Cross in the Driving Seat

Hello to you all out there, cycling friends one and all. It's been a busy couple of weeks with autumnal celebrations such as Halloween and Bonfire Night (for those in the UK) but to be honest, the scariest thing is simply the lack of road cycling to feast my eyes upon. It's such a brief off-season really, and yet I do feel the lack.

Cyclocross has gone some way to making up for it though, with the action ramping up locally and internationally, so there will be plenty on that later in the newsletter (feel free to skip on past if cross isn't for you). To add to that big, muddy ol' pot I have a wee dram of transfer news, a small pinch of opinion and a little dash of actual news to offer you, so without further ado let's see what's been going on in the world of pro cycling since I last wrote.

Bitesize Chunks of News - YUM

• The 2021 Paris-Roubaix winner Sonny Colbrelli officially announced his retirement from the sport this past week. Displaying some stunning tattooed artwork on his arm that represented in part his career in the sport, he confirmed that he would no longer be able to compete on medical grounds. Colbrelli collapsed at the finish of the opening stage of this year's Tour of Catalunya and was later diagnosed with a heart condition.

• There have been a number of reactions from riders to the announcement of the 2023 Tour de France route. Ineos Grenadiers' Geraint Thomas has expressed disappointment at the lack of time trialling kilometres within the route and has suggested he will instead target the Giro.

• Organisers of the Vuelta have announced a summit finish on the Col du Tourmalet in next year's edition of the race. The iconic climb will feature heavily in the cycling consciousness in 2023, as it also appears on the route of both the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes.

• The UCI confirmed that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld Nairo Quintana's disqualification from the 2022 Tour de France following an unsuccessful appeal, after he was banned for the use of tramadol. Quintana's future in the sport remains unclear.

• It's criterium season - yes, it's that time of year where a select group of pro cyclists fly somewhere improbable and take part in the theatrical equivalent of a bike race, pretending to fight for meaningless wins in the name of marketing. I jest - sort of - it's a great opportunity for fans in places like Singapore to see their cycling heroes up close and it's entertainment, albeit scripted. How else could you possibly explain Jonas Vingegaard sprinting for victory against Chris Froome? My main takeaway was this photo which brings me a simple and pure joy that I can't quite put into words other than these.

Transfer Bitesize

• Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier signs for Trek-Segafredo, becoming the second Eritrean in the team alongside Natnael Tesfatsion

• Stefan de Bod leaves Astana to join EF Education-Easypost

• UAE Team ADQ add Lizzie Holden to their squad taking them to 16 - the most of any WWT team

• Sam Bewley, who retired from professional racing at the end of this season, becomes a DS at Israel-PremierTech

Jay Vine - don't play poker against him

The most notable transfer news in a couple of quiet weeks has been the rollercoaster will he/won't he shenanigans of the pro peloton's best poker face, Jay Vine. Let's remind ourselves of the timeline...

On 2nd November in an interview with Rouleur, Vine talked about his future at Alpecin-Deceuninck, the team with whom he turned pro following his victory in 2020's Zwift Academy. 

The very next day, the above post appeared on Twitter, UAE Team Emirates announcing Vine as their newest signing. Fans were understandably confused and many felt let down - but why?

Cynics argued he was just doing it for the money. His fans were disappointed too, as with a raft of incredible climbing domestiques on their roster, UAE are already so stacked in Vine's area of expertise that it seems next to impossible to imagine that he will be anything more than another link in the Pogačar mountain train for the foreseeable future. For a rider who lit up the Vuelta this year, and seems to be reaching his potential, it feels like a step backwards in terms of his personal ambition. 

(The timing itself made the whole thing feel a little deceptive, however it should be noted that days could have passed between the Rouleur interview and its publication, and a lot can change in a few days.)

However, it's not all bad news. While boasting an incredible roster, and having a quite confusing approach to team work, UAE do seem to offer opportunities to almost all of their riders at some point across a season, whether it be in a week-long stage race or the occasional punt for a Grand Tour stage. It will be a great environment for Vine to learn, surrounded by talented, experienced climbers such as George Bennett, Rafal Majka and Davide Formolo, and to grow and develop alongside young talents Juan Ayuso and Joao Almeida. Not to mention being on a team with Tadej Pogačar.

Overall, it's a great move for Vine in terms of his financial security and who can blame him - it's a job, after all, a punishing sport that he's grafted to get to the top level of. Who can begrudge him a move to one of the most competitive teams in the peloton? As a big supporter of his, I simply hope that he will be allowed the freedom to go for his own chances in the coming seasons.

Cross My Heart (and hope to, er, dry?)

It's been a bumper couple of weeks of cyclocross action, the first real period of juicy, schedule-congested excitement as World Cups jostle for position with regular fixtures and the European Championships took centre stage. I attended my first race of the season, round 3 of the National Trophy in South Shields - oh, the glamour! It was a lovely spot to be fair, on the dunes overlooking the beach and it was quite the day of dramatic weather, with torrential showers transforming the course in between the men's and women's races into a slick disaster. 

The two winners of the elite events were Anna Kay of 777 and Thomas Mein of Hope Factory Racing, both by a significant distance, and although a few key players were missing it felt a little like a dress rehearsal for nationals in January. Here's a photo taken by yours truly - proof, if it were needed, of why I am a writer, and not a photographer...

In more mainland European news, three main events have provided us with some epic entertainment over the past 10 days or so...

UCI World Cup - Maasmechelen (30 Oct)

The World Cup visited a new location in Maasmechelen, the site of a nature reserve that has been transformed into a sustainable cyclocross venue. It was a cool course with some interesting features, including a trippy mirrored sector in which it appeared that riders were racing against a set of riders who were, unbelievably, exactly as good as they were. 

In the women's race, Shirin van Anrooij went on the offensive to try and thwart the dominance of her U23 compatriots Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse, in the first battle of the season between the three 20-year-olds. It was a thrilling race, with each of the three trying to make an impression, but they are incredibly well matched and it took until the final lap for gaps to appear. When they did, they were small, and the victor was once again Fem van Empel who continued her incredible run of form - however it proved that she will not have it all her own way this season.

The men's race featured a first World Cup victory for Laurens Sweeck, who finally cracked Eli Iserbyt after the diminutive Belgian took a tumble early on in the race and it was left up to his team mate Michael Vantourenhout to try and hang onto Sweeck. He wasn't able to, however and Sweeck raised his arms to take a deserved win.

X2O Trofee - Koppenbergcross (1 Nov)

It's always a treat to have some racing to watch midweek, and the legendary Koppenbergcross took place on a Tuesday no less, and featured the debut of the off-road legend that is Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, in her first race for new team Ineos Grenadiers.

Sadly it was an inauspicious start for the French rider, as she suffered multiple mechanicals on the tough parcours of Oudenaarde, and she finished in 12th amidst a crop of young British riders who must have done a double take as they saw who it was they were ahead of - Ella Maclean-Howell and Cat Ferguson - just 16 years old - finishing a creditable 10th and 11th. The winner was, unsurprisingly, Fem van Empel, ahead of Denise Betsema.

The men's race was another thriller; quite honestly one of the most exciting cyclocross races I've ever witnessed. The Pauwels-Sauzen Bingoal pairing of Iserbyt and Vantourenhout formed a leading trio with Lars van der Haar and they took chunks out of each other over the course of the eight laps. With Vantourenhout away and clear heading into the final climb of the iconic Koppenberg climb, it looked as though the writing was on the wall, but Vantourenhout lost power up the climb and Van der Haar stormed through and powered to the line to take victory, breaking the run of Iserbyt wins at the race - the last three editions have been won by the Belgian. If you didn't see the race, go back and watch it - you will not be disappointed.

The best part about the Koppenbergcross hosting the X2O Trophy though, is the giant cobbled duck that's offered as a prize. I'm seriously coveting this incredible offering.

European Cyclocross Championships - Namur (5/6 Nov)

One of my absolute favourite courses to watch cyclocross on is Namur. Taking place at the citadel of Namur, the course is famous for its tough climbs and gnarly surface, and it was the perfect venue for this year's European championships, ensuring the title holders would have to be made of stern stuff if they wanted to triumph.

The men's U23 race kicked the weekend off in dramatic fashion, as race favourite Thibau Nys suffered a rear wheel puncture early on and faced a battle to pull himself back into contention, with Pim Ronhaar capitalising on his misfortune and going solo. Nys closed the gap however and combined with Belgian team mates Emiel Verstrynge and Witse Meeussen to close down the Dutch rider. It was Verstrynge who proved the strongest in the end, and the Belgians rounded out the podium with Nys and Meeussen.

Puck Pieterse stamped her authority on the women's U23 race, with Shirin van Anrooij struggling from early on in the treacherous conditions. Van Empel has chosen to race up at elite level this season leaving more room for her young compatriots, but it was the French rider Line Burquier who came closest to Pieterse, albeit still at 50 seconds back. Let's pause for some well-warranted fangirling from myself.

Britain's Zoe Backstedt took an early tumble in that race, her first outing at U23 level, but in an incredibly gutsy ride she was still able to make it back to finish in 5th.

The women's elite race was something of a foregone conclusion, with Fem van Empel in such incredible form there is really no-one who can currently challenge her outside of Lucinda Brand who is still recovering from a hand injury sustained a few weeks ago. And the men's elite race saw something of a surprise winner, Michael Vantourenhout riding a controlled and sensible race to become champion after making fewest mistakes, the other favourites all seeing plenty of spills on the course which by the end of the weekend had become seriously hazardous. 

And that concludes a bumper round-up of CX action. If you're interested to learn more about the courses that make up the cyclocross calendar I highly recommend Jens Dekker's blog - his posts on Namur made for fascinating reading.

Final Thought

As sprinting sensation Lorena Wiebes takes to the cross field for the first time this afternoon in Niel, I'm continually reminded of just how useful it can be for riders to have multiple cycling disciplines on their racing CVs. It's hardly news that the likes of Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock have been successfully combining road and cross (and mountain biking in the case of the latter two) for the past few seasons. Are they the exceptions though? And are they achieving on the road because of cyclocross, or in spite of it?

It's not the only option available for riders who wish to diversify. The winter also offers opportunities on the track, and many riders combine track and road careers with great success. Both routes seem to offer the significant benefit of competitive racing throughout the year - leading to multiple peaks rather than just one or two in the spring and summer. There's evidence that this can improve overall fitness and endurance, with the efforts required for an hour-long cyclocross race, or a long endurance race on the track, replicating the kind of efforts needed at the end of a long day on the road.

In addition to all that it offers the chance to improve bike handling, positioning, race awareness, and split second decision-making. In short, multi-discipline riders have to be viewed as having an advantage over their road-only rivals. It may not necessarily lead to masses of victories on their palmares, like it has for Vos or Van Aert, but it gives them a broader range of experiences to draw from and an active off-season training regime which has to be a positive.

The Last Word

It's around this time of year that I'm thoroughly enjoying cyclocross, yet thoughts of road cycling inevitably creep in. I'm working on a couple of season review pieces that I'll share with you next time, and it's always nice to reflect on a great season, but I can't lie - I'm always one for having something in the diary to look forward to, so I spent an idle 5 minutes making this list.

Only 106 days to Omloop, now! Bring it on. Catch you all next time.

Cheers,

Katy

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