Providing more evidence that the international cyclocross season starts at CrossVegas are the results from the World Championship in Germany.  Here’s a quick rundown of some of the CrossVegas podium placers and their results from St. Wendel.

 Elite Women  2010 CrossVegas Champ Katerina Nash of the Czech Republic reached the World Championship podium for the first time in her career with a Bronze Medal in the women’s race.  Nash finished  just behind two-time CrossVegas winner Katie Compton (2008, 2009) who captured her second  World Championship silver medal. Neither Compton nor Nash was able to answer a last lap attack from four-time World Champion Marianne Vos of the Netherlands who soloed to victory.

Katie Compton leads Katerina Nash and  Marianne Vos in the early laps in St. Wendel

 CrossVegas winner Mourey leads an elite chase group

Elite Men  Leading up to the World Championships  former champions Niels Albert of Belgium tipped Mourey as a rider to watch. Certainly  Mourey is THE guy to watch if a race gets  down to a final sprint, that’s how he captured  the CrossVegas win after all.  Unfortunately  that scenario did not play out with the winner  Zdenek Stybar taking a solo victory while silver medalist Sven Nys followed about 20 seconds  behind.  It was the chase group fighting for  that final podium position that Mourey was part of --but it was a tough crowd with Kevin Pauwels and Klaas Vantornout gunning for Belgian bragging rights plus German Philipp Walsleben riding for pride of the host country.  As that group hit the 300 meters to go point Pauwels jumped off  the front while Mourey was positioned behind. That’s all the gap the Belgian needed to snag the  podium while Mourey followed in a very respectable 4^th.

The U.S. contingent didn’t fare as well suffering from flats, crashes.  2009 CrossVegas 3rd place finisher Jonathan Page topped the list of American finishers with a 12^th spot after an ill-timed flat far from the pit but received his real prize the next day with the birth of his third child in St. Wendel.  Daughter Pearl Wendel Page was born Monday following the championship weekend.

U-23 Men Lars Van der Haar came to CrossVegas as part of the tough duo of Giant – Rabobank riders that  included eventual 3^rd placed Gerben de Knegt.  Though still classified as a Under-23 rider the scrappy Dutchman showed his stuff in Las Vegas on the first lap scramble up the TRP Brake Zone climb by  holding position with the lead group and was in the mix every lap before finishing in the 8^th spot.  In St. Wendel Van der Haar was in the thick of the action throughout the race riding very comfortably through  the tough, slick course.  He remained in the front group and used his explosive sprint to rocket off the front as the race hit the track for the final 200 meters. Here's a talent we'll see for years to come.

A confident Lars Van Der Haar in the U-23 World Championships

All photos courtesy Mia Sullivan/StudioMProductions.com