I'm so confusedVan der Poel DNS on XCC after all, lol.
Yes, but he was never confirmed as stated by CN. After the qualifiers were cancelled, he was merely put on the startlist, just in case, but with caution. He says he's still hurting from the crash on Sunday, and thus will not start.I'm so confused
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No Van der Poel but Pidcock and Sagan to race Thursday's short track MTB Worlds
Newly crowned road race world champion opts out of early mountain bike race at Glentress Forestwww.cyclingnews.com
Isn't short track tomorrow?
Ok, I took DNS as past. Seems odd CN updated that article 1hr ago and it's still saying he will start. Would have liked him to, but I bet he is really feeling that crash about nowYes, but he was never confirmed as stated by CN. After the qualifiers were cancelled, he was merely put on the startlist, just in case, but with caution. He says he's still hurting from the crash on Sunday, and thus will not start.
CN aren't reliable when it comes to MTB; they tend to only report when 'road names' turn up for a race.Ok, I took DNS as past. Seems odd CN updated that article 1hr ago and it's still saying he will start. Would have liked him to, but I bet he is really feeling that crash about now
The Worlds aren't the Olympics. If you start in last row here, it means there's 100 to 110 riders in front of you. It is all but guaranteed you will never see the front of the race. Due to the harsh qualification rules for the Olympics, there are only 40 spots available. Making it much easier to overtake.Does it really matter which row you are in? Sagan was in last in Rio, but at the end of the first lap he was already in the first group. Okay, the quality at the World Championships is probably better than at the Olympics, but still...
Too bad the course feels like a Sunday recovery bike ride, I would have loved to have seen MvdP and Sagan on tough, very technical sections
Yep, but he is pure eye candy, so Dictator Lappartient will take no prisoners and do what he must. I would be very disappointed in Van der Poel too if this proves to be true. What kind of world champion would accept this? Pidcock doesn't do much in the grand scheme of the year, but he puts in the effort every year. And he'd get repaid by starting behind Van der Poel, wtf?!The rule is simple, race MTB and get ranking points = better starting positions for Championships. Everybody knows this.
World Cups are different, and that rule was introduced to encourage riders from other disciplines to race MTB, and they'd get a decent grid slot. I don't recall it ever applying to Worlds.......
Since winning at Lenzerheide in August 2019, he's ridden in just two XCO World Cups....plus his ill-fated Tokyo Olympics. Plenty of opportunity to race MTB......and chosen not to.
And just like the CX WC this was a Canada 1-2. Except not with her sister this time.And in actual racing news, we have a double Junior World Champion; Isabella Holmgren wins the XCO to add to her CX title from Hoogerheide. What a talent...
Juniors very rarely get live coverage; but I hoped being the 'super' Worlds we'd get it live. Sadly not; yet the Junior ITT was covered live........I suppose there isn't some secret live stream somewhere to watch Albert Withen Philipsen go to work?
If we'd forget Albert Philipsen for a second, we'd be bloviating about Nikolaj Hougs, another Danish first year junior with stellar results. It just doesn't stop.Juniors very rarely get live coverage; but I hoped being the 'super' Worlds we'd get it live. Sadly not; yet the Junior ITT was covered live........
As for Philipsen, what can you say? He's only a first year Junior - but can set times U23 riders would be doing.