Cycling thread

[Black Belt Jones]

Do you think Pidcock is good enough to take on Pojacar at the Giro , Tour or Vuelta?
Can't see it myself

Pidcock's power to weight will be mind-boggling - world class cyclocross rider at sub 60kg? Taking Wout to a photo in Amstel gold sprint finish. So for sure he will be able to climb with the best.

GT cycling is just different gravy, though - you need that endurance to hang in the high mountains day in day out without ever having a bad 30 minutes. Even Alaphilippe can't do this, so we'll need to see with TP - he did get the Vuelta under his belt this year but it's early days. Even if he's awesome that might not be enough to beat Pog, who like you say is is a generational talent himself.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Yikes

 

[spectateur]

Yikes

Hé hit a stationery bus while on a training run, according to reports.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Hé hit a stationery bus while on a training run, according to reports.

I suspect that's him out for the season. Hopefully his recovery is more like that of a Pantani than a Froome.

 

[FrenchDarrenBent]

Hé hit a stationery bus while on a training run, according to reports.

He hit a stationary bus while a passenger was getting off on the highway! What were Bernal & that bus doing on a highway.

Sunday WC cyclocross. It's going to be interesting. Pidcock was bested last sunday but in Fayetville will be right up his alley. Hard surface, a bit technical. If it comes to a sprint, he might just be the first English world cyclocross champion.

 

[Black Belt Jones]

He hit a stationary bus while a passenger was getting off on the highway! What were Bernal & that bus doing on a highway.

Sunday WC cyclocross. It's going to be interesting. Pidcock was bested last sunday but in Fayetville will be right up his alley. Hard surface, a bit technical. If it comes to a sprint, he might just be the first English world cyclocross champion.

Watched a replay of the mixed relay - a test event that was kind of fun, but only 7 countries gave it a whirl.
Wow the course is bone dry - it's like a dirt crit, very fast power course. Think Pidcock would prefer something harder tbh. In his favour it's quite rolling - there looked to be some brutal uphill drags that will be selective.

Welsh rider Zoe Backstadt goes today in the juniors and should crush - huge prospect in women's cycling, won in all disciplines. Think she's recently had covid, though, so some uncertainty on her form.

Bernal's crash sounds horrific - he's lucky to be alive.
Pidcock raised the issue of training on the TT bike and head down riding - The pros don't tend to have the super low positions you see with amateurs, but Bernal's basically ridden into the back of a big red stationary object so something's up.

 

[Black Belt Jones]

Some good racing today at the WC cross today. More individual performances really given the course, but I suppose it would be boring if it was Belgian conditions every year.

Zoe Backstedt blew it up lap one and it was over, junior womens world champ. She attacked on the main hill - it has that classic looks-like-nowt on the telly profile but there were some savage pain faces on display, bet it is pretty steep IRL.
Brand v Vos in the elite women was pretty good - Brand threw it down all race but Vos too clever and just sat on mainly. Course not doing Brand any favours and she was never hanging with Vos in the final sprint. Eight world titles for the Goat of all Goats - Vos' first being in 2006.

Mens U23 was the best race with no outright fav and a lot of tactical racing from Belgium v Dutch. Belgian rider Joran Wyseure was first to attack and he managed to stay away, a lot of to-and-fro behind him, with Belgium actually getting 2 and 3.
Scottish rider Cam Mason rode a brilliant race - he seemed to be hanging on by his fingernails first half but consolidated and made the selection for bronze in a trio. Thibau Nys (Sven's kid) has a sharp sprint, though, and wasn't troubled at the end.

Looking forward to tomorrow - will be a competitive race.

 

[Black Belt Jones]

Congrats Tom Pidcock - got the job done in style.

Wasn't competitive in the end - the risk for Pidcock was it turning into a tactical race against 8 Belgians on a mega fast course where you could literally draft at some points. He was in the mix for 4 laps but right at the front so marking everything, then he KO'd everyone with a brilliantly timed attack through a corner. Dutch rider in second, Van der Haar, rode a great race - clearly the second strongest guy there.

Huge result for Nathan Smith in the men's juniors - got bronze. He used to ride for Birkenhead North End, so assume is from the Wirral. Seen him at a few of our local NW races up to last year, where he was racing (and winning) seniors - he's since graduated to Belgium.

He might be a little disappointed as it was just the three of them out front all race, and he looked really in command - actually finished the sprint the fastest - Swiss winner was an absolute beast, though. Think on a more technical course he'd wouldn't have been able to hang, as he was getting out-cornered by Smith and the Belgian guy Dockx, but he was throwing down huge power on the straights.

 

[spectateur]

Nice to see my old club BNE get a mention.

 

[FrenchDarrenBent]

Congrats Tom Pidcock - got the job done in style.

Wasn't competitive in the end - the risk for Pidcock was it turning into a tactical race against 8 Belgians on a mega fast course where you could literally draft at some points. He was in the mix for 4 laps but right at the front so marking everything, then he KO'd everyone with a brilliantly timed attack through a corner. Dutch rider in second, Van der Haar, rode a great race - clearly the second strongest guy there.

Huge result for Nathan Smith in the men's juniors - got bronze. He used to ride for Birkenhead North End, so assume is from the Wirral. Seen him at a few of our local NW races up to last year, where he was racing (and winning) seniors - he's since graduated to Belgium.

He might be a little disappointed as it was just the three of them out front all race, and he looked really in command - actually finished the sprint the fastest - Swiss winner was an absolute beast, though. Think on a more technical course he'd wouldn't have been able to hang, as he was getting out-cornered by Smith and the Belgian guy Dockx, but he was throwing down huge power on the straights.

Thing is, this wasn't a regular cyclocross circuit. No mud, hard underground, not too technical barely 54 metres of height difference..
Pidcock the logical winner, he's so crafty and quick.
I'm a bit (but just a bit) disappointed. No crowds, no mud, no flat tyres, no drama...

 

[Black Belt Jones]

Thing is, this wasn't a regular cyclocross circuit. No mud, hard underground, not too technical barely 54 metres of height difference..
Pidcock the logical winner, he's so crafty and quick.
I'm a bit (but just a bit) disappointed. No crowds, no mud, no flat tyres, no drama...

yeah it wasn't my style either - plus the 'growing the sport' angle causes the actual strongest guy to skip it, which is counter productive. In its favour, if you're going to have a dirt crit, then have a dirt crit - it did go all out for a certain style of cross and produced some big performances. THere was one a few years back that MvdP won, Denmark I think, where the parcours was just boring.

 

[spectateur]

Getting lost, so, bump!

 

[Black Belt Jones]

Opening weekend coming up on Sat - fortunately we're pasting City in the evening KO, so there will be time to watch Omloop and see who has the early season legs. KBK on the Sunday.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2022: Route, predictions and contenders

Who will take the first victory of Opening Weekend?

www.rouleur.cc

Wout is probably going to start favourite for every single race just on general principle. Be fascinating to see how he goes - being the strongest man is a tactical minefield as we all know. He is all in for Flanders and Roubaix so it's unlikely that he'll be planning to crush the entire peloton beneath his wheels from the get go - but no doubt he'll take the opportunity if it presents itself.
Pidcock should be sharp after winning the cross WC - he goes in Omloop at the w/e.

Less good news from last week is that CX rider Toon Aerts failed a drugs test for a masking agent and is waiting on a B sample to see if he's banned. Popular 'pure' crosser who doesn't do much on the road - one of the very few riders to take it to prime vdP in savage conditions at Namur a few years back, greatest cross race of recent times imho. Hard crash on the penultimate lap when he had vdP beaten, really great ride.

 

[spectateur]

Cav seems to have some early season form.
Got the 168th win of his pro career in the UAE tour yesterday.
Not bad at 36.

 

[thirdmantackle]

Anybody doing any sportives this year? Any sportives recommended? Looking to sign up for something in the uk to tie in with a few days away. Cheers