Race Thread

[Moose McKnuckles]

Ok, here we go, looks like you're right, juno. He turned on the jets right there.

 

[meat puppet]

To my untrained eye Mathieu seems to lack the race specific endurance needed to stay with WVA. But it will come. For now, he tried to follow WVA in the beginning, but as WVA put some pressure on, MVDP OTBd twice and that was that.

 

[Barkintheeye]

The stars look clearly aligned for a solid win at the World Championship in Hoogerheide for Wout. Anything else would be a major upset, I don’t think we have ever seen Mathieu so off his usual self and I guess we haven’t seen Wout so completely dominant.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

The stars look clearly aligned for a solid win at the World Championship in Hoogerheide for Wout. Anything else would be a major upset, I don’t think we have ever seen Mathieu so off his usual self and I guess we haven’t seen Wout so completely dominant.

Indeed, but on the other hand, it's just one race. As Gavere showed, Mathieu only needs one good day on which Wout is not stellar or makes one crucial mistake, and it's still possible. Don't sell the bear's skin before your chickens hatched!

 

[Bolder]

To my untrained eye Mathieu seems to lack the race specific endurance needed to stay with WVA. But it will come. For now, he tried to follow WVA in the beginning, but as WVA put some pressure on, MVDP OTBd twice and that was that.

Honestly he has also lacked some focus. Those 2 endos today…

 

[Barkintheeye]

Indeed, but on the other hand, it's just one race. As Gavere showed, Mathieu only needs one good day on which Wout is not stellar or makes one crucial mistake, and it's still possible. Don't sell the bear's skin before your chickens hatched!

Correct. Yet Wout really looks more solid than ever. Close to no mistakes and super strong. It will be a tough cookie to crack but in cross anything is possible.

 

[Nick2413]

MVDP only has one CX race in the next month, I think he will recover and at least be competitive in the WC.

 

[Gwbert]

MVDP only has one CX race in the next month, I think he will recover and at least be competitive in the WC.

Yeah as much as WVA has looked top notch the world champs is in a month so MVDP has time to turn it around and i would not write him off!

 

[TourOfSardinia]

It was Mathieu's back again, he said post-race

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mathieu-van-der-poel-again-hampered-by-back-pain-at-world-cup/

 

[theyoungest]

Van Anrooij the best on the sand courses, but might have been a much tighter race without the crashes. Will be really tough for Van Anrooij to skip a possible Senior Worlds now, but if course is not that technical, she might be better aiming for the U-23. The real battle today was between Brand, Alvarado and Van der Heyden.

Van Anrooij is probably technically the least proficient of the Big Three, but she happens to be really good in the sand Maybe because she's from Zeeland, which as the name suggests is a province with a lot of beaches.

Hoogerheide is a little less suited to Van Anrooij, it's not super hard and more importantly it's not a sand race. She'd still at least make the podium in the elite race, should she ride it.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Correct. Yet Wout really looks more solid than ever. Close to no mistakes and super strong. It will be a tough cookie to crack but in cross anything is possible.

When he makes a mistake he just gets off and runs, he seems completely unflappable.

 

[Gwbert]

Van Anrooij is probably technically the least proficient of the Big Three, but she happens to be really good in the sand Maybe because she's from Zeeland, which as the name suggests is a province with a lot of beaches.

Hoogerheide is a little less suited to Van Anrooij, it's not super hard and more importantly it's not a sand race. She'd still at least make the podium in the elite race, should she ride it.

It’s always been said she’s the least technically proficient but today she looked pretty damn good!

 

[theyoungest]

It’s always been said she’s the least technically proficient but today she looked pretty damn good!

Yeah, because sand is her speciality. Although this best/least technical rider discussion is probably down to 'who has the most confidence' anyway, and right now Van Anrooij rides with a lot of confidence.

 

[Gwbert]

Yeah, because sand is her speciality. Although this best/least technical rider discussion is probably down to 'who has the most confidence' anyway, and right now Van Anrooij rides with a lot of confidence.

I just hope she decides to ride the elites in Hoogerheide.

 

[theyoungest]

I just hope she decides to ride the elites in Hoogerheide.

Yeah, would be good for the race. Pieterse has made the choice to switch to the elites as of next week, for the Dutch championships. So that leaves Van Anrooij as the only U23 rider of the big three, but she's currently the best (Van Empel is riding just as fast, but she can't seem to catch a break right now)

 

[Barkintheeye]

Van Anroij was excellent today, powerful and very quick off and on the bike. It was a very well deserved victory. When this season started I thought she wasn’t technically on par with Van Empel and Pieterse. Now she is and today she was significantly better. A quick learner and she has a “busy air” over her when riding. Energetic, quick and it looks like she is enjoying herself. Hope she challenges the others in the Elite field although it could be a sounder choice to go for a win in U23.

 

[Ricco']

I think Shirin has said that she was looking forward to the U23 race because it would be nice to win the World Championship race on her birthday in a place that is close to her home town.

 

[jmdirt]

Wout and Shir!

 

[stonerider]

Both Puck and Mathieu went over the bars during their races from having too much weight over the front. Is that a geometry fault of the Canyon Inflite...maybe steeper headtube angle or something like that?

 

[senna6541]

This really sucks - to have someone of MVDP's sublime talent in CX (and MTB to a lesser extent) be limited by a chronic (apparently) back issue. If he was a primarily or just a road rider it's easily manageable and probably wouldn't have a huge impact on his ability to deliver results. In CX, especially on courses like today where you are making all kinds of unpredictable millisecond by millisecond corrections very difficult. MTB being a bit easier as you are basically pointing the bike and letting it do the work- but in CX? Pulling hard for him to somehow get both the rest (staying off surfaces that stress his back) and fitness increase to be ready to go at Hoogerheide. If he makes it to the start line, I still believe he wins the WC.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

What is he doing? His back goes and instead of pulling up, he races to the end. Then a few days later, the same?

 

[theyoungest]

What is he doing? His back goes and instead of pulling up, he races to the end. Then a few days later, the same?

The idea of chronic back pain is that, you know, it's chronic. He always has it, sometimes more than other times. He always has to work on it. If he quits everytime his back hurts he doesn't finish a single race.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

What is he doing? His back goes and instead of pulling up, he races to the end. Then a few days later, the same?

The show must go on

 

[glassmoon]

It was Mathieu's back again, he said post-race

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mathieu-van-der-poel-again-hampered-by-back-pain-at-world-cup/

sadly my fear from few years back seems to be correct - he will not be in his full potential until he solves his back issue with surgery (if possible)... this is not injury, this is a condition.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Both Puck and Mathieu went over the bars during their races from having too much weight over the front. Is that a geometry fault of the Canyon Inflite...maybe steeper headtube angle or something like that?

You could always fit a 'dropper post'; one of the Clauzel sisters ran with one; and a week ago Keller ran one in a CX race in Switzerland.....