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“As long as Mathieu van der Poel is at the start, the chances for the rest are quite minimal" - Sven Vanthourenhout agrees with Roger De Vlaeminck on predictability of Cyclocross World Championships
CyclocrossWednesday, 22 November 2023 at 15:30
Roger De Vlaeminck recently gave some scathing criticism of the upcoming Cyclocross World Championships, following the snubs of both Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock. Notably, Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout has a similar opinion.
“I fear it,” admits Vanthourenhout in quotes collected by Wielerflits. “As long as Mathieu van der Poel is at the start, the chances for the rest are quite minimal. I think we better remain realistic about that. Mathieu was the best of the Big Three anyway, he is the very best cyclocross rider in the world. Normally Wout comes closest to him, shortly followed by Pidcock. But what are you going to do against him now?”
“I think that the World Championship is and will remain the highlight of a cyclocross season. Whoever is there at the start should actually have no influence on your ambitions or preparation," continues Vanthourenhout. "As a rider I would always try to reach my best level of the entire cross season in that cross. I'm not going to say that you are only judged on that, but the World Championship is a very important benchmark that shows that you can compete anywhere.”
One of the riders with the biggest hope of upsetting van der Poel will be Eli Iserbyt. “Mathieu is and remains the big favorite. It is a great pity that Van Aert and Pidcock are not there for the excitement. But hey, a lot can happen in one day. It is important to be in good order yourself,” says the Belgian. "In a normal world it will be very difficult to become world champion against Mathieu van der Poel. I don't assume bad luck or other things.”
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- you was so exhausted, ok, then why to ride third-class races immediately after the Tour? do a mix of rest, relax and soft-medium training in your family environment and after the birth of your baby, a month of full, intense training for the world championship! prestigious and suitable race for you (even MAS did well). Sometimes I don't understand Jonas's calendar.
maria2024202423-11-2024 - it’s just a brutal sport, and if you don’t believe in yourself — especially when you’re young — then what’s the point. i get it. that said, the voice of ultra competitive Mads Pedersen after last year’s Roubaix does echo in one’s ears. “mathieu was LEAGUES better than the rest of us… Yeah, i’d like to BELIEVE i could win this race one day, but after what mathieu just did i think that might be difficult…” and that’s MADS PEDERSEN. still, what can pithie do BUT believe?OCexile23-11-2024
- it’s just a brutal sport, and if you don’t believe in yourself — especially when you’re young — then what’s the point. i get it. that said, the voice of ultra competitive Mads Pedersen after last year’s Roubaix does echo in one’s ears. “mathieu was LEAGUES better than the rest of us… Yeah, i’d like to BELIEVE i could win this race one day, but after what mathieu just did i think that might be difficult…” and that’s MADS PEDERSEN. still, what can pithie do BUT believe?OCexile23-11-2024
- Compete with MVDP!!! None of the major races he was even close to MVDPabstractengineer23-11-2024
- Aids?Front24223-11-2024
- Maybe he needs more cowbell?redfishingboat22-11-2024
- you are a heromaria2024202422-11-2024
- It happens all to often. My crashes over time have yielded a broken neck, broken back, broken left leg, crush pelvis, three broken collarbones, broken right arm and I've even lost a rib. Somehow I still train and do some races every year, mainly time trials these days.awp22-11-2024
- In Italy you have few days, no more than 10 days.maria2024202422-11-2024
- Thank you, I don't know it.maria2024202422-11-2024