..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
targetting
though i'm sure he's forgotten, i once made a pact with rapha's simon mottram, that neither of us would stoop so low as to actually adopt a training programme, given that neither of us were involved in racing of any sort. that said, when welcoming in the sadly defunct rapha travel in provence over a decade past, it was notable that mr mottram was not only ascending a great deal faster than yours truly, but far quicker and smoother on the descents. i put that down to the difference in age (simon's a good few years younger) but of course, it could be that he'd sneaked in a few clandestine training sessions. i'm conveniently avoiding any admission of a perceivable lack of ability on my part.
for the large part, i have successfully avoided anything that might be objectified as training; while others have wholeheartedly subsumed their preferences to watopia, i have steadfastly restricted my bike riding to the great outdoors, with scant regard for the weather. only on sunday, a cold but wall-to-wall sunshine experience, i was stopped by a friend to ask why on earth i was riding when it was quite observably dry? for those that have claimed - including a coffee mug i once owned - cycling is life, the rest is mere detail, i couldn't agree more, but cycling outdoors. as i have repeated to the point of boredom, zwift, rouvy and the like, are simply indoor training, but certainly not cycling.
however, i have been frequently assailed by those who insist that those who consider themselevs to be cyclists, ought best have an objective of some sort, whether that be a specific number of days' riding per month or year, or perhaps a quest to undertake the ride of the falling rain in less time than last year.
the downside to that last objective might be a need to train, and that's simply not the sort of discussion to have in polite company.
however, yesterday's sunday morning ride was undertaken on my cyclocross bicycle, not only for its propensity to smooth out islay's disintegrating roads, but with the added advantage of being a lot kinder to ageing bones than a road bike on 28mm rubber. have no fear, when 'cross season is finally over, the road season properly underway (nothing before omloop het nieuwsblad counts) and the weather shows noticeable signs of improvement, the ritchey will be dragged kicking and screaming from its nice, warm bike shed and put to good use. but until then, the specialized crux it is. and it was the obvious slowness of the latter (for which i can only blame myself) that i'll either have to acquiesce and indulge in a modicum of training just to keep up, or simply vary the target i once had (vaguely) in mind.
if i might once again refer my reader to the pact with mr mottram, it would surely be a breach of trust were i to begin any form of curated training programme, but given my understated success in remaining firmly at the back of whichever peleton i happen to be trailing, it dawned on me that i should probably ride to my strengths and target the lanterne rouge. you would have marvelled at my suitability for the task ahead, had you witnessed the sprint for the village sign at bruichladdich, where i came in last by quite some margin. my colleagues complimented my aptitude for achieving the eventual goal, gleefully pointing out that, when they return from a week's cycling camp in mallorca at easter time, there's every likelihood that i might not even be on the same section of road when they jostle for first place in the aforesaid sprint. if you add to that, the fact that the oldest is still over ten year's younger, though i do not wish to appear over-confident, i think i have this all sown up.
it just shows that, if you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything your heart desires.
big bobble hats lanterne rouge
monday 10 february 2025
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................souke cargo bibshorts
in the good old days of yore, when tnt was simply an explosive, and we garnered all our tour de france info from the comic, the adverts at the back of said publication were specifically geared towards the british cyclist. and, at the time, if your newsagent kept a copy on order, the chances are you were a dyed-in-the-wool cycle-racing fanatic. given the weather that persists in the uk during january and february, for advertising to make commercial sense, no retailer in his or her right mind would make a show of offering bibshorts to even the hardiest of riders. yes, it's common to watch belgian cyclocrossers wearing shorts in events at this time of year, but as any cyclist worth their salt already knows, they're a breed apart.
however, in the intervening years, as the interwebs have effectively wiped out double-page spreads from the likes of deesside cycles, parker international and mel bentley, cycling has become mondialised, as the blazers in aigle would probably have it. so, while you and i are to be found clad in thermal bibtights, long-sleeve baselayers and acres of fleece-lined goretex, our counterparts in the antipodes are wearing short-sleeved ultralight polyester, and the thinnest of lycra bibshorts. granted, in a few months time, the roles might be reversed (though i wouldn't hold out too much hope north of the border), but for the time being, it's hard to greet fellow pelotoneers without a chittering lower jaw.
where once the british cycling apparel purveyors would shut their eyes tightly and cross their fingers that the server would hold up on release of the spring/summer collection, such seasonal offerings appear no longer to be a part of the cycling year. not so very long ago, i was sent team kit for review in advance of the tour down under, consisting of a featherweight, short-sleeve jersey and lightweight bibs. quite how those responsible expected me to provide a practical review in the depths of a hebridean winter, i will probably never know. and though i'm loathe to criticise, history has at least partially repeated itself with the arrival of a pair of cargo bibshorts from souke cycling, mere days before storm éowyn caused havoc and devastation across scotland.
and, as if to add insult to injury, the last few days have featured temperatures of near zero, aided and abetted by windchill that has turned them into negative equity.
however, i am tenacious if nothing else, reticent to send souke a strongly worded e-mail suggesting i get back to them in late july, when winter in the hebrides will be almost over. as luck would have it, in my thermal bibtight drawer resides a pair of thermal bibtights that were purchased long, long ago with no pad. as i recall, they were sold with the advice that they should be worn with one's favourite pair of bibshorts 'neath their warming exterior. since doing so is easily the equivalent of wearing full-length leg-warmers (of which i also own a pair), and which have no bearing on the effectiveness of any pair of bibshorts, that is precisely how i conducted my review in the depths of winter.
as a result, i am more than happy to report that the shorts quite possibly exceeded their remit, providing excellent comfort, the innate ability to remain motionless at speed (in my case, a relative term), thanks to the comprehensive mesh bibs and excellent grippers on each leg. the latter were also highly effective without leaving any physical impression on my honed thigh muscles when removed. the internal pad offers the perfect compromise between density, thickness and comfort. i think the highest praise i can offer is that they were almost invisible (in a tactile sense) in use. i have managed around 300km so far, during which they have not been found wanting; i would like to test them in the wet, but with the only opportunity so to do being accompanied by 150km winds, i'm happy to wait a few days or weeks.
each leg features a mesh pocket into which i'm sure you could insert an energy bar, gel, mobile phone or discovery+ till receipt.
oddly enough, the souke website prices all items in american dollars, no matter from which country you might be purchasing, so i have used the conversion rate in force at the time of writing, to provide the sterling equivalent. according to the accompanying text, the cargo bibs as reviewed (size small) are of unisex design (which, i grant you, seems a tad unusual), but currently retail at the extremely attractive price of near £53. that price becomes even more attractive when you realise that they seem every bit the equivalent of bibshorts costing over twice that amount.
i'd advise that you order a pair before souke realise they need new batteries for the corporate calculator.
souke unisex cargo bibshorts are available in black only, at a price of $65.99 (£73) and in sizes xs to xxxl. souke cargo bibs
sunday 9 february 2025
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................the service industry
seasonal change is somewhat of a moving target in the uk; it's often hard to tell when winter ends and spring is sprung. according to the met office, they tend to regard winter as december, january and february, possibly with march fulfilling its role as a transitional month. easter apparently depends on the moon and equinox, so it really is a moving target, appearing three weeks later this year than last (20 april), so its position in the calendar is hardly an indicator of seasonal weather. in which case far better to rely on de ronde van vlaanderen and paris-roubaix as seasonal markers. but if we're happy (in the northern hemisphere at least) to accept that we're still in winter, might not this be a suitable time to consider having the bicycle serviced?
it could be that, like me, you have a so-called winter bike, though in the case of yours truly, adoption of my cyclocross bike for such purposes has been forced upon me by the continually disintegrating hebridean roads. that means, therefore, that the ritchey logic has been cosily ensconced in thewashingmachinepost bike shed since late november. and though i would have you believe that i am a veritable paragon of velocipedinal maintenance, the truth is just a tad different. for when placing the ritchey in the bikeshed for the last time, i was unaware that it would be the last time, so it pretty much remains in the condition it had assumed. the 'cross bike, on the other hand, has had to suffer the slings and arrows of meteorological discontent, though i must admit i was gracious enought to bestow a new chain only a matter of weeks past.
depending on your winter experience, you may prefer to wait a few weeks before considering remedial or preventative maintenance on either designated bicycle, but i think it makes some sense to be at least considering the possibilities. after all, as i have found to my cost on more than a single occasion, there's little point in having time available to replace the chain/cables/tyres/bar tape (delete as applicable) only to realise that you have none of the above to hand. far better, i believe, to take stock of what might be due for replacement or fettling and order the parts now, perhaps well in advance of any mechanical interference. unlike the anecdotal salesman's company car, when a new noise appears as if from nowhere, it's not possible to simply turn up the radio to hide its existence.
and now that bianchi have relinquished their position as last bastion of rim-brakes in the peloton, if you're not already riding with discs, it's highly likely that your present bike may be the last in line. unlike the trusty rim brake, it's a lot harder to gauge the wear factor on disc pads without removing them from the calipers. depending on the brand, so doing can be the fiddliest of affairs, always assuming you think yourself capable of handling the job at home. this is very definitely an item of maintenance for which you need the parts in advance; the risk of contamination or other incidental malfeasance if removing the pads to check the wear level, makes it a smidgeon impractical to simply replace the pads until you get round to ordering new.
and with no disrespect to any bike shop, a bit like kwik-fit, they're very unlikely to remove the pads, tell you they're ok and pop them back in without charging for the mechanic's time. if you're inclined to agree that one or other bicycle might be ripe for a spot of maintenance, either pre or end of season, check what it is you think yourself capable of handling, and what you're definitely not; perhaps it's better simply to hand the bike over to the bikeshop and get it all done properly. but assuming you have at least a modicum of mechanical ability, there's nothing to stop you undertaking a comprehensive appraisal of what might need to be looked at: chain, chainring(s), cassette, cables, hydraulic hoses, hydraulic fluid, disc or rim pads, bar tape, bottom bracket and headset bearings, tyres, spokes.
the only one of the above i have slight doubts about are those with the word hydraulic in front of them, but in the absence of any island bike shop, these are matters that i'm going to have to face sooner or later, a situation that i'm sure will once again win an award for procrastination. considering yourself to be a cyclist doesn't necessary entail any concomitant mechanical knowledge, though i'm very much in favour of acquiring as much of the latter as possible, if only to prevent being thought a complete fool as you tell the bike shop mechanic that "there seems to be a noise coming from somewhere." far better to wheel the bike in the shop doorway, confidently pointing to the out-of-adjustment rear derailleur, or distinctly rough sounding bottom bracket bearings.
nobody likes a smart-ass, but i tend to figure that bike shops are more welcoming of those who have already identified the problem, happy to admit that they have neither the skills nor the tools to effect an appropriate repair. i'd be inclined to agree that perhaps the first week of february is jumping the gun just a bit, but in my experience, none (or very few) of us are inclined to act immediately, preferring, in most cases, to bury our heads in the sand until one day...
don't say i didn't warn you.
saturday 8 february 2025
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................originality
i recently had cause to replace the eleven-speed sram chain on my specialized cyclocross bike, and though anecdotal evidence would suggest that any eleven-speed chain would perform the job every bit as well as any other, i prefer to replace like with like. well, perhaps almost like for like. a quick check on the interwebs would highlight that sram chains can be purchased in a variety of flavours, ranging from £10.99 to £35.99. i am insufficiently well-informed on such matters to know of the difference between each variation at differing price points, and i imagine most of us are of similar mind; a chain, is a chain, is a chain. i'm sure that sram's marketing department would advise otherwise, and i daresay there are sram-trained mechanics who would immediately point out the fallacy of my perceptions.
however, though i have never ridden my 'cross bike with a number pinned to my jersey rear pocket, at this time of year, the crud on islay's roads bears an uncanny resemblance to the parcours at hoogerheide, except i'm not in the habit of changing bikes every second lap. nor am i one of those who regularly checks for chain stretch every couple of weeks to learn when time has arrived to replace the chain once again. instead, i prefer to replace the chain every four months, quite possibly well in advance of the end of its useful life (we all have our faults). since i can see little difference from one chain to the next, other than the perceived shinyness, and, at my time of life, the £35.99 example is very unlikely to make any real difference over the £10.99 version, like many, i'm inclined to opt for the latter.
this may be an unforeseen result of the invention of the internet; rather than be consigned to purchasing a replacement chain from any nearby bike shops, with a quick scan of the options provided by google, i can choose the most economical option. or at least the one that proves most amenable to my financial situation. and, with no disrespect to real bricks and mortar bike shops (an example of which is conspicuous by its absence in my locale), the same can be said of any other bicycle component, or even an entire bicycle. supermarkets have conditioned all of us to search for the lowest price, frequently at the expense of suitability or quality. someone must buy those own-brand cornflakes despite their cardboard flavour.
transfer the situation to the reputed rise and rise of the ubiquitous e-bike, however, and you may have a potential recipe for disaster.
in 2024, there were several reports of e-bike batteries exploding or catching fire, sadly with consequential fatalities. though these reports affected an incredibly small percentage of purchases, the fact that e-bikes were relatively new, and the media (self-included) are always eager to pounce on a potential rift in the space-time continuum, e-bike battery fires became the subject of outraged headlines and urged caution upon prospective or existing owners. however, subsequent research appears to have clarified matters, subdued the finger-pointing, and provided succour not only to e-bike owners, but the unjustly pilloried manfacturers.
the research to which i refer was particularly wide-ranging, more or less exonerating the world's major e-bike manufacturers, and blaming ill-informed consumers, and cheap replacement batteries and chargers available online. many of the bona-fide batteries to be found on reputable models were all but flawless, surviving deliberately rough handling without conflagration. however, taken at random, an approved replacement battery for a specialized turbo vado, has an rrp of £900 (enough money for about two and a half year's worth of tnt sports subscriptions), and though the average life of an e-bike battery is reckoned to be four to five years, having perhaps spent £2,500 on the bicycle, the prospect of another £900 on top, while the bicycle is still young, possibly explains why owners are more inclined to look for cheaper alternatives.
the research did highlight the fact that, though there is a technical standard describing battery charging protocols that ensures over-charging cannot occur, this has not been adopted as a minimum standard in the uk or europe. though the majority of reputable e-bike manufacturers ensure their batteries include such a protocol, the lack of an enforceable standard has left the door wide open to those who don't. though advice has always been to ensure that chargers and batteries are sourced from the original manufacturers, it's probably worth repeating over and over again, if you'd prefer that your e-bike, home and bike shed did not become a smouldering pile of charred remains.
but there's no applicable recommendations for bicycle chains, right?
friday 7 february 2025
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................disparity
there's currently a feature on american cycling website, velo, a part of outside inc. at one time better known as velonews before the takeover. it concerns american cyclocross racer, scott funston, one of the competitors in sunday's world championship race in lievin, france, an event won by mathieu van der poel providing him with his seventh cyclocross stripey jersey. funston creditably finished in the top twenty, stating on velo, "I was riding with Wout. And then I think I was on Lars' wheel for almost half of the lap. So it was really cool to ride with people like that." somehow, i always thought that hero-worship of that order is practised only by mere mortals such as ourselves.
however, while the american enjoyed the experience, the rationale behind the velo feature was the admission that lievin would be funston's final world's cyclocross event. the reason for his withdrawal is the old chestnut: money. during this year's 'cross season, funston had already made a trip to europe to compete in four world cup races, before once again crossing the atlantic to compete in the world championship event. while the majority of his 'cross competitors earn a comfortable living as sponsored riders, funston has had to fund his attempts to crack the big time. if you include travel, bikes, spares, training and race support, there eventually comes a point where the columns don't balance. with cyclocross not qualifying as an olympic event, there is no funding available from usa cycling, and funston, as with others, has had to rely on teamusa and mudfund (crowdfunding) to have advanced his career to this point.
but at the age of 25, the resident of boulder, colorado, has said that any future racing will be purely for fun, and that he feel's it's time to grow up and make some money. funston has a degree in mechanical engineering.
it's possibly worth highlighting the difference from the back of the grid to the front, with reports stating the winner, van der poel, was spotted wearing a richard mille rm 67-02 watch worth an estimated £240,000, as he crossed the line in lievin. the fact that he was lucky to still have possession of the watch at the finish line was underlined by the fact that second place, wout van aert, lost his garmin watch during the race when the strap apparenty broke. the belgian was reunited with it during post race interviews, when two children approached him to return it, having found it on the course. no doubt van der poel further safeguarded the watch by driving home carefully in his lamborghini sports car.
disparity in wages and accolades amongst many different sports is nothing new. tadej pogacar has apparently negotiated a £5 million annual salary until he retires from racing, and it's worth noting that the price of van der poel's watch is considerably greater than the amount in usa's mudfund to help its cyclocrossers compete in the same event as that watch. however, none of the above obscures the fact that, despite an apparent growth in popularity, cycling is still a niche sport, of which cyclocross is a niche part. in other words, only just above the lowest level of obscurity.
last week, much of the cycling press was awash with vocal discontent at the closing of eurosport broadcasts in the uk, and effectively forcing cycling fans to dramatically increase their monthly expenditure in order to watch cycling on tnt sports premium. there are no prizes for guessing that at least one of the reasons behind this 400+% increase in price is that tnt sports will pay £6.7bn over the next four years for the exclusive rights to premier league soccer (no word of how much was paid to garner exclusive broadcast rights to the tour de france from 2026 till at least 2030). that would probably explain one online cycling portal stating that cycling was now subsidising the money spent on other sports, though i would respectfully dispute the contention that the paltry number of cycling-only subscribers could make even a tiny dent in those billions.
however, to a certain degree, i can see the basis of that point, but unfortunately, we, as velocipedinists, have become caught up in a situation not only outwith our control, but one that has us as expendable collateral in international financial machinations. it's worth remembering that, even if mvdp wears a £240,000 watch, premier league footballers probably have one for each day of the week. it's odd to think that both sports were once the province of the working class.
thursday 6 february 2025
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................the whole package
generally speaking, bicycle owners are not at all familar with the mechanical niceties of their means of transport/leisure pursuit. several years ago, i was contacted by a visitor to the island who had suffered a flat tyre and required to purchase a replacement inner tube. leaving aside the obvious question, given that he appeared to be on a (modest) cycle tour of one or two hebridean islands without a spare inner tube (why?), i asked the necessary one; what size of tube was required? as is remarkably common, his reply took the form of his own question - "where can i find out?" we had already covered the fact that he was aboard a mountain bike, a genre of cycle that has, for whatever reason, manage to acquire three differing wheels sizes: twenty-niner, 26" and 650b. i advised that somewhere on the tyre sidewall, there would be an indication of the size, knowledge of which, would advise of the size of tube to bring.
once again, as is most often the case, he claimed unable to discover the necessary information, so, at the time, i refrained from asking the type of valve; presta or schrader. if the tyre size hasn't stumped them, the valve thing is almost guaranteed to do so. given the lack of affirmative response, i opted to take an inner tube of each of the above sizes, and walked to bowmore tourist information office, outside of which he hads taken up temporary residence. though i tried very hard not to be unbearable smug, it was difficult not to berate the fellow for his apparent stupidity on noting the large white writing on his tyre sidewall, clearly stating 'twenty-niner'. handing over the correctly-sized replacement tube, and having guessed (correctly) that a presta valve was the most likely choice, i foolishly asked if he was ok with fitting the tube by himself?
it transpired that, not only was he blissfully unaware of how to remove the wheel, let alone the tyre and tube, but he possessed no tyre levers and no pump. why on earth would anyone set off (it turned out that none of his colleagues had any suitable tools or know-how either) on a bicycle tour of over 160km, without spares, tools, or any notion of how to effect a meaningful repair? of course, complete ignorance of such matters is not confined solely to the velocipedinists of the nation. a schoolfriend who once owned a car repair centre, claimed that a customer bought a can of oil from the forecourt and proceeded in an attempt to top up the engine oil through the hole for the dipstick. another customer, when told their battery was flat, enquired quite seriously, "what shape should it be?"
it would, however, be naive to assume that bicycle shops and manaufacturers who sell direct to customers via mail-order, are unaware of such manifest incompetence. when my son was in his late teens, mrs washingmachinepost and i opted to purchase him a new mountain bike for his christmas from alpine bikes in great western road, glasgow. they all but insisted that they would not supply the bike by mail/carriage because it required a certain amount of assembly, and that i would need to make a personal visit to the shop to collect it. given my hebridean location, following such an instruction would have incurred considerably greater expenditure than the price of the bike. it took several phone calls and e-mails to convince them that i was actually capable of assembling anything they might send, but i cannot deny that i silently applauded their initial concerns.
it is many a long year since i received any bicycles at the croft for review on the post; a self-imposed strategy. however in the latter days (and things may have changed for the better), the majority of bicycles would arrive inside an enormous cardboard box on which i feared i might have to pay council tax. most of these boxes were so large, that i had great difficulty finding suitable storage until the bicycle was due for return. and the reason for such large bike boxes seemed always to be based on the fact that the seatpost was already fitted to the bicycle at its maximum height. but in order to keep the box narrow enough for ease of transit, the stem and handlebars were either turned sideways or detached from the frame, being zip-tied alongside the main triangle.
surely, even the least mechanically adept customer would find it simplicity itself to fit a seatpost and saddle into the seat-tube without damage? even if the seatbolt were to be insufficiently tightened, the worst that could happen would be a slowly descending seatpost, something unlikely to cause any immediate danger to the rider. failure to straighten the bars or place correct tension on the three steerer bolts, or even worse, the faceplate bolts holding the bars in place, could easily result in serious injury. i can but assume that the potential problems have by now been suitably solved, given the number of bicycles delivered to a nation of less than competent home-mechanics and the apparent lack of reported injuries.
however, packaging of bicycles in an increasingly internet-based retail landscape harbours other, unrelated problems. for instance, unless you have very large storage facilities, disposal of the container after delivery might not be as straightforward as you'd hope. and then there's the not altogether insignificant matter of environmental credentials regarding said packaging.
one of the world's principal purveyors of direct-to-customer bicycle sales is germany's canyon bicycles, possibly soon to become even more inundated following mathieu van der poel's seventh cyclocross world championship jersey and the fact that he is reputed to have signed a lifetime contract with the firm. keen not only to ensure safe delivery of what can be very expensive bikes from their koblenz distribution centre, canyon have partnered with canopy, an environmental non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the world's ancient and endangered forests. according to canyon, their customers typically order a cardboard bike guard to protect their desirable purchase. by reducing the size and paper packaging used for these bike guards, including use of recycled plastics where needed and removal of plastic where possible, not only are canyon reducing costs, but also their environmental footprint.
the only fly-in-the-ointment might be the mechanical skills of the customer at the other end.
photo: canyon
wednesday 5 february 2025
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................missed opportunity?
sunday's cyclocross world championship event, as expected, saw mathieu van der poel take a record equalling seventh title, a record first created by erik de vlaeminck in 1973. though the breaking of cycling records is hardly a new phenomenon, despite huge changes in cyclocross racing within the intervening 52 years, it has taken the persistence and skill of the dutchman to achieve parity in lievin, france, in 2025. however, though van der poel, barring any accident or mechanical problems, was always the favourite to take his seventh title, sunday's victory was undoubtedly assisted in more ways than one by, his arch-rival, wout van aert.
the belgian also finished in second place behind van der poel in massechelen on saturday 25 january. according to his programme announced pre-season, massechelen was the last event on that list, a fact mentioned by the post-race interviewer, with van aert confirming that he would take a short break before resuming training for this year's classics season. with tom pidcock opting to give the 'cross season a miss this time round, reputedly wanting time to settle into his new road team, the full-time cross riders have experienced improved opportunities for podium placings. not so very long ago, the big three (van aert, van der poel and pidcock) effectively hoovered up successive podium places, leaving everyone else to compete amongst themselves. though van der poel won every race he entered this season, van aert participated in fewer races, and frequently those not raced by mvdp.
so while the addition of the belgian and the dutchman on the start-lines helped boost ticket sales and viewing figures, those for whom cyclocross is their sole tip at a professional cycling career - eli iserbyt, michael vantourenhout, laurens sweeck amongst others - must surely rue their fortunes that they have done so during the careers of two of the greatest exponents of the genre. but then the uci numbers system might have provided them with some hope, even if that hope was slimmer than a credit card.
all cyclocross races, whether the x2o badkamers trofee, the exact series, super-prestige or uci world cup, begin on a strip of tarmac before heading onto the more unruly mud, sand and grass. by regulation, a championship cyclocross circuit has to measure at least three metres in width, meaning it is all but impossible to fit all starters in a single row. thus there has to be a grid system, placing on which, at uci world cup events, depends on a rider's position on the uci cyclocross rankings. with van der poel having achieved 1520 points, he was guaranteed a front row position at lievin. van aert, however, possessed only 550 points, dropping him to the fourth row. so while the race was being billed as a veritable clash of the titans, in reality, that was never likely to happen. for starters, it meant over thirty riders with which van aert had to contend, between the belgian and the dutchman.
in the majority of his races this season, van der poel has often been content to sit in the first ten over the first one or two laps, before accelerating to the front and leaving all in his wake. however, the attendance of van aert obviously gave some cause for concern, meaning van der poel headed off into the distance from the start (effectively admitted in the post race interview), just in case van aert had the great good fortune to negotiate back markers with ease. unfortunately, for those eagerly anticipating the much-publicised 'clash', the belgian experienced major problems attempting to pass those ahead of him, all of whom, obviously enough, were concentrating on their own race. it is, however, highly impressive that van aert ended the first lap in 37th position, yet finished the eight lap race only 45 seconds behind the winner in second place, 21 seconds ahead of thibau nys in third. bear in mind, for some sort of comparison, britain's national champion, cameron mason, started on the second row of the grid but finished in 26th place.
it would, of course, have been grossly unfair to the riders, such as iserbyt and vantourenhout, who have raced almost every event this season, to have promoted van aert to the front row. but the spectacle of the two finest exponents of cyclocross racing head-to-head for a rainbow jersey might well have been worth it. however, van aert was quoted commenting on his lowly start position after the race, saying "Those guys earned it by racing all season, and I made the choice to race less. So there's no point complaining about it."
assuming i can arrange a mortgage to afford a tnt premium subscription next winter, there's always hulst in 2026.
tuesday 4 february 2025
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