Race Thread

[TourOfSardinia]

Eli has decided to abandon his pursuit of the X2O classification, dropping Baal and Koksijde from his itinerary.

What happened to him yesterday? WIth that rare DNF,

 

[Davesta]

In all the "excitement" about the MVDP incident, I don't see any discussion of the two racing incidents yesterday with the other two big names. Definitely a lot of hard racing out there yesterday. Could have been a really great race to watch if Pidcock and Wout didn't get held up. Maybe Baal will deliver, but Hulst is an awesome course.

It’s a real shame we couldn’t see them head to head…Pidcock was very unlucky - simply in the wrong place at the wrong time…WvA only has himself to blame though - looked like he tried to push Ronhaar out of the line, but then WvA wouldn’t give up the fight when Ronhaar didn’t concede the space, and so found himself off the racing line and sliding out…

All that said, I’d be surprised if either of them would have really challenged MvdP today. Mvdp still had the fastest lap by a few seconds I think (?), so could probably have gone a lot quicker overall if he’d needed to…

 

[Davesta]

What happened to him yesterday? WIth that rare DNF,

I would guess illness, based on the way he started strongly but quickly faded, before DNFing and pulling out of upcoming races

 

[Volderke]

And on a sidenote; this is why I am not a big fan of Iserbyt who once again DNFd, a common pattern of his when not having the "best of days". That's not only letting your fans down, the organizers, the team and the competitors but also yourself. Iserbyt is probably the top rider with most DNFs on his record and I'm not impressed.

I don’t know if true but it seemed to me that iserbyt was ill or getting ill. He saw a doctor immediately after his DNF and there were rumours (spelling correction messed this word up) about him suffering from very high heart rates. I hope for him he isn’t ill but it wouldn’t surprise me as he said he was flying + he is already in great shape for a very long period. That’s the perfect recipe for illness / a setback.

 

[senna6541]

It’s a real shame we couldn’t see them head to head…Pidcock was very unlucky - simply in the wrong place at the wrong time…WvA only has himself to blame though - looked like he tried to push Ronhaar out of the line, but then WvA wouldn’t give up the fight when Ronhaar didn’t concede the space, and so found himself off the racing line and sliding out…

All that said, I’d be surprised if either of them would have really challenged MvdP today. Mvdp still had the fastest lap by a few seconds I think (?), so could probably have gone a lot quicker overall if he’d needed to…

Agreed, but would have been good to see them racing at least for a couple/few laps. I don't think Wout, Piddy or anyone else can handle MVDP straight up (w/o a bad error or mech) when he is at this level. On Piddy I was more referring to him headbutting the backmarker. MVDP and Piddy definitely seem to have a hard edge to them that perhaps Wout does not.

 

[Volderke]

Agreed, but would have been good to see them racing at least for a couple/few laps. I don't think Wout, Piddy or anyone else can handle MVDP straight up (w/o a bad error or mech) when he is at this level. On Piddy I was more referring to him headbutting the backmarker. MVDP and Piddy definitely seem to have a hard edge to them that perhaps Wout does not.

It was clear to me that WvA is (and always was) a gentleman when it came to positioning, and unfortunately for him in CX, he doesn't have the 'over my dead body' mentality like others have (or forgot about it through all the road racing). It also seemed to me that just before his little duel with Ronhaar, he decided he would still try and squeeze himself passed Ronhaar, and I was thinking it wasn't a good moment and he was picking the wrong line going towards the outside of the curve and as a result getting too low in the off-chamber section. And so it happened. He can't expect Ronhaar to back off and he should have chosen another moment to try and pass him.

 

[Barkintheeye]

I don’t know if true but it seemed to me that iserbyt was ill or getting ill. He saw a doctor immediately after his DNF and there were rumours (spelling correction messed this word up) about him suffering from very high heart rates. I hope for him he isn’t ill but it wouldn’t surprise me as he said he was flying + he is already in great shape for a very long period. That’s the perfect recipe for illness / a setback.

If so I stand corrected and it was a good decision by him to abort. Heart rate issues should not be ignored.

 

[Volderke]

If so I stand corrected and it was a good decision by him to abort. Heart rate issues should not be ignored.

Well, I hope it's just Iserbyt being fatigued. As far as I know, his heart should be OK, but if sick, heart rate can go up easily and is thus an indicator.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

We're both sitting on sofas, so I'm not sure what moral superiority you are claiming.

What should riders do? Ensure that it is reported each and every time that it happens, insist on race organisers employing a reasonable number of stewards, encourage decent supporters to make it clear to these idiots that they are not appreciated. They should also remember that they are paid to promote companies and products, and that they are looked up to.

I have more sympathy for van der Poel if there was beer and urine being thrown at him, but "endure the abuse"? Have you ever been at a football match?

Can you name any profession, or any other sport, where one could respond in that manner to people giving you grief and expect to carry on without sanction?

I'm not the one claiming any moral high ground here.

As for beer and urine, another fan standing next to the offenders confirmed they also threw beer and urine at VdP. It's posted on this very thread.
With respect to other sports, cycling is the only major sport where such minimal barrier exists between fans and participants. Let's see a fan at a basketball game try and spit on a player and observe how fast security tackles them. In the NBA, a player can point out a fan during the game, and presto, that fan gets escorted out. Cannot do that in cycling, as there are no timeouts or other stoppages.

Riders have done what you said. Nys confronted bad behavior. Others have pointed it out. Has anything changed? Obviously not. Not sure why you're defending the indefensible here.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

What do you think I am defending?

You haven't named any sport or profession in which retaliation is deemed acceptable.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Well at least the cross thread is getting an almost all time high in postings.
To me it's all something about nothing, no holiday season top level football, easily available alcohol and a partizan atmosphere, things are occasionally bound to happen and do
People getting all het up and subsequently banned from a little fans forum.
Let's just move on and enjoy tomorrows racing.

 

[Sciatic]

Well at least the cross thread is getting an almost all time high in postings.
To me it's all something about nothing, no holiday season top level football, easily available alcohol and a partizan atmosphere, things are occasionally bound to happen and do
People getting all het up and subsequently banned from a little fans forum.
Let's just move on and enjoy tomorrow’s racing.

Just an aside, but some of us do have some absolutely holiday-season top level “football” this weekend

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

What do you think I am defending?

You haven't named any sport or profession in which retaliation is deemed acceptable.

I have no idea what you're even arguing at this point.
My argument is that MVdP's response, while not ideal optically, was a justified response to fan behavior. As the race organizers acknowledged, they not only booed him but threw beer on him.
In any case, he got a slap on the wrist and we move on. Hopefully, those kinds of trashy fans are not permitted to sully races in the future.

 

[Hugh Januss]

I have no idea what you're even arguing at this point.
My argument is that MVdP's response, while not ideal optically, was a justified response to fan behavior. As the race organizers acknowledged, they not only booed him but threw beer on him.
In any case, he got a slap on the wrist and we move on. Hopefully, those kinds of trashy fans are not permitted to sully races in the future.

VdP gets fined the equivalent of what it costs to gas up his Lambo and the organizers issue a strongly worded response to the hooligans "These types of spectators do not belong" (and would not have been there if they didn't have the 10 euro entrance fee).

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Wait, the entrance fee is only 10 euros? Wow. That's a damn good deal.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Wait, the entrance fee is only 10 euros? Wow. That's a damn good deal.

I heard that somewhere but honestly I have no clue, but how could everyone afford enough beer to get all shitty if it was much more?

 

[jono]

I heard that somewhere but honestly I have no clue, but how could everyone afford enough beer to get all shitty if it was much more?

The announcer on one of the broadcasts said the entry fee for most World Cups was between 15 to 25 Euros.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

If so I stand corrected and it was a good decision by him to abort. Heart rate issues should not be ignored.

Ondrej Cink was actually leading a XCO World Cup in Andorra a few years ago - and had to stop as his HR monitor was recording abnormal figures........

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

The announcer on one of the broadcasts said the entry fee for most World Cups was between 15 to 25 Euros.

That's still a good deal. Junk fees on tickets are higher than that here in the States.

 

[senna6541]

It was clear to me that WvA is (and always was) a gentleman when it came to positioning, and unfortunately for him in CX, he doesn't have the 'over my dead body' mentality like others have (or forgot about it through all the road racing). It also seemed to me that just before his little duel with Ronhaar, he decided he would still try and squeeze himself passed Ronhaar, and I was thinking it wasn't a good moment and he was picking the wrong line going towards the outside of the curve and as a result getting too low in the off-chamber section. And so it happened. He can't expect Ronhaar to back off and he should have chosen another moment to try and pass him.

Wout seems like a normal guy with a huge engine and natural talent. MVDP and Pidcock seem to have the "daredevil" gene. The crazy bike handling, descending, etc. Watching MVDP doing lead outs this year, or stuff like his national championship win a few years back where he basically moved the guy out of his way - definitely the "over my dead body" mentality.

 

[jono]

I'm looking forward to the women's race tomorrow. Not the deepest field, but maybe a chance for some surprise finishes in the top 10 from North American riders. Clara Honsinger will make her European debut of the season.

 

[Bolder]

Wout seems like a normal guy with a huge engine and natural talent. MVDP and Pidcock seem to have the "daredevil" gene. The crazy bike handling, descending, etc. Watching MVDP doing lead outs this year, or stuff like his national championship win a few years back where he basically moved the guy out of his way - definitely the "over my dead body" mentality.

They both have that killer instinct. Most of the time that's a good thing but you also get the bad with the good, ie a bit of temper.

 

[theyoungest]

They both have that killer instinct. Most of the time that's a good thing but you also get the bad with the good, ie a bit of temper.

That's probably the main thing that MVDP has over WVA. It's maybe strange to say about a guy who has won quite a lot, but Wout doesn't have the killer instinct. He's prone to make the wrong choice, wait for his sprint when he shouldn't, pull when he shouldn't, gamble when he shouldn't, or like in Hulst, try to pass where he can't. MVDP almost always does the right thing in these moments. That's not something you can learn, it's instinct.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Going by instagram, the Holmgrens will make their debut for Lidl-Trek today in Baal....(and not in the colour of Baloise-Trek) I'm guessing Pidcock was the last non Benelux rider to ride for them.

And former team mate, U23 Ian Ackert has joined Trek Future Racing, which is the XC development team (Mona Mitterwallner came from there) and will race today in Baal.

Zdenek Stybar has set up his own team for the rest of the season - and Felipe Orts has set up a team for CX, MTB & Gravel.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Going by instagram, the Holmgrens will make their debut for Lidl-Trek today in Baal....(and not in the colour of Baloise-Trek) I'm guessing Pidcock was the last non Benelux rider to ride for them.

And former team mate, U23 Ian Ackert has joined Trek Future Racing, which is the XC development team (Mona Mitterwallner came from there) and will race today in Baal.

Zdenek Stybar has set up his own team for the rest of the season - and Felipe Orts has set up a team for CX, MTB & Gravel.

Ryan Kamp also riding for his own team. Interestingly on Colnagos and Campagnolo. Felipe Orts still on BH's and Stybar gone back to his roots at the Fidea team with Ridleys.