🏆 European Championships Pontchâteau WU 🇪🇺 🥇 🇬🇧 Zoe Backstedt 🥈 🇱🇺 Marie Schreiber 🥉 🇨🇿 Kristyna Zemanová 4 🇳🇱 Bentveld 5 🇳🇱 Molengraaf 6 🇫🇷 Onesti 7 🇧🇪 Van Sinaey 8 🇧🇪 Brouwers 9 🇨🇿 Hladiková 10 🇮🇹 Borghesi ➡️ Results: bit.ly/3skQfUl #EuroCross23
"A modern cyclocross rider can no longer afford not to race on the road" - Belgian coach advises cyclocross teams to look for more competitive summer calendar
CyclocrossSunday, 05 November 2023 at 13:20
Cyclocross has over the past decade been taken over by multi-disciplinary talents. Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock, Marianne Vos, Fem van Empel and now Thibau Nys seem to grow above the level of the "purists" and one of the sport's main figures believes it is now key to race a very competitive road season throughout the summer.
“A modern cyclocross rider can no longer afford not to race on the road. If you want to compete at the highest level in cyclo-cross, you have to make choices. And you have to ride a more than decent road program," Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout told Het Nieuwsblad. "These should not be competitions at WorldTour level. But a small cross team must also consider a summer road program for their riders in the winter months.”
With the rise of Thibau Nys, at 20 years of age, the Belgian's point seems to be evident. Riders who have a World Tour - or similar - calendar throughout the year - manage to reach a higher level during the winter, somewhat of a mutual benefit situation. With this however, teams like Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal may not be taking the step they need. Having a calendar (although not all main CX riders do) with a continental team on the road, throughout the spring and summer these riders aren't doing races that push their level to grow.
“Until further notice, Iserbyt is the best crosser we have. You can tell by all his data. He has an engine that is made for racing. There is still room for improvement," Vanthourenhout believes, arguing that a calendar (or team) change during the summer could see the Belgian improve even further during the key winter months. "I think there are other opportunities down the road that could help him improve. But of course that interpretation has to be done by his team.”
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Nov 05, 13:04
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- It will be just a waste of time to finish out of the podium. Giro Vuelta makes a better choiceabstractengineer19-11-2024
- I would agree, top 3 with Remco improving and snapping at his heels. I just wish he wouldn't keep crashing in the TDF.Pedalmasher19-11-2024
- Backstedt and Schreiber are not juniors they are under 23. There were I think about 7 or 8 juniors in this race. Under the current rules a race that has juniors in can't go over 45 minutes. The winning time was 43.53 so the timing was correct. The organisers are in the wrong because they should be putting on a juniors race and then we wouldn't be in this situation as the timings for the elite race would be 50 minutes, not 45.NorrisHippocampe19-11-2024
- It's everywhere. Just like it was before. But we can just pretend it isn't. Just like we did before.Sweep19-11-2024
- Not a top 4 GT rider? He's got more GT wins (just not at the Tour) than any viable active rider (Froome not included). Were it not for his team messing it up for him, he'd have won the Vuelta even more often. He's a bizarrely accident prone, deeply conservative rider, but it delivers. He's also one of the best 1-week GC riders in the peloton. The man may not be Pogacar or Vingegaard (who is?), but he is definitely in the top 3 of the field, right now.RidesHills19-11-2024
- Nobody is saying that he is tin he Top 4 GT riders but nobdy is also saying he is capable of winning the TDF in the presence of Pog and Jonas. He was already fairly blown away before his crash and if we assume that Bora hired him to win the TDF, then it would not be considered a success. That he won the Vuelta only make it not a total fail.abstractengineer19-11-2024
- "The viewing and visitor figures are both better than when they were riding" - what a BS. Please compare (and only then) visitor figures during current season vs when WvA and MvdP are back in December (hopefully!) otherwise you are comparing oranges to apples.averagecyclist19-11-2024
- I counted 16 riders under 24 out of 43 that started. Once was only 16 ! Two of the top riders are Zoe and Schreiber and both under 23 yet that have done 50 min races in the past with the elites so I think it's just bad clock management. Let them race 50 freakin' minutes! One more lap could have made a big dffierence most times in the podium and winner.frieders319-11-2024
- He needs to finish out his contract and then go hit MTB and Cross/Gravel really hard, that's where his heart is.awp18-11-2024
- Pidcock is starting to sound like Froome now.Sweep18-11-2024