Meeusenwith game face on at Laarne. © Kurt van Hout
NOMMAY, FRANCE – Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) took his first World Cup win of the 2013-2014 season at the final installment of the series in Nommay.
In a sprint finish over home-crowd favorite Francis Mourey (fdj.Fr), the win propels Meeusen onto the list of possible contenders for the title at the Cyclocross World Championships in Hoogerheide, Netherlands, on February 1.
Mourey initially took to the head of the race, but Meeusen put in an effort in the middle of the first lap, gaining some distance on a group of about 10 chasers. Philipp Walsleben (BKCP-Powerplus) and Corne Van Kessel (Telenet-Fidea) emerged from the group the next time around to join Meeusen with Mourey not far behind.
By the fourth lap, the dust had settled and Mourey had reattached to the leaders. First to go was Van Kessel, and at times it seemed that Meeusen had overextended himself, dropping just off the wheel of Mourey as Walsleben took to upping the pace. Going into lap six, however, the three riders were once again together, this time with Mourey attempting to break away, fueled by the cheer of the French crowds. The few seconds gained, however were not lasting as a stubborn Walsleben and Meeusen refused to let the Frenchman go.
With one-to-go a resurrected Meeusen took to the front again, driving the pace. Mourey and Walsleben would not go down without a fight as the three changed positioning, going shoulder-to-shoulder through the last lap. Mourey tried hard to hold on to the lead position going onto the tarmac, but Meeusen came around in the final meters, winning by less than a bike’s length. Walsleben finished third, six seconds behind, moving up to second place in the final series standings.
Following about a minute behind for much of the race, series leader Lars van der Haar (Rabobank Development Team) crossed the line in fourth and retained his series lead and the 2014 World Cup Title. Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) had enough points to hold on to third overall, despite finishing twelfth for the day.
When questioned about the possibility of winning the upcoming World Championships, Meeusen pondered whether it was bad luck to win just before Worlds, but added that every win is good.
Check out coverage of the women’s race here, and a rundown of the American presence in Nommay here.
