Race Thread

[KZD]

Men's race in Boom was great. Nieuwenhuis rock solid throughout albeit he kept giving some seconds on that slick run up every lap. Mason on the other hand lost time on the running sections but looked solid everywhere it was rideable. Very evenly matched with a small advantage for Joris. Great win. Once again exciting and unpredictable race.

Nys was apparently having a bad or at least volatile race. The course should have suited him?

Women's race. Van Empel is so much stronger so she can afford all sorts of technique mistakes. No one is even close when it comes to power and stamina.

Nys seems to be just out of the shape since the European Championships.

Van Empel's winning streak now extended to 15 wins. This is starting to become Van der Poel like.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

I saw pictures of the world championships course in Tabor starting to be prepared in deep snow like much of central Europe currently has. While I dislike the concept of a specific snow cross, a snowy Tabor is something I can get behind!
So whoever is controlling Czechia's weather system, please keep it cold and snowy for another 1.5 months!

 

[Wyndbrook]

Nys seems to be just out of the shape since the European Championships.

Van Empel's winning streak now extended to 15 wins. This is starting to become Van der Poel like.

I think both are to be expected, Nys carried late road season good form into the early cross season. Probably backing off now to build towards the world's, likely thinking a medal is possible.

van Empel is obviously the world champion and may well repeat, but she rode the early montainbike world cups with average sucess, backed off and then had a successful but limited road season with an early ending. she is managing her fitness by taking mini breaks and only racing once a week.
Her main rivals have had very different priorities over the summer, or have been injured.
I would expect things to be much more competitive as the world's get nearer.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Predictably pathetic entries for the Val Di Sole World Cup...........How long do they bother hosting when so few turn up?

 

[Barkintheeye]

I think both are to be expected, Nys carried late road season good form into the early cross season. Probably backing off now to build towards the world's, likely thinking a medal is possible.

van Empel is obviously the world champion and may well repeat, but she rode the early montainbike world cups with average sucess, backed off and then had a successful but limited road season with an early ending. she is managing her fitness by taking mini breaks and only racing once a week.
Her main rivals have had very different priorities over the summer, or have been injured.
I would expect things to be much more competitive as the world's get nearer.

On the men' s side it is definitely hard to call (VWA and MVDP not accounted for) but I'm not sure if anyone really can get to Van Empel. It looks like she have some good margin on all other and even when she gets it really wrong on the course it doesn't seem to make much difference. Pieterse is going so much into red that she loses all her technique and starts making major errors and Brand just cannot keep up. Alvarado possibly but in the end I don't think so. Hope I'm wrong and that the WC becomes really competitive and tight.

 

[theyoungest]

van Empel is obviously the world champion and may well repeat, but she rode the early montainbike world cups with average sucess, backed off and then had a successful but limited road season with an early ending. she is managing her fitness by taking mini breaks and only racing once a week.
Her main rivals have had very different priorities over the summer, or have been injured.
I would expect things to be much more competitive as the world's get nearer.

Realistically, if you look at last year only Pieterse and Van Anrooij can get close on certain courses but if it turns out they can't that also wouldn't surprise me. After all they've been doing this for longer than Van Empel has, so it makes sense that she still has the biggest margin for improvement. Even Backstedt has more experience than her.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Predictably pathetic entries for the Val Di Sole World Cup...........How long do they bother hosting when so few turn up?

Womens in particular looks very thin.
Alvarado (if recovered) and Pieterse, perhaps Casasola and Bakker, thats basically it.

If UCI insist on 14 races I would propose reducing the number of venues and hold double headers on both Saturday and Sunday at the outliers like Waterlooville, Sole, Dublin etc.
Rota of venues with some missing out every third year or similar. Only hold world champs on world cup courses.
May not have any benefit, but something needs doing other than threatening riders with punitive actions.

 

[stonerider]

I don't know how Fem does it with her slight build but she just puts out way more watts than the other women. She rides them off her wheel easily as she is just seated and breathing through her nose while putting out massive watts.

 

[Barkintheeye]

I don't know how Fem does it with her slight build but she just puts out way more watts than the other women. She rides them off her wheel easily as she is just seated and breathing through her nose while putting out massive watts.

Yes quite so. When she paces with the others it looks like she is well within her comfort zone and when she goes only Pieterse manages to keep up and only for a short while. Her FTP must be +10% on the rest of the field. Maybe somewhat less against Pieterse, Brand and Alvarado? However this is what we have seen with Wout and Van der Poel in the men’s field. The bunch can potentially keep up with them for a lap or two (as long as their anaerobic power sustain them) and then they are hopelessly left behind. Not even Van der Haar, Iserbyt and Hermans that clearly are very solid riders manage more than a few laps. Pidcock basically only one that occasionally has a chance.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

I wonder if Fem might be attracted away from CX to road more
like happened to MVdP & Wout
that would make for more interesting racing up front.

 

[Wyndbrook]

I wonder if Fem might be attracted away from CX to road more
like happened to MVdP & Wout
that would make for more interesting racing up front.

Almost certainly at some point.
This year she rode some mountainbike world cups, probably with an Olympics in Paris objective, With Puck stepping up and winning the world cup that's now out of the window.
She certainly showed promise in the few road races she did this year.
Visma are not exactly stacked with winning riders at the moment and with Vos nearing her career end Fem may well be considered the future.

 

[jono]

Wout van Aert's coach: 'Cyclocross was a goal but not now'

Belgian to use a limited cyclocross campaign starting this Saturday to prepare for the spring Classics

www.cyclingnews.com

Wout's coach about his goal's for this year vs last year.

It certainly, for me, casts more doubt on his comments in the lead-up to worlds where he said (paraphrasing because I can't find the exact quote) that another rainbow jersey wouldn't have been an important addition to his palmares.

It will be interesting to see him in action on Saturday. Does he ride away from everyone?

 

[theyoungest]

Almost certainly at some point.
This year she rode some mountainbike world cups, probably with an Olympics in Paris objective, With Puck stepping up and winning the world cup that's now out of the window.
She certainly showed promise in the few road races she did this year.
Visma are not exactly stacked with winning riders at the moment and with Vos nearing her career end Fem may well be considered the future.

There's been quite the overhaul at Jumbo's women's team, almost the whole staff has been replaced, six riders gone... Van Empel has switched trainers twice this year. The current one has clearly found the on-switch. I think the plan is to have her focus on the road and ditch mountain biking, for the time being.

 

[Wyndbrook]

There's been quite the overhaul at Jumbo's women's team, almost the whole staff has been replaced, six riders gone... Van Empel has switched trainers twice this year. The current one has clearly found the on-switch. I think the plan is to have her focus on the road and ditch mountain biking, for the time being.

Interesting that following their departure both Tromp and Small have stepped into the sames roles at EF. Someone rates them.
Not sure any of Vismas new signings are going to set the world alight this season though.

 

[theyoungest]

Interesting that following their departure both Tromp and Small have stepped into the sames roles at EF. Someone rates them.
Not sure any of Vismas new signings are going to set the world alight this season though.

Visma just have to hope that Vos finds her legs again after double surgery on her artery. With Vos, Markus, Henderson, and possibly Van Empel they would then have a pretty decent team for the classics. The rest of them are probably support riders at best, but let's be honest, they can't do any worse than Coryn Labecki. She's been absolutely abysmal.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

So Ryan Kamp is leaving the Sauces at the end of the year. First point is, its another one of these mid season transfers which often get brought up in this thread for obvious reasons. Second is the claim from the Sauces that they want to focus on the stack of u23 riders coming through. On the face of it is understandable, however at the same time it isn't. This puts a large gap between the likes of Iserbyt, Vanthourenhout and then Vanderlinden, Lauryssen et al. Originally they had 3 top U23 talents who one thought might become the next wave behind Iserbyt, Vanthourenhout and Sweeck, but apparently not. Luke Verbergs contract was not renewed, although he has stagnated a bit due to injury and illness, Ronhaar suddenly upped and left and is now firing on all cylinders with their biggest competitor, and now Kamp is going. While Iserbyt is clearly the teams leader, surely they want to see progression in the other riders and eventually have someone riding with him? Sweeck left last year so now the only rider they have to do the beating up of other riders is Vanthourenhout, and he can't do everything.
Where does Kamp go? I wouldn't think Alpecin/Crelan or Baloise, so maybe Circus Technord? Although Mason could maybe do with a friend more than van den Eijden, so even though its a Roodhooft brothers team like I ruled out in the previous sentence, Cyclocross Reds might fit well.

 

[Ricco']

So Ryan Kamp is leaving the Sauces at the end of the year. First point is, its another one of these mid season transfers which often get brought up in this thread for obvious reasons. Second is the claim from the Sauces that they want to focus on the stack of u23 riders coming through. On the face of it is understandable, however at the same time it isn't. This puts a large gap between the likes of Iserbyt, Vanthourenhout and then Vanderlinden, Lauryssen et al. Originally they had 3 top U23 talents who one thought might become the next wave behind Iserbyt, Vanthourenhout and Sweeck, but apparently not. Luke Verbergs contract was not renewed, although he has stagnated a bit due to injury and illness, Ronhaar suddenly upped and left and is now firing on all cylinders with their biggest competitor, and now Kamp is going. While Iserbyt is clearly the teams leader, surely they want to see progression in the other riders and eventually have someone riding with him? Sweeck left last year so now the only rider they have to do the beating up of other riders is Vanthourenhout, and he can't do everything.
Where does Kamp go? I wouldn't think Alpecin/Crelan or Baloise, so maybe Circus Technord? Although Mason could maybe do with a friend more than van den Eijden, so even though its a Roodhooft brothers team like I ruled out in the previous sentence, Cyclocross Reds might fit well.

Not only Ronhaar, Toon Vandebosch, Witse Meeussen and Anton Ferdinande also left the team when turning from U23 to Elite or while U23 still. In all honesty, they only seem to focus on Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout, and the rest of the riders are there to support them if they can, if not they look like they are left for themselves. Comparing their approach to Baloise Trek or even Crelan - Corendon it seems like night and day.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Reading comments on WF looks like team budget restraints and they expected Kamp to move up a level this year like Ronhar, wishful thinking perhaps.
His results this season have been pretty reasonable and consistent, 5th in Europeans, 5th overall in world cup, midweek win this week.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

If you're at Baloise-Trek or one of the Roodhooft teams, there is a clear progression if you want it, and are good enough; whether that is road and/or MTB.......That isn't the case at PauwelsSauzens....you have to leave to progress. I wonder how long Leonie Bentveld stays there......

Maybe PSB eventually become a development/ U23 team?

 

[RedheadDane]

Come on, Anniek!

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

The women's race was a lap too short. Again, no reason in 2023 that women's races are not on hour, anyway.
Great race though.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

van Aert vs Aerts. It's like 2017 or something! Oh wait, wrong Aerts.

 

[RedheadDane]

Aaah, I see Van Aert is in bad form...

 

[theyoungest]

Aaah, I see Van Aert is in bad form...

To be fair, it's not quite the creme de la creme of cyclocross he's racing against.

 

[Jagartrott]

Lovely weather!