Race Thread

[Axel Hangleck]

She also didn't attend an awards ceremony where she received the best future rider award but I think did something over a video call. I guess it's partly due to her crash on Saturday, but I wonder in the case of not showing at the presentation whether it's due to a clause in her contract with the Sauces?

As she's still got some races left, one would assume the Sauces wouldn't want her at another team's presentation. It just highlights its bizarre changing teams midway through the CX season - and changing bikes, groupsets, and other equipment. Something like 1st March would be a better date to swap teams.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

As she's still got some races left, one would assume the Sauces wouldn't want her at another team's presentation. It just highlights its bizarre changing teams midway through the CX season - and changing bikes, groupsets, and other equipment. Something like 1st March would be a better date to swap teams.

It gets tricky in a situation such as this where the rider is also meant to be a part of the road team.

 

[senna6541]

Why is it all about stats of how many they've won or lost against each other? I'm sure they both want to have as many wins as possible otherwise they wouldn't be racing any discipline, but I doubt they could care that one is extending the win gap or the other is making it smaller.

Because they are the two best professional CX racers in the world, and they are paid to win. Full credit to Wout for his 3 WC's in CX, but those wins have enabled a false narrative among Wout fans that he is on MVDP's level in CX - and the reality (based on actual results) is that he is not. The "Big 3" stuff is UCI hype nonsense. There is no "Big 3", and no "Big 2". There is MVDP and then behind him is Wout who can beat him on the very heaviest of courses or when MVDP has a bad back or a bad mech. Of course MVDP has the occasional bad day, and then the best of the rest can get him too.

 

[jono]

Because they are the two best professional CX racers in the world, and they are paid to win. Full credit to Wout for his 3 WC's in CX, but those wins have enabled a false narrative among Wout fans that he is on MVDP's level in CX - and the reality (based on actual results) is that he is not. The "Big 3" stuff is UCI hype nonsense. There is no "Big 3", and no "Big 2". There is MVDP and then behind him is Wout who can beat him on the very heaviest of courses or when MVDP has a bad back or a bad mech. Of course MVDP has the occasional bad day, and then the best of the rest can get him too.

Do you have a breakdown of WVA-MVDP head-to-head records by season? I wasn't watching cx regularly much before 2019 but I'm kind of surprised it's as close as it is.

 

[theyoungest]

As she's still got some races left, one would assume the Sauces wouldn't want her at another team's presentation. It just highlights its bizarre changing teams midway through the CX season - and changing bikes, groupsets, and other equipment. Something like 1st March would be a better date to swap teams.

Nah, the team presentation is one of the weird exceptions in cycling where suddenly you see the new riders wearing the jersey they're not supposed to wear yet until January 1st. Van Empel was at a Jumbo team day last month, pretty sure her absence yesterday was because of her injury. She's recovering with a physio, an afternoon of sitting and standing around doing nothing isn't very productive.

Because they are the two best professional CX racers in the world, and they are paid to win. Full credit to Wout for his 3 WC's in CX, but those wins have enabled a false narrative among Wout fans that he is on MVDP's level in CX - and the reality (based on actual results) is that he is not. The "Big 3" stuff is UCI hype nonsense. There is no "Big 3", and no "Big 2". There is MVDP and then behind him is Wout who can beat him on the very heaviest of courses or when MVDP has a bad back or a bad mech. Of course MVDP has the occasional bad day, and then the best of the rest can get him too.

Wout has reason to be confident for the coming Worlds. MVDP has done a Worlds in his home country twice, and twice he lost to Wout. There were no back issues, no flat tires, no bad luck, he just choked. No other words to describe it. And of course the pressure will be on again, come February.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

It gets tricky in a situation such as this where the rider is also meant to be a part of the road team.

Thing is the uci cx team's also seem to run their contracts by the calendar year and not by the season.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Thing is the uci cx team's also seem to run their contracts by the calendar year and not by the season.

It would definitely be better if mid season CX transfers could be avoided. It's also dumb when riders riders have to wear their old kits and use old bikes or hide logos, when they're training with their new teams before New Year.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

It gets tricky in a situation such as this where the rider is also meant to be a part of the road team.

Pidcock moved from Trinity to Ineos after the 2020/21 season; in fact he moved on 1st Feb, which was a month early.

In other related CX news, Junior World Champion, Jan Christen is joining Hagens Berman Axeon; and after the Tour de L'Avenir will rejoin UAE. I don't think anybody is surprised he's done very little CX this season....

 

[Axel Hangleck]

It's also dumb when riders riders have to wear their old kits and use old bikes or hide logos, when they're training with their new teams before New Year.

I agree - it is dumb. I understand they can't wear their new kit until 1st Jan, but do what they often do in motorsport; wear plain kit, and an unmarked machine.

What is most laughable, is in MTB racing, you see photos/videos of new signings on a training camp, but no announcement has been made.

 

[Barkintheeye]

Do you have a breakdown of WVA-MVDP head-to-head records by season? I wasn't watching cx regularly much before 2019 but I'm kind of surprised it's as close as it is.

Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert: A head-to-head history

The finale of the weekend's Tour of Flanders served up exactly the spectacle that road cycling fans have been anticipating for years: Mathieu van der Poel

cyclingtips.com

A comprehensive comparison between the two made in October 2020. They are quite evenly matched. If updating with race results in 2021 and 2022 I guess it would be even more clear that MVDP edges WVA in CX but WVA has progressed more on the road.

 

[stonerider]

Hopefully Wout has remembered to practice his CX skills while away at road camp...you know, stuff like hopping the barriers. He's not a natural at stuff like that whereas it comes easy to Tom and MvdP.

 

[theyoungest]

I agree - it is dumb. I understand they can't wear their new kit until 1st Jan, but do what they often do in motorsport; wear plain kit, and an unmarked machine.

What is most laughable, is in MTB racing, you see photos/videos of new signings on a training camp, but no announcement has been made.

It's a bit silly, but your current sponsor is still paying you, not your new sponsor. So from the current sponsor's perspective it's completely understandable.

For the rider I think it's really complicated, especially now, trying to recover from a concussion and an injury, having to race on your old bike for one or two more times, and then switching to a completely new setup with a different groupset (SRAM).

 

[stonerider]

It's a bit silly, but your current sponsor is still paying you, not your new sponsor. So from the current sponsor's perspective it's completely understandable.

For the rider I think it's really complicated, especially now, trying to recover from a concussion and an injury, having to race on your old bike for one or two more times, and then switching to a completely new setup with a different groupset (SRAM).

It's easy to go from Shimano to SRAM. SRAM is so easy to learn...especially 1x.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

You would expect them to run Sram 1x for CX.....

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsCemZMLC-E&ab_channel=SRAMRoad

 

[lemon cheese cake]

I don't think I've seen a rider at the top using 2x sram.

Seeing Niels Albrt at the end, what's he up to now other than the bike shop?

 

[Wyndbrook]

Fem van Empel won the prize for best cycling talent in the Netherlands (male or female) on Monday, the Gerrie Knetemann Trofee, ahead of Puck Pieterse and Olav Kooij, among others. There she said that for coming season the mountainbike is plan A and the road is second on the list. Her coach at Pauwels also confirmed in a podcast that the Paris Olympics are a secret goal of hers. So she probably won't do as much road racing as some might have assumed.

The Pauwels coach (Tom De Kort) also talked about Denise Betsema, and how far away she really lives from the cyclocross action. She's from the island of Texel, and it's a 3,5 hour drive to get to most crosses in Belgium. Now that's dedication, 7 hours in a car for a 45 minute race. Every weekend.

Betsema has two school age children, I recall an interview where she said she liked where she lived and the children were settled in their schools.
She trains during school time, lots of sand practice I guess.

 

[Ricco']

So, still no news about Toon Aerts?

 

[RedheadDane]

Bit of a random thought I had while watching the women's race, in part because of a discussion the commentators had about moving up into the Elite Category early.
Would it be an idea to say that once you've won an Elite World Cup race, you're an Elite rider? Meaning that both Pieterse and Van Anrooij would be considered Elites. So would Van Empel and Vas, but they've already moved up either way.

 

[theyoungest]

Bit of a random thought I had while watching the women's race, in part because of a discussion the commentators had about moving up into the Elite Category early.
Would it be an idea to say that once you've won an Elite World Cup race, you're an Elite rider? Meaning that both Pieterse and Van Anrooij would be considered Elites. So would Van Empel and Vas, but they've already moved up either way.

I think women's cyclocross, and maybe cycling in general, needs a rethinking of the whole U23 category. Maybe make it U21. You now have the youngest of the 'big three' in women's cyclocross being an elite rider, and the oldest two remaining U23. In February you'll probably get Pieterse and Van Empel racing with the elites, and Van Anrooij with the U23... opening up a podium spot for the rest in the elite race, and killing the chances of someone like Backstedt to win the U23 race.

 

[DNP-Old]

Not sure what you mean by "grit and determination". Wout sort of got a reputation for "grit and determination" because he never just sat up in the endless number of CX races where MVDP dropped him (you do realize MVDP is 91-38 vs. Wout h2h right?) - he'd hang in there and drool all over himself to keep second and keep the gap respectable. But when of you are talking about who can absolutely turn themselves inside out to go for the WIN, there isn't anyone in cycling that can match MVDP.

Wow, really?! I couldn't gather this piece of information from the previous 817 times you posted it in the last week.

 

[Barkintheeye]

I think women's cyclocross, and maybe cycling in general, needs a rethinking of the whole U23 category. Maybe make it U21. You now have the youngest of the 'big three' in women's cyclocross being an elite rider, and the oldest two remaining U23. In February you'll probably get Pieterse and Van Empel racing with the elites, and Van Anrooij with the U23... opening up a podium spot for the rest in the elite race, and killing the chances of someone like Backstedt to win the U23 race.

Agree. Under 21 seems like an arbitrarily better cut off than U23. Lots of new kids pressing on from below. Eg Backstedt is only 18, Ronhaar 21 and Thibau Nys 20.

 

[theyoungest]

Great men's race going on in Mol, MVDP seemed clearly the strongest but WVA got that ol' diesel going and is riding away.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Wout has 20s on Mathieu now.
34s now...

Pidcock 1m21s... damn

 

[theyoungest]

Way too many backmarkers in this race.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

'van der Poel will destroy everyone starting on friday'. Hmm, interesting.

Only one race though, with many more to come until the worlds.