The proposal of spikes was a joke, I can imaging there are unsurmountable safety issues. However, it doesn‘t need to be spikes like in ice speedway.

Last year's edition wasn't icy at all. I don't think anyone was hoping this year would be as icy as it was, but it happens.
Meanwhile, both the men's and women's races were exciting, with worthy podiums. Clearly some racers didn't have the skill set needed, but others excelled.

I'm not taking anything as fact, until it's on Cav's IG

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

You may have been joking, but spiked tubular CX tires exist, and they're awesome in those conditions.



I was able to run a set a while back, and they lived up to the hype that surrounded them at the time.

There aren't any safety issues that led to them being banned, it was a question of equity. It's simply not possible for lower tier riders/teams to afford to purchase and transport even the absolute minimum of 4 extra wheelsets/tires per rider for conditions that occur as rarely as ice/snow races traditionally have. This amounts to a huge advantage for the bigger/more well funded teams, and is particularly disadvantageous for the racers (cough - Americans/Canadians) that aren't based in Europe, and have to fly everything over. It's the same reasoning that led to the 33mm limitation on tire section.

This calculus changes when the conditions are guaranteed to occur at a specific World Cup.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

I thought that was just to maintain the spirit of CX - mountain biking on the wrong bike. :)

What's the fun in watching someone drive through a sandpit on proper tires for deep sand?

Right?! Hah!

As much as there is some small bit of truth to that, I don't think most folks realize just how much US cyclocross had to do with the tire regulations in CX. The top riders might still roll up to the races with a panel truck full of wheels/tires, but putting a cap on the section made things much more fair.
There is still some disadvantage for riders flying over from the US (on a day where a 30 section mud tire is the choice, you're definitely going to be at a disadvantage stuck on 33's) but it's now possible to race a season in Belgium with files/Rhinos/Typhoons, all in 33, and not feel like you're hosed before the race starts.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

PSA: Quite a good battle between our trio of road/CX superstars at the Exact CX Mol. Definitely another chapter in the LoTR-length WvA-MdDP mano-a-mano series.

Women's not quite as good a race, but we see the return of Worst and Brand, both looking healthy.

Jumbo know how to prepare Wout at training camps. He came back from Spain firing on all cyclinders.

I guess training camps aren’t enough to wear out the big three.

Just

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all on here. Hoping you grow your stables/workshops this weekend.

Likewise and ditto!

Wout handles training camps and stage races way better than MvdP. He doesn't fatigue as much and/or recovers better.

What he did at the Tour this year is testament to that—switched on pretty much everyday from beginning to end.

Although those guys looked like they were missing speed or were a little flat on top end at Mol. Their relentless pace ended up wearing everyone else out but it seemed to take a while for them to really be rolling. IOW, will only get worse for the rest of the field.

the opposite, i'm afraid - went out for a great ride on my new gravel bike the other day and had a hard crash at speed. think i've damaged the fork juuuuust enough that i want it inspected/replaced before i ride it again. and a 'cross race i wanted to do in a week's time!!

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

Happy everything to the group here. This thread and this group for me is one of those cool little joys that add up to create big joy like a quiet winter morning ride with a well timed espresso. Or the Tractor driving a split that brings a smile to a big old amateur's face. The little things that add up. Incremental gains.

And if the holidays aren't for you, hang in there. About 30 seconds left in this annual FT test.

And, I hope Jan Ullrich's story is well told. I pull for the guy, always.

Slainte!

beautifully said
and the joy of racing in Gavere this morn
big snows for the Wasatch next two weeks !!!

Dang, the Three Amigos all threw absolutely everything they had at each other! Best men's CX race in a long time.

Apparently Ineos, Jumbo, and the shampoo team all know how to do winter training camps!

the women's race had me feeling sad for puck, but also for lucinda in a way: imagine you're 33 and watching one after another of these 20-year-olds winning races ahead of you. has anyone but puck/shirin/fem won a women's world cup this year? yikes.

anyway, cool to see lucinda coming back into form and happy for shirin to find another win. also cool to see puck beastmode her way back onto the podium. the girl's got balls. honorable mention to zoe backstead - i wonder if she's going to become a big one-day/bad conditions diesel who's racking up roubaix or strade bianchi wins in a few years?

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

Indeed, well said McNulty! Btw, today’s CX race could be enough to turn you into a fan. The Three Amigos absolutely clobbered each other over and over—quite a Boxing Day gift.

Are you in Utah? Snow in the Wasatch is music to my ears. I’ll be out there visiting clients and before skiing at Powder, where a good friend from Tahoe ski school days is GM, and Eagle Point.

As the end of ‘22 draws near and in keeping with tradition, it’s almost time to shut this thread down and start a fresh one. Like new bike day but without the hit to bank account.

Who wants to take the pull for ‘23?

yes - best winter start in years, warm/wet storms lined up - not Tahoe deep (but not SC) but 6-8 ft new by 01/04
Cottonwood Canyons will be a mess to get up so being north (or South) should work out nicely
Enjoy !

I'm going to watch it tomorrow morning during the inaugural extended indoor ride in the hurt barn. Looking forward to it.

Nov up to Xmas was exceptionally cold and pretty snowy, making for great early season conditions here in Oregon Cascades. Now it’s above normal warm and raining. Snow’s back in the forecast tomorrow so hopefully conditions improve. I’m not out there until early February so hopefully it keeps up.

I did the same today. Have been logging way too many Zwift miles due to weather with the CX races bringing welcome relief to the monotony.

I could use a bit of decluttering/downsizing for my own stable, but hope that the folks here had a good Christmas and wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

We'll be traveling to Belgium in two days. Upside is that there will be a CX race during our stay; down side is that we'll most likely need to rent a car to get there in a time efficient manner. Oh well, at least I'm hoping to score a few bottles of Westvleteren.