Nys, Vandeputte, Aerts, Del Grosso, Nieuwenhuis... What do some of the big men have to say ahead of cyclocross national championships
Cyclocross
This weekend is special in the cyclocross field as the riders tackle the national championships. This Sunday Belgium will have the men's elite race whilst the Netherlands have both men and women ongoing. Some of the top favourites for all races have spoken ahead of the race and we've got a lot of interesting insight.
Netherlands (Oisterwijk)
Tibor del Grosso (Wielerflits): “In the Netherlands, the U23s and the elite compete in one race. So I don’t have to choose which category I’m going to compete in. Fortunately. Is there a chance for me in the elite? Yes, definitely. But I also know that Lars [van der Haar], Pim [Ronhaar] and Ryan [Kamp] and some others will be there again. It's not going to be easy".
Joris Nieuwenhuis: “The past three months have not been the easiest months. Where I started with the ambition to equal last season, I have not started a single race so far. This was of course not the first setback in my career (and not the last). But this time it was different. Something extremely intangible. My body was completely out of whack for a while. This gave a powerless feeling that I did not know from other injuries. There was no protocol that we could follow.”
“So when everyone started the season, I was on the couch for three weeks. Every day I felt my condition decreasing more and more until there was little left. It made me feel insecure. Because will I still be at my level this year? What will the team think about this? What is wrong with me anyway?”
Belgium (Heusden-Zolder)
Thibau Nys (Wielerflits): “They sometimes say that road riders have an advantage there, but I don't know if that's true. That's very relative. You just have to have a good day. I know that Heusden-Zolder is a very difficult cross to win. And certainly if you are the best rider in the race. It's really a matter of choosing a moment. And daring to gamble. On the other hand, you also have to be very attentive.”
“Everyone seems to be at the same level at the moment. Then it really depends from course to course and from day to day who will stand out. I think Crelan-Corendon has a very strong block, Alpecin-Deceuninck can also mean something to each other. Just like the men from Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines. It is a matter of swimming in between them and doing my own thing, like at the European Championships. It is possible that we will enter the last round with seven riders.”
Niels Vandeputte (Het Laatste Nieuws): “The circuit there will be close to my favourite course. I really like coming to Zolder and have achieved several good results there in recent years, both in the youth and elite. I also put those two (Laurens Sweeck and Thibau Nys, ed.) at the top of my list. They both excel on fast courses and also have a sprint in their legs. Don't forget Eli Iserbyt and Michael Vanthourenhout. They are always there when a championship is held. They may not get their favourite course in front of them, but they can always surpass themselves.”
“I know I am not slow. If it turns out that way, I will confidently go to the finish line. There are many possible scenarios at a Belgian Championship. I feel that I have made some progress this season and that gives me some more confidence.”
Toon Aerts (Het Laatste Nieuws): “I went to Calpe to recover after a period of illness and to recuperate from the tough races we have already completed so far. The good weather is good. After the Belgian Championship, we will continue to focus on the World Championship and the remaining cyclo-cross races in Spain. I have often ridden in Heusden-Zolder, but have never been on the podium there. I find it difficult to estimate this Belgian Championship. There can be very tactical racing and that change of course will also have an impact.”
“I count Laurens Sweeck and Thibau Nys as the top favourites for the Belgian title. There are a whole lot of riders below them, who I can put myself below. I have learned to enjoy cyclo-cross. As a top athlete, I always aim for the highest. If it doesn't work, I always try to take the positive with me.”
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- That a very plausible explanation why some of them have tattoos. I'm not aware of such behaviour because I don't follow other sports. Thanks for the explanation even though it may not apply to all scenarios.
KerisVroom12-01-2025 - You realise that’s an extremely ambiguous expression right but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt:-) It may not hold at this level but a lot of guys in sport “offer” themselves a tattoo (the Ironman logo is an extremely popular example) for reaching their personal goal, which can turn into a reason the lose motivation for lack of having another. Obviously Mr X doesn’t have this attitude, more prone to act as to warrant such perspicacious James Bond titles like The world is never enough, but most of us at some point become happy or satisfied with what we’ve achieved or our mind resigns itself to not believing we can attain more and just lose the will to go further in THAT direction. But the again, I don’t recall Froome having any so who knows ;-)Mistermaumau12-01-2025
- Pretty much sums it up. Races today are often fast from the go as many know it’s their only chance of an upset. GTs are basically fast EVERY day now, whereas in the past there were stages you’d consider asking your money back (if it was a paying sport) so slow and uneventful were they. One of numerous reasons the average speeds jumped up, that doesn’t necessarily mean anyone is speeding downhill any faster, even Pidcock with a huge chainring is going to brake before a bend, it’s not the top speed that matters, it’s your racing experience that knows what the limit is for each situation and many just don’t have enough of this experience for the races they’re doing or no longer care collectively like in the past with its unwritten rules of the peleton. The prize money and cutthroat employment market is also leading to more risk/reward acceptance among the peleton as a whole.Mistermaumau12-01-2025
- Comparing now yes but I think what he was trying to bring over is that he’s progessing so well that he’s on a par or faster than Wout was at his stage (which can be considered kind of true but as Wout wasn’t on the road to compare and Magnier has kind of stopped CC (to please those who got sick of XC) and MTB, it could be debated infinitely :-) Let’s just agree that for a kid just fresh from school, at age 20 he’s got no problem mixing it with the big boys when it comes to crossing the line first, he was one of the revelations of 2024 but as we know, it’s a result in the GTs that decide if the masses pick you up. If you look at the 2024 Tour of Britain (a favourite of Wout), he won 3/6 stages, came 2nd once, lead the peleton to cross in 9th once and would have been a favourite to win the last stage too if he hadn’t fallen (another favourite ou Wout ;-)), that’s pretty impressive for a 20y old and shows he not only has the speed but also the stamina to have it repetitively, I accept the comparison, he could be the next Wout, a little less versatile and probably not quite the stamina for 3 week GTs but a little faster for finishes? It’s possible.Mistermaumau12-01-2025
- Interesting! Spill the tea, pleaseKerisVroom12-01-2025
- I wish him luck but he should remember what many cyclists know, you can often perform well when you don’t feel good and be disappointed on days you feel good. Also that GC one day racing statement isn’t so true, not all GC riders would beat one day specialists, one obvious example is Jonas, definitely among the best in GC but hardly likely to beat MVDP, WVA amongst many in classics. He may be biased by a current crop of GC riders who are just on a higher level in several domains.Mistermaumau12-01-2025
- There might be a psychological explanation for that ;-)Mistermaumau12-01-2025
- It’s certainly more interesting to watch than most men’s races.Mistermaumau12-01-2025
- magnier is “a lot faster than wout”? really? because i haven’t seen ANYONE who’s a LOT faster than wout. van der poel is a LITTLE faster than wout, sometimes. pogačar is a little faster then wout, sometimes. but magnier is just A LOT FASTER, apparently. ok, tim…OCexile12-01-2025
- There is a corelation between the amount of tattoo one has and drop of performance. Examples: Filippo Ganna and Caleb Ewan. More data is needed. Maybe Tadej should a few tattoos!KerisVroom12-01-2025