The king of snow in Vermiglio is Michael Vanthourenhout.
The 29-year-old Belgian, the defending European champion, deservedly won the second edition of the cyclocross world cup in Val di Sole by expertly mastering the hard and treacherous course. Disappointment for Van der Poel, who finished eighth. Dutch racer, Puck Pieterse, confirmed her talent by dominating the women’s field.
When world class cyclocross ascended the peaks of Val di Sole, which is already home to mountain bike champions, the ambition was to bring something completely new to the sport’s landscape. Snow and elevation weren’t merely choreographic elements of the Cyclocross World Cup racecourse in Vermiglio, but rather the foundation of a format capable of shuffling the cards, of surprising, of thrilling, and of inflicting suffering lap after lap on the ever-changing terrain.
All these elements came together at the event’s second edition in Vermiglio, located at the foot of Tonale mountain, which stood splendid and sunny before the most celebrated racers in international cyclocross on Saturday, December 17. Among them was Mathieu Van der Poel, the most eagerly awaited of them all, who more than one fan had fingered for the win, but which was not to be. Powerful and regal in practice, Van der Poel struggled to find his rhythm on Saturday on a course with a completely altered surface from Friday’s soft snow to the hard, almost icy ground of the showdown.
The Val di Sole men’s title remains in Belgium, and the 2022 podium featured a smiling Michael Vanthourenhout, 29, the reigning European champion and second in Vermiglio in 2021. Not surprisingly, Vanthourenhout is the one that Van der Poel had singled out as the feared rival for Saturday’s race. The Belgian emerged from a three-way challenge launched in the race’s early laps by Switzerland’s Kevin Kuhn and another Belgian racer, Niels Vandeputte, with Eli Iserbyt and Laurens Sweeck behind them as Van den Poel struggled to pull ahead.
By lap three, Vanthourenhout’s clean riding – suggesting a virtually error-free race – had his early rivals on the ropes, which allowed him to gain the margin that would enshrine him at the finish line in Vermiglio.
“There was a great atmosphere in Vermiglio today. The course was really challenging for its surgace; the plan for my race was to try to make as few mistakes as possible and I succeeded. I tried to set a race pace, and I finished it in the best possible way. Clearly snowcross suits me, and in my opinion, such a format deserves the five-ring showcase,” Vanthourenthout said.
Vandeputte and Kuhn battled each other for places on the podium, with a third wheel named Laurens Sweeck, who’s unsurprisingly the World Cup leader. In Val di Sole, however, the youngsters got the better of them: Vandeputte, class of 2000, second, and Kuhn, 1998, third, both on their first career podium.
Sweeck, fourth, can take a moment to smile because his main rival for the cup, Iserbyt, was put out of action by a crash that was painful enough to force him to abandon, but without serious consequences. He now has a 23-point margin over Vanthourenhout after 10 out of 14 events in the calendar.
Van der Poel finished eighth at 3:14. He coasted away through the crowd that was cheering him loudly throughout the race (7,000 were in attendance in Vermiglio on Saturday), and one has to swear that proof of redemption will not be far off. Making peace with Vermiglio’s snow, however, will have to wait another year.
WOMEN: STUNNING PIETERSE IN DUTCH HAT TRICK, PODIUM FADES FOR SILVIA PERSICO
The snow in Val di Sole was able to upset the odds in the women’s field as well. Fem van Empel, this season’s strongest athlete, who captured her first World Cup win in Vermiglio in 2021, didn’t have a memorable day this time. Sliding to the ground at the first turn, along with many others, the young Dutchwoman ended her race on the second lap – same as with Iserbyt – a bad crash and a withdrawal, but fortunately without any major consequences.
Puck Pieterse, the other star of the women’s cyclocross season, made very few mistakes and rightfully won a race she dominated for more than half the competition.
The day’s first attack was attempted by Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, who was pursued and caught by Pieterse and Italy’s Silvia Persico. During the second lap, however, Pieterse was able to take advantage of a mistake by her rivals to stomp the pedals and open up a gap that would prove decisive.
After half the race, Silvia Persico’s technical difficulties began, as she fell victim to a number of slips and chain jumps, and was caught by the other Dutchwoman, Manon Bakker, just ahead of the last lap. While Pieterse and Alvarado were consolidating their positions, Bakker overtook Persico; the Italian tried to put her own wheels back in front of her opponents with a delayed breakaway but the lack of grip compromised the attempt launched by the Italian champion. The finishing order went like this: Pieterse ahead of Alvarado (+ 0.44); Bakker (+ 1.26); and Persico (+ 1.34).
“Val di Sole always manages to surprise, whether it’s mountain biking or cyclocross – beautiful races go on,” said Puck Pieterse. “The course was even more treacherous than this morning. In the end, it was a matter of gaining confidence as the laps went by. We all made mistakes, but I managed to make fewer than my colleagues.”
SACCO (VAL DI SOLE): “STILL A GREAT SHOW”
Satisfaction from the Grandi Eventi Val di Sole organizers for an event that forged appeal for fans and beyond. “It was a beautiful day – said Fabio Sacco, director of Grandi Eventi Val di Sole and Val di Sole Tourism Board, organizers of the event in collaboration with Flanders Classics, the World Cup management company -. Once again in this edition, Vermiglio and Val di Sole managed to offer a unique show, which thrilled the thousands of people present with an exciting atmosphere offered by the great champions, plus the continuous twists and turns that snow can bring. This snowcross is established as a successful format, which we aim to reinforce once again with next year’s third edition. Our thanks go to a great organizational team, partners, and all the volunteers who made this World Cup event possible.”
Vermiglio (Italy), December 17, 2022
