Belgian Niels Albert and Dutch woman Marianne Vos were crowned cyclo-cross World Champions on Sunday in Koksijde, Belgium.
Albert spearheaded the home nation's almost complete domination of the elite men's race, with the top seven riders all hailing from Belgium. Rob Peeters and Kevin Pauwels completed the podium alongside Albert.
Defending men's champion Zdenek Stybar failed to repeat last year's win, and came home in 13th spot. Briton Ian Field placed 36th.
Marianne Vos, however, did successfully defend her world title - bringing her career total of cyclo-cross world titles to five.
Vos's compatriot Daphny van den Brand placed second, with Sanne Cant of Belgium in third. Nikki Harris rode strongly for Great Britain to place sixth, with fellow Brit Helen Wyman in 13th.
Mathieu van der Poel won the junior men's race for the Netherlands, with Lars van der Haar also winning for the Netherlands in the under-23 men's race.
Koksijde in Belgium played host to the 2012 Worlds
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Mathieu van der Poel takes an emotional win in the junior men's race
Lars van der Haar takes another title for the Netherlands in the under-23 men's race
Nikki Harris produced Britain's best ride of the weekend - sixth place in the elite women's race
Marianne Vos wins her fifth cyclo-cross world title
Ian Field in the elite men's race
Niels Albert spearheaded a Belgian domination in the elite men's race
Results
Cyclo-cross World Championships 2012, Koksijde, Belgium
Elite men
1. Niels Albert (Belgium)
2. Rob Peeters (Belgium) at 24 secs
3. Kevin Pauwels (Belgium) at 30 secs
British
36. Ian Field (Great Britain) at 3 laps
Elite women
1. Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
2. Daphny van den Brand (Netherlands) at 37 secs
3. Sanne Cant (Belgium) at 38 secs
British
6. Nikki Harris (Great Britain) at 1-03
13. Helen Wyman (Great Britain) at 2-45
Junior men
1. Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands)
2. Wout van Aert (Belgium) at 8 secs
3. Quentin Jauregui (France) at 21 secs
Under-23 men
1. Lars van der Haar (Netherlands)
2. Wietse Bosmans (Belgium) at 1 sec
3. Michiel van der Heijden (Netherlands) at 4 secs
Related links
Cyclo-cross World Championships 2012: Elite men photo gallery
Cyclo-cross World Championships 2012: Elite women photo gallery
Cyclo-cross World Championships 2012: Junior and under-23 men photo gallery
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Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
