If MVDP's back can hold up on a heavier course than today's, I don't see much to choose between the two favourites. Next week may be telling.
I'm sure Mathieu must have enjoyed his first race in almost a month where he's not being booed.
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I'm sure Mathieu must have enjoyed his first race in almost a month where he's not being booed.
Wout let that happen. He could’ve pushed on but I am not sure he would have been able to handle the speed. MVDP drove this race so a very well deserved victory. This was the first race this season where Van Aert didn’t dominate and he knew it.
Well done to Laurens for winning the World Cup, well deserved!!
A super race, and seemingly not a lot between them, but in recent races MvdP can never really put a proper gap into Wout, whereas the opposite has happened. Despite not winning, for the Worlds you'd think Wout would be a strong favourite.....
A super race, and seemingly not a lot between them, but in recent races MvdP can never really put a proper gap into Wout, whereas the opposite has happened. Despite not winning, for the Worlds you'd think Wout would be a strong favourite.....
Good to see Van Empel and Van der Poel winning again and what a great last lap. Both of them seem to be a little bit more confortable in these faster courses
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Very entertaining race and a great venue, and hopefully it stay for good. It's just so different from the wet or dry fields of Belgium and Netherlands. You had the sun, the spanish fans, some nice gravel and a really nice varied couse.
Two good races there today, and from following the timing, so were the others junior and u23 races. The course surprised me, but it's definitely one where the riders make the race hard as opposed to the terrain. I'd be happy to see it back on the World Cup calendar next year, but with a reworked start finish, as that was too short and the kink wasn't great either.
That last lap was fantastic -- VdP's pass in that uphill hairpin was ballsy. IMO Wout is clearly stronger this season but VdP will to win gives him a shot.
You know VdP is feeling OK when he empties the tank to the point where he collapses. From his post-race interview he said he was able to go deep since his back wasn't acting up.
Iserbyt raced really smart, always staying roughly in contact.
You know VdP is feeling OK when he empties the tank to the point where he collapses. From his post-race interview he said he was able to go deep since his back wasn't acting up.
Iserbyt raced really smart, always staying roughly in contact.
Women’s race was also very good. Very tough last lap but Van Empel’s power was just too much.
On a side note. The Benidorm course was great and also made the races very dynamic in the sense that it kept the leading group together or at least made the stragglers being able to catch up again. The intensity on these quick, twisty circuits is also exciting. Big plus for that.
On a side note. The Benidorm course was great and also made the races very dynamic in the sense that it kept the leading group together or at least made the stragglers being able to catch up again. The intensity on these quick, twisty circuits is also exciting. Big plus for that.
Van der Poel and his team were wondering whether to stick in a race next weekend. I wonder with his back issues he'll still do that or if he'll stay in spain training and protect it from the stress in thick mud like we could have in Besancon or Hamme.
Just watched both races as couldn't watch live today. Two fantastic races, course kept things closer than normal, just as expected, but still the big 3 and big 2 at head of affairs.
What a seated acceleration by Van Empel on that climb, everyone sprinting full gas trying to stay in the wheel. Excellent race by Persico though course definitely helped her, when you think back to Val di Sole. I thought Brand/ Vos might be in the mix, but they weren't in it at all. Hard to see either improving enough to contend for World Title.
Amazing move by MVDP to get the lead at the crucial moment. Still think WVA looks stronger, but should be a close Worlds battle. Well done to Sweeck on winning the WC.
What a seated acceleration by Van Empel on that climb, everyone sprinting full gas trying to stay in the wheel. Excellent race by Persico though course definitely helped her, when you think back to Val di Sole. I thought Brand/ Vos might be in the mix, but they weren't in it at all. Hard to see either improving enough to contend for World Title.
Amazing move by MVDP to get the lead at the crucial moment. Still think WVA looks stronger, but should be a close Worlds battle. Well done to Sweeck on winning the WC.
Now that Nibali is gone I think VdP should get the honors of being called the shark. Once he smells blood in the water you know he’s not losing.
you think VDP is any different? He said after the race he had a heavy week of training and was not exactly rested either
We'll see in the World Championship race...just a couple weeks. But who would know since MvdP stopped uploading his training to Strava after his back issues.
Correction: he has continued to upload to Strava each day, but set his activities to private, and this change was concurrent with the Spanish training camp, not the onset of back issues which was 2 weeks earlier.
Obviously neither rider was at the ideal point on their form curve today; it would have been foolish to do so. I don't even think either will be aiming for a true "peak" (in the periodization sense) at Worlds either, as it is too close to their spring goals to have two peaks.
The strava thing was something he did only last year, and afaik it was something he wanted to do to "show" his return after the back issues, for the whole year of 2022. Right now he is back to the upload pattern he had before 2022.
More often than not MVDP has off-days when returning from big training blocks, so I'm not going to be negative about today.
Watching the replay of the last lap, it was pretty insane. The speed they are carrying on a course with very little traction and bumps on skinny tires and zero suspension? The move MVDP made to retake the lead in the forest was sublime - full on the gas and then on the brakes at the last possible moment to make that corner. That wasn't exactly an easy course on the back, so good to see MVDP made it through. Who knows what happens from here.
Really good to see Mathieu on the right footing, getting his technique good and being able to his race winning moves. When he drove away in the sand mid race and when he did the barriers super fast Van Aert wasn’t able to follow. Both these moves came too early but it was a showing of that exceptional power and skill only MVDP can do.
Something discussed earlier in the thread, and deserves bringing up again, but what is going on with Vas? Never in contention and just dropped back.......Has she a form of 'burn out'? She hasn't looked really good since the autumn of 2021.
Yeah, it's a mystery. I think she was sick in the week before nationals, that maybe explains the complete off day in Benidorm, but it's not like she was super great before that.
But that goes for more riders. Marianne Vos, for instance. Last year she wasn't the most inspiring to watch either, mostly following wheels, but this year even that is impossible. And she went on altitude camp over Christmas! Imagine spending the holidays on Teide and having absolutely nothing to show for it.
This rule that someone who steps up to Elites can't be eligible to the U23 World Cup classification is a bit moronic, when they all race together.
Now Shirin wins the World Cup because her other U23 rivals decided to step up to Elites during the season to focus on another goals (EC for Fem and NC for Puck). Now Shirin can do the same in the week between Besançon and Worlds (unlike Puck, she could wait because she didn't want to take part in NC) and keep her U23 World Cup.
Now Shirin wins the World Cup because her other U23 rivals decided to step up to Elites during the season to focus on another goals (EC for Fem and NC for Puck). Now Shirin can do the same in the week between Besançon and Worlds (unlike Puck, she could wait because she didn't want to take part in NC) and keep her U23 World Cup.
It depends what Vos is aiming for. Theoretically she should have gone well on that track, but perhaps her aims of the altitude camp are beyond cyclocross.
I always feel whenever I've seen a result like this from Vas this year, it's that she's been consistently bad, but she did have a couple of better rides in Gavere and Diegem. Maybe it's just a bad season, but it will be interesting how she moves from here and whether her slight decline will mean she'll focus on the road more.
Well Alpecin Deceuninck have answered this for me by announcing he'll do the Besancon WC next week.
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