Here's a thought: Lightest M Elite Worlds podium ever?

Pidcock: 128 lbs Van der Haar: 131 lbs Iserbyt: 121 lbs

Only Persico is lighter than Iserbyt. Men's podium was 9 lbs heavier total than women's.

Normally, top cxers are quite a bit heavier than roadie equivalents. I recall both Stybar and Boom having to lose more than 20 lbs each when they made the transition to road. Seems like the sport is changing.

WvA and MdVP might have something to say about that.

Wout and Mathieu appear to have lost very little weight for the road. In stark contrast to Boom and Styby who had to slim down enormously. Very surprised by this.

They are freaks for sure. Jump up ramps with Alaphillipe, sprint with Cavendish, runs steps and plow mud with Sven Nys. All in the same year. (figurative Sven Nys, obviously)

WvA just made everyone look so silly in the CX races he did. Pidcock came close to doing that Sunday. It looked like the Belgians were taking turns attacking him (Sweeck, Vantourenhout each attacked a couple times) hoping to wear him down, and Pidcock just counter-attacked right over the top of Vantourenhout's attack, and that was it.

For sure.

I thought Tom was (deliberately) nowhere near his Olympic form for all this cx season and had discounted him a bit for worlds.

Then he goes off on training camp and gets back to that form and obliterates everybody. Just a different level.

I'm guessing he's hitting his best ever numbers and is trying to figure out how to keep that form for the classics. Watch out for him at MSR and Flanders/Roubaix.

Loved the interview with Lars where he admitted that he messed up by not going with Tom's move. At the same time he knew that Tom could still drop him at will.

I suspect that the Belgians were working for Iserbyt (Iserbyt was sitting in while the other Belgians were attacking).

So I think Iserbyt blew it by not at least trying to go with Pidcock. (assuming my reading of the race was correct)

Of course it's always easier to follow attacks from the couch than it is in real life.

I loved the fast course as it made for some exciting finishes in the U23 men, elite women, junior men, and U23 women. Pidcock was on a different level today...timed his peak perfectly.

I second the kudos to Fayetteville. Most everything was super well organized and course was great for spectators. The people working the event were uniformly the most friendly and nice people I've encountered working at a sporting event -- many people were making that observation.

As for course, cyclocross is at mercy of weather. The worlds race there last fall was slow mud fest.

We ran in to many of the u23 racers (and whole Belgium u23 team, and Sanne) at a bar Saturday night. Very friendly. I was struck by how small all the riders were. But I guess I should not have been surprised, they just look bigger on TV and in pictures.

Sunday after the races, most riders were signing autographs. I said Lars, "I took my son here to Louisville and we saw you on the podium there too. My son was this tall [I indicate with my hand about 5' or so on my son's chest]."

Lars says, "and I am still small."

Lars was having the most fun on the podium and unlike Pidcock and Iserbyt, threw his bouquet to the crowd.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

If anyone is interested, Podium Café hosts a season long fantasy cycling team competition and rider selection is now open. There are both a men's and a women's competition, though with slightly different rules. I'm always terribly mediocre in my picks, but its all good fun even for those in the back half of the field.

https://www.podiumcafe.com/...ting-now-you-made-it


https://pdcvds.com/

I would agree... for the most part. The food situation was dire -- mostly fried food, only one outlet, lines 90 minutes long -- and running out of (real) beer by the start of day 2 seemed decidedly amateurish. I suspect both had to do with limiting distributors to maximize profits, but both appeared to backfire.

That sucks.

I decided to splurge paying $350 each for me and my two boys for the VIP. Went against my very cheap nature (I camp in car when I travel to races), but it was Worlds -- a very rare event, and both boys (one a huge cycling fan, one not really) and I had a great time.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

Good early season racing today with Mads opening account in France and some cross-wind action in Saudi Tour.

More of this, please.

I had it in my head that de Gendt retired.

But there he was yesterday, first official break of the season!

And less Astana rap. Whatever bad-is-good fun value the last one had is kind of erased by the situation in Kazakhstan.

I'm sorry that you are immune to their Jedi mindtrick :)

Jest aside, looks like UCI just made Pidcock's goal of doing the PFP slam (CX, XC MTC, and road titles all in 12 months) a bit harder

https://cyclingtips.com/...hips-date-announced/

What is it thinking?

This seems like a really bad idea on the surface. But maybe Pidcock can take up cycle-ball (whatever that is).

Cycle-ball sounds like bike polo…

Hard pass

ETA: it’s not bike polo apparently

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycle_ball

Any hints for those of us who don't subscribe?

Thank goodness the gran fondo world championships is included, someone send a fruit basket to Aigle.

I didn't even realize there was a "fondo world championships"... what does that even mean? Some sort of cash grab by the UCI?


That finish at Etoile de Besseges today was brutal. Cocquard looking lean and mean there.

Meanwhile in Spain, Jakobsen with an impressive display of power. Interesting the he and Groenewegen win on the same day.

The fondo championship used to be the Masters Road Race championships

When UCI saw the popularity of gran fondos, it said eff it to the previous model and converted the actual road races to fondo format.

So you are right it's basically a form of cash grab...

OOoh that's hot.

 
Great looking ride.

My new one arrives next week. Different groupo, a Dura Ace Di2 and bar tape (+with an appropriate seat height).

I just don't have great luck with SRAM, except on my gravel bike that has just a mechanical Apex groupo.