the Flanders championships won by Steven De Jongh.
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Pieter Ghyllebert
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During the month of june, he was 2nd and 5th of two stages at the Tour of Romania after having won the Boucle Rumois several weeks earlier. Ghyllebert participated in some big road races like Liège-Bastogne-Liège or Paris-Roubaix during recent years and has won the Flèche Namuroise, a stage at the Tour of Austria ahead of Pidgorny and Vincenzo Nibali, as well as the queen stage of the Tour Down Under 2007 in front of Lagutin and Elminger. He has also won the points classification and the mountain jersey at the Bayern-rundfahrt down in 2006, showing that he can climb well despite being a sprinter. Other Top placings inlcude the Gp Stad Geel, when he was faster than Geert Steegmans in the bunch sprint, at Tour Down Under when he sprinted better than Stuart O'Grady, or at the Sachsen-Tour when he took 5th of a stage by winning the sprint of the peloton. In cyclo-cross, Ghyllebert's palmares is of course smaller but last year, he was 8th at the cyclo-cross in Contern, 16th in Dottignies and Ardooie, 25th at the Superprestige Asper-Gavere or 27th on the Koppenberg.
Gianni Denolf made a first appearence in Luxemburg in October 2007 in Niederanven, when he suprised more than one by hanging onto the lead-group as first year espoir, before finishing 11th at the end ahead of some confirmed riders like Jempy Drucker or Arne Daelmans. Since then, he has showed some good results in the U23 category when he took 8th at the Superprestige in Asper-Gavere, 12th at the GP Sven Nys in Baal and at the Belgian National championships as well as 13th in the end-of-season race in Oostmalle. But even as an espoir, he didn't hesitate to participate in elite races and was 12th at the cyclo-cross of Torhout and 14th in Otegem. This year, the team-mate of Niels Albert did 4th in Zingen as well as 13th in Eernegem, 19th in Aardoie, 21st in Neerpelt and 28th in Erpe-Mere, all races that were won by the world champion.
Gianni's younger brother Ritchie Denolf is in his first season as an U23 rider after having shown some decent performances in the junior category. In his first year, he was 4th at the Grand-prix Comat and later took 2nd in de Pinte and Knesselaere, 4th in Essen, 5th in Ruddervoorde and 14th in the world cup in Pijnacker. This big fan of the Schleck brothers is also a good road rider and took 3 Top 10 places this summer in Belgian races.
Germany will be represented by Sascha Wagner, the recent winner of the cyclo-cross in Dippach.
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Sascha Wagner(photo acc contern)
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This young rider was one of the good surprises at last year's cyclo-cross in Niederanven, when he took the best start out of all the contenders and was at the front of the race during several laps before finishing in 11th position. Since then, Wagner has completed a fine road season where he was among others
5th of the German U23 championships and 12th overall in the Mainfranken Tour. In 2008, Wagner has finished 10th in the Henninger Turm race in Franfurt and was no less than four times regional champion of the Land Hessen, in cyclo-cross, road-race, mountain-bike and time-trial. During the last winter season, Sascha finished 5th of the German U23 cyclo-cross championships and took four wins in regional and national events. The season before, he had won the overall classification of the national series Deutschland cup, after having been 2nd at the U23 National championships.
The rider form RV Sossenheim will be in Contern together with some of his team-mates like Phil Herbst 9th and 10th of the two last German National championships, Sven Kuschlar and Patrick Schubart. Some more riders from the German border region are of course also expected like David Bertram, 4th in Brouch and 6th in Kayl.
Once again, the Luxemburgish hopes in Contern will last on the shoulder of the eventual Luxemburgish National champion
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Gusty Bausch
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Gusty Bausch, since Jempy Drucker just recently finished his road season and will remount his cyclo-cross bike only in a few weeks. Gusty on his side has already been busy for a while with his winter season and he has opened it in the best possible manner with a win in his home event in
Brouch, before finshing 2nd in Dippach behind Sasch Wagner. After that, it didn't continue quite as well and Gusty will try to forget his bad races in Namur (DNF) and in Kayl (5th) with a Top 10 place in Contern where he has always performed very well. Last year, he was fighting for a long time for the third place before finally crossing the white line in 7th position. For the title of best Luxemburgish rider, Gusty will have to battle hard against Vincent Dias Dos Santos, 2nd in Kayl with only 12" deficit on German champion Sascha Weber and 2nd in Brouch behind the Luxemburgish champion. The winner of the Grand-prix Comat 2007 thus seems in good shape to compete against the foreign riders, just like evergreen Pascal Triebel, 3rd in Kayl and in Dippach as well as Olivier Laterza, Benn Wurth, Kim Michely, Claude Wolter and the others.
In addition to that, several more riders that are not on this list are expected in Contern as last-minute starters.
There will also be a small Czech delegation lining up in the junior race, so that this will be a good occasion for the home riders to compete against some strong foreign riders.
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