Hi All

Off to see the cross championships this weekend at the Hetton Lyons course in Sunderland.

Not been there before, anyone have any recommendations on the best place to watch? Useful map online and have a few thoughts of placement on the bank in the trees but any recommendations would be great.

Just wander around. We went to the UCI race in Namur before Crimbo and just spent time in different parts of the course during all the races. It’ll become clear where the really interesting parts are quite early on.

Just wander around, there’s a few good little wooded sections. And if you’re not there in person I believe it’ll be broadcast live on the BBC.

Its on the BC website and facebook paging streaming live. The course generally has a breeze blowing through it, if its coming off the lake it gets a bit nippy. Plenty of cover in the trees though. Looking forward to it, going to ride along on Sunday morning.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/britishcrosschampionships/article/20180104-National-Cyclo-cross-Championships-2018-HSBC-UK—National-Cyclo-Cross-Championships-to-be-shown-live-on-British-Cycling-s-website-and-Facebook-0

National Cyclo-Cross Championships

not sure if this will work but a link to the course video on their Facebook page. Looks great. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=149403255841040&id=119332698848096

I won’t be there OP, but give my Niece Ruby Miller/elite women and her partner Steve James/elite men a cheer for me. I’ll be shouting at the tv but I’m sure the wont hear me 🙁

Who do they ride for taxi25?

I was down at this course today watching the younger riders, course is looking fairly good, weather seems dry for tomorrow, although it was a bit nippy when the wind picked up, plenty places for shelter though in amongst the trees and the finish line.

Who do they ride for taxi25?

Ruby rides for Hargroves and Steve’s one of the Hope boy’s.

Noted. I think I’ll be on the run up. Pm me if you want me to a pass on bespoke message 😆

So, are we rooting for Helen Wyman or Nikki Brammeir? Or will Evie Richards make the move up to Elite champion?

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclocross/article/20180113-cycle-cross-Seven-champions-crowned-on-first-day-at-HSBC-UK—National-Cyclo-Cross-Championships-0

Evie racing U23s I think, but if she wasn’t the woman’s elite would be the strongest nationals in the world I think. Screw Belgium.

Team Wyman btw.

Helen has been having a pretty good season so far, I don’t think Nikki has quite got back to where she was 2 years ago. Evie has a really good opportunity in the U23, but I will be cheering for Anna Kay a local (to me, Gateshead) rider. I think the course will be the test, not too muddy (forecast is for dry weather) the bridge over the finish straight is a dog leg and comes after a short climb out of the trees (could get a bit slippy) definitely a leg sapper. I think a young rider winning would be good for the sport in general, lots of young females out there today racing looking to be there in the future.

Good to see plenty coverage onTV and online

I imagine Evie wants the U23 title this year and will then decide to do seniers next year, a bit like Pidcock.

u23 mens currently live on bbc website, love the enthusiastic trex 🙂

Is going to be replayed either on the red button or the other live feed?
I’m busy all day and was hoping to watch this evening.

elite women are just about to start

BC do appear to be live streaming on facebook, anyone care to join me asking if they will do the same for DH and XC?
https://www.facebook.com/britishcycling/?hc_ref=ARR0AGzecWEbVMA8F-3tCFWCS1zYNiIDQRX30q9dMAcBzg43jVunymxZsKpzolrDlws

the ladies are tough a lot of bare flesh ! 😯

BC not allowing Evie Richards and Tom Pidcock a dispensation to ride the Elite races severely diminished the event – both senior titles pretty meaningless as they weren’t the fastest riders. The Belgian Champs from Koksidje was a decent race and not having Ant McCrossan rabbiting-on is a bonus.

dovebiker – Member
BC not allowing Evie Richards and Tom Pidcock a dispensation to ride the Elite races severely diminished the event – both senior titles pretty meaningless as they weren’t the fastest riders. The Belgian Champs from Koksidje was a decent race and not having Ant McCrossan rabbiting-on is a bonus.

Source?

I really enjoyed today – I’ve posted some bits on my Instagram including a look at Evie Richards winning bike – https://www.instagram.com/overhimavant/

Dispensation or not, it’s a bit of a shame that the fastest man and woman of the day didn’t get the elite jersey. That said, they did do shorter races so I’ve no idea whether they’d have been as fast over the full distances.

BC not allowing Evie Richards and Tom Pidcock a dispensation to ride the Elite races severely diminished the event

It’s a UCI event (as are all National Championships) and there’s no such thing as dispensation, you ride in the category on your licence. For Evie & Tom, that’s U23.

Enjoyed the live coverage, though I didn’t actually watch it live. Both the eliteraces looked good. Be nice if they did live coverage for the Nat. Trophy races as well next year. And as some else said, the mtb too.

Had a great day there yesterday, elite races were great especially the mend with the top three locked together for all but the last lap.

Pidcock looked awesome, his speed through the wooded sections was amazing, honour to see a star of the future (or even bigger than he is at present).

Great event, very well ran and my 9 and 6 year old boy loved it – especially building dens in the woods in between races!!

It’s a UCI event (as are all National Championships) and there’s no such thing as dispensation, you ride in the category on your licence. For Evie & Tom, that’s U23.

I thought Wout and van der poel had both ridden senior whilst being U23???

In fact I think van der poel is still only 22.

So was there no U23 class at Namur hence why Evie rode in Elite?

Both Wout and Matthieu won world champs as elites when they were u23. I guess their own nations allow the step up both have also won multiple national titles too.

Sounds like just BC don’t allow u23s to race as elites but when they race overseas they get the category they want.

WvA and VdP rode Elite but at the expense of not being able to ride U23 again. Once you decide to move up at UCI level, that’s it, no going back. Evie and Tom could do the same (yesterday’s races were UCI events) but there’s nothing to be gained for either. Tom is U23 CDM overall winner and has a good chance of winning the world title next month which means far more than a British Elite title. Evie has already won an Elite CDM round and the same applies to her.

Besides, both WvA and VdP were absolute shoe-ins for Elite champ and had nothing more to gain in U23, Evie and Tom wouldn’t go into the World’s as favourites like they did.

Plus Pidcock is first year U23 isn’t he? May as well get the title(s) and worry about elite in the future!

Would have been nice to see Evie in the elite race as it was a bit dull (taking nothing away from Helen’s performance) and a 2 horse race.

The men’s elite race was excellent though.

Great to see so many familiar faces from the local leagues on the telly too – props to Neil Phillips for pulling a wheelie over the line when he got pulled on the last lap. 🙂

Oh my god it was mental! What a brilliant weekend I raced Elite women and I’m far from Elite! If it is an Elite race you are never going to have more than about 5 women in it at the moment. We need to increase participation and with that we will get a better race. As already discussed if Evie Richards had chosen to race elite she can never go back to U23. IT was a brutal but awesome course to ride and the crowds were mega.

now who has the photo of the person in the dinosaur outfit who nearly had me off my bike laughing mid race!?

I thought the U23 thing was a rule, but Evie won an elite World cup the other week (Namur?), didn’t that count? Or does it only apply to Nats and World champs?

That didn’t count as the U23 women ride world cup races with the Elites, that’s why there are two leader’s jerseys in the race, one for each classification. You can see the difference easily as the U23s wear different coloured numbers.

Ooooh, I thought she said in the interview she was supposed to be racing Saturday in the u23, must’ve got the wrong end of the stick.

Gotcha.

She was probably talking about the world champs rather than a world cup. At the champs the U23 and Elite women have separate races as it’s all run over two days rather than one like at a world cup.