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Finding a date for a cyclo-cross race can sometimes bring some (bad) surprises. When the ACC Contern decided, last winter, to shedule their event a week later in the year, twelve months
ahead of most of the other events, there wasn't any international cyclo-cross registrated around on this particular date, 27th of October in 2013. The plan was to attract riders participating in the world-cup races in Tabor on the day
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Photo: ACC Contern
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before and have them coming to Contern on the way back home from Prague. But then, last spring, the organizers of the Superprestige in Ruddervoorde decided to move their race to that same date, 27th of October, spoiling the party of the ACC Contern. Given the money raised and offered to the riders by the mega-event in Flanders, enough to pay private jets from Prague to Brussels in case of need, we were left with no chance at all to catch some of the stars of cyclo-cross at our event. So, there will be no big names in Contern on Sunday, but some strong riders nevertheless that make up for a balanced starting field with some suspense expected and maybe, for the first time since a few years, no Belgian winner on the tough course around the rue the Moutfort in Contern.
The faithfull Czech riders will be taking off from Tabor right after the World-Cup races, where most of them are selected, for the long trip to Luxemburg. Coming to Contern will be among others Radek Polniky, a young in-form rider who finished all three of the Toi-Toi Cup races, where the best Czech riders as well as some foreigners participate, inside the Top 10.
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Radek Polnicky
Photo: Giant Bycicles
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In the year 2010, Polnicky was among the major favourites for the junior world championships on home ground in Tabor and he animated the race before settling down for 11th place behind winner Thomas Papstra. Some Top 10 places junior and U23 world-cup races as well as elite Toi-Toi Cup races are also on the account of the brother of former world championship bronze medal winner Jiri Polinicki (in Hooglede-Gits). From another cycling family are the Adel brothers who participated in at least a dozen cyclo-cross races of the ACC Contern since Pavel won the GP COMAT for the first time dwon in 1999. Filip Adel was good rider in the younger categories with 4th and 5th places in world-cup races as a junior (Hofstade, Hoogerheide, Kalmthout). He has never had the same performances on international level in the elite category, but is on a regular bases in the top rankings of Toi-Toi Cup races or Luxemburgish races, in Leudelange (14th) and Petange (10th) among others. This winter, an 11th place in Milovice is Adel's best result so far. After his sixth place in the Czech Championships in 2011, Jakub Rydval made his way into the National Junior Selection and he also took part in a few world-cup races. In the elite category, Rydval hasn't had any experiences outside his country so far, but participates in the Toi-Toi Cup races where he finished 14th in Milovice, only a week ago. One place ahead of him in this race was Michal Malik who has a lot more international experiance than his collegue. A 5th place in Brisky in Poland, a 9th in Podbreza in Slovakia, a 13th in Leudelange or a 14th place in petange are among his references. Karel Svrcina is the fifth rider in the Czech convoy, he finished on the poduim in some international junior races in Poland and Slovakia and participated in a half a dozen world-cup races. Svrcina also finished 8th of the National Championships and inside the Top 20 of all of the three Toi-Toi Cup races this season.
After a few years withour a decent result in Contern, the German riders are also back in action this year with the former winner of the race Johannes Sickmüller. Before the new generation of Walsleben and Meisen made it the top of the world
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Johannes Sickmüller
Photo: ACC Contern
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Sickmüller was the best German cyclo-cross rider for a while. In 2006, he was national champion in his country and afterwards won the races in Muhlenbach and Contern. National victories in Strullendorf and International ones in Derby, Ipswich, Döhlau (2 times) and Kohlin (Toi-Toi Cup) are some of the highlights in his palmares. But after the National chamionships in 2012, where he was fourth behind Pfingsten, Walsleben and Meisen, Sickmüller hasn't had any top results up to now. In fact, he broke his shoulder in a crash at the beginning of last season and missed most of the racing during the winter. But he wants to be back to his old form in 2013/2014. Another German rider who knows well the course in Contern is Sascha Wagner. His best result was down in 2009, where he took 5th place behind the Czech armada of four riders led by former world champion Kamil Ausbuher. Since then, the rider form the BMC Action Team never confirmed this result in Conter, but has had good results elsewhere, among others in the German championships where, since 2004, he took almost every possible position from 2 to 10, without ever winning the title though. Around 20 victories on national and regional level, like in Dippach in 2009, are on his palmares as well as an overall win in the National series Deutschland Cup. Wagner started the season well with two minor wins, one of them in Mannheim ahead of Christian Helmig, as well as a ninth place in the opening leg of the Deutschland Cup in Hamburg. He will come to Contern with several of his team-mates of the team BMC Action line like Michael Rademacher or Roman Sedlmair. The latter was 14th in Contern once and won a criterium on the road in Karlsruhe this summer. He also finished the race in Lohne in 10th position, last week-end. Marco König has won a lot last year in Germany ... as a junior. With 15 victories in total, 7 of them in cyclo-cross, he was National champion both on the road and in cyclo-cross and also had some impressive international results. König was 6th in Zolder and had a few more Top 10 placings in world-cup races as well as a 12th place in the European championships in Ipswich and position 21 in the Louisville world championships. Another former member of the German national junior selection is Tobias Deprie, who finished 8th in the 2010 National Championships as also lined up in several world-cup races.
Althouht the Belgians are not as strong as in former years, the still will be present in Contern with riders able to take a 21st victory in 39 editions of the cyclo-cross of the ACC Contern. If he hasn't confirmed his talents yet on the course in Contern (11th in 2009), the experimented Tim Van Nuffel is among the stronger riders in Flemish cyclo-cross. He had very good results in the youth categories with a second place at Belgian championships and 14 wins in total in the junior category.
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Dave De Cleyn
Photo: ACC Contern
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The series continues as an U23 rider with 3 wins in Superprestige races (Ruddervoorde, Asper-Gavere and Harnes) as well as a world-cup race in Wetzikon in Switzerland. He was also 7th in the world championships in Middelfart and Monopoli. As an elite rider, Van Nuffel was not able to confirm these results, but still was among the best when it came to difficult and muddy courses like in Koppenberg (5th), in St. Michielsgesteel (7th) or in Leudelange (3rd). It wasn't enough for a professional contract, though, and Van Nuffel continued on amateur level with among others a second place in elite without contract Belgian championships. Just like last year, the rider went to America for the beginning of the season, only to witness the enormous growth of the sport and the level increase on that side of the ocean: if he finished 5th in two races twelve months ago, Van Nuffel wasn't able to finish inside the Top 20 of the races in which he participated this year. Dave De Cleyn surprised everyone in 2011 when he won the race in Differdange ahead of Czech riders Petrus and Nipl for a first international victory, next to Top 20 places in Leudelange, Renaix, Essen, Pétange or Valkenburg and two wins in B-races, Waregem and Hoegaarden. De Cleyn also finished twice on the podium of Belgian National Championships in the elite without contract category. He started well into this year's season since he finished two times on the podium with a second place in Nossegem amongst others. Patrick Gaudy is after Quentin Bertholet a few years ago the only rider from Wallonia who is able to match up with the Flandriens in cyclo-cross races. Gaudy is one of Belgian's best MTB rider and, a few years ago, he decided to try out cyclo-cross. A good decision, as it seems, because he has 5 victories on his account now, as well as a bronze medal in the National Championships elite without contract. With a ninth plae in Kessel and a third one in Wiekevoorst, behind Soete and Huys, the man from Wallonia shows that he has good form for the beginning of the season.
There will be more contenders lining up in Contern, among them riders from the border region or Britain's James Spragg, a former road rider who was second of Great Britain's National championships and won stages in the Tour of Thailand and the Tour of Indonesia. The beginning of his cyclo-cross season also took place in Asia, since Spragg lined up in the first ever international cyclo-cross in China, where he finished in 22nd position out of 60 riders. Concerning Luxembourg's riders, Christian Helmig seems to be the one with the best assets to match the opposition from abroad. After a trip to America, where he took 46th place only in the mighty Las Vegas cyclo-cross after dark, the National champion was a little bit disappointed in Dippach when he finished fourth, but last week-end in Kayl, it was a lot better and Helmig took second in the race behind Germany's Sascha Weber. The young Massimo Morabito, winner in Dippach and fourth in Kayl, seems able to match up with Helmig in Contern and a little bit stronger than the other usual suspects: Gusty Bausch, Jérôme Juncker, Scott Thiltges, Benn Wurth, all of them inside the Top 10 either in Kayl or in Dippach. But where is Pascal Triebel ?
Some more riders still have to confirm their presence
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