Race Thread

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Nov 5, 2013
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Puck FTW, but an Anrooij win would be pretty cool too.

Wout should have raced 2 days ago. Based on his racing so far, he will have a very hard time dropping anyone today, and evidently, anyone has a chance to beat him in a sprint, these days.
 
May 5, 2010
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I'm very curious to see what a dry Dendermonde looks like tomorrow. I enjoy a mudder now and then, but past editions have really stretched the definition of what is a bike race.

The answer was... fast.

Now, that brings me to something I've been wondering for a while.
Let's say after the organisers had reached the verdict of 12 laps... and then Thor and Zeus had started a pissing competition... then what?
 
Jan 31, 2021
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Yeah, just hoping for a moment of hesitation at the front for him
Wout staying on the front is the best chance those riders in positions 6-8 have of coming back. A Nys attack at this point would really close the door.
 
Nov 5, 2013
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Wout got whiny with 2 laps left (flicked his elbow at Nys, and then let everyone go by), and that was it, though I don't think he could have out sprinted Nys today, anyway.

Chapeau Thibau! A well deserved win for the only guy who has any shot at challenging Mathieu.
 
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Aug 19, 2011
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what a race WITHOUT VDP. I pray his last CX race ever is the Worlds so he wins it for the 32846493 time time and adieu
 
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Jan 11, 2010
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Good race and deserved win from Nys. No clue what WVA was doing those last rounds
Van Aert just didn't have it. He couldn't create a gap, and he's not going to take all these corners faster than Nys or Del Grosso, or anyone really. So then there's no opportunity for him.

Nys rode like Iserbyt. Which gets you the win on a course like this.
 
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Jan 31, 2021
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what a race WITHOUT VDP. I pray his last CX race ever is the Worlds so he wins it for the 32846493 time time and adieu
I understand the sentiment but this race wouldn't have been much different with MVDP. In dry conditions like this, the course is like Benidorm. Fast and nowhere to make a difference. It would still have been group racing.
 
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Nov 5, 2013
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Van Aert just didn't have it. He couldn't create a gap, and he's not going to take all these corners faster than Nys or Del Grosso, or anyone really. So then there's no opportunity for him.

Nys rode like Iserbyt. Which gets you the win on a course like this.
To be fair, Nys did it without having Vanthourensleestack getting in 2nd position, and then soft pedaling to let Iserbyt get a gap. Nys used his strength, only.
 
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May 5, 2010
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I understand the sentiment but this race wouldn't have been much different with MVDP. In dry conditions like this, the course is like Benidorm. Fast and nowhere to make a difference. It would still have been group racing.

Which would have been quite different from how it usually is when MVDP is racing...
 
Jan 31, 2021
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Unless he adds a race to his calendar, that was Wout's last of the year without MVDP present aside from the Belgian national champs.

Could we see a winless season from van Aert?

This has never happened before. The closest was 2019-20, when he add to wait until after worlds to pick up his only win.
 
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