First GBR MTB XC win since 1994!!

[lostboy]

by a record margin, but - as always with Team GBR - it doesn't guarantee him Olympic selection!!

https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-m ... o/results/

[weeksy]

Well, that's not exactly GBs fault and not anyones fault really. Pidcock never really showed the desire until lately, being a CX sensation and being signed by INEOS you'd have thought he was destined for road rather than MTB XC, so why would Team GB cycling invest their money in XC when no-one had a hope of anything, suddenly Pidcock has jumped in and destroyed the field, but the Olympic spaces are decided years in advance, not just based upon form in the last 3 weeks.
Sure he was the U23 MTB star, but still didn't clearly show this was something he wanted to persue.

It would however be a terrible shame if he's not there (i'm not quite sure how the Romania results discussion went) but i do wonder if there's something where the Olympic committee can changed something based upon recent results and find a place for him there. The problem may come though that it would be at the expense of someone else, someone who's also worked their guts out over the years too, but without setting the world on fire like Pidcock is.

Of course there's variations in courses and layouts, but you'd think he'd be a decent chance of a podium at a minimum.

[lostboy]

The Romanian result should ensure that GBR move up - he now qualifies as he's qualified the country rather than relying on previous results. He's done this by displacing the Slovakians. Pidcock's results ensure that GBR/he has a slot.

It'd be mental if the selection criteria doesn't allow someone that's clearly in superb form to go. It also makes you wonder even more what could have been if he hadn't been on row 11 AND punctured on his way to 5th place in Germany.

[weeksy]

The Romanian result should ensure that GBR move up - he now qualifies as he's qualified the country rather than relying on previous results. He's done this by displacing the Slovakians. Pidcock's results ensure that GBR/he has a slot.

It'd be mental if the selection criteria doesn't allow someone that's clearly in superb form to go. It also makes you wonder even more what could have been if he hadn't been on row 11 AND punctured on his way to 5th place in Germany.

That's ace news... At first in Albstadt i thought he'd just peaked too early and lost if after going too deep, it wasn't until later we found out what'd gone wrong for him. But you'd think yeah, possibly he could have troubled the pointy end there too, especially after being in front for a short while.

I think the biggest problem for him (or us really) is that MTB is probably the lowest earning of all the 3 disciplines he's a star at, being XC, CX and road... he's likely to earn more over the years in either of the other 2 compared to MTB XC.

the most astounding thing overall for me though is how these guys no longer peak for events/terms, they're just devestating all year... it used to be the CX guys would rest after the Belgium series in winter, but now they just go and race the Spring classics on the road, and apparently now straight into XC series after that, wouldn't shock me if they then start doing a few 1 dayers. Well as we know, VdP is planning on going to the Tour for certainly some of the flatter early stuff... Crazy talk.

[lostboy]

the most astounding thing overall for me though is how these guys no longer peak for events/terms, they're just devestating all year... it used to be the CX guys would rest after the Belgium series in winter, but now they just go and race the Spring classics on the road, and apparently now straight into XC series after that, wouldn't shock me if they then start doing a few 1 dayers. Well as we know, VdP is planning on going to the Tour for certainly some of the flatter early stuff... Crazy talk.

That's the bit that blows my mind. As you say you'd have different team members peaking for different events and then becoming domestiques for the rest of the season or even resting up. Schurter was the first to do it in MTB - dominating for the whole year and making a lot of riders from every discipline question whether the "old school" thinking of training to peak for a short period was actually the right thing to do.

Whilst MTB is the lowest of the earners the crossover has never been more prevalent. Obviously Evans was the first massive name to go over but there's been plenty of others since. It's good because the teams are starting to realise that they get wider coverage across all three disciplines and seem to be encouraging it and that's great for the riders such as VdP and Pidcock who will always be happier getting down and dirty for a few months a year before flogging themselves to death on the road for the team for the remainder of the year.

[lostboy]

https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/mtb-cross ... b7os1qQE_4

[weeksy]

Don't go into the red
Of course, all this was balanced against the huge physical exertion of laying down some of the fastest lap times in the race. How is it possible to control the effort and ride the fine line of moving forward but not going irrevocably into the red?
“That’s the tricky thing! At the start I went deep because I knew it would make more of a difference in the long run, but I went too far into the red and then made a mistake when I was at the front and it took me a lap to get myself back together.”

And that's why he's never been an average Joe XC racer.... there is no "don't go into the red" when you're at an average level, it's ALL red, all the time, all the race.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2059248559/analysis

This was my XC race back in 2019.
Average HR during race was 167bpm... With a max of 176...

That's red all the race... my max then was about 181/182. So there was 95% for the whole race i think.

[weeksy]

Well with VdP crashing on lap1 of the Olympics, Tom Pidcock is in a great position. Pace is high though and Nino just gone with a big attack.

[MingtheMerciless]

Looking good, it’s a “fun” looking course.

And in all the races I’ve done it’s been sitting in the Red every lap……..(all thought of pacing disintegrates as the red mist comes down)

[weeksy]

Gold!!!

I don't fancy that drop!

[MingtheMerciless]

Gold!!!

I don't fancy that drop!

It’s when you hit it wrong on the umpteenth lap with frazzled body and brain

[lostboy]

Gold!!!

I don't fancy that drop!

[Mr Moofo]

Gold!!!

I don't fancy that drop!

FS softie …

[MingtheMerciless]

XC racers are becoming wimps, I mean some of them were even running dropper posts.

[MingtheMerciless]

Looking moist/damp for the ladies race.

[MingtheMerciless]

613EFB1F-0A20-4F50-8F0B-0D5BE062D058.jpeg (324.44 KiB) Viewed 190 times

The rock drop from the side, yeah that'll need a bit of commitment and removal of the "mincing" hat.

[weeksy]

Yeah i'd ride that... but it's honestly RIGHT near my limit of what i'd ride in terms of a drop... but yeah, i'm in

[Mr Moofo]

Yeah i'd ride that... but it's honestly RIGHT near my limit of what i'd ride in terms of a drop... but yeah, i'm in

I think I would avoid riding that - I would try it with the ramp but without it I would probably damage myself

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I'm way too much of a wimp for that drop, I'd be in a tangled heap at the bottom with a bent front wheel.

[MingtheMerciless]

This just popped up on my FB fed. Not sure if it was just bad luck or ahem "professional" racing.