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Ricco'

Ricco'

Aug 14, 2012
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Maybe BMC doesn't have an adequate cross bike? Both Christen and Venturini road teams race BMC, but they appear to choose something else.

Checking their website, BMC only has gravel bikes on offer and they don't look very crossy to me.
 
lemon cheese cake

lemon cheese cake

Sep 28, 2014
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Axel Hangleck said:
I've noticed a few non sponsor correct equipment in some races.....
Jan Christen riding in his new Hagens team colours, but on the Colnago bike. And Venturini on a Ridley/Shimano as opposed to BMC/Campagnolo....and Annie Last in plain black kit, but on what was a Scott bike....her transfer still hasn't been announced.
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Weird combination as he put he'd race CX and XC for UAE and then road for Axeon. I guess though for both Venturini and Christen, BMC don't make a cx bike and the gravel bike is less suited than the ridleys Venturini used when AG2R were sponsored by Eddy Merckx, which has the same owner. The Colnagos seemed to be given to Christen earlier in the season when it wasn't confirmed/announced he'd ride for Axeon.
TourOfSardinia said:
Which jersey would you wear Belgium or European?
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He has to wear the Continental championships jersey as that's higher ranked I think?
 
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lemon cheese cake

lemon cheese cake

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van der Haar really lived up to his nickname of the Jack Russel today, always nipping at the heels of Nieuwenhuis. I also always though van Empel was better at riding and running in the mud after her performance in the first Dendermonde world cup, but maybe that's changed or she still isn't quite at the level she was earlier in the season before her big crash and knee injury.
 
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theyoungest

Jan 11, 2010
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Axel Hangleck said:
Yes, while it might have been just a 'bad day' she hasn't really had any this season. I recall a comment on another forum along the lines of "you can't keep your form for the whole season". Now I don't know how true that is, but she started the season on form, that's a long time to hold it.
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I think she's been chasing her form since returning from the crash, she looked good in Baal but now it seems like she lacks that extra gear. And then a course like this is pretty unforgiving. Look at Marianne Vos, she was about to give up at some point.
 
lemon cheese cake

lemon cheese cake

Sep 28, 2014
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So Sweeck and Norbert Riberolle won in Otegem today. Didnt see the race, but looking at the results Iserbyt was off the pace again and Vanthourenhout didn't perform the same as he did yesterday. Wyseure, Kuypers, and van Alphen not far behind the winners with Betsema not looking to be on it again either.
 
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Berniece

Berniece

Sep 12, 2022
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jono said:
Anyone with any thoughts on the Sweeck/Vanthourenhout pit beef from yesterday that may or may not have carried forward to today's race?
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I’m Team Sweeck. After the NC he said that the result would’ve been the same, but mistakes were made by the team of Vanthourenhout. Fair assessment if you ask me.

That Vanthourenhout and his team then try to discredit him by saying he’s whining and he wouldn’t have won anyway probably made it worse. I thought it was funny Sweeck made a small pirouette in front of the mechanics, and I didn’t see the issue with forcing someone to take a different path, that’s standard CX riding. If Vanthourenhout didn’t want to switch bikes then just brake.
 
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Barkintheeye

Barkintheeye

Feb 24, 2015
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Berniece said:
I’m Team Sweeck. After the NC he said that the result would’ve been the same, but mistakes were made by the team of Vanthourenhout. Fair assessment if you ask me.

That Vanthourenhout and his team then try to discredit him by saying he’s whining and he wouldn’t have won anyway probably made it worse. I thought it was funny Sweeck made a small pirouette in front of the mechanics, and I didn’t see the issue with forcing someone to take a different path, that’s standard CX riding. If Vanthourenhout didn’t want to switch bikes then just brake.
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These kind of “intra family” incidents are just bound to happen. Haven’t they raced together - in and out the same teams - since they were kids? Cycling is small, cyclocross even smaller and the Belgian cyclocross scene a little ”family” I guess?
 
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Pantani_lives

Pantani_lives

May 3, 2010
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jono said:
Anyone with any thoughts on the Sweeck/Vanthourenhout pit beef from yesterday that may or may not have carried forward to today's race?
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Apparently Vanthourenhout's mechanics changed their place after the first lap, which is against the rules. I don't believe there was any deliberate hampering; they were just too close to each other. I don't think it really changed the outcome in the final lap.
 
Ricco'

Ricco'

Aug 14, 2012
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Barkintheeye said:
Haven’t they raced together - in and out the same teams - since they were kids?
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I don't think so. From what I remember, when the then Pauwels Sauzen (I think they were called Marlux then) merged with ERA-Circus, Vanthourenhout and Iserbyt came from one side (together with Mettepeningen) and Sweeck from the other team.

I always had the impression that Vanthourenhout and Iserbyt were closer to each other and had a stronger bond to the team leaders than Sweeck, when racing under the same team.

EDIT: I may have missed the former team sponsors as that was a messy merger. Maybe Eli and Michael team was Marlux - Bingoal, led by Mettepeningen, and Sweeck's was Pauwels Sauzen - Vastgoedservice.
 
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lemon cheese cake

lemon cheese cake

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Ricco' said:
EDIT: I may have missed the former team sponsors as that was a messy merger. Maybe Eli and Michael team was Marlux - Bingoal, led by Mettepeningen, and Sweeck's was Pauwels Sauzen - Vastgoedservice.
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Yeah those team changes were confusing. Sweeck was in Era Circus which I think was part of the Roodhooft brothers setup. I think that team then seemed to end when Circus were sponsoring Corendon Circus and Wanty Gobert, and Sweeck moved to Pauwels Sauzen, before that merged with Marlux.

Pauwels Sauzen Vastgoedservice was what was left from the merger of the team Crelan Vastgoedservice and Verandas Willems, which became Verandas Willems Crelan. Wout van Aert, Tim Merlier and Stan Godrie went to the Crelan team, while others like Rob Peeters and Jens Adams went to the Pauwels Sauzen setup. And everyone knows the end result of the Wout van Aert saga in that team ...

(I think that's what happened anyway!)
 
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lemon cheese cake

lemon cheese cake

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I like both Vanthourenhout and Sweeck, so it's nice to see them battle against eachother properly now they aren't on the same team together. It's very clear on the first passage of the pits that Vanthourenhout's mechanics communicate they should move to the other end for the next time through. The cameras didn't pick it up whether they did so for the second time on lap 1 as neither rider pitted then, but they had definitely changed come lap 2. Vanthourenhout's pit crew are definitely at fault, but I don't feel there were any malicious intentions. The guys pitting for Vanthourenhout just wanted the best for their rider but they in doing so, to mimise the running, they were very close to Sweeck's helpers. The uci rules don't particularly state anything about allocated pit boxes for National championships, only Worlds, Continental and World cups, then also Cat 1 events and Cat 2 set up to the rule of Cat 1/World cup level pits.

It's all a bit silly really with Sweeck's twirl yesterday and then Mettepennigen making some sort of weird comparison to Diegem. You don't really need to understand Dutch to know what the reply above says though!
 
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logeardaddy

Jun 15, 2009
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Beekens and Bullens, the RTBF commentators, had noted at the start of the race that Sweeck, Vanthourenhout, and Iserbyt had been on the same team, but it hadn't been a real love-in ("c'était pas le grand amour").

Why was Shirin van Anrooij a no-show in NL? Couldn't she make up her mind on espoir vs elite?
 
T

theyoungest

Jan 11, 2010
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logeardaddy said:
Why was Shirin van Anrooij a no-show in NL? Couldn't she make up her mind on espoir vs elite?
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Ostensibly it was because she didn't want to leave the training camp in Spain. I think she'd have won actually. Look at how close Alvarado came. Pieterse doesn't like all the running and Van Empel just isn't at her best. If I had to bet right now I'd put my money on her for the worlds as well... if she rides it.
 
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Wvv

Wvv

Jan 3, 2019
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Since I live Lokeren, and have a proper background, I got to be part of the (social) media team of this year's Belgian CX Nationals.

Had a blast, grateful for the experience. Got close to the front- and backstage of it all. Was involved with riders, their entourage, artists performing and of course the crowd, with many familiar faces from my hometown.

We're really proud of how everything went. And the circuit was, without being biased, a great one. Media, riders and fans all over were very positive. I hope we keep the race in the future, and why not for a bigger championship.

A recap by our media squad, for those interested:



PS: Thibau Nys is a nice guy, and what a performance by the young gun!
 
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lemon cheese cake

lemon cheese cake

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I'm still dubious about the world cup this weekend in Benidorm having seen these few pictures I'm feeling more confident it won't be too bad. It's good that most of the big names are here. Although it was listed much earlier, I'm still surprised to see Pidcocks name on the start sheet. I'd have expected him just to call it quits for cx this season after his crash in Baal, considering he's not racing the worlds. I guess it also applies for the rest of the 'Big 2.5' where their cross legs are as they've been out in Spain longer than the full time crossers racing the national champs. Same with van Anrooij on the womens side. If it van Empel was still on the same form she had during the us rounds, Tabor and Maasmechelen, then I'd have said she'd be nailed on favourite. I still think it'll be between the womens 'Big 3' but more open.
View: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnm8RINrLKr/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
 
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