UCI MTB World Cup (All forms!)

[glassmoon]

Yeah... I agree. But def can see UCI looking into it and ban it eventually. As it is basically nullifying their intention with the rule and because well... because it's UCI

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Meanwhile Fluekiger ran with a radio in the XCC race, and it was perfectly legal.

Mathias Fluckiger compitió con radio en el Short Track, recientemente permitido por la UCI

La UCI ha introducido un cambio en la normativa que permite el uso de radios de comunicación con los corredores en citas de la Copa del Mundo. Y Mathias Fluckiger la usó en el Short Track

esmtb.com

 

[Didinho]

So Pidcock didn’t knew untill the afternoon that he could start the XCC. He was a couple lines behind at the starting grid, on his own.
But he did a 3,5h training session in the morning and still won. Even more impressive than I thought.

 

[jmdirt]

Interesting "rules bending" from Cervelo/Vader regarding the necessity riding the same bike during the XCC and XCO races...

https://ep1.pinkbike.org/p3pb24761177/p3pb24761177.jpg

He should be required to race the XCO that way as well.

 

[jmdirt]

As it's the same bike, I don't see the problem. They've merely removed a rear shock for a non-shock part. It's just a bit of creative thinking. Is it any different from running low profile/ semi slick tyres for XCC, and replacing them for heavier treaded tyres for the XCO?

Yes, it is different.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Richards on the front again...

 

[theyoungest]

Looks like Puck Pieterse has her Olympic ticket sealed in her first chance to do so

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Tight finish this, Pieterse is right back with PFP

 

[theyoungest]

Puckie! Unbelievable. First World Cup with the elites, first win.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

What a race.....I expected a good ride, but probably not a win.....What a rider, Puck adds a XCO World Cup to her CX World Cup wins.
A bit gutted for Evie, lost 50 secs with a puncture (Pirelli strike again this weekend) and finished 16 secs behind.

 

[Didinho]

Just watched it, what a race! Evie Richards the strongest but unlucky.

Puck just made my day, what a way to start with the elites.
Impressive final lap fight with Ferrand-Prévot.

Expected a wheelie to be honest

 

[DNP-Old]

Is it me, or am I watching last years race with a different puppet? Dubau throwing hands with Pidders, and he's striking hard. All we need is the inevitable Nino comeback.

 

[Ricco']

Dubau win would be glorious.

Finally a moment where all Decathlon consumers could throw shade towards the Pinarello dentists.

 

[jmdirt]

Congrats Tom and Puck!

Some tight racing right to the finish!

 

[theyoungest]

Fem van Empel finished 17th, which is actually quite good, and better than expected. Ahead of Line Burquier, for example. She had a good start, a poor first few laps, and then she got the engine going.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Fem van Empel finished 17th, which is actually quite good, and better than expected. Ahead of Line Burquier, for example. She had a good start, a poor first few laps, and then she got the engine going.

Yeah, that's not bad at all - Burquier dominated the U23 last season, so beating her is good; she got nowhere near her in the World Cups she did last year. I wonder if she got sucked into trying to stay with the leaders, and blew up.
Plenty of improvement to come, (she missed some races with illness) and will now likely qualify for the next Short Track....

Burquier, like Mitterwallner makes awful starts and is playing catch up - in the Elites, it's hard to do.

 

[theyoungest]

Yeah, that's not bad at all - Burquier dominated the U23 last season, so beating her is good; she got nowhere near her in the World Cups she did last year. I wonder if she got sucked into trying to stay with the leaders, and blew up.
Plenty of improvement to come, (she missed some races with illness) and will now likely qualify for the next Short Track....

Burquier, like Mitterwallner makes awful starts and is playing catch up - in the Elites, it's hard to do.

To be fair I don't think Line Burquier is in a great shape either, and hasn't been for a long while. Her cyclocross season was a dud, and look how far ahead Puck is now compared to last year. Van Empel has been a bit of an enigma so far this spring, hardly done any racing, and apparently been sick/injured, so there's definitely room to improve.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

In less than 6 months, Puck has won Elite World Cups in both CX & MTB........as a 20/21 year old. Pidcock took 1 month longer....pretty impressive.

 

[glassmoon]

yeah... i had high confidence and expectations of her after what she was doing in CX last season

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Yes, I thought she'd go well, but probably not winning the first time out against a stacked field. It took her team mate rather longer to finally get that first win; but both attacked at the same place to win at Nove Mesto.

Saying that, Evie looks super strong, and her descending is fabulous to watch; I hope she'll have a great season.

 

[Davesta]

Having caught up on the racing, it’s another CX rider - Joshua Dubau - that really impressed me…he has such an easy, relaxed style on the bike, it almost looked like he forgot to try and win the race! He seemed better than Pidcock on the technical uphills, but put under pressure on the descents. Will be an interesting one to watch this year

 

[kingjr]

Having caught up on the racing, it’s another CX rider - Joshua Dubau - that really impressed me…he has such an easy, relaxed style on the bike, it almost looked like he forgot to try and win the race! He seemed better than Pidcock on the technical uphills, but put under pressure on the descents. Will be an interesting one to watch this year

Maybe my short-term memory is failing me, but I think he was struggling on the uphills and making up ground on Pidcock on the descents until the latter crashed.

 

[Third Time Lucky]

Maybe my short-term memory is failing me, but I think he was struggling on the uphills and making up ground on Pidcock on the descents until the latter crashed.

Age catches up with us all my friend but I was surprised to see Joshua Dubau a match for Pidcock on the long uphill drags and better on the rooty and rocky uphill tech because Pidcock ran too much psi in his tyres (by choice). Apparently, Pidders had punctures on such terrain in the past and didnt want to run the risk of flatting. Testament to Pidcocks bike skills negotiating slippy rock gardens on that setup.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Can Dubau repeat that performance - and be this season's Braidot, or was it a one off? He was 2nd in the French Cup race behind Gaze so seems in good form.

 

[stonerider]

Can Dubau repeat that performance - and be this season's Braidot, or was it a one off? He was 2nd in the French Cup race behind Gaze so seems in good form.

Since he is a CX racer I hope he continues to do well in XCO. To me, it seems like a CX and MTB race schedule would be an ideal race calendar. You can have a nice break late winter/early spring and another nice break in late summer/early fall. It's when you try to add in too many road races, like Pidcock and MvdP, that things get complicated.