General Race Thread 2022 **spoilers**

breezy1985

With route maps and new teams kits starting to come out I thought it a good time to get this going

Good call.

Movistar kit is really nice imo.

Not so sure about the UAE women's kit though. I think it's the white bugs me.

The other big news was Qhubeka not getting a WT license so only 18 teams next year. I think I read that Arkea will get automatic invites to world tour races as a result.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118333440#Comment_118333440

It's much better than the boring white UAE kits

breezy1985

A couple of other new kits.

AG2R "released" a new jersey exactly like the old one

dastardly00

For that Astana kit ^^^^

Are the two vertical stripes a part of the jersey jersey, or are the straps of the bib shorts showing through?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118333848#Comment_118333848

That isn't a jersey is it? looks more a t-shirt. Which makes those vertical stripes even weirder or is it MTB kit perhaps?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118333948#Comment_118333948

That is a team t-shirt actually but the race kit looks the exact same but with a zip and collar

Just reading MvdP isn't racing in Namur at the weekend due to a knee issue so won't be back to CX until Stephen's day. That was some ding dong there last year between himself and WvA and Tom Pidcock.

My dad has actually really gotten into the CX this year having never watched it before and being exposed to it here at weekends, even the kids pay more heed to it than the road racing.

breezy1985

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/dave-brailsford-takes-on-new-role-as-ineos-head-of-sport/

As rumoured earlier in the year Brailsford essentially stepping back from the Ineos cycling team.

I'd imagine he's doing well then. He's had cancer and some heart trouble in recent years hasn't he?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118338308#Comment_118338308

Ya he had 2 big health scares which he kinda admitted were understandibly taking away from his ability to do the job. I imagine his new role is as mix of advisor and public speaker for Ineos.

In reality Ellingsworth has been running the team for about a year now anyway

Couple of cracking CX races today with both going down to the wire. Delighted for Pidcock, the sight of Iserbyt banging his bars as Pidcock got his arms in the air having taken him at the planks with 2 corners to go was class.

They really needed to have a drone shot looking straight down on that carousel/spiral section for full effect!!!!!! It was frying my brain watching them ride it especially on the first lap when there were still a lot of riders on it at the same time.

Roll on Namur tomorrow!!!!!!

mewso

I might be late spotting this but PCS has a CX section - https://cx.procyclingstats.com/ - obviously don't go there if you don't want to see results on the main page from today but I was wondering if there was an easy way to see what was coming up and who was riding what and just spotted this. Maybe it's always been there and I've been asleep.

Is that new? New to me at least, I've used cyclocross24.com for the CX racing.

mewso

Did Pidcock just do a pitstop fakeout? Can't be sure with the commentary in french.

CrowdedHouse

Ah lads it's still 2021 😀

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118346436#Comment_118346436

Now it's new, was looking something up on the regular PCS site there and it now has road and cross tabs just above the year tabs if that rider races CX too.

Diegem CX race for next Wednesday is off, the other races all look to be be going ahead for the movement but that could change.

Shame about Diegem as that one is run in the evening in the dark so was something a bit different.

CrowdedHouse

I see cyclingnews.com is going subscription - good luck with that!

MvDP today, how many rows back at the start ? 3 or 4? Didn't win but looking decent.

My dad was here and a recent convert, it's the same names every week he says for the women's race and I explained the ladies 2 or 3 rows back haven't a hope, it's like formula one I said. On to the men's race and dad see's MvDP's start, I thought you said the ones down the back hadn't a hope, he's special I said, he can start right at the very back hit a tree while leading and still win (was that last year or the year before?)

The kids were up the walls watching the racing today, they were cheering for Alvarado and Pidcock. Even at 3 and 8 they are cute enough to be sick of seeing the same winners every week 😂

Brand got really upset during her interview, which Hatch did his best to translate but I know Dutch wouldn't be the strongest of the languages he knows. It seemed to be about poor Amy Pieters who is in an induced coma at the moment and Alvarado came to comfort her during to interview.

griffin100

Today’s racing was brilliant. Delighted for Pidcock and would have loved to see Puck Pieterse win, I can’t believe she is only 19. Brand is a monster though.

We're big Puck fans here. Brand is unreal this year but seeing the likes Puck and some of the other younger women competing this season it looks like there will likely be a high standard in the women's game for years to come.

Nationals next weekend and I believe there will be a live stream of the Irish elite mens and women's races if not other categories also.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118407384#Comment_118407384

Where are the NTs on this year?

I really need to start watching cross but I keep forgetting to check ES at this time of year

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118407748#Comment_118407748

Armagh City for the Nationals, can't say I've ever been or even passed through that I recall.

Morris Garren

On a bigger note, does anybody know if the RAS Tailteann is going ahead this year? The new President was all gung-ho about road racing making a 'comeback' and a National TT series is already published- but the calendar on the website has lots of gaps. Last week in May was the usual date?

Melodeon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118407384#Comment_118407384

Yep, we're very fond of Puck here too. Actually, we shout for any/all of the main young 'uns: Peterse, Van Empel, Van Anrooij ,and Vas, and we're keeping an eye on Zoe Backstedt too.

Vos, Brand, Betsema, and the rest are great athletes and all, but they'd want to be winning as much as they can right now, because when the youngsters finetune their racecraft and endurance , the others are doomed to perpetual 'also-ran' status!

Also, WVA is some sort of fearsome beast from another dimension!

Eurosport / GCN didn't have the racing today so had to watch it elsewhere in Flemish. Was a heavy wet day, I'd say the riders were a few kg heavier after that between the filth and wet.

Van Anrooij took the women's race and Pidcock took the mens. Van Anrooij was nailed on favorite in that field and given recent races I'd have been surprised to see her not win. The really race was between Maghalie Rochette and Zoe Backstedt for second and third. Rochette managed to get by and get a gap on Bachstedt in the later stages after she had a minor off and faded but she gave her a race up to that point.

It was funny the commentators were on the phone to Maggie who was in the pits handing Zoe her bikes and spoke to him in English maybe not knowing or forgetting he spoke Flemish and then the second them they spoke Flemish with him. He's a better man than me, I don't think I could take the pressure of getting a bike change or what ever right right for one of my girls if they ever competed at sport at that level 😂

TheBlaaMan

A real change of the guard is coming in the CX World Championships next month with neither van der Poel (unsurprisingly) nor Van Aert (slightly more surprisingly) opting not to go to the US for the races.

You'd expect Pidcock might get his first elite rainbow stripes but Iserbyt and Toon van Aert will certainly make it a race.

Belgian men's and Dutch women's nationals this weekend are basically round one of the worlds.

griffin100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118418946#Comment_118418946

Magnus is an interesting character and I like his commentary. The cycling history podcast on his Paris Roubaix win is well worth a listen - https://shows.acast.com/re-cycle-the-cycling-history-podcast/episodes/second-doesnt-exist-when-backstedt-denied-museeuw-in-his-fin

Nice to see his daughter going well, but with 2 pro cyclists as parents she’s got the genes (as does their other daughter who rides for Trek).

mewso

Cant winning her 13th NC in a row is a good example of why I haven't completely taken to Cyclocross. It's all very one-sided most of the time and tomorrow will be much the same unless WVA has a mechanical (tempting fate).

Nationals live from 12:35

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tb5y-yK4gs

Looks like the Dutch organisers might have seen my comments the last time they used a carousel in a race. They have a top down camera over it as the women go through it. Looks amazing!!!!!!!!!

The guy presenting there with Quigley has to be a brother of yer man from Operation Transformation on RTE surely?????

ednwireland

mud fest on the irish nationals

CantGetNoSleep

The Belgian national championships looked like there might be a race for about one lap of nine. By four laps in WVA has about 30 seconds and looks uncatchable

Morris Garren

Watching the Irish Nationals, seems like about 60-70 % of the course is unrideable, more of a cross country running race than a bike race. Very different dynamic to most 'cycling' races

Pit pens on the left in the Irish racing???? Don't think I've seen that very often if ever.

mewso

Is Pidcock riding the UK NC?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118444214#Comment_118444214

No don't think so. Training camp with Ineos road team if I recall.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118444226#Comment_118444226

Actually he's down to start here https://cyclocross24.com/files/pdf/startlist/2022/british-national-championships-2022.pdf#page=14

I'll be flicking over now in a few minutes after the Belgian men finish.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118409709#Comment_118409709

It is, 15th June as the start date.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118446521#Comment_118446521

Is there a route announced yet?

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118446740#Comment_118446740

Nope but I would be expecting something in the next few weeks, as far as I am aware it is going ahead full gas.

mewso

Technically the road season kicks off this week with the Aussie NCs and looks like Eurosport will be covering it at the weekend.

Rohan Dennis took the men's ITT and Grace Brown took the women's title.

Brand having to dodge a pheasant during the women's race there.

CrowdedHouse

https://twitter.com/cyclocross24/status/1484912357130256387?s=20

mewso

If you don't mind Spanish commentary then the first pro race of the season is streaming here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQyuQY3hLZo&ab_channel=SPORTPUBLICTV - into the last few kms. I believe it's a legit stream. Apologies if not.