Is there anyone watching this on GCN/Eurosport? I've got no commentary!
Is there anyone watching this on GCN/Eurosport? I’ve got no commentary!
You need the "includes live show" version on GCN
Bloody missed him finishing! Anyway, what a ride!!
Whoop whoop! Was that a tail whip I spotted on the jump after the stairs too?!
Tail whip + superman across the line! He made it look easy
DQ for an illegal aerodynamic position?
Yep. Whip off the jump. Superman over the line! 💪
That was a brilliant ride and a very convincing victory.
That was great! Definitely needed a bit of mud though...
Outstanding ride! Hope he continues his form into the Spring Classics.
Is there anyone watching this on GCN/Eurosport? I’ve got no commentary!
They generally have 2 feeds on Eurosport: one with, and one without. The don't generally tell you which one is which...
Love the way he effortlessly "stole" places up the inside on some of those tight corners, real cheeky! 🙂
That meant a lot to him. Was his bottom lip going towards the end of his interview?
I switched on a few seconds before he launched his attack. So good
Eurosport coverage was great. Pidcock rode a stormer. Really enjoyed that.
going to be pretty downbeat @ the Belgium team hotel tonight 🙂
Much as I wish MVDP was racing, that was a great victory. Gold medal MTB and CX, will have to check where Road Worlds is being held this year.
MTB Worlds in Les Gets before the Road Worlds.....You wouldn't bet against him winning that.
A golden era for MTB XC, and CX...who'd have thought it a few years ago? Men's Olympic MTB Champion, Women's XCO MTB World Champion, and now the Men's CX World Champion.
Great race there and pretty much in a class of his own of those that turned up. He has the hallmarks of a proper cycling allround mega star in the making.
GCN - don't use it much but the quality of the feed in terms of picture quality was dire today. Almost unwatchable at times. Streaming from Netflix and iplayer to the same device was perfect so assume it was their end. Was it just me?
GCN picture quality was fine here though at the moment the app won't cast to Airplay (they acknowledge the problem) so I was watching on the computer.
Coverage was very enjoyable, they need to get their act together on audio though. I thought every race was "super great".
Great race there and pretty much in a class of his own of those that turned up.
Yep, you can only play the cards you are dealt but it is obvious that if Wout had turned up it probably would not have gone the same way.
Exciting race, but that course was crap and spoiled the racing for me. Not enough technical aspects, no mud or sand, no barriers, just an off road crit. May not have changed the results but a poor ad for Cx.
Fantastic racing from Lars as well, loved watching him stick it to Eli. Wonder if her could've gone with Pidcock when he attacked?
Exciting race, but that course was crap and spoiled the racing for me.
I dunno, made for very very fast racing, which still requires huge levels of skill and lots of attacking.
I was astounded to see at times how Pidock seemed to be cruising..... just like a Sunday afternoon jaunt.. no puffing, panting, his recovery must be incredible... or he's got a cracking no pain face.. But it just looked all pretty comfortable at times.
Exciting race, but that course was crap and spoiled the racing for me. Not enough technical aspects, no mud or sand, no barriers, just an off road crit.
For me, that's what made it good! It was a great bit of course design (and don't forget, it has to comply with strict UCI rules about features, elevation etc while still being crowd and TV friendly) but it did showcase a different set of skills to the normal mudplugging.
I guess it's like the difference between a wet and a dry Paris-Roubaix. Everyone loves to see the mud-covered faces, the "epicness" of it all but actually a dry one is still a great race full of attacking and just a different style of technical riding.
no mud
odd that they couldn't control the weather, the warm up/test race in October was a muddy affair.
I thought the course was pretty good - they can't do anything abotu the weather, the world cup last year was very muddy. Seemed to have lots of variation in effort and requirments to sprint out of corners etc. Not sure offcamber woudl ahve been a challenge in that weather either. I did wonder about no barriers but that step of stairs was huge and barriers seem larely inconsequential in a men elite race thses days as they jump them (until you get a crash like TA last weekend of course)
GCN – don’t use it much but the quality of the feed in terms of picture quality was dire today.
Mine was very good
odd that they couldn’t control the weather,
That’s why I put “mud or sand” but well done on selective quotes.
The PR analogy is probably apt.
I was astounded to see at times how Pidock seemed to be cruising…
Thought the same. His body gave the impression he was cruising along, his speed and distance from the others suggested otherwise.
or sand
i guess they could have moved it when it turned out dry.
Tom-B, injured and looking forward and concentrating on other races
Zoe won the female junior race too 👍
I was astounded to see at times how Pidock seemed to be cruising…
I think part of this is his corner speed, he seems to be able to carry speed round the corners better than others so can ease up, rest and carry that speed round rather than being on the brakes and then having to sprint out back up to speed.
Pretty impressive that Nathan Smith got third in the junior mens on borrowed bike!
Thought it was a good course which made for exciting racing/intersting watching. Although I did get a bit bored towards the end watching Pidcock cruise for the win. Watching the first few laps with place changes, corner overtakes and so on was brilliant.
This coming from an avid follower of mtb racing that very occasionally will watch some CX or 1 day road races. Only watched this because of Pidcock and his aim of getting the triple rainbow jersey.
Watching a load of mud covered people run through ankle deep sand or attempt to get a bike that has been crippled by the bizzare historic rulebook down an offcamber corner doesnt really thrill me.
Watching a load of mud covered people run through ankle deep sand or attempt to get a bike that has been crippled by the bizzare historic rulebook down an offcamber corner doesnt really thrill me.
And conversely, I think that that is what makes it interesting. Virtually all sports have their rulebooks setting out what are typically artificial constraints and it's the succeeding within, or overcoming of, those constraints that makes them challenging. Running is pretty the only pure one that I can think of but even then you can't knobble your opposition.
But i would agree with you that it's more interesting to have closer racing for a lot longer in the race. Some of the Pidcock / Iserbyt duels have been great to watch where they battle it out to the end.
I just watched the u23 women race over lunch having managed to avoid the result. That was a crazy good race.
And conversely, I think that that is what makes it interesting.
Very true, I'm certainly not asking for a complete rule change just to make me - an occasional viewer - happy.
Just as somone who enjoys other forms of bike racing, this particular race made the CX more, not less, interesting for me. There was drafting and teamwork/blocking, and some excellent off road handling on display. Plus a couple of what I would describe as motocross passes.
Not sure I fully agree on the equipment ruling. Yes some limits or standardisation is good fo ra whole host of reasons, but watching the likes of TP and MVDP go from an world cup XC race to a muddy CX race the month after you can see how much the tyres and bars hinder them in a number of places.
Yesterday however the CX set up seemed ideal and I enjoyed watching the riders fight it out on them - still in some cases right on the edge.
Photo finish
I really enjoyed the course. I usually find it hard to get into cyclocross races and I think it might be the pace of them that turns me off. I found myself watching this thinking 'wheeeeee that looks fun' which I don't think you get from many cross races.
A couple of things stood out to me
- the womens races had the best racing despite it being a case of 'which lady in orange will win?'
- being able to ride like Tom Pidcock must feel like having a tailwind all the time.
Yesterday however the CX set up seemed ideal and I enjoyed watching the riders fight it out on them – still in some cases right on the edge.
I get this. That track and those bikes looks like a better bet for those on the UK amateur scene that want to road race than some of the road circuits I used to race on of a Sunday morning. Subbing in a course like that (maybe minus the running up the steps lark) would reward many of the same skills with less hassle with unsuitable courses/hassle with public etc etc. I'd have loved a bit of that when younger and fitter. The traditional mud plugging CX had less appeal (but still wish I'd done more of it than I did).
I thought it was an interesting course - and something different to the norm; fast, dry, not too technical, but with a decent length climb. There aren't too many CX Worlds courses with long climbs.
Endless muddy, mainly flat Belgian courses isn't great for the sport. I know some people think that 'CX is mud' but if it wants to grow, then it has to have more variety in courses. My one criticism would be it tends to favour raw power over technique, especially when courses are just mud.
Pidcock is in a short list of riders who is 'world class' in CX & MTB.....and has won in both.
