kosmonooit

Mens has def. become more open once Nino got beaten, But ladies elites last year was dominated by Loana (less so at the end of the season), lets hope for not knowing who is going to win and several lead changes in each race. A very exciting young rider is 19 year old Puck Pieterse, who has been at the front with the elites in the CX season, her bike handling skills are incredible. Apparently she will be doing mtb this seadon, so watch out for her name in the U23's. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/20-minutes-with-your-favourite-cx-racers-puck-pieterse/id1532785341?i=1000547775226

Christopher Blevins and Hayley Batten now on Team Spez - should see some results there.

Piddles is talking of triple .. he has a good chance in Fayetteville since Woutkop won't be there and MdvP is still licking his wounds from last mtb season.

What about Sparkle Watts? will she find some form and results? She must have been very disappointed with last season, no results to speak of fresh out of being a World Champ and World Cup winner I worry about all these U23's that come into the Elites all guns blazing, win everything for a while and then it seems all over before their Elite careers have really begun ... burn out? Will Loana go the same way? She was def. lights out at the end of last season. Sensational Blanka Kata Vas with the Spez Works team has been closely managed this CX season I think to avoid this scenario, she took a few months break (obligatory) - hope to see her mix it up on the MTB, Remember she was 4th in the Olympics. But maybe road will be her focus.

Went the way of the dodo .... here in GP anyway. Lion Man, Crater Cruise, Magies Monster and more, big and small. I think Baberton is the only one day event of significance to survive (highly recommend!), now in May. What happened? Some part of it may have been when a certain group that ran a certain series sponsored by car company bought rights to other independent events and closed them down to focus on the bigger ones. They also started to play with the format, making some events two day, The shorter 40/20k events on the same day as the big attraction on the Saturday. Which ruled out a chilled Sunday ride with the family. Also it was all going horns with MTN sponsorship, then that stopped, then that financial group stepped in, what with MTB being the new golf, and as soon as I say the VIP tent in the finish area I knew is was the end of an era. So events became a big show, cost lots of money to lay on and without a headline sponsor they were unsustainable. Could also be the times we live in: people less inclined to travel out of town on a regular basis for safety, economic and other reasons. Me. MTB could well be less of a fad than it became. Pop will eat itself. Will we ever learn?

They should include a hearse in that line up of support vehicles for those who are not in top condition

Definitely - escape the clutches of winter for the tale end of a Mediterranean summer, but the decision was not up to the athletes, and really we can't expect common sense to prevail.

I'm not surprised the Stellies XCO was a once-off, as awesome as it was. Unless there is money to be made, its not going to happen. CSA/ Provisional/ National $upport: forget it. It was a side show to the Epic, and probably ran at a loss. Unless I got it wrong. Pity: from what I could gather athletes liked to come: not too big a travel from Europe, same time zone, and lets face it, Cape Town is a great place to visit. My biggest complaint about the XCO season is that its too short.

Tom has beaten them both before, but yeah those boys haven been dominating, although MvdP seems to still have some time still to recover now from what looks like some deeply embedded injury. I don't think he will make Worlds. If Wout goes, it could be said and done but he hasn't committed, Tom has. Wout is just exceptional now BUT Tom is perhaps the only one who can really challenge him, it was close on Saturday as well. Wout just has the power to come through later in the race (if he was not in front to begin with), much like Lucinda.

Thomas Pidcock MBE mind you .... Although Wout did have some seriously bad luck with that stuck chain, but a win is a win. Great course today in Hulst, I love how a seventeenth century fort has been repurposed as a cyclocross track. Brand is just something else. true champion.

Maybe they trying to do too much ... the team was originally built around CX and Tom Piddlycock, I think it lost its way a bit after he left and they were doing CX, MTB and what else. Also in terms of resources, Chris was saying how resourceful he had to be for bikes this last season, I reckon he is headed to a more well provisioned team like the Spez factory team, or maybe the road? Not that I am a Spez fan it should he said. Maybe Trinity will stick to cross, they had a U23 win (on Tuesday?) with Cameron Haley I have no idea ....

Yeah that win by Mr Piddles was sensational, his first UCI World Cup win and first for a Brit, great racing. Lead change many times. Eli took some effort to beat. And in the ladies as well, Vos shows she is the boss, the only one that seems to really be able to challenge Brand's power. But Denise rode well to come back from a bad start, don't know what she can do about Vos and Lucinda.. except tactics. Namur today! Fresh off camber section apparently. Muddy cobbles. Bring it on!

Namur this weekend! This is a biggie bros, not to be missed. Everyone who is anyone will be there except MvdP with his knee problem and I think Wout is on a training camp. Piddles will be there, New re-minted USA Champ Clara, Brand, and Blanka!

Daughter of Maggie, 17! Youngest ever (lady?) to win televised Belgium elite CX race. Okay everyone else is in Italy and Lucinda is on a training camp in the Balearic islands, but it is what it is, She has been featuring top 10 this season

I think Super$port shows the UCI World Cups but I VPN to Sporza VTM etc and GCN+ shows all the races, but with geo restictions that vary Should be excellent racing tomorrow: Vos is back although Lucinda wont be there, she is really on fire once again this season. With the mens: Woutkop and Tom are back as well, Wout really gave the toppers something to think about last week! Tom just strechted his legs and I sure will be in the kop group Apparently one of the reasons its being held in the snow is to try push it onto the Winter Olympics agenda,

Which brings a certain album to mind ...

Haas Daas!

Not such a great course for the Euros is it? Up and down a grass covered tip basically, not much technical besides a bit of mud, very fast, but that is not to take away anything from Lucinda's victory: a great attack early on and she was not seen again. Great race for Silver/Bronze with Blanka and Yara, and happy to see Ceyling finish strongly in 4th, but my gal Denise ... ag nee it was not her day. Watched the Track Champions league in Mallorca as well, I think it good entertainment, and all done in a few hours I just need to tune into another stream, I can't stand Carlton Kirby.

It will come here when someone gets it together to start organising races, and then the sport can grow. It so big in Belgium because its intrinsically part of their culture, been there since the invention of wheels,

Yup, and GCN apparently going to be showing the u23 races as well for the first time, Ladies Elite today and Mens tomorrow, and I think the U23 is the other way around. Hard to see past Isi ftw in the Mens Elite, he has been cleaning up in just about every race so far, and no Wout, MvdP or Tomo. Toon might be the one to challenge though. Ladies Elite a bit more open, current champ Ceylin is not in good shape, who is is Denise B (my pick) but that fine young upstart Blanka KV has started winning now and there will be no holding her back, she is racing the Elites. But watch out for the world champ, she knows how to win races!

Well the Iowa World Cup races were great - some great racing in both the mens and ladies, several lead changes and emphatic victories. Kata B Vas first podium! Won't be the last. Hot and dusty. Mount Krumpet took its toll. USA fun and games now over and the schlep back to Europe for a double weekender coming up: Superprestige @ Ruddervoorde and another WC at Zonhouven aka Sand Heaven on Sunday.