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news
Video: Slips, slides and crashes as it all gets messy in the mud at this weekend's Cyclocross World Cup
What do you get when you put mud over ice? Well its certainly not traction! As this video of crashes from the Italian round of the UCI World Cup Cyclo-cross in Fiuggi demonstrates.
With cold conditions and close proximity to the World Championships later this month, there were a couple of significant names missing from the start sheet. Both Mathieu van der Poel and Sanne Cant decided to head off to warmer locations to prepare their challenge for the rainbow bands.
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As it happens, both van der Poel and Cant dodged a bullet, with crashes marring both the Womens and Mens races. The problems occurred in a incredibly technical section, which was both narrow and covered in roots. The sub zero temperatures then turned the ground into sheet ice and the results have put several rider’s rainbow aspirations in jeopardy.
The wooded section saw many riders simply unable to stand, with many sliding into the netting. Fans watching at the bottom of one particular off-camber section got more than they bargained for, with many riders needing a hand to remain upright. The majority of the corners saw riders walking, with scenes resembling a Friday night outside the pub.
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Two nasty crashes involved Alice Maria Arzuffi and Toon Aerts, both ending up in the same tree. Thankfully, these were the only bad crashes. The majority being a little comical and simply begging for some Benny Hill music.
The women’s race started with Marrianne Vos taking a new bike after only 500 meters due to a poor start. This allowed her to move up the field as the other riders battled congestion. Vos then worked her way to the front and gapped Eva Lechner when the Italian took a bike change. Vos powered on to take another World Cup win, comfortably beating Katerina Nash and Sophie de Boer.
The men’s race saw European Champion Toon Aerts take an early lead, but a collection of small errors saw a slightly cautious Wout van Aert catch, and then pass the Belgian. Aerts pushed too hard trying to stay with the World Champion and crashed on a slippery descent. Aerts hit a tree, ending his race and possibly his chance to win the Worlds in 2 weeks. Van Aert held off a late surge from the relatively unknown Marcel Meisen, the German riding superbly to take second. Tom Meeusen rounded out the podium to continue his consistent streak of top 5 placings.
With both the men’s and women’s World Cup titles now wrapped up, all eyes will turn to Luxembourg for the World Championships. That could give other riders the chance to grab a good result at the final World Cup in Hoogerheide on Sunday.
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11 comments
Judging by some of the comments above @UKCyclingExpert walks among us...
No, it's not just you, I love cycling but this is ridiculous. What next, fat bikes in a velodrome?
OK, own up. Who let the Internet in here?
HE HA this is sport I never saw until now. But are these riders really profs? They need more practise. Is this a NEW sport? 1 way they can be better is to use widest tires as on a "fat bike". This "fat bike" will provide superor traction. Maybe next year.
Err. I don't think so mate. Youre talking about making the sport easier in the same way as running the 100m hurdles would be easier if there were no hurdles.....
I was of the same mind until I went to a local race.
My first experience as a marshall/spectator boosted my respect for the skill and strength of ALL the riders (all amateur).
Then I had a crack at the novice category for a brutal but rewarding half hour. I found it to be a really welcoming and supportive grass-roots sport (can't avoid the pun). There was no fence jumping and a range of bikes in use.
It still doesn't make a lot of sense but somehow that's now part of the attraction.
I'm sorry, but this video just demonstrates why Cyclo-Cross is a stupid sport. Road bikes off-road? it doesn't work - even with sticky tyres, discs and wide bars - it makes these chics look like clowns. If you're off-road, just use a MTB. They spend half the time running like Thunderbirds because of those stiff shoes!, if they can even stand. Its folly, pure folly. With a few more tweaks, maybe they could make it work. I don't know... I've tried to watch it numerous times, I really have, but I just can't enjoy it, it seems so stupid, and makes me feel stupid for watching it. Is it just me?. Love road racing, love MTB, love BMX, every cycling sport I can get into, but this!? nah.
Yes, it's just you.
Separately, over on cycle photos, it would appear that Lars Boom put screws into the soles of his shoes in a desperate attempt to provide traction. Mental.
Nope, I think it's daft as well. What kind of bike race requires you to spend half the time running and jumping fences? A silly one!
CX courses are a couple of km a lap and CX bikes work really well (faster than any MTB) for the majority of that, but are clearly compromised for that small section of steep mud/sand/roots/ or other nastyness. (Guess where the highlight clips get taken?) Personally I doubt that even suspension and an extra inch of tyre width would have helped much down that section in those conditions.
If you want to give it another go, watch a UCI vid that shows a whole race, try and see some side angles that show the speed they're doing, (get past the first lap where everything is bunching and carnage), then look for the smooth transistions from bike to run to bike, carved corners, powerslides, pure brute power up crazy-steep banks, that's what the race is about, not just the 50 meter sphincter clenching descent down some off camber liquid mud on 'the wrong bike'
Even better, actually give it a go next season. MTBs are welcome at pretty much all regional league races.....
Yes it is just you.
First of all cyclo cross was there already long long time before mtb existed.
Secondly: this goes much faster than a mtb race
Third: the ground on which mtb and cx are raced differ totally
Fourth: the skills of riding between a mtb and a cx differs totally, you cannot have good insight on a cx race and the skills of the cx-riders based on a very short video-shot
I would say come to belgium or the Netherlands for a race, it is not far for you and you will see