Helen Wyman wins muddy Jaarmarktcross
On Thursday, British cyclo-cross champion Helen Wyman was the most comfortable rider in the stormy weather at the Jaarmarktcross in Niel, Belgium. The race, part of the Fidea Cyclo-cross Classics, was plagued by rain and wind, but that didn’t stop Wyman
from matching her performance in the Koppenbergcross less than two weeks ago and finishing ahead of Dutchwomen Daphny Van den Brand and Sophie De Boer of ZZPR.nl.
"It's like waiting for a bus. You're waiting for hours and suddenly they all come at once," said Wyman to
Cyclingnews of her second win. "I just love this weather. There was so much mud and you simply had to ride you own pace. In the first lap some girls passed me on the off-camber section where I was messing it up. But from then on I went full throttle
forward."
The strongest women quickly moved to the head of the pack early in the race and Wyman took the lead from the beginning and through the winding corners of the first stretch. A group of five formed in the list, with Sanne Cant leading British rider Nicki Harris
and the three podium finishers. In the second lap, Wyman retook the lead with only De Boer hanging on, and only barely.
"Helen went too hard for me," said De Boer.
Eventually De Boer was dropped and Wyman’s countrywoman Harris passed the Dutchwoman to settle into a solo second place behind the leader.
"It helped me that I had a front row position. Then everything is a bit easier early on. It saves you a lot of energy," said Harris.
De Boer caught back up to Harris halfway through the race and before long Van den Brand joined the chase group. However, Hyman, who finished third in the recent European championships, was un-catchable in her progress through the mud and finished well ahead.
The chasing trio finished close together, with Harris taking fourth overall 51 seconds behind the leader.
"I was heading for third place but on the road to the finish I didn't get my chain on the big ring. By the time I got my chain back on the others were gone," said Harris.
De Boer had lead the chase group but also suffered from a mechanical problem, which dropped her to two seconds behind Van den Brand.
"My chain fell off and I feared that I would lose out on the podium," said De Boer. "I'm happy that I was able to confirm my latest results. It was also surprising to see that Nicki Harris is getting back to her level."
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