Nys crowned cyclo-cross rider of the year by Cyclingnews.com

Sven Nys has been crowned the best cyclo-cross rider of 2011 by readers of the Cyclingnews.com website, beating his big rival Zdenek Stybar and Jeremy Powers of the USA.

It is the tenth time Nys has won the annual vote. He has now racked up eight consecutive years as the best cross rider, with Cyclingnews.com suggesting that Nys is the most successful cyclo-cross racer of all time. Nys is again riding for the Landbouwkrediet-Colnago team, using the stunning Prestige frame that he helped design with Ernesto Colnago.

During the 2010-2011 cross season, Nys secured his tenth Superprestige title, his eighth Gazet Van Antwerpen trophy and finished the season as the UCI’s world number one ranked cyclo-cross rider.

21,634 Cyclingnews.com readers voted in the poll, with Nys securing 6,773 (31.3%) of the vote. Stybar obtained 4,281 (19.8%) and Powers obtained 2,622 (12.1%).

Nys is now 35 but still has the speed to win. He recently enjoyed a super weekend, winning the third round of the UCI World Cup in Belgium and then the fifth round of the Superprestige in the Netherlands.