Hehehe, Wout didn't want to admit it before the race, but he had almost no sleep for the past 6 nights.
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Thanks!
Thanks. Their matchup (though of course other riders will have their play as well) makes all those races even more enticing to watch in the years to come!Some videos from the 50's and 60's, worth watching:
RETRO: Zo zag het BK veldrijden in Meulebeke eruit in 1958 en 1966 | sporza
Meulebeke is zondag niet voor het eerst het strijdtoneel van het BK veldrijden. Ook in 1958 en 1966 vochten de crossers er om de driekleur. Geniet van onze archiefbeelden.sporza.be
In theory, yes. Ronde and Amstel should suit Mathieu more, Roubaix and perhaps Strade should suit Wout more. Which isn't to say either can't win these races. Had Wout started the sprint in RvV 25 meters sooner, he would have won it. And i'm sure there are plenty of scenario's where Mathieu could win Roubaix as well.
As far as I can recall, it's only been used for the Belgian Champs in 2017. Judging by the course map, it looks the same as that year with the massive and steep flyover above the road and tramway. This split the two parts of the course. The Horse Racing Circuit where the start/finish/pits are on, with a few small banks and short cut grass that looked pretty slick and hard packed; and the Beach which was a mix of hard pack sand from the tide loose sand with a couple of lumps or 'dunes' that look man made.Is the Ostende race course the same every year?
Is there anywhere where one can watch the BK Meulebeke for those that aren't in Belgium?
So, you denie what you quoted yourself : "Technique was very negligible on this course".Good for you. Since you continue to put words into my mouth, this is totally pointless:
"But no technical skills required on this course" according to "Flamin"
He finished 10th in the nationals. I sort of see why he's going, but there again that result doesn't warrant a trip to the worlds. If we're just going on nationals results and not including international races and the Giro d'Italia CX series, then there are 9 riders ahead that should be looked at being selected for the quota of 5 riders. I don't think he's finished higher than fourth in the Giro CX, so what merits him getting a place at the world champs?
^^CX is great, and all that...but when you have just 5-6 riders on the men's side (from 2 countries, plus Piddles) who are even capable of podiuming, let alone winning, any given top level race, then the sport is going to remain a sub-niche. The women's side is slightly more open, but only slightly.
Ditto.Any chance for a replay anywhere on the web of the Zilvermeercross?
Yeah, but not sure there are any road pros not currently racing cross that would have to worry about eating mud from MVDP for more than a lap or two or until he decided to do a hot lap.^^CX is great, and all that...but when you have just 5-6 riders on the men's side (from 2 countries, plus Piddles) who are even capable of podiuming, let alone winning, any given top level race, then the sport is going to remain a sub-niche. The women's side is slightly more open, but only slightly.
Having said that, I love watching CX; just wish there was a way for more top-level road and XC pros from around the world to participate. But given the choice between 2 weeks' training in sunny Majorca or Gran Canaria -- or freezing your a** off while eating mud from MVDP....it's probably not a hard decision...
While it started snowing during the race, there wasn't really any snow on the course that made a difference.Ditto.
Snow and sand sounds epic.
Angry? That's an odd reaction to a fairly innocuous post.So, basically like every other winter sport
Sorry, i get a bit angry reading posts like this.
Many wintersports have been dominated by few countries, even by individual athletes throughout the past few decades. It didn't pose an issue for those sports, but somehow it's an issue for CX.Angry? That's an odd reaction to a fairly innocuous post.
No, not like any other winter sport.
Many wintersports have been dominated by few countries, even by individual athletes throughout the past few decades. It didn't pose an issue for those sports, but somehow it's an issue for CX.
Mostly down to Covid: it's hurt the World Cup the most of the three big classifications, meaning it only visited three countries instead of the originally planned seven. And even that was without the US, Italy and France which have all hosted the World Cup in recent years.almost every winter sport has a circuit that goes beyond two neighboring countries
Speed skating? Let alone the Summer Olympics where e.g. table tennis is dominated by a handful of Asian players, almost all of them born Chinese.almost every winter sport has [...] has high-level participants from a range of countries.
Mostly down to the nature of the sport I think; MTB has a similarly narrow top level of riders. It's not really indicative of the internationality of the sport, men's gravel tennis is a good counterexample.Now in CX, if for some reason MVDP or WvA has a bad day, you'll only get Pidcock, Iserbyt or maybe Vanthorenhout and Aerts.