Cross 20-21 *spoilers* (NOT rider of the year 2020)

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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    Pidcock took third yesterday, behind a supreme MvdP and Quinten Hermans in 2nd.
    He'd been in the lead for a short while but a couple of mistakes on corners got him dropped. He was looking like 4th place but Laurens Sweeck punctured.
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  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,312
    edited December 2020
    Sweeck didn't look like a happy man. There was no interviews covered in the Eurosport replay.
    He would never have stayed with MvdP but probably could have got on the podium.
    Hats off to Pidcock.

    Does he carry on doing Cross when he moves to Ineos?
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    pinno said:

    Sweeck didn't look like a happy man. There was no interviews covered in the Eurosport replay.
    He would never have stayed with MvdP but probably could have got on the podium.
    Hats off to Pidcock.

    Does he carry on doing Cross when he moves to Ineos?


    He's not joining them until March after the cross season.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,197
    Pidcock has stated he wants to win the World Title in 3 disciplines - I presume he wouldn't have moved to Ineos if that wasn't possible. I'm wondering what bike he will use in CX & MTB.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • pollys_bott
    pollys_bott Posts: 1,012
    gsk82 said:

    The same to 2 as just about every other cross race for the past 5 years. It couldn't be more predictable.

    Is this year different to the previous four in terms of results so far then? It's my first full year of watching 'cross but I've seen Toon Aerts win a few, then Iserbyt, then Sweeck and then van Thourenhout had a good couple of weeks. Or were they just filling their boots before The Big 2 / 3 joined the party?
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    For the past few seasons, the likes of Aerts and Iserbyt start the season in top form because they can get some wins and an early lead in the main three classifications, before Van Aert and Van der Poel turn up and start taking the wins.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,312
    RichN95. said:

    pinno said:

    Sweeck didn't look like a happy man. There was no interviews covered in the Eurosport replay.
    He would never have stayed with MvdP but probably could have got on the podium.
    Hats off to Pidcock.

    Does he carry on doing Cross when he moves to Ineos?


    He's not joining them until March after the cross season.
    Not what I meant. I meant will he be doing Cross next season... which was answered.

    I wonder if TP's physical stature will be a limiting factor in his ambitions.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,599
    pollys_bott said:

    gsk82 said:

    The same to 2 as just about every other cross race for the past 5 years. It couldn't be more predictable.

    Is this year different to the previous four in terms of results so far then? It's my first full year of watching 'cross but I've seen Toon Aerts win a few, then Iserbyt, then Sweeck and then van Thourenhout had a good couple of weeks. Or were they just filling their boots before The Big 2 / 3 joined the party?
    No. They win the races when the top guys don't bother to show up.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,312
    Maybe the winner should have an opportunity to ride through a spray booth/giant hair dryer before the finish line.

    If I were WvA, I'd have cycled home in all the muddy splendour.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    gsk82 said:

    pollys_bott said:

    gsk82 said:

    The same to 2 as just about every other cross race for the past 5 years. It couldn't be more predictable.

    Is this year different to the previous four in terms of results so far then? It's my first full year of watching 'cross but I've seen Toon Aerts win a few, then Iserbyt, then Sweeck and then van Thourenhout had a good couple of weeks. Or were they just filling their boots before The Big 2 / 3 joined the party?
    No. They win the races when the top guys don't bother to show up.
    Aside from WVA getting a slow start to his season - beaten into 3rd, 3rd and 4th with MvdP not at the races.

    It's probably fair to say there's really only a "Big 1" - MvdP has raced 5 times, won 3 and 2nd twice. The two races he lost were to WVA and Pidcock. He's close to untouchable.
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  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,312
    Yesterday's course was a nicer looking event than some of the other mud baths.

    I'm gobsmacked at the recovery rate. Though, an hour at that pace is... only an hour but still.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,197
    pinno said:

    Yesterday's course was a nicer looking event than some of the other mud baths.

    I'm gobsmacked at the recovery rate. Though, an hour at that pace is... only an hour but still.

    Zolder is a nice course; fast, enough technical sections and produces good racing. I'm a rarity in that I don't particularly like mud fests - the racing isn't always great.

    And today is one of those days; a mud-fest. I often wonder what does it take for them to declare a course 'unraceable'?
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    Yesterday's podium, MvdP, WVA and Lars VAN DER HAAR. Pidcock 9th, any idea what happened to him, or just ate too many Yorkshire puddings for Xmas?

    Today's WC event at Dendermonde is very, very wet and muddy - there's a knee deep hole in the course some of the women have got stuck in - while running!
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  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,197
    Pidcock got caught up in a crash in the first few hundred metres.....he was then chasing to get back - which on that course isn't always easy.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    From today's mudfest - plenty of the women have got stuck here, but this was the worst so far

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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    The flyover was removed due to the storm, though it doesn't look too windy right now

    https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.wielerflits.nl/nieuws/parcours-wereldbeker-dendermonde-op-de-schop-vanwege-storm-bella/?utm_campaign=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter
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  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,332
    Congratulations to Lucinda Brand for surviving that...
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,332
    tbf Wout here doesn't look that much different to Fran Cotton above
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,312
    edited December 2020
    andyrac said:

    I'm a rarity in that I don't particularly like mud fests - the racing isn't always great.

    Ditto. Looked first world war(ish).
    Though WvA said he enjoyed it and more than Strade Bianche in similar temps.
    I guess the dust at SB doesn't taste as good as Belgian mud.


    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    pinno said:

    andyrac said:

    I'm a rarity in that I don't particularly like mud fests - the racing isn't always great.

    Ditto. Looked first world war(ish).
    Though WvA said he enjoyed it and more than Strade Bianche in similar temps.
    I guess the dust at SB doesn't taste as good as Belgian mud.


    Well that and SB takes a lot more than an hour
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  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,312
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    pinno said:

    andyrac said:

    I'm a rarity in that I don't particularly like mud fests - the racing isn't always great.

    Ditto. Looked first world war(ish).
    Though WvA said he enjoyed it and more than Strade Bianche in similar temps.
    I guess the dust at SB doesn't taste as good as Belgian mud.


    Well that and SB takes a lot more than an hour
    His reference IIRC, was to conditions and temperature.
    (Pedantry aside).
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • jimmythecuckoo
    jimmythecuckoo Posts: 4,718
    Was brilliant ! The Womens race was also a classic.
    http://fendrieneu.home.blog
    My blog and pod...
    Beers of Belgium Cycling Club UK
  • crossed
    crossed Posts: 237
    Just caught up with the Dendermonde mens race. It was a masterclass by WvA in those hideous conditions. I'll watch the womens race later when I get a chance.

    I've been really impressed with the coverage on Eurosport Player this season, they're actually showing the races at the advertised times for a change and the commentary team are pretty good too (ignoring Jeremy Powers' constant references to 55rpm cadence in the last race!)
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,697
    I can't say I watch every one but the rate of improvement from J-Pow is pretty rapid though so I have faith he'll turn into a pretty decent commentator
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • crossed
    crossed Posts: 237
    Another good course at todays Trofee round at Veldrijden. Shame they don't incorporate the pump track into the course though 😆
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,697
    In a mad panic about today, the government offered us double time to get 250 agents to work today. So far they've taken 10 calls in 5 hours.

    Closest I'll ever get to being paid to watch cycling. I can recommend working for the government...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,697
    edited January 2021
    Worth catching the last lap of the girls. Nice ding dong battle...

    Edit - The boys rather less so...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,697
    edited January 2021
    I do seem to have punked Jose Been with an early 2000's era WWE gag tho


    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,332
    ddraver said:

    Worth catching the last lap of the girls. Nice ding dong battle...

    Yeah, seemed to be a proper battle of technique and bike handling vs power. That off-camber section across the hillside was a bit evil though.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,197
    Was a good contest; a CX rider with MTB experience getting the better of a rider with a road background. It must be said, Brand has improved markedly in her technical skills. However, Alvarado is only going to get better technically the more MTB she does. Her descending in Herentals last week was pretty impressive - and that is what won her that race.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."

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