Recent content by Barkintheeye

The EC CX championship delivered some nice racing. Middelkerke is a type of course I like to watch and race myself. Only slight note (complaint) is that the best elite men are so skilled that very few mistakes (despite not being an easy course) are made and hence it's more or less down to...

Expected yet sad, he will be missed.

The everyday glamour of being a cyclocross star is… amazing. I’m both impressed and happy that these young men and women have chosen this lifestyle and careers, for our entertainment. It’s not an easy one by any means.

Without knowing too much about Danish cycling I take it road is prioritized. They are a small nation (6 million inhabitants) yet have lots of strong riders especially on the road. Isn’t it so that only in Belgium and the Netherlands cross riders are properly supported?

Tight race really, with everyone at their limit on the last lap. Aerts couldn’t hold it together. Quite entertaining. I suppose this is the last year for TAerts, Van der Haar and some more older riders?

That’s probably it. Bad for CX and possibly also for the younger riders as it is a good way into becoming a complete rider.

Not to take anything away from any of today’s riders at Essen but isn’t it a little surprising not to see any new names in the top spots? Jens Adams and Corne van Kessel are experienced seasoned riders who always perform well but where are the new MVDPs, WVAs? Ps. Yes Vandeputte is relatively...

There are a couple of full race videos from different age groups at the Gravel WC this year in Limburg up on YouTube. A couple of quick observations: Yes quite a non-technical course, still some nasty stuff might get you when in a large group Way too easy start which allowed big groups to hold...

Well deserved win for FV and nice to see Mohoric make it to the podium! Pidcock really doesn’t have it when courses are this flat and technically easy.

I guess it's a bit like CX courses. If lots of rain the course gets muddy, technical and difficult. If dry, then not so much. Still, if one didn't race it oneself it's hard to tell how difficult it really was. Not all too impressive speed by the elite women coming in about at the same speed...

Elite men start list #1-25 1 Thomas Pidcock GBR 2 Mathijs Loman NED 3 Petr Vakoč CZE 4 Tim Merlier BEL 5 Niels Vandeputte BEL 6 Toon Aerts BEL 7 Florian Vermeersch BEL 8 Mads Würtz Schmidt DEN 9 Kevin Panhuyzen BEL10 Felix Stehli SUI11 Tibor Del Grosso NED12 Laurens Sweeck BEL13 Quinten Hermans...

Generally I believe in sports being apolitical, yet that’s an ideal far removed from reality today. Specifically on IPT it is truly bad when activists - of all sorts and forms - are allowed to have a material impact on sports organizers, teams, sponsors and individual athletes. Still that...

Arrogance is a certain kind of stupid that can only be medicated by self-retrospection. One day - after having lost numerous races to Pog and others - he just might realize that humility is a good thing and will make you stronger in the long run.

Exactly that. Bobsleigh, skeleton, moguls, curling, Nordic combined, ... and the list goes on. I'd say none of these sports can ever be considered "widely participated" and maybe not even ice hockey, speed skating etc.

Because I believe Pog is as tough and proficient as Merckx ever was and also as tough (and almost as proficient) as some of today's most gritty riders that thrive in mud, rain and adverse conditions.