Superprestige Gavere - Race

I settled on a corner right before the muddy downhill. The crowds were way thicker than the Hasselt race. I'm not sure if it's a population difference, or if the race was just that much more important. The racers were all the same, so I'd just guess that it's closer to more people. Maybe it's a race with more "tradition". I'll never know.

My spot also had a view of the mobile jumbotron screen they had set up. Very good. So the racers made their corner without too much incident, but there were a few bumbles on the steeper and muddier section just after where I was.

I hung out there for the first two laps and then headed out for other vistas. The people were so thick that I couldn't really improve on my previous location. Bleh.

I did what I could, and started thinking I needed a beer. There was a nifty little tent with an elevated floor and a decent view of two spots on the course. The bad news was that you needed tickets for stuff. And they didn't sell them there. So I hiked around the corner to a different (and bigger) beer tent and bought my tickets and two beers. Due to a math error, I actually bought more tickets than I wanted.

Armed with beer, I headed back to the course to watch the battle. I set up in view of the jumbotron and at the corner right after the pits on the way to the finish.

I saw the critical part. There were 6 of them. Klaas, Sven, Bart, Ervin, and Mourey, with Niels dangling off the back. Sven hadn't had the best start, so much of the race he was working his way to the front. He got there just in time. I don't think he joined these leaders until the last lap. Would he have enough matches to burn after working so hard? The five desended, and then single file along the bottom of the course, Vervecken attacked. He got a lead of about 5 bike lenghts ahead of the group. Bart was in second position. Francis M was kind of patrolling the front. And then came the attack. Sven came from 3rd or 4th position and then just killed them. KEEELED them. In the last 1/3 of the last lap, Sven put nearly 30 seconds into the best riders in the world. He just stormed up the hill. Bart was last one through, went into the pits, grabbed a fresh bike, and was able to make the podium by getting around Vervecken and Vantornout at the top once things got flat. Mourey was able to hold Bart off in the avenue to claim second.

Based on his poor start, I was optimistic that Sven Nys might not win this race. That this would be the one to unseat him. Bart and Klaas had a decent amount of time on the front. Maybe they could have made a break. The funny thing about this race was that in spite of the mud and the climb, I don't think I ever saw a male racer get off his bike. They were strong enough to just power up the muddy climb. However, he just kicked everyone in the teeth and showed them his ass. I think on a course with that much riding and technical skills on top of it, Sven is near unbeatable. The crowd let out a big cheer when he crossed the line, but the race was over when he started his attack. Business as usual for Sven.