I thought the opposite - there were a lot of mistakes made by the elite men, which is why the race situation changed & shifted so much. None of the errors were Casasola-esque and race ending for anyone, but rather small and subtle errors that cost riders 3-5 seconds, but which meant they went from the front of the group to the back, or from group 1 to group 2 (and equally some super skilled riding, like Aerts riding the sandy uphill, that took them from group 2 to group 1)…it made for a brilliant race - who would’ve put money on Aerts after 30-40mins of the race!?
- Jul 9, 2009
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The only prior Elite mens race on this course was the Belgian Nationals 3 years ago where Van Aert rolled off the front before the half way point and finished about one and a half minutes before Sweek. This race was a lot more exciting and I'm a Van Aert fan.
If a bad race on Saturday wasn't bad enough, Cyclism'Actu reports that Marion Norbert Riberolle was struck by a motor vehicle while riding on Sunday. Fortunately she suffered no serious consequences.
- May 5, 2010
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Van der Haar has hypermobility. In his case this means dislocating his shoulder is a fairly common thing. It has happened to him multiple times during races, and he always sets it himself.
- May 5, 2010
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Okay, I have a bit of a silly confession to make.
I didn't actually notice at first that you were replying to that earlier post of mine, and not the one about the guy with the ironing board, so I was actually wondering if VdH had figured that using an ironing board to set his shoulder worked, so he'd asked a mate to hang around with one... just in case.
(I obviously also hadn't studied the startlist closely.)
- Oct 16, 2025
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Great to see Sweeck back to winning ways at Niel, what a ding dong battle it was too where either of 3 leading riders could have taken the win.
Niel was surprisingly dry and fast unlike previous years.
Cam Mason was going well after a poor start making his way through the field until sadly he fell off camera.
Niel was surprisingly dry and fast unlike previous years.
Cam Mason was going well after a poor start making his way through the field until sadly he fell off camera.
As you say, no serious injuries, but having a cut on your arse stapled does not sound fun.
I'm beginning to wonder if the Holmgrens have plans to race 'cross at all this year. They haven't dropped into any North American races yet this season, nor are they in the registrant list for this weekend's national championships. Still time to sign up, but if they miss out it would the first time since the double cancellations in 2020 and 2021.
Racing a summer on the Road & MTB obviously takes priority - and leaves the winter for rest/ recovery - and maybe some MTB skills training.....Maybe they'll do the odd CX race here and there, but the Trek XC team no longer bothers to register as a CX team.
That’s too bad, but of course understandable. Especially when they are do
Young. So perhaps Rochelle vs Carrier for Canadian Nats?
Of the current registrants, Rochette will be favourite for the national champs jersey with Sidney McGill as her biggest competition. Carrier is racing for the U23 title, understandably as it is her first year out of junior.
- Oct 16, 2025
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Great men's race today at Merksplas with a deserved win for Nieuwenhuis . It's
always a good race when the lead changes so much . But what was going on with Nys? He often looked the strongest but never seemed happy again making so many pits and small errors.
always a good race when the lead changes so much . But what was going on with Nys? He often looked the strongest but never seemed happy again making so many pits and small errors.
Even though it was just a short sand pit section today, Inge VDH showed how strong she is there, which helps explain (obviously along with other factors like team dynamics) her big win last weekend. But a minor crash eliminated her chances to stay with Brand today.
The sand pit proved decisive in the men's race as well as Nieuwenhuis rode it better than any other rider in the last 3 laps, while Nys' race fell apart there.
Canadian national champs:
Men: Tyler Clark
Women: Maghalie Rochette
Men U23: Mika Comaniuk
Women U23: Rafaelle Carrier
Junior Men: Emilien Belzile
Junior Women: Eliane Blais
Men: Tyler Clark
Women: Maghalie Rochette
Men U23: Mika Comaniuk
Women U23: Rafaelle Carrier
Junior Men: Emilien Belzile
Junior Women: Eliane Blais
In the absence of Van Empel, Alvarado, Pieterse, Worst, it was once again the Lucy Show at Merksplas. I'm wondering if Van Alphen and Bentveld have really made a huge stride or if they've just moved up to fill the open slots in the top10.
Tough day for the over-30 men as the youth surge.
Tough day for the over-30 men as the youth surge.
Nys seems "mental" to me. If something is just a little bit off it really gets into his head. Seems everything has to go perfect for him to win. He also didn't have the raw watts to ride the sand section.
are they intending to race at some point this season ? or is this basically it for the womens races as its getting quite dull it has to be said.
Whilst it's early, I don't think Nys is on another level to the others - and he needs to be if he's going to challenge the two 'aliens' when they return. And as you say, he doesn't have the raw watts to be competitive in the sand ( or the heavy mud when it turns up).
- Feb 16, 2010
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