Race Thread

[Aimar16]

WvA is moving backwards...

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Pim Ron impressive today

 

[Barkintheeye]

Van Aert clearly not at his best. Hope he can find better form to the Classics.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Total domination today. Nobody within 1 minute, 2 guys within 2 minutes, 5 guys within 3 minutes.

 

[Ripper]

Van Aert clearly not at his best. Hope he can find better form to the Classics.

I think that was his plan from the get-go. Only time will tell if it works out of course, but I do appreciate the guts it takes to recognize his road seasons haven't been where he wants them to be, and try something different

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Standings

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Van Aert clearly not at his best. Hope he can find better form to the Classics.

which is worrying. He started without cx prep but you'd expect he'd get better as long as he does more races. Instead he seems to get worse.

April is still far tho so it might say nothing about the road.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

April is a full 3 months away. I fully expect Wout to be at his best when the rubber meets the road in March and April.
I'm not sure he's getting worse, I think he's riding within himself and does not want to hit the red zone...although TBH, I'm not sure that MVdP is hitting it either.

 

[theyoungest]

which is worrying. He started without cx prep but you'd expect he'd get better as long as he does more races. Instead he seems to get worse.

April is still far tho so it might say nothing about the road.

He's not getting worse, just the same. He starts out pretty poor and then he finds his rhythm. He's riding at base level. It's a radical change from earlier seasons, but if you keep doing what you did you always get what you got.

Last year he won this race way ahead of MVDP... and we know what happened next.

 

[Lequack]

That was a real borefest today, Van Empel and MVDP dominating from lap one. A race to forget.

 

[jono]

Last year he won this race way ahead of MVDP... and we know what happened next.

Today was the first time losing to a rider not named Mathieu since Hulst in January 2022, aside from the Hulst race this season where he had a major mechanical but was the fastest rider in the last half of the race. If we delete MVDP from the result lists his last two seasons look quite similar, in terms of finish positions and gaps to the also-rans.

Mathieu is healthy and rolling this season, but I'm not sure van Aert is that much worse than last year.

 

[Bolder]

Today was the first time losing to a rider not named Mathieu since Hulst in January 2022, aside from the Hulst race this season where he had a major mechanical but was the fastest rider in the last half of the race. If we delete MVDP from the result lists his last two seasons look quite similar, in terms of finish positions and gaps to the also-rans.

Mathieu is healthy and rolling this season, but I'm not sure van Aert is that much worse than last year.

I get the impression that Wout is doing CX purely for the multidisciplinary training. All the short accelerations, running and jumping and bikhandling will be good for the road season. In other words, the way riders used to do 'cross.

 

[Barkintheeye]

Today was the first time losing to a rider not named Mathieu since Hulst in January 2022, aside from the Hulst race this season where he had a major mechanical but was the fastest rider in the last half of the race. If we delete MVDP from the result lists his last two seasons look quite similar, in terms of finish positions and gaps to the also-rans.

Mathieu is healthy and rolling this season, but I'm not sure van Aert is that much worse than last year.

I think not but I am certainly not sure. I think WVA is quite a bit behind where he was last year at the same time (really not sure why if correct). MVDP is quite a bit ahead. Will the table be turned around with Wout getting the big wins eg RVV, P-R etc or are the trend going to continue? I guess the latter.

ps. not the same course this year (or conditions) so lap times are not comparable.

 

[theyoungest]

I think not but I am certainly not sure. I think WVA is quite a bit behind where he was last year at the same time (really not sure why if correct). MVDP is quite a bit ahead. Will the table be turned around with Wout getting the big wins eg RVV, P-R etc or are the trend going to continue? I guess the latter.

ps. not the same course this year (or conditions) so lap times are not comparable.

Just by looking at their faces you can see that MVDP is in way better shape than WVA. I'm not sure Mathieu can get a lot better than this, Wout certainly can. Now if that will be enough to beat him in April, we'll see, but I think Wout's level right now is just about what you can expect. He said he's never been this bad going into cross season and he wasn't lying. And Mathieu is the best he's ever been in cross. Then this is the result.

 

[jono]

He said he's never been this bad going into cross season and he wasn't lying.

Results-wise, he was quite a bit worse in 2018-19. Sure, Mathieu beat him in every race just like this year, but he also had lots of finishes behind guys like Aerts, Vanthourenhout and Van der Haar, which hasn't come close to happening this year until today with Ronhaar.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

I get the impression that Wout is doing CX purely for the multidisciplinary training. All the short accelerations, running and jumping and bike-handling will be good for the road season. In other words, the way riders used to do 'cross.

And the way I wished more top riders would do.....

I've no worries that Wout, his team and coach know what they're doing.....It's Jan 4th........
All this will be forgotten if he manages a cobbled monument.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

That was a real borefest today, Van Empel and MVDP dominating from lap one. A race to forget.

Watching MvdP at his best is a lesson in power, skill, technical mastery......the complete package.....

 

[awavey]

That was a real borefest today, Van Empel and MVDP dominating from lap one. A race to forget.

It got me thinking they should animate the giant ducks eyes that sits at the start zone, like they do with that emoji dome in Vegas.

It would just amuse me to see it react to a race like that 😁

 

[Sciatic]

I’m

It got me thinking they should animate the giant ducks eyes that sits at the start zone, like they do with that emoji dome in Vegas.

It would just amuse me to see it react to a race like that 😁

What’s the story with the giant ducks anyways—I only starting watching cross broadcasts a few years ago?

 

[TourOfSardinia]

What’s the story with the giant ducks anyways—I only starting watching cross broadcasts a few years ago?

Thet are marketing symbols for the Trophy sponsor: X²0 BadKamers /Bathrooms
rubber duck in the bath kinda thing

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

So I get the X2O Badkamers thing, but how does that relate to the Trofee Veldrijden, and the Soudal Ladies Cup?

 

[jono]

So I get the X2O Badkamers thing, but how does that relate to the Trofee Veldrijden, and the Soudal Ladies Cup?

Soudal is the title sponsor of the trophy awarded to the women's winner of the X2O series. The Trofee Veldrijden goes to the men, and has existed under a number of names (prior to X2O Trofee it was DVV Trofee).

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Soudal is the title sponsor of the trophy awarded to the women's winner of the X2O series. The Trofee Veldrijden goes to the men, and has existed under a number of names (prior to X2O Trofee it was DVV Trofee).

Thanks. I haven't watched CX for many years, but I think I had seen DVV before.

So the bathrooms company have all the marketing, but the company that makes the tile adhesive gives the women's prize money?

And for the men (Discovery apply Veldrijden to both men and women in labelling the events) is this just a traditional name (I'm guessing Veldrijden means 'riding in fields'), or is Veldrijden a separate sponsor as well?

 

[jono]

Thanks. I haven't watched CX for many years, but I think I had seen DVV before.

So the bathrooms company have all the marketing, but the company that makes the tile adhesive gives the women's prize money?

And for the men (Discovery apply Veldrijden to both men and women in labelling the events) is this just a traditional name (I'm guessing Veldrijden means 'riding in fields'), or is Veldrijden a separate sponsor as well?

Yes, veldrijden literally means what you guessed, and is the term Dutch/Flemish use for cyclocross.

 

[logeardaddy]

Is this the year Sanne Cant finally loses her tricolor jersey? Looks like a big bagarre shaping up with Verdonschott at Belgian nationals.