CX Season 2021/22 thread...

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  • andrew_s-2
    andrew_s-2 Posts: 51
    jimmythecuckoo said:

    webboo said:

    No commentary again on the Eurosport player today but you get to hear the racket the bikes make.

    Same on GCN.
    I'd recommend the "Includes live show" GCN stream.
    The last few races it had commentary whilst the individual race streams didn't, or at least not completely - eg in Val di Sole women's, you could hear Marty McDonald, but there were long spells of silence whilst Jeremy Powers was speaking.

  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,132
    andyp said:

    andyrac said:

    Would be nice if they would actually sent somebody to the venue for interviews, some tech chat, etc

    They do, they've had Iris Slappendel doing pre- and post-race interviews with the main riders at a lot of the World Cups.
    Really?? I recall her at Paris-Roubaix, but I don't remember anything else; unless that is only on GCN, but not Eurosport player.....The only interviews I've seen are the post race ones in Dutch, with one question in English......

    We've seen GCN/ GMBN, do bike checks, and new tech for Track World Cup, MTB World Cups, Enduro .....but nothing for CX.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    There have been quite a few interviews mid race on the Eurosport player at the last few races. Unfortunately there has been no sound or when there is they are usually in Flemish.
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    edited December 2021
    Well we have had the interview of the season today. So Tom you seemed to have jumped your way to victory today. “Well I saw Illy back off on the hurdles and I thought f*ck it go for it”
    Or something like that.
    Also the last lap of todays race was something else. A real case of light the afterburners by TP and a lovely fist slam on the bars by Illy.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,340
    Some good racing in both the women's and the mens.

    The interviewer at the end seemed to offer some sort of condolence to Brand when he said that she was still the world cup leader.

    Although Tom was asked a leading question before the start, he seemed to indicate that tomorrow was the better opportunity. I wonder if he just had better legs than expected or was that a deflection?

    Certainly, the gap stayed pretty constant to Vantouringhouse and Iserbyt and you could see where in the technical sections like the sand, Pidcock was gaining but it seemed his effort was fruitless during the sheer power sections. Despite that, he pulled off a great win and I was surprised by it. I thought the course was not technical enough and I didn't think he would catch Iserbyt. I was also surprised Iserbyt seemed to die a death in the sprint and/or that the camera shortened the gap and it was irreconcilable so Iserbyt just conceded.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,470
    Yesterday's course was almost like a crit. It really backed up what has been said up thread about courses been all about power.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,340
    gsk82 said:

    Yesterday's course was almost like a crit. It really backed up what has been said up thread about courses been all about power.

    WvA would have won it hands down.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,132
    A good win for Tom on a course that isn't going to play to his strengths; obviously, being the Olympic MTB champion, he'd want a course with climbs and technical sections.
    He now joins a small club to have won Elite World Cups in XCO & CX......

    Brand gave it a good go, but there was nowhere to get rid of Vos.

    However, today is Namur, the closest CX comes to MTB; it nearly always serves up a good race.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    I watched the brief highlights again this morning and Tom goes into the hurdles slightly behind Iserbyt and comes out of them a length in front.
    I don’t think Iserbyt could believe what he was seeing.
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,132
    Yeah, there is time to be made on the hurdles; remember back to Tabor, and Pieterse was consistently making time on the others.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,340
    andyrac said:

    A good win for Tom on a course that isn't going to play to his strengths; obviously, being the Olympic MTB champion, he'd want a course with climbs and technical sections.
    He now joins a small club to have won Elite World Cups in XCO & CX......

    Brand gave it a good go, but there was nowhere to get rid of Vos.

    However, today is Namur, the closest CX comes to MTB; it nearly always serves up a good race.

    He also broke a 9 year duck (or something like that) for anyone not Dutch or Belgian.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,340
    Well, Namur was brutal.
    From one extreme to the other between Saturday's round of the world cup to Sunday.
    So Pidcock has an off day and still comes second.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,132
    If you'd have said he would have a 1st & 2nd this weekend, I'd have thought Namur would be were he won. However, as was later confirmed, he wasn't quite 100%; didn't get a great start, but got to the front, but was empty - and a few mistakes occurred.

    From coming nowhere in 2017, Brand has now won 4 in a row there; pretty impressive.
    And Zoe continued her domination of the junior races with another comfortable win.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,340
    andyrac said:

    If you'd have said he would have a 1st & 2nd this weekend, I'd have thought Namur would be were he won. However, as was later confirmed, he wasn't quite 100%; didn't get a great start, but got to the front, but was empty - and a few mistakes occurred.
    .

    Yep and the mistakes came form tiredness perhaps. Although, Aerts took off and the gap back to Vantentinghouse was big and TP and MV worked hard to close it. I got the feeling TP was trying to get a sizeable gap to MV but the candle was burnt.

    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,340
    I kind of prefer the racing sans WvA and MvdP to be honest.
    ...and i'm getting used to (and liking) the lack of commentary.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,132
    If they're racing, then good, but I'm not that bothered whether they do. The racing is good enough without them, and too many, especially the road journalists, seem to think they define the sport.

    The women's is pretty good, especially with the youngsters in the top 10; Pieterse, Van Empel, Vas, Burquier, etc and Zoe in the juniors is excelling, and is currently the top ranked British woman, as a 17 year old.


    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,111
    andyrac said:

    If they're racing, then good, but I'm not that bothered whether they do. The racing is good enough without them, and too many, especially the road journalists, seem to think they define the sport.

    When was the last time that Iserbyt finished ahead of Van Aert, Van Der Poel and/or Pidcock when they were racing? He may be the number one ranked rider, but if those three are present then he is an outside bet for the podium. So I think they do define the sport in this era, as they are the best three riders racing.
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,132
    They race for about a month of the season, which lasts from September to the nd of February......
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,340
    andyrac said:

    They race for about a month of the season, which lasts from September to the nd of February......

    This ^.

    The acheivements/stature of TP, WvA, MvdP has to be taken in context given their pick and mix approach. And of course, they are not realising the accumulation of effort; they come in fresh as a daisy to every event they enter.

    I do agree, the women's is as interesting the more you watch.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,689
    Aren't they just being true to CX roots, and treating it as off-season training for the road season?
    _
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,340
    rick_chasey said:

    Aren't they just being true to CX roots, and treating it as off-season training for the road season?

    Sure but the racing is better without them (Pidcock aside - he's not quite on the level of WvA or MvdP).
    I asked the question up thread if the overall winners of the World Cup and Super prestige felt like it was a hollow victory knowing that in all probabilities, if WvA, MvdP and Vos were competing week in, week out, they would be winning.

    Looking at the crowds in Namur, it's plain to see that they're not diminished by the absence of the top two.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,689
    Sure, Belgians are gonna Belgian.

    The only passing interest I have is when the roadies turn up, inevitably to show their class.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,689
    edited December 2021


    👍🏻 Man they go fast
    _
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,340
    rick_chasey said:

    Sure, Belgians are gonna Belgian.

    The only passing interest I have is when the roadies turn up, inevitably to show their class.

    To a degree, Iserbyt you could say is predominantly a CX guy and there are a few others. You have to feel for them when the big guys turn up.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,340
    rick_chasey said:



    👍🏻 Man they go fast
    We are mere mortals. And the control on what must be pretty slippery conditions!
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,132
    rick_chasey said:

    Sure, Belgians are gonna Belgian.

    The only passing interest I have is when the roadies turn up, inevitably to show their class.

    And that's the same as a lot of the cycling journalists.....Only bother when riders they've heard of turn up......

    Just don't ask them about MTB - they'll be even more clueless......
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,689
    Makes sense to me….
    _
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 12,682
    rick_chasey said:



    👍🏻 Man they go fast
    A bit like me on my graveller. 😉
    As if.
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,132
    Another World Cup, this time in what is basically some Flemish farmers field; a pretty uninspiring course; Dendermonde.
    Already two wins for British riders, with Zoe winning the Juniors, and Cam Mason winning the U23.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,340
    An out of shape MvdP gets a 2nd. Didn't think it was a Pidcosk sort of course. I guessed the top 4 but not in that order.
    Brand must feel good given Vos's finishing position. Vos had the decency to say that Brand was 'in a great shape'.

    ES commentator said they had done a lot to Deadendermond but I think they have to ship in a couple of hundred tons of soil and and some trees and landscape the place to make it look vaguely interesting.
    More courses using the terrain please.

    Overijse?
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!

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