UCI World Cup #2 Houffalize, BEL

By: Roel Paulissen

I finished 14th after a hard comeback from around 40th position, carried by amazing crowds along the course. Home sweet home.

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.

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