The Cannondale-Vredestein team seams to be unbeatable in the Roc d’Azur, the last big international event of the mountainbike season. Traditionally there are two races: a marathon on friday and a cross-country race on sunday.



Marathon on friday
Jakob won the marathon race last year, this year it was Roel’s turn. With a clear (almost 3 minutes) victory, he crossed the finish line in his rainbow jersey. “I really focussed on this event”, Roel said, “I definitely wanted to win this marathon and worked hard in the last weeks to get ready for it. I am happy and proud with this victory; the Roc d’Azur is a highly appreciated race and it is a big honour to have it on my victory list for the second time, after winning it in 2005 as well.”

Two long distance specialist joined Roel on the podium: Austrian Alban Lakata took second place and German Stefan Sahm completed the podium by finishing third. It took Roel 3 hours and 29 minutes to complete 83-kilometre race.

One of the remarkable key factors in Roel’s success was not only his legs, but also his tyre choice. He used the Vredestein Tiger Claw XC-G tubeless in the rear and the Vredestein Black Panther Xtrack in the front. Both tires are extremely puncture resistant, which appeared to be important. While many other competitors flatted their tires frequently, Roel had no problem at all with this. “Incredible”, he said, “I felt the sharp rocks hitting the rims several times, but I decided not to slow down and see if the tyres would last – which they did!”.

Cross-country on sunday
After his success in the marathon, Roel wasn’t satisfied yet. “If I am good enough to win on friday, I also have chances on sunday”, he announced a few weeks ago already. And he proved he was right: he won the cross-country race on sunday as well, to become the first rider ever in the history of the Roc d’Azur winning both events. “Pfff, what can I say?”, Roel laughed, “I knew I am in a very good shape, so I realised I had to go for the double victory. I was so strong in the last part of the course that I decided to wait for the sprint, it wasn’t a big risk for me.” He outsprinted Italian rider Gutierrez and French Marotte.

The big question before the start of the GP Paulissen in Genk, Belgium this weekend was if Roel would be racing in “his” home race, after his crash in the World Cup finals in Austria last week. It didn’t look like it for a long time, but in the last days Roel recovered well enough to show up at the start and try his best. The race was dominated by Belgian rider Davy Coenen, who won the race with an impressive start-finish lead.

Jakob started slow, he passed the finish on 11th place after one lap. But he seemed to feel good, and moved up a few places every lap. He finally finished second, and was happy with it. “A good feeling and a good result”, he said, “after the Olypics I didn’t feel well, but it looks like I am all recovered now and can still get some good results in the rest of the season.”

Roel was in the lead together with Coenen, until he got some mechanical problems that dropped him back a few places. He finished fourth, crossing the finish line together with Gilberto Simoni, the road racer who has won the Giro d’Italia twice.

Kashi was cheering from the sidelines, as he has been forced to stop his season early due to his health. He has had a rough few months, struggling with an infection (bacterial disbiosis), causing bad asthma symptoms. Despite various treatments he has been unable to cure the problem while training and racing. Now he will take an extended offseason and hopes to be back in full strength next year.

What`s next...
Jakob will be racing on the road at the World Championships next week. Roel will be focussing on the Roc d’Azur, the last big international mountain bike race of the season on October 12.

It all seemed to work out exactly the way it was planned: Roel was extremely focussed on the final World Cup race in Schladming, Austria, to make it a spectacular revenge for the disappointing Olympic race. The course looked perfect, with long and steep climbs and dry conditions. The first hour of the race went according to plan: Roel attacked early and was in the front group of 4 riders.“Totally relaxed”, he said, “I was riding really easy, without having to push hard, it all went surprisingly easy”.

But in the 4th lap of the race, Roel’s back wheel slipped away on a narrow bridge, making Roel land hard on the rocks, two meters lower. He had to quit the race and was taken to the hospital urgently. His neck and head are bruised heavily, and he will have to stay flat in bed for at least 2 days. Roel is of course concerned about his health, but at the same time extremely frustrated. “I felt I could go for the win here, I can’t believe this happened”, he said. “But I hope my injuries are not too serious, so that I can still get some good results in the remaining races of the season, I proved to be in great shape.”

Jakob disappointed in the race that is probably the last mountain bike World Cup race of his career. He has signed a contract with the CSC-road team and will continue his career on the road. He finished 22nd, without impressing at any moment of the race. “It was the best I could do, the season has been long and demanding and there was no way I could go any faster” Jakob said. Kashi was still struggling with his asthma, and did not finish the race.