Race Thread

[Bolder]

It was hard to recognize some riders without their national champion's jersey. And then there was Iserbyt, looking like he'd been hit with a couple of tomatoes.

As for the course, it looked designed for weekend warriors, not pros.

I like the variety of CX courses. This one produced 2 great races.

 

[Barkintheeye]

Van Empel and Pieterse are heads above the rest of the women’s field, just as Van Aert and Van der Poel. But if Van Empel is the equivalence of Van Aert a big difference is that she clearly has the mental advantage over Pieterse. She looked completely cool and composed when Pieterse launched her attack on the final lap and one could just see that she waited for the right moment to pounce and overtake. Pieterse has no distinct technical advantage on a course like Benidorm and she cannot ride Van Empel off her wheel. Tactics need to change if she is going to beat Van Empel…

 

[theyoungest]

Van Empel and Pieterse are heads above the rest of the women’s field, just as Van Aert and Van der Poel. But if Van Empel is the equivalence of Van Aert a big difference is that she clearly has the mental advantage over Pieterse. She looked completely cool and composed when Pieterse launched her attack on the final lap and one could just see that she waited for the right moment to pounce and overtake. Pieterse has no distinct technical advantage on a course like Benidorm and she cannot ride Van Empel off her wheel. Tactics need to change if she is going to beat Van Empel…

Pieterse has never beaten Van Empel in a situation like this. They go into the final lap together, Van Empel always wins. Van Empel is probably more like Van der Poel in that sense. Van Empel even became Dutch U23 champion XCO against Pieterse in a sprint, when we all know Pieterse is by far the better mountainbiker.

Of course these stories always end with that one time when it does work out for the perennial runner-up, and why not in Tabor.

 

[stonerider]

Fem has too much seated power for Puck on a course like this...and I liked the course.

After a huge December peak in fitness for MvdP, could his form be taking a dip now? I think because of the nice weather in Spain after he moved there for training in the fall, he unintentionally hit an earlier peak than he was planning. He wouldn't be the first person to mistime his peak.

 

[Barkintheeye]

Fem has too much seated power for Puck on a course like this...and I liked the course.

After a huge December peak in fitness for MvdP, could his form be taking a dip now? I think because of the nice weather in Spain after he moved there for training in the fall, he unintentionally hit an earlier peak than he was planning. He wouldn't be the first person to mistime his peak.

Maybe but yesterday it was not physical and bad form but rather focus and concentration. Must’ve been his worst start in several years and hitting that pole on the last lap, that’s just lapse in concentration. Guess it will p@ss him off and get “revenge” at the WC

 

[kingjr]

Maybe but yesterday it was not physical and bad form but rather focus and concentration. Must’ve been his worst start in several years and hitting that pole on the last lap, that’s just lapse in concentration. Guess it will p@ss him off and get “revenge” at the WC

His start was ok, he dropped his chain, that's where he lost all those places.

 

[Barkintheeye]

His start was ok, he dropped his chain, that's where he lost all those places.

Ok that can happen so then really not that strange he was quite behind.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Fem has too much seated power for Puck on a course like this...and I liked the course.

After a huge December peak in fitness for MvdP, could his form be taking a dip now? I think because of the nice weather in Spain after he moved there for training in the fall, he unintentionally hit an earlier peak than he was planning. He wouldn't be the first person to mistime his peak.

nah. He trained hard for the worlds. So he starts a bit fatigued counting on the super compensation in 2 weeks. I don't doubt Mathieu at all in that sense.

Mathieu knows how to time his peaks. People were doubting him after Tirreno 2023. He won MSR and Roubaix.
People were doubting him after TDF 2023. He won the worlds by a *** country mile.

Doubt him again at your own peril.

I told you then and I'm telling you know. The 10 win in a row Mathieu isn't peak Mathieu.

 

[theyoungest]

nah. He trained hard for the worlds. So he starts a bit fatigued counting on the super compensation in 2 weeks. I don't doubt Mathieu at all in that sense.

Mathieu knows how to time his peaks. People were doubting him after Tirreno 2023. He won MSR and Roubaix.
People were doubting him after TDF 2023. He won the worlds by a *** country mile.

Doubt him again at your own peril.

I told you then and I'm telling you know. The 10 win in a row Mathieu isn't peak Mathieu.

I think if even the Roodhoofts say they've never seen a better MVDP in cross, it's probably true. Also, with his new trainer he's definitely learned how to peak more, but what these peaks have in common is that he actually wasn't that good before them... as you already indicated. But I doubt at Worlds he'll be better than he was in December.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I liked the course. Both the W and M races were among the best I've seen this year.
But this was not a course for VdP. Nowhere to really make a difference except that short climb and the descent that followed regularly permitted regrouping. This was a course for Wout and he took advantage. I think he's coming into form at the right time for the upcoming spring classics, which really can't get here soon enough.

 

[jono]

I liked the course. Both the W and M races were among the best I've seen this year.
But this was not a course for VdP. Nowhere to really make a difference except that short climb and the descent that followed regularly permitted regrouping. This was a course for Wout and he took advantage. I think he's coming into form at the right time for the upcoming spring classics, which really can't get here soon enough.

The difference between a course like Benidorm and, say, Kortrijk or Diegem is mostly down to how wet it is. Cyclocross is raced all over the world in dry conditions (my local series hasn't had a muddy race in 3 years) and I like seeing how fast the pros can go in those conditions.

I agree it was not a course to make a difference, but if it was worlds, or even a race without Wout, I think MVDP would have pushed on when he got his gap.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

My impression of Diegem is that it's flatter than Benidorm, but I've only watched these on TV. The sand in Diegem tends to create more of a gap, while the sand in Benidorm was little more than an inconvenience. But I agree, both are relatively fast courses, and in the dry, Diegem would be much faster than usual, I think.

 

[senna6541]

Just like last year, it's all about the rainbow stripes. Each race is it's own deal, but probably good to blow a little steam off with a loss before the WC. MVDP looked plenty good to me. My guess is he would've blown Wout off his wheel just enough on the last climb like Wout did to VT, but maybe not, and then it's down to whoever gets position for the sprint which is dicey. Really doesn't matter though as it's all about Tabor. It will take either a lot more bad luck or a really bad day for him not to win there - but it's never easy. Stay healthy, win the WC, and then on to the Classics.

 

[stonerider]

His start was ok, he dropped his chain, that's where he lost all those places.

Dang Shimano...he should be riding 1x SRAM AXS for CX racing.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Good races, but a course not tough/ selective enough to make a real difference. As ever, variety is what we want to see - however, I'd like to see them tweak the course, if possible.

Apart from the 'Big 3' what other road riders were racing? As I thought that was the point of hosting it in Benidorm during road training camps......

 

[stonerider]

The course would have been plenty selective if he didn't keep making mistakes liking dropping chains and slamming into posts. He must have been mentally tired because he didn't look like the Christmas period MvdP.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

I recall Hoogerheide 2019 after a big training block - and he looked 'heavy legged' and laboured.....Aerts & van Aert were ahead of him, eventually the legs started working, and he reeled both in, and won comfortably.
I'm not seeing any issues with his form; Sunday's race has blown the cobwebs away, and he'll be fine.

 

[jono]

The course would have been plenty selective if he didn't keep making mistakes liking dropping chains and slamming into posts. He must have been mentally tired because he didn't look like the Christmas period MvdP.

The course forced riders to make interesting tactical decisions. The men''s and women's races played out similarly, albeit with a single chaser (CdCA) instead of a group chasing. There was simply too much advantage to be gained from sitting in the wheels for one of the leaders to push on at the front. So Ceylin kept coming back despite clearly being weaker, as neither Puck nor Fem were willing to go flat out at the front.

Mathieu didn't want to drag Wout around for 6 laps up to the sprint, once he reached the front, which allowed the chasing group back on lap 8. Without the crash, it's fairly obvious Wout and Mathieu would have dropped the rest on the final climb (or perhaps one would also have dropped the other as nearly happened earlier in the race) and dueled it out in the sprint anyway.

I don't think there's much to read into the result, other than draw some conclusions about the course after two years of quite similar racing, I don't think bookmakers are lengthening Mathieu's Worlds' odds after this.

 

[Hugh Januss]

The bike handling skills of these guys are amazing...





...usually

https://twitter.com/x/status/1749188832119934989

View: https://twitter.com/Cyclocrosss/status/1749188832119934989

I imagined the Benny Hill theme song in my head while watching this.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Van Empel and Pieterse are heads above the rest of the women’s field, just as Van Aert and Van der Poel. But if Van Empel is the equivalence of Van Aert a big difference is that she clearly has the mental advantage over Pieterse. She looked completely cool and composed when Pieterse launched her attack on the final lap and one could just see that she waited for the right moment to pounce and overtake. Pieterse has no distinct technical advantage on a course like Benidorm and she cannot ride Van Empel off her wheel. Tactics need to change if she is going to beat Van Empel…

van Empel is rightly the favourite for Tabor, but I would certainly not discount Brand or even Alvorado.
Personally I think Pieterse will win.

 

[Sciatic]

What are the characteristics of the Hoogerheide course this coming weekend?

 

[jono]

What are the characteristics of the Hoogerheide course this coming weekend?

Won't it be largely the same as last year's worlds course?

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Course is similar but slightly different. No doesn't visit the bottom field and different order or direction with the woods.


Alpecin have confirmed their development team for the 2024 road season. Theyve found room for Ryan Kamp on this and it seems the rider who's been 'sacrificed' is Mees Hendrikx.

 

[jono]

I wish the junior races for Hoogerheide were broadcast. With it being one of only 6(?) World Cups where the junior event is also a World Cup, all the top names are there and it could be a good preview of the following week in Tabor. In the women's field, for example, you have Wolff, Ferguson, Carrier, Chladanova, Gery, Langenbarg, etc., most of whom had been racing the elite women's event at recent World Cups, with some decent finishes especially for Wolff, Ferguson and Carrier.

 

[DNP-Old]

Albert Withen Philipsen is on the entry list for Hoogerheide tomorrow. I’m not 100% certain, but I believe he would jump to the 3rd row in Tabor if he got a semi decent result tomorrow. Much better look out than what he’s had to work with in last years WC.