The Cyclocross World Championships at Bogense went from cold, gray and wet on Saturday, to bright and sunny, but still cold on Sunday. On tap was the women’s U23 race and the men’s elite. Both races were worth the price of admission with the women’s U23 race being quite possibly the most exciting of the weekend.
Here’s my gallery from the day.
The crowds on Sunday showed up early, which meant the women’s U23 field raced in front of an near full house. First lap action here, with Katie Clouse in the mix up front. © 2019 Bill Schieken The blue skies and low sun made for ideal shooting conditions. Orange light for all of the Dutch orange kits at the front of the race. © 2019 Bill Schieken For a racer, this seemed like the perfect venue set up. For the tough technical bits where you really needed to concentrate (the off-cambers on the hillside) no spectators were allowed. For the all out power straights, you rode through a wall of sound. © 2019 Bill Schieken Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado leaves the peaceful environs of the highlands for the thunderdome below. © 2019 Bill Schieken Americans Clara Honsinger and Katie Clouse chased on to the leading group and both finished in the top 10. © 2019 Bill Schieken One, two three for the Dutch. It may not have been the predicted order, but the team to beat was unbeatable. © 2019 Bill Schieken This was one of my favorite spots. The riders are heading towards the final flyover and the finishing straight. © 2019 Bill Schieken The toll bridge to the tricky off-camber.© 2019 Bill Schieken Clouse pips Nicole Koller for seventh on the day. © 2019 Bill Schieken In case you thought the sunshine meant it was warm out, Honsinger proves otherwise. © 2019 Bill Schieken The secret spot. This was the view from behind the jumbotron on the hill. The church wall was beautiful to shoot, but a logistical nightmare for getting around the track. © 2019 Bill Schieken Mathieu van der Poel went out hard. © 2019 Bill Schieken And continued to go hard. © 2019 Bill Schieken Forcing the Belgians to chase all day, all season , all career. © 2019 Bill Schieken Steepling is when someone brings their hands up and puts their fingers together. It is body language expressing that a person is feeling confident. © 2019 Bill Schieken Not a dirty camera sensor. Those specks in the sky are the mud flying off of van der Poel’s rear tire. © 2019 Bill Schieken Wout buried himself. Absolutely buried himself. © 2019 Bill Schieken I have a photo of Francis Mourey as my camera wallpaper that I shot at Louisville Worlds in 2013. Was happy to be able to see him race in person one more time. © 2019 Bill Schieken Revisiting where the race was won. Nobody was faster or cleaner on this section. It wasn’t the only difference. But it was a big one. © 2019 Bill Schieken One of the greatest cyclocross racers, ever. This win sealed the deal. And he’s only 24. © 2019 Bill Schieken The sun sets on this year’s World Championships. Here’s to the next one, cyclocross friends. © 2019 Bill Schieken
Excellent!!! The commentary, photos, and all you do, love it!!!