It's damned if you do, damned if you don't. When you win roughly 62 out of the last 65 races, each week you have to face the camera's and predict your next race. So, either you are honest and will be perceived, by some, to be arrogant, or you try not to disrespect anyone and it will look like false modesty to others.What is it that you find annoying? Would it be less annoying if he were to arrogantly and disrespectfully predict the decimation of the whole CX peloton upon his arrival? What is he supposed to say?
Furthermore, it really is hard to know where you stand exactly after a long time out of CX and having only trained less than a handful of times in the field.