They talked about his recent win at Gavere, asking him if it was a fluke where he replied that winning it five times in a row disqualifies it as an accident.
Of all the topics discussed, there was one that shouldn't have surprised me, but did. The interviewer asked Sven if he was nervous about not winning since November 1st.
This question proves just how quickly the Belgian fans are to judge. Before Sven got his answer out, I said to Jonas - "But he just won a race last weekend at Vlaamse Houtlandcross in Eernegem." I expected Sven to respond with that but instead he told the interviewer that there is only one weekend between Novermber 1st and now. That is hardly enough time to cause concern.
In hindsight, i now realize that Sven would have looked silly to have mentioned that win last week since it was not one of the blockbuster events like a Superprestige, GVA or World Cup. And i suspect they would have called him on this.
It was only a couple of weeks ago that the press, media and fans were writing Bart Wellens off only for him to come back with a heroic Pijnacker World Cup followed by a strong 2nd place in Gavere Superprestige. Maybe next time they will all listen to him when he says not to count him out yet.
Another pleasant surprise of last weekend was Erwin Vervecken - another cyclist who has not been treated kindly by onlookers. Watching him cross the line for 4th at Gavere was wonderful.
I wrote a personal update on my race that is now posted on CXmagazine.com . It will give you a better picture of how I scored my top 10 finish at Gavere Superprestige. Yippee!
(Photo taken by Krist Vanmelle)
Thanks!
