Roel Paulissen - Official homepage

My cycling clothing has arrived to Rwanda!

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:57:00 +0200

With the help of Giancarlo Bettin of Northwave, I sent all kind of cycling clothing, i.e. jerseys, pants, jackets, cycling shoes, bottles, etc., of all different teams I was riding for in the past, to Rwanda (Africa). With this, I hope to be able to sustain (in a really small way, I know) the developing of cycling in this country.

If you check out the pictures, some of you will spot some of my clothing on it! ;-)

The "RH Racing" Bike Shop

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:07:00 +0200

It's been years that my friend and former Italian teammate Hannes Pallhuber and I were hugging the idea of opening a small bike shop over here in the Italian Alps, where I am living now already for a while.

And here we are now! I am delighted to announce the opening of my/our "RH Racing Bike Shop" here in Antholz/Anterselva, Italy. It's a small but nice bike shop and we are happy to do what we love to do: to share our knowledge and know-how with our friends and customer and of course, to work on bikes!

You find us here, yes, quite up in the mountains... but if you're around, would be great if you came by and visited us!

Belgacom Belgian Grand Prix #4 C1, Averbode BEL

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:26:00 +0200

I finished in 6th place in Averbode today, and I have to admit, I am quiet happy with my result. Considering that I just got back from the US on Friday this week from a 10-day visit at Cannondale's and, considering the fact that the race course was a bit too flat and "sandy" for my riding qualitites, I am actually satisfied with my performance. I did a lot of work in front and for a while I thought, I could have closed the gap on Sven, but I couldn't... amazing how he flies over the sand!

Results:
   1. Sven Nys - in 1u40'18"
   2. Lukas Kaufmann (Zwi) - op 24"
   3. Frank Schotman (Ned) - 25"
   4. Julien Absalon (Fra) - 27"
   5. Gerben de Knegt (Ned) - 1'11"
   6. Roel Paulissen - 1'39"

Belgacom Belgian Grand Prix #3 C2, Verviers BEL

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:26:00 +0200

Today I won the 3rd round of the Belgian GP which took place in Verviers! It was an amazing racing day! Summer is finally back and last week's higher temperatures would allow me to finally train well and train hard again.

I feel good on the bike again, so it was no problem today to stay in the attacking front group which led out the race right at its very beginning. Only Tom Meeusen and me stayed ahead in the start loop, but when I decided to give it another speed-up, I went away and dropped also Tom, and so I had a gap of 50 seconds already in the second lap.

It felt almost like flying over the race course of Verviers in this great, dry and hot weather, on a typical mountain-bike track with 4 or 5 ascents of about 250m and lots of single-trails, and soon I would have a gap of 3 minutes on the rest of the field. Those 3 minutes were quiet a lot and comforting at that moment of the race, but shortly after this gap would turn out to be essential for my victory.

Within a few minutes, a really heavy cloud-burst would turn the dry race course into a muddy, slippery battleground! With the given dry conditions at the start, I had of course used our fastest tires, the Schwalbe Furious Freds, which made it obviously impossible now to ride a bike! As if this wasn't enough, I also flatted my front wheel on a section with pieces of glass or something on there, right 500 m after that I had passed a tech zone!

Riding on my flat tire, I struggled to reach the next tech zone, but I luckily got there safe and sound! I immediately changed not only my flat tire but also the rear wheel and, now armed with this new set of wheels with noppy Racing Ralphs on there, I tried to pull away as hard as I could to save the remaining 60 seconds of my time gap!

I managed to carry this gap home and won the race with 1'04" on Sven Nijs and Bas Peters.

Find pictures of the race on sport.be.

UCI World Cup #3 Offenburg, GER

Tue, 25 May 2010 22:32:00 +0200

At the World Cup in Offenburg, it was Martin Gujan who surprised the team the most in his first full World Cup after being back in the saddle. Gujan finished 25th and is on his way back to the top 15. His teammates Marco Aurelio Fontana and Roel Paulissen came in together in 11th and 12th.

The race started fast and on the first lap, a three man leading group took off and would not be caught again. Julien Absalon and Nino Schurter made their way to the first spots on the podium. Behind them it was CFR’s Marco Aurelio Fontana who was fighting for the podium and looked good until two laps to the finish: “In front of me a rider had a flat tire and I could not pass him and the group was gone. But anyway, I was on the limit and had a hard time in the last laps,” Fontana said after a little recovery at the team truck. “Like always, I wanted to try it in the front but the power did not last for the whole race. Next week I will do some serious training and then we will fight back at the next World Cups.”

One group behind, Roel Paulissen fighting his way into the top ten. “I felt really well but then I crashed and bent my shifter. From this point on I could not really shift anymore and the rest of the race was tough. But at the end I was better again and I will see what’s next at the summer World Cups.”

Houffalize’s podium surprise Manuel Fumic did not have what you could call a good week. A bad crash during training slowed him down. “I felt some pressure before the race but that is normal. In the race my legs were far from being good. That’s ok and can happen. I will do my homework until July and then you can see me back on the podium,” Fumic said. Manuel never gave up in the race and with two strong laps at the end he grabbed important points for the overall.

The surprise of the weekend was Martin Gujan. CFR’s Swiss rider did his first full World Cup of the season and managed to start well. “I made it into the top 35 after the start and with some strong laps I came into a group around 20th,” Gujan said. “I am surprised myself how good it went today and this race gives me confidence for the next weeks.”

In the overall, Manuel Fumic is now 5th while Roel Paulissen is listed in 13th and Marco Aurelio Fontana in 15th. In the team overall, CFR is 3rd behind Multivan Merida and Orbea but ahead of Scott Swisspower, Trek World Racing and Specialized.

Results:
1. Julien Absalon (FRA/Orbea)
2. Nino Schurter (SUI/Scott Swisspower MTB Racing)
3. Jaroslav Kulhavy (CZE/Rubena Birell Specialized)
4. Christoph Sauser (SUI/Specialized Factory Racing)
5. Florian Vogel (SUI/Scott Swisspower MTB Racing)
6. Mathias Flückiger (SUI/Trek World Racing)
7. Jose Hermida (ESP/Multivan Merida Biking Team)
8. Ruben Ruzafa (ESP/Orbea)
9. Wolfram Kurschat (GER/Topeak Ergon)
10. Inaki Lejarreta (ESP/Orbea)
11. Marco Aurelio Fontana (ITA/Cannondale Factory Racing)
12. Roel Paulissen (BEL/Cannondale Factory Racing)
…
25. Martin Gujan (SUI/Cannondale Factory Racing)
…
28. Manuel Fumic (GER/Cannondale Factory Racing)

Bundesliga Heubach Bike The Rock HC - Belgacom Belgian Grand Prix Fidea MTB Cup

Sun, 16 May 2010 22:47:00 +0200

I am really happy with my showing in this weekend's races!
After having been medicating my bronchitis with antibiotis during last week, I am really satisfied with my performances in the Belgacom Grand Prix of Gooik and the Bundesliga race of Heubach.

My goal was not to overdo myself also with regard to next Sunday's World Cup race in Offenburg. I rode a steady race in Belgium, trying not to spend too much in front of the HC race in Germany. But there I finished even much better than I'd expected! My legs start feeling really good again and I am really motivated to race the World Cup next weekend. And, last but not least, it felt good to stand once again next to those mountain-bike warhorses Absalon and Hermida!

Result BUNDESLIGA HEUBACH BIKE THE ROCK, HC
1. Absalon Julien        1:47.01,0
2. Paulissen Roel        1:47.53,5
3. Hermida Jose Antonio 1:47.54,7

Result FIDEA MTB CUP KESTERHEIDE GOOIK, C2
1. Sven Nys (Bel)         1:40:03
2. Geoff Kabush (Can) + 0:01:43
3. Roel Paulissen (Bel) + 0:02:18

UCI World Cup #2 Houffalize, BEL

Tue, 04 May 2010 11:10:00 +0200

My home World Cup in Houffalize was once again an amazing, incomparable and emotionally charged weekend for me! After taking part in Houffalize for 14 years, racing on this home soil is still my chicken skin moment of the whole season.

I failed the start when the Czech Kulhavy crashed in front of me right on the start line; I was stuck and got dropped back to around 40th position. Not enough, once back on the pedals I missed my explosiveness in the start which I normally can rely on. (This must have been an advance notice of the bronchitis I have caught which keeps me shut-in today, but I am treating it already with antibiotics since yesterday.)

Although the race had become some kind of lottery regarding the choice of the right tires because of some rain setting before the start (and believe me, you really could see all different kinds of tires at the start), I had opted for the really good one, a tubular Schwalbe Racing Ralph tire, using low pressure. None of us riders had actually had any technical problems and to use our Flash was the right choice once again!

I fought back position after position, literally carried by the cheering of enthusiastic spectators and the spurring of friends and family. I lived indescribable moments when attacking on the climbs with the crazy Houffalize crowds lining the course on both sides, making me feel like their one and only hero!

My team-mate Manuel Fumic, after leading almost throughout the entire race, managed to finish in second position behind Hermida, a great result for him and the whole team, topping off a great weekend in Houffalize!

Find the complete results here.

UCI World Cup #1 Dalby Forest, GBR

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:54:00 +0200

The race course of Dalby Forest was a really fast but a bumpy one! While I could manage to get away with the first guys in the start, I lost position after position and finished 20th. Considering the fact that I just got back from the US after racing at Sea Otter Classic's only a few days earlier and having been busy over there the whole week through, now quiet suffering the jet-lag, I actually haven't felt so bad at all during the race itself. Also my lap times were constant and I eventually finished with only 4 minutes behind Nino.

Next big goal: Houffalize! I am really happy to be back home for a few days and hope to see everybody there watching the races!

Results:
1. Nino Schurter (Swi) Scott-Swisspower MTB-Racing     1:54:52
2. Julien Absalon (Fra) Orbea                 0:00:01
3. Burry Stander (RSA) Specialized Factory Racing         0:00:14
20. Roel Paulissen (Bel) Cannondale Factory Racing     0:03:53

Sea Otter Classic Pro XC, CA, USA - 18.04.2010

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:16:00 +0200

Check out the video on facebook!

Racer Bikes Cup C1 Buchs

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:12:00 +0200

Voor Paulissen was het de eerste echte confrontatie met de absolute top. De vernieuwde training heeft dus duidelijk al de vruchten afgeworpen. Volgens trainer Paul Ponnet is alles volgens plan verlopen.

De koers in Buchs was normaal een snelle omloop met één klim en een afdaling. Toch besloten de weergoden hier een stokje voor te steken. Het regende afgelopen nacht en hierdoor werd het een zwaar en lastig parcours.

“Vandaag was het een typische koers met Kurschat. De Duitser kan niet afdalen en probeerde hierdoor alles in de beklimming. Dat lukte hem aardig zodat Tony Longo en ik steeds moesten achtervolgen. Elke ronde konden we hem terug inhalen voordat we de aankomst bereikte. In de voorlaatste ronde kon Tony Longo de sterke Kurschat volgen. In de afdaling was Longo veel sterker en kon hierdoor wegrijden. Ik hoopte op Kurschat in te kunnen halen, maar het lukte niet meer. Derde plaats in deze koers is goed voor mij. Ik heb namelijk wat last van de luchtwegen, maar dat is geen uitvlucht. Tony Longo was de beste vandaag.” Aldus de trotse Roel Paulissen vlak na de wedstrijd.

Uitslag:
1. LONGO Tony (ITA) 1:38:54,2
2. KURSCHAT Wolfram (GER) 1:39:52,2
3. PAULISSEN Roel (BEL) 1:40:35,1

Maarten Paulissen
MTB 2 Media: +32 (0)494 10 20 75