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B

Bolder

Jun 25, 2015
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Barkintheeye said:
He has an impressive sustainable power just like Wout (but less of course) so similar rider characteristics. Yet he cannot really match either Wout or Mathieu. He is in that gap between those two and the rest of the best.

Great two rides by PP. Not at par with Van Empel yet but a lot better. Alvarado shows class. Maybe the most skillful female rider. Brand compensates her massive power with almost amateurish technical ability. She looks more like a master rider than a pro.
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Brand is a huge favorite of mine because of that. She's clearly not a natural athlete suited for a sport like CX that demands agility, yet she's among the very best despite it. I don't think it's that she's not working on skills, but that she can't really do more with her physiology.
 
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Barkintheeye

Barkintheeye

Feb 24, 2015
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Bolder said:
Brand is a huge favorite of mine because of that. She's clearly not a natural athlete suited for a sport like CX that demands agility, yet she's among the very best despite it. I don't think it's that she's not working on skills, but that she can't really do more with her physiology.
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I do respect her for her commitment and passion. CX clearly doesn't come easy to her and yet she's there and mopping up podium places... and she IS a CX World Champion!
 
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A

Axel Hangleck

Jan 7, 2017
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Barkintheeye said:
I do respect her for her commitment and passion. CX clearly doesn't come easy to her and yet she's there and mopping up podium places... and she IS a CX World Champion!
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I think the biggest requirement in CX is to have a big engine, as most courses favour those riders and she has that. Anything after that is a bonus.....and she's far better technically than she was 4-5 years ago; being on Sven's team has worked for her. I suspect the same applies to Shirin.

I've often said, that if you're a lightweight climber, then CX isn't a sport for you.....a handful of climbing courses over 5 months isn't enough.
 
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Barkintheeye

Barkintheeye

Feb 24, 2015
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Axel Hangleck said:
I think the biggest requirement in CX is to have a big engine, as most courses favour those riders and she has that. Anything after that is a bonus.....and she's far better technically than she was 4-5 years ago; being on Sven's team has worked for her. I suspect the same applies to Shirin.

I've often said, that if you're a lightweight climber, then CX isn't a sport for you.....a handful of climbing courses over 5 months isn't enough.
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Agree completely. Brand vs Alvarado is a great example of the big engine vs great skills. Of course Alvarado also has a big engine but still smaller than Brands and of course Brand isn't a complete beginner but have some CX skills on her own. It's the relative ratios, and then I would also go with the big engine.

Another example that comes to mind is Tom Meusen that seemed to have super skills but not an engine that could match the other top riders. Once in a while he did good results but often not.

And yes lighter riders might have a disadvantage but Iserbyt (1.65m/56kg), Pidcock (1.70m/58kg) and Van der Haar (1.69m/58kg) are quite small and light so some things are in their advantage apparently (acceleration, corner speed?)
 
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T

theyoungest

Jan 11, 2010
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Bolder said:
Brand is a huge favorite of mine because of that. She's clearly not a natural athlete suited for a sport like CX that demands agility, yet she's among the very best despite it. I don't think it's that she's not working on skills, but that she can't really do more with her physiology.
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Brand only started properly doing cyclocross when she was 26-27 years old. Compared to a Puck Pieterse who's been doing this since she was born (so to speak) she'll never make up that difference in technique. She's also from a city in an area where cyclocross training is quite difficult, only recently she moved to a forest in Belgium.

That being said, in recent crosses it's Pieterse making mistake after mistake and Brand riding reasonably smoothly, even passing Pieterse on the off camber in Namur. It's also a matter of confidence and the form to be able to take it easy on the technical sections.
 
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J

jono

Jan 31, 2021
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Very kind of most of the top end of the men's field to skip out on tomorrow's race in Mol so we can focus entirely on the first Wout-Mathieu battle of the season.

The women's field is only a little bit stronger.
 
W

Wyndbrook

Oct 4, 2020
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jono said:
Very kind of most of the top end of the men's field to skip out on tomorrow's race in Mol so we can focus entirely on the first Wout-Mathieu battle of the season.

The women's field is only a little bit stronger.
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At not looked at start list before, not too unexpected for the women, looks set up for Brand but likely a good race for the positions.
But the men, not even Iserbyt, maybe all the start money went on the big two.
 
Hugh Januss

Hugh Januss

Jul 9, 2009
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jono said:
Very kind of most of the top end of the men's field to skip out on tomorrow's race in Mol so we can focus entirely on the first Wout-Mathieu battle of the season.

The women's field is only a little bit stronger.
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Vinny Baestaens is there though.
 
C

ChewbaccaDefense

Nov 5, 2013
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I am guessing the course will be super muddy tomorrow as it looks like continued rain, so Wout in with a chance? Otherwise, I could say Mathieu will put 30 seconds at a minimum into him.
 
C

ChewbaccaDefense

Nov 5, 2013
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jono said:
Very kind of most of the top end of the men's field to skip out on tomorrow's race in Mol so we can focus entirely on the first Wout-Mathieu battle of the season.

The women's field is only a little bit stronger.
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Yeah, the startlist is disappointing, but Antwerpen on Saturday should be more fun to watch...hopefully.
 
T

theyoungest

Jan 11, 2010
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I wouldn't say it was a good day for Van Anrooij... not for her standards. This is sand, her specialty. She wasn't bad, but last year she won this race.
 
C

ChewbaccaDefense

Nov 5, 2013
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theyoungest said:
I wouldn't say it was a good day for Van Anrooij... not for her standards. This is sand, her specialty. She wasn't bad, but last year she won this race.
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She hasn't sniffed being at the front this year, so I think she was happy. It seems like you have to be contrarian on anything, huh?
 
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