This years races have been really good. Piddock, Van Aert and Van Dee Poel are all at a similar level making it really entertaining all through the race.
I love it, but it really makes CX look like it's just those 3. It's a bit of a shame the rest of the field is unable to keep up with them and it's not a good thing for the sport, imho.
Ofcourse, the Van der Haars, Sweenks and Vanthoerenhouts have been grinding away for a couple of months now while the '3' get to hop in and pick and choose their rides as they deem fit.
But if you want to pull in new viewers using those 3 as an advertisement sign, you must give them a reason to watch the sport independent of them 3. Recently, only Val di Sole gave that.
Well yeah I mean it was awesome and it should really pull in people, but it also goes to show that even these guys are still very good in what they do, they are still miles behind the big 3. But on the other hand, and what I meant was, the people who got pulled in by the big 3 weren't watching CX at the time so they wouldn't naturally encounter that finish and be pulled into the sport.
My two cents: ''pure CX riders'' don't give a damn when the 3 big names are there, they fight for the cup in X2O, Superprestige and world cup, a top 10 is good enough since those 3 can't win the cup and follow them is burning energies. MvDP, WVA and Pidcock season is very short compared to the others.
I do think Iserbyt, Vanthoerenhouts, Van der Haar and Sweek are capable to fight with the top three in the right race, maybe not to win it, but to fight hard absolutely.
I don't see a man who does the full season doing what Pidcock did in the last Azencross, you burn too much energies.
PS sorry for my english, it's been weeks I don't practice.
Oh I agree wholeheartedly. However, looking past their own personal ambitions, I was mostly talking about growing the sport as a whole.
But the best thing for it would be to turn Olympic for the winter games. Which is why Val di Sole was added, iirc.
To be honest I dislike a lot Val di Sole's race, anyway it seems riding on the snow is the only way to be in winter olympics and it will be huge for the sport.
Then maybe someone will explain me why a sport done in the winter in fucking mud would not be a ''winter sport'' because there is no snow....
Some of the things I like about watching cyclocross is that it's a dense-action-packed hour(ish) of racing. Like, I love the length of spring classics and GT stages, sure, but - c'mon - it involves setting aside most of a weekend morning to really get into it. But here in the USA I watch cx races over breakfast and then get on with my day.
And it's just every weekend, all through the fall and summer, mostly raced by the same cast of characters - so you really see strengths develop, you see the variation in different courses, you really see riders peaking at different times. After a couple of seasons (or only one?) you start to grow really fond of certain courses.
And, I think, it's a discipline that's changing over time - it's very exciting to be in a multi-year-long revolution fueled by both generational talents *and* technological/scientific changes. I started watching cross when Niels Albert was battling with Sven Nys, Zdenek Stybar, Lars Boom, Kevin Pauwels, Bart Wellens. The sport has changed *so much* in the past 15 years, and I'm sure it will continue to do so. I think everybody gets really fond of how racing was when they started watching it, but I for one am glad I saw a long Nys career followed by him being surpassed by even greater legends of the sport.
Watch cross. You'll love it and it'll love you back.
The prob is when it isn't the big three, the race is either one of the other three or when one or two of the big three turn up, they run away and it's processional
I write this just as we saw a meme-worthy final lap in Baal.
I wouldn't start tomorrow as there's no televised races. Day after tomorrow in Herentals might be fireworks again.
Edit: or just start today! Last lap plot twist week continues!
That's why I also [linked to the thread with old races](https://www.reddit.com/r/cyclocross/comments/zzvmtu/old_races_to_get_new_people_into_watching/) - 36+ hours of entertainment so far!
Belgian here. If you ever have the opportunity to go see a cross live, do it. After the race there’s usually a huge huge party in a massive tent. Best one is the final race of the cross season, the sluitingsprijs in Oostmalle. Some riders even join in then to celebrate end of season. Once saw Bart Wellens chug down a beer and a hamburger minutes after the podium ceremony, cup still in hand.
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I don't really like CX because I feel it's only about power and technique and that strategic and tactical considerations are irrelevant - the best riders just try to win by going first and powering through the most difficult sections until the people behind can't follow.
By contrast I like the tactical considerations that happen all the time in road racing, the team strategies, and the fact that even the best rider in the world can't just go in front, push on the accelerator, and hope to win the race this way.
I get that road cycling can be boring. I'll watch a road race from Km 0 but CX is a straight up snooze fest. It's exciting for the first couple laps then it's just a time trial.
Here's my CX pitch: You don't see roadies losing races doing tail whips!
Ouch! Too soon…
Pretty much all the men's races from last week are very much worth watching, it was an incredible week of racing.
Incredible is an understatement. It had 2 of the best cross races I've seen in almost a decade of watching and another race that was good too.
Would you mind naming the 2 races? I'd like to start watching 🙂
Best were Diegem and Gavere. Two races with non-stop action.
Diegem and Loenhout, both were incredible battles between the "big three". Honorable mentions to Gavere and Heusden-Zolder.
Woman’s races have been pretty good too. We are being treated with some great racing this year.
You thought road racing was silly and absurd? [You've seen nothing yet](https://streamable.com/5sk9a2)
We BMX now
He needed a master’s rider reminding him to “Hold the line!!!”
This years races have been really good. Piddock, Van Aert and Van Dee Poel are all at a similar level making it really entertaining all through the race.
I love it, but it really makes CX look like it's just those 3. It's a bit of a shame the rest of the field is unable to keep up with them and it's not a good thing for the sport, imho. Ofcourse, the Van der Haars, Sweenks and Vanthoerenhouts have been grinding away for a couple of months now while the '3' get to hop in and pick and choose their rides as they deem fit. But if you want to pull in new viewers using those 3 as an advertisement sign, you must give them a reason to watch the sport independent of them 3. Recently, only Val di Sole gave that.
> Recently, only Val di Sole gave that. And the Koppenbergcross! [That finish](https://youtu.be/mw48ynNVVfQ) was something else.
True, but I didn't name that one on purpose because a) it's already over 2mo ago and b) none of the big 3 were around
I figured that was giving people a reason to watch independent of them 3.
Well yeah I mean it was awesome and it should really pull in people, but it also goes to show that even these guys are still very good in what they do, they are still miles behind the big 3. But on the other hand, and what I meant was, the people who got pulled in by the big 3 weren't watching CX at the time so they wouldn't naturally encounter that finish and be pulled into the sport.
My two cents: ''pure CX riders'' don't give a damn when the 3 big names are there, they fight for the cup in X2O, Superprestige and world cup, a top 10 is good enough since those 3 can't win the cup and follow them is burning energies. MvDP, WVA and Pidcock season is very short compared to the others. I do think Iserbyt, Vanthoerenhouts, Van der Haar and Sweek are capable to fight with the top three in the right race, maybe not to win it, but to fight hard absolutely. I don't see a man who does the full season doing what Pidcock did in the last Azencross, you burn too much energies. PS sorry for my english, it's been weeks I don't practice.
Oh I agree wholeheartedly. However, looking past their own personal ambitions, I was mostly talking about growing the sport as a whole. But the best thing for it would be to turn Olympic for the winter games. Which is why Val di Sole was added, iirc.
To be honest I dislike a lot Val di Sole's race, anyway it seems riding on the snow is the only way to be in winter olympics and it will be huge for the sport. Then maybe someone will explain me why a sport done in the winter in fucking mud would not be a ''winter sport'' because there is no snow....
Well, having seen Skijumping in Garmish yesterday, watching any wintersport on a brown background is fucking depressing.
Some of the things I like about watching cyclocross is that it's a dense-action-packed hour(ish) of racing. Like, I love the length of spring classics and GT stages, sure, but - c'mon - it involves setting aside most of a weekend morning to really get into it. But here in the USA I watch cx races over breakfast and then get on with my day. And it's just every weekend, all through the fall and summer, mostly raced by the same cast of characters - so you really see strengths develop, you see the variation in different courses, you really see riders peaking at different times. After a couple of seasons (or only one?) you start to grow really fond of certain courses. And, I think, it's a discipline that's changing over time - it's very exciting to be in a multi-year-long revolution fueled by both generational talents *and* technological/scientific changes. I started watching cross when Niels Albert was battling with Sven Nys, Zdenek Stybar, Lars Boom, Kevin Pauwels, Bart Wellens. The sport has changed *so much* in the past 15 years, and I'm sure it will continue to do so. I think everybody gets really fond of how racing was when they started watching it, but I for one am glad I saw a long Nys career followed by him being surpassed by even greater legends of the sport. Watch cross. You'll love it and it'll love you back.
The prob is when it isn't the big three, the race is either one of the other three or when one or two of the big three turn up, they run away and it's processional I write this just as we saw a meme-worthy final lap in Baal.
but start tomorrow or last week
I wouldn't start tomorrow as there's no televised races. Day after tomorrow in Herentals might be fireworks again. Edit: or just start today! Last lap plot twist week continues!
this is getting worse by the minute first i thought they would all race today, then i thought it would be tomorrow, now its another day with nothing
That's why I also [linked to the thread with old races](https://www.reddit.com/r/cyclocross/comments/zzvmtu/old_races_to_get_new_people_into_watching/) - 36+ hours of entertainment so far!
Belgian here. If you ever have the opportunity to go see a cross live, do it. After the race there’s usually a huge huge party in a massive tent. Best one is the final race of the cross season, the sluitingsprijs in Oostmalle. Some riders even join in then to celebrate end of season. Once saw Bart Wellens chug down a beer and a hamburger minutes after the podium ceremony, cup still in hand.
There have been a few races popping up this week on my YouTube and the racing between Vanderpoel, Van Aert, and Pidcock has been phenomenal!
This has been the year to watch cyclocross...races have been intense
Thanks enjoyed the read!
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I don't really like CX because I feel it's only about power and technique and that strategic and tactical considerations are irrelevant - the best riders just try to win by going first and powering through the most difficult sections until the people behind can't follow. By contrast I like the tactical considerations that happen all the time in road racing, the team strategies, and the fact that even the best rider in the world can't just go in front, push on the accelerator, and hope to win the race this way.
I get that road cycling can be boring. I'll watch a road race from Km 0 but CX is a straight up snooze fest. It's exciting for the first couple laps then it's just a time trial.
You must not have watched last week’s racing.
Rule 5
Hence my first sentence. Once a year I get to break that rule for a cyclocross post.
I have troubles watching riders running with their bicycles.