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Thanks, I'll have a look.
At least if Pidcock goes to road he'll have the skill set to deal with drain covers.
Amazing win Gold at a first attempt just wow, made such a tough race looks so easy.
Paris-Roubaix scheduled for October 3rd. That would be a hell of a double.
Just picking up an earlier comment "the field in the women's is more open than the men's" - have you watched ANY women's XC racing this year? One person has lead from the front nearly all the way in every WC race. You are about as knowledgeable as the aussie bint and south african chump on commentary this morning, sir... if you have any spare time tomorrow morning grab that microphone...
Although I won't knock the coverage entirely, that was a great course and superb camera coverage.
Lecomte has been head and shoulders above the rest but this Tokyo track looks to have less big climbs than the tracks where she has dominated. She has struggled* on the short track courses with less up. Lots of short punchy climbs which might suit some of the others more. I don't think it will be a repeat of previous world cup rounds. I'm looking forward to it.
* Relative to her absolute domination in the main races anyway!
After a somewhat disappointing TdF it's been a pretty good Olympics for Inneos Grenadiers!
Pidcock is a hell of a rider. Watching him going down the Poggio in Milan-San Remo and first around the Olympic XC course was quite a comparison!
At least if Pidcock goes to road he’ll have the skill set to deal with drain covers.
A couple of years ago i was driving one of the Commissaire cars in a UK National road race (forget which one exactly, I've done loads).
TP was in the break with about 4 or 5 other guys, we were in the car behind. There was a long descent with a small humpback bridge at the bottom (only a shallow hump) and then into a left hand bend and up a short kicker of a climb. It had been raining, bit of gravel washed down onto the road and the surface was still damp. Everyone else in the break was on the brakes, TP just went straight down the middle, got a little bit of air over the bridge and slid it neatly into the climb. He was half way up the kicker before the others were even over the bridge. No wasted energy, used his momentum and then got a nice little micro rest on the final bit of the climb while he waited for his breakaway companions to close the gap. It was so smooth, so controlled, he was just head and shoulders above the others technically.
Not that they were "bad" - it wasn't like some Sportive, these were pro riders but he was just much much better! Genuinely impressive to watch.
I think the whole VdP thing is a setup to sell more downcountry bikes. 120mm forks, dropper post and a 65deg head angle and he'd be top of the podium 😉
At least if Pidcock goes to road he’ll have the skill set to deal with drain covers.
IF he goes to road?
Watching the replay now. Watching MVdP go over that drop knowing he doesn't have a dropper makes me wince every time.
Agree the commentary is ill-informed. Very clear from the replay of the crash what the problem was but both commentators just waffled.
OTOH the lady commentator noted how Nino was farting in an effort to keep up, which certainly painted a vivid picture.
Will VdP make it onto Friday Fails?
What did Tom have under his saddle? Was it a camera or a spare tube?
Great racing, the fitness of those guys to gun it for 90 mins baffles me! Big features for an XC course too, Chuffed for Pidcock.
Those bikes on those tyres for those track features and conditions?
Madness!
MvdP thought the ramp would remain. Vadar knew it would go and told MvdP
Not strictly true Vader told him it was removed for the test event.
“Mathieu said: ‘Gosh everyone jumps there.’ I asked: ‘Won't you, then?’ He said, ‘No, I'll roll off that plank,’ Then I said that they had removed that board at the test event in 2019 for the competition.”
In more Olympic tittle-tattle, I note that Nino Schurter (4th) congratulated Fluckinger (2nd) and Pidcock on social media but not Valero (3rd). Oversight or a bit of an issue between those two? I had to go as soon as pidcock crossed the line so didn’t see them come in.
One option - he congratulated the winner, and his friend and fellow countryman. To tack on ‘oh and also Valero for bronze’ might seem a bit naff.
Other option - there was a pack of them vying for third behind the obvious top 2.
Valero, schurter, Cooper and cink I think.
Did something happen in that group we didn’t see?
What a plank.
There's a weird subtext to the whole MvdP plank thing, do you think the Dutch MTB team slightly resented having this mega-star waltz in just for the Olympics when maybe the rest of the team had spent more time working together? Was surprised that the team was so quick to 'blame' him for his crash.
I dont know how the national team set up works.
Assume the athletes bring their own mechanics, possibly a physio or other staff that they normally work with.
And a national team manager who apart form the olympics and world champs doesnt have a hands on managing role?
Perhaps Vader and Terpstra (+ another woman?) spend more time with their friends and/or regular pro teammates and didn't have a lot to do with VDP, especially with him turning up late.