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Looks like Pidcock was almost a bike length in front when other chap tried to turn into his back wheel to me. Bad wording by the Beeb too suggesting that Pidcock 'appeared to make contact'. Luca's racecraft just not up to scratch.
Go to 2:22 in the video for the incident.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/66469071
Hmm. I dunno, Pidcock clearly coming in very hot as he can't hold the inside line (although I suppose it's remotely possible that the contact precluded that), however even I don't leave the door open like that when it's tight - just asking to be divebombed, so yeah, racing incident.
Racing incident, GCN showed a better angle.
Obviously been taking tips from “Sharp Elbows Verstappen”
Gutsiest move I ever saw, Tom!
That's fine though. Tom's got the inside line (mostly as Schwarzbauer's gone a little too wide). The overhead doesn't show anything, but the camera right on the corner picks it up fine. Comms would have dismissed that in seconds.
Rubbing is racing, however MTB albeit unofficial etiquette is that you don't take out your competition. Remember Fluekinger got a sanction for taking out Schurter last year.
Considering the prize at stake he's right to complain though.
Considering the prize at stake maybe he should have ridden a tighter line!
Block pass. No more to discuss, move on!
Is there any footage from the grassy knoll?
Luca’s racecraft just not up to scratch.
Yeah, I agree, it's the World Champs, and Pidcock is the rider behind you, chose your line more cleverly. I'm not surprised he had a word with Pidcock after the event, I'm surprised he made the statement he did after the heat had died down.
Last 30sec shows the best angle.
Clearly part of racing and the other chaps rear wheel slid out from excessive breaking imo. He had loads of room but was unwilling to relinquish, Pidcock was along side him on the inside just before the corner.
Pidcocks line looked different from Luca's so Luca was a bit stuffed once Tom was inside him. Not gentlemanly but exciting to watch and nothing that doesn't happen in sprints all the time
At 1:37 in that BBC video Pidcock is completely alongside him and moving faster, so any crash was surely him turning into Pidcock - presumably both trying to hit the same worn-in line of the track.
All very tame - Mrs raced the 95 worlds in Germany and there were 175 (!) women on the start list. It was carnage in the mid field, and coming from well mannered UK racing it was a shock to see other riders getting physically pushed into the bushes in the fight for lines during the early climbs!
watched it on GCN last night, even with all the replays I thought the dangling foot was TP's, indicating he was out of control and had over cooked it.
The BBC footage shows its LS's foot as he's been forced (legally IMO) wide of the presumably grippier racing line.
The taping of the corner, with a really sharp edge and a near straight run in for anyone doing exactly what TP did, in hindsight looks deliberately set up to create exactly this sort of drama.
I think the difference is that TP knew by this point he was going for bronze and needed the overtake. Luca takes the faster wider entry, and would have cut into the apex had Tom not appeared in his way, which would have been faster overall, as Luca was still beleiving/hoping he could sprint for gold.
On seeing the BBC clip I felt Pidcock was at fault, but on seeing Monkeyboy's clip, I think there was no fault - the door had been left wide open for him.
Jeez, I thought watch live, that it was a nothing incident - just the nature of that loose dirt on the corner meant Pidcock couldn't have turned any tighter. (Didn't one of the women slide out there with no-one anywhere near her?) If Pidcock had done anything wrong he would've been DQed. I'm sure even XCC has rules.
Plus Germans hate losing to Brits 😀
Leave the door wide open, sort be surprised when someone enters !
It’s the difference between riding fast by taking a preferred line (LS) and racing another competitor (TP). Nothing to complain about.
He ran full gas into [the corner] and I think no mountain biker would do this at all, like a pure mountain biker, the community of us.
Yeah, I think if XC racers want to shake off the reputation that they are simply road riders who weren't good enough for the pro-peloton they shouldn't say things like this.
Only watched it once yesterday. It looked a bit naughty, it was an open door which started closing again and I think Pidcock knew he was pushing it a bit, but I don't think it was in any way intentional. Just racing.
Legit pass IMO, as soon as you see someone is up your inside then you have to change your line accordingly. He's just annoyed he left a gap and must have been surprised how much extra speed Pidcock managed to carry into that corner. Pidcock managed to get round the corner and didn't run very wide at all which shows he wasn't exactly reckless.
Looking at it again, Pidcock comes in so hot that I suspect if he'd let him through then ridden his inside line (which as ayjay says, he was clearly aiming for to exit fast for the sprint) he would have emerged ahead...
Yeah, I think if XC racers want to shake off the reputation that they are simply road riders who weren’t good enough for the pro-peloton they shouldn’t say things like this.
😀
@branes yes, anyone who watches motorbike racing would be well aware of this. Valentino Rossi would have been proud of that move!
in the Words of the Great Man , applies to all racing
He ran full gas into [the corner] and I think no mountain biker would do this at all, like a pure mountain biker, the community of us.
It must be sickening for him to have riders who aren't a "pure mountain biker" to consistently be a better mountain biker than him 😂
in the Words of the Great Man , applies to all racing
'We are not racing to come third...'
Except in this instance.
Did anyone see the Evie Richards one? It was funny - the Swiss rider seemed to suddenly turn into Evie and bounce off, not sure if Richards even noticed. Ooh, a fly just landed on my arm! 😀
The Swiss rider probably bounced off Evie’s smile.
Huge smile as she rode round and dancing on the podium.
Seems like he had two options and did neither - he had a better line than TP coming in to apex the corner and maintain speed away but he didn't close that door and cut TP off as i think he'd have been within rights to do. OTOH once he'd allowed TP up the inside he didn't then give him space and thus contributed to the contact that he came worse off on. Poor racecraft.
If he'd given the line up, he'd probably still have got beaten as TP had the worn in track and shorter radius, he'd have had the looser, wider line but would have at least been contesting instead of sat on his arse blubbing about it.
Luca wouldn't last long in bmx. Looked fine to me, he just didn't realise the speed that Pidcock had coming out of the descent.
best thing that happened in the whole race
best thing that happened in the whole race
Youre not wrong. when XCC first started I had high hopes. the first course - was it Nove Mesto? - they made a lovely course with man made features, up and down, that could be ridden side by side. the other venues didnt seem to match them, and made it more of a dirt crit or non muddy CX race, with occasional brief harder sections of singletrack.
Neither of which are bad, ncecessarily if the course is right and the camera work good.
Which I did not feel was the case in Glentress, the first climb was the only visible method of attack, a key bit in the trees was all but missed by the cameras, the crucial final corner had a tree blocking it.
Which I did not feel was the case in Glentress, the first climb was the only visible method of attack, a key bit in the trees was all but missed by the cameras, the crucial final corner had a tree blocking it.
Agree. Watching on course (in the woods mainly) other than the start/finish straight the only realistic place to make a move was the main climb.
One might speculate that Pidcock didn't have the legs to create enough of a gap on the climb at towards the end of the race (a couple of times he looked to squeeze up a place on the entry to the descent) and only really had a last corner gamble for a podium spot.
Contrast with Gaze and Ferrand Prevot who had the pace to create a gap at the front and once they had, nobody came close to getting back to them (well until Gaze sat up on the finish straight).
XCO course will have lots more opportunities for overtaking as long as riders remain in contact.
Pidcock found two passing places on the inside of corners that no one else did.
But he was lower on power on the flat start finish straight, and up the bottom half of the climb. He came back closer to the top of the climb. Pretty much as you would expect for a smaller rider.
XCO has longer climbs.
Just caught up on the race tonight. Totally legit pass imo and if anything it should be pidcock annoyed with Luca for closing the door. Luca left a massive door open and pidcock took advantage - fair play.
Very impressive ride from pidcock coming from so far back.
Looking forward to the race tomorrow.
Seeing as this is the most active wc thread and perhaps relevant too, anyone know what the riders are getting upset with uci about? Seems something to do with start order that favours the ‘road’ riders maybe?
They feel gridding should be based on ranking from the MTB season, as that's what the rules say. But UCI have changed the rules at the 11th hour. The pro-roadies (Sagan, TP, vdP) don't have points so should be at the back but they've been bumped to the 5th row.
I see both sides but in a large field particularly of mixed ability - and there will be some 'no hoper' competitors in there - for genuine contenders to be badly delayed or taken out fighting through close on 100 starters doesn't seem right either.
<p>Pidcock, Van der Poel and Sagan have been moved up from a last row start to 33rd to 35th positions or something like that, ahead of Gaze who won the short track race this week. <br />It definitely seems odd that Sagan has had the bump as he’s not been at the sharp end of a race in a long time. Pidcock won at Nove Mesto so it seems reasonable that he gets a decent grid position, same for VdP who’s world champion in road and CX.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
Totally fine IMHO, 54kg rider passes up the inside of a 78kg rider and somehow the much much bigger guy ends up on his arse.
It's not like he's lost out to Pidcock in an XCC race already this year, oh hang on 😉
Oi. 78kg is not a big rider. And 54kg is tiny.
Post from Jolanda Neff
"Jolanda Neff has also added to the official statement, pointing out that she believes the UCI has not fairly applied this late addition to the rules as Kata Blanka Vas (who is ranked inside the top 10 in the world for cyclocross) had to start 47th on the gird in the U23 Women's race and finished in 5th. "
No he didn't slam into you, he didn't bump you, he didn't nudge you... He rubbed you, and rubbin', son, is racin'.
Pretty embarassing for Luca that he - a pure mountain biker - can't corner as well on dirt as a roadie
Seeing as this is the most active wc thread and perhaps relevant too, anyone know what the riders are getting upset with uci about? Seems something to do with start order that favours the ‘road’ riders maybe?
UCI in treating mountain biking like a joke shocker!
I think it's a chicken and egg thing. Does the sport not get respect because non-specialists are in with a good chance of winning, or are non-specialists in with a good chance of winning because the sport doesn't get respect.
Either way I'd be quite happy if no mountain biking discipline was in the Olympics. Or the UCI, for that matter.