Tom! Pidcock!

[voodoo_simon]

What a ride

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'm impressed he can pedal at all with that down his shorts .. good lad

[RIP]

All we need now is someone who can bike off a diving board to gold medal standard and we'll clean up

[arkay]

I was pondering if there is a particular reason GB tends to do well at "sitting down sports". Cycling, rowing, horse-riding, sailing... basically anything that involves extended periods of discomfort while sitting on your backside, we're world leaders

[sean_iow]

I was pondering if there is a particular reason GB tends to do well at "sitting down sports". Cycling, rowing, horse-riding, sailing... basically anything that involves extended periods of discomfort while sitting on your backside, we're world leaders

The thing they all have in common is not the sitting down, it's the fact you need expensive equipment to do them. I've often wondered of the Kenyans would clean up in cycling like they do in long distance running if they had a generation that had been riding bikes since childhood?

[jobro]

The thing they all have in common is not the sitting down, it's the fact you need expensive equipment to do them. I've often wondered of the Kenyans would clean up in cycling like they do in long distance running if they had a generation that had been riding bikes since childhood?

A number of pundits have predicted just that. The first black African tdf winner when??

[fatbikephil]

I hadn't realised how short XC races are. I knew stuff like the SXC series were all around the 30k mark but I thought something like this would be 50 plus. Why aren't they 100k+?!

[PaulB2]

They split XC into different disciplines a few years ago. XCO (XC Olympic) is designed to take about an hour, just like cyclocross. The distance isn’t a consideration. XCM is more akin to what you want.

[pistonbroke]

That's 2 Ineos riders that can wear a gold helmet when racing. The trip over the bars from Matteu Van De Poel was very dramatic, surprised he carried on. There didn't seem to be an alternative to that section, the course was pretty brutal I could see why full suspension was de regeur.

[voodoo_simon]

That's 2 Ineos riders that can wear a gold helmet when racing. The trip over the bars from Matteu Van De Poel was very dramatic, surprised he carried on. There didn't seem to be an alternative to that section, the course was pretty brutal I could see why full suspension was de regeur.

The practice days had a wooden ramp down it but they took it away for the race, MvdP didn’t get the memo unfortunately

[pistonbroke]

Another bad day for the Dutch after the womens road race cock up.

[Richard G]

Properly big drop for an XC course that. Fair play.

Amazing job by Pidcock, beast. Shame we didn't get to see the showdown we expected with him and MvdP.

[fatbikephil]

Ouch
That's a fair old step down for an xc race. According to cycling weekly he had been told the ramp was gone.....

[pistonbroke]

Just watched the replay of the first lap, 29th on the grid to 4th just behind VdP as he stacked it. His avoiding action was so cool and the rest of the race where he was so smooth and seemed to be cruising with the best riders in the world breathing out of their backsides. Absolute stellar performance, pity the BBC can't seem to even get his name right, maybe he should fit in an appearance on Strictly before he does anything else.

[psling]

I've often wondered of the Kenyans would clean up in cycling like they do in long distance running if they had a generation that had been riding bikes since childhood?

Like Froomey you mean?

All we need now is someone who can bike off a diving board to gold medal standard and we'll clean up

[johnnystorm]

I hadn't realised how short XC races are. I knew stuff like the SXC series were all around the 30k mark but I thought something like this would be 50 plus. Why aren't they 100k+?!

It would be boring, hard to keep track of, impossible to film or all three. 100km of a course like that would be a last man standing effort.

Better to watch a short all out race rather than a drawn out paced one with sprint finish.

Thrilled for TP, gutted for poor old MVDP, looked a nasty drop to take "blind".

[RIP]

All we need now is someone who can bike off a diving board to gold medal standard and we'll clean up

Bit prescient of me that was - I posted it before I knew about the ramp which turned into a diving board!

[GregMay]

I hadn't realised how short XC races are. I knew stuff like the SXC series were all around the 30k mark but I thought something like this would be 50 plus. Why aren't they 100k+?!

There is. It's called XCM - cross country marathon racing.

Races used to be 3hrs ish - they were terrible to watch, boring courses, favoured endurance over speed. We've thankfully moved away from all that nonsense in the past 15 years.

[fatbikephil]

I hadn't realised how short XC races are. I knew stuff like the SXC series were all around the 30k mark but I thought something like this would be 50 plus. Why aren't they 100k+?!

There is. It's called XCM - cross country marathon racing.

Races used to be 3hrs ish - they were terrible to watch, boring courses, favoured endurance over speed. We've thankfully moved away from all that nonsense in the past 15 years.

It seems to work for road racing... RE the courses, I agree my last attempt at an XC race could have easily been done on a gravel bike. But is that not then a case to make the courses better? Seems a shame that it boils down to spectators needs rather than providing a challenge for the competitors thats a bit more than a mad thrash round a trail centre.
I guess thats why a fair few XC racers have moved onto bikepacking ITT's...

[johnnystorm]

I hadn't realised how short XC races are. I knew stuff like the SXC series were all around the 30k mark but I thought something like this would be 50 plus. Why aren't they 100k+?!

There is. It's called XCM - cross country marathon racing.

Races used to be 3hrs ish - they were terrible to watch, boring courses, favoured endurance over speed. We've thankfully moved away from all that nonsense in the past 15 years.

It seems to work for road racing... RE the courses, I agree my last attempt at an XC race could have easily been done on a gravel bike. But is that not then a case to make the courses better? Seems a shame that it boils down to spectators needs rather than providing a challenge for the competitors thats a bit more than a mad thrash round a trail centre.
I guess thats why a fair few XC racers have moved onto bikepacking ITT's...

Road racing is much easier to film logistically and even a boring TDF race usually passes through some scenery that can distract the viewer, it also helps not doing the same lap dozens of times.

The Olympics is all about the spectators needs, as are the world cups really, hence the big logos over everyone's jerseys.

I get your point about challenge but look at that drop up there... I'd push my bike 200km to avoid doing that.

[mattpage]

That's 2 Ineos riders that can wear a gold helmet when racing. The trip over the bars from Matteu Van De Poel was very dramatic, surprised he carried on. There didn't seem to be an alternative to that section, the course was pretty brutal I could see why full suspension was de regeur.

The practice days had a wooden ramp down it but they took it away for the race, MvdP didn’t get the memo unfortunately

That simply wouldn't have been allowed. When the course is open for official practice it must be as it is for the race.
The course can change naturally, but man-made features like that can't be altered after practice and before the race.

[sean_iow]

Cycling weekly think it did

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/math ... o-olympics

[mattpage]

Here is a video from the 2019 test event below. No ladder in place and this would also be the case for the full race. Maybe, potentially, it was there for a course walk - but not for official practice.

https://youtu.be/DUIqbTG4hKE?t=449

[mattpage]

Cycling weekly think it did

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/math ... o-olympics

They are wrong. Either something is lost in translation or MDVP chose not to practice the course.

[sean_iow]

Cycling weekly quote him

Mathieu van der Poel says he didn't know a ramp on the mountain bike course during practice laps, situated on the downhill section where he crashed, would be removed for the actual race.

He clearly says Practice Laps, unless they've miss-quoted him or they just made it up?

Not there in the video though, maybe someone put it back sometime in the last 2 years? Perhaps you should have sent the video link to the Dutch team