World Champion Sven Nys was quickly out of competition for the general classification after having several mechanical problems in the first race, resulting in him giving up,[2] and a total off-day in the second race where he only finished 22nd.
[3] Previous World Cup winner Niels Albert, of Belgium, won two races,[4][5] but still finished only third in the general after his German teammate Philipp Walsleben; Walsleben did not win any of the races, but consistently ranked highly, grabbing four podium spots.
[1][2][3][4] Katie Compton of the United States dominated the women's competition, winning five of the seven races.
The remaining two were won by World Champion Marianne Vos who had undergone a cyst removal operation in November making her miss the races in Koksijde and Namur.
Plzeň, Roubaix and Hoogerheide were taken out of the programme – the latter ultimately hosting the World Championships – while Valkenburg and Nommay were added.