While it took seven Belgians to dominate the Men’s Cyclocross World Championship race on Sunday, it only took a single Dutchwoman to dominate the women’s race. That’s seven times more dominanter, if my math is correct – which it always is.
Cyclocross fascinates me, mostly because it is completely insane. But I admit: I like the idea of combining Cycling and miniature golf. Put some canti’s on your road bike, take to the mud and woods, add some water hazards, sand traps, man-made climbs and jumps, and now you’ve got a sport for people who hate the way their faces look.
Marianne Vos took her fifth World ‘Cross Championship (a record) to further crowd here palmares with rainbow bands. She’s been World Champion in every discipline involving drop bars, many of them multiple times. She’s also won La Fleche Wallone more times than I can count (I can only count to three), National road and time trial championships, and the Giro d’Italia Femminile. She was even World Champion in Mountain Biking as a Junior. One could easily argue that “V”os is the best active cyclist in the world, bar none.
To that point, we don’t pay close enough attention to Women’s cycling. I’m as guilty as anyone; if I was going to pick the winner of a Women’s race, I’d likely pick Vos or Cooke (if she’s not broken, which she often is) or Teutenberg if the race is likely to end in a sprint, which I wouldn’t be able to tell you without first doing some research. And that pretty much exhausts my knowledge in terms of naming riders, which is disgraceful. After all, if one is to understand the great mystery, one should study all its aspects. (Yes, I just quoted Darth Sidious.)
With the ‘Cross season coming to a close, we’re ramping up to start the 2012 Velominati Super Prestige and with it, we are dragging ourselves into paying attention to Women’s Cycling: the 2012 competition will include women’s races with the points amassed counting towards the overall title.
We are also making some coding changes to the backend system in order to fix some problems which means we’re probably only introducing new problems without necessarily fixing the things that needed fixing in the first place.
We’re also adding more races like the Strada Bianca, changing the scoring model, and eliminating certain things such as free DNF swaps. Stand by for further updates and keep a weather eye on the VSP Page for the updated schedule and rules.
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best "active professional" cyclist.
#corrections
@Gillis
Indeed. Slip of the finger. Corrected. And feeling a bit dirty.
+1. Excellent acknowldgement of a fine rider. Vos can do it all, and do it well. If she was a male, she'd be a highly paid superstar. But instead, she and he colleagues have to fight for every penny they get.
International recognition of the quality of women's racing can start on this website! That should make the dick at the UCI take notice.
I know it's not a focus of the site but I've often felt that cross (CX hereafter) needs more coverage here. It may not be all day kinds of "V", but good lord it's hard. 30-60 minutes of just f-ing hard.
Think about it - a road race (regardless of format) will have sections that will put you on tilt and other sections that don't. But ultimately, it's a function of what the road gives you. Even MTB courses (yeah, I just brought it up) have to at least think of sustainability - so while that wicked downhill might look fun, it may not be the best long-term decision.
But a CX course - well, we're in a different league here. Courses are designed to be hard. An off-camber turn into a hill, a u-turn, then down into another off-camber? Hmm, doesn't seem hard enough - is there something else we can do? Sand maybe? And it doesn't have to be sustainable, it just needs to hold up for the day/weekend. And if it gets really ugly? Even better.
And that's without even getting into the atmosphere of a CX race. It's wildly spectator friendly as the course tends to loop back on itself to take advantage of terrain (which also sucks as a rider b/c even when you're back and should just try and bring it home, you still feel like you're in the race. You're not). Oh, and there's typically beer. And handups. And heckling.
After a couple of prior CX races on my MTB I pulled the trigger on a CX bike in 2011 (putting me into n+1). Despite an injury that effectively killed the CX season (missed first 1/2 and thus no form for the second 1/2), it is, w/o a doubt, the most fun and pain I've ever had on a bike.
Do yourself a favor, get a bike and get ready for next Fall. You won't regret it.
Without a doubt, women racers don't get the attention and money they deserve. They're working just as hard as the men and ride really well.
Without a doubt (Part II), cyclocross does indeed rock. The courses, the scene, the bikes, the conditions, the racing - all of it. At the grassroots level, mega fun. Seattle has two great series, the MFG and Seattle series. I'm the world's crappiest racer and dabbled with a few 'cross races, still had a blast. My 12 year old son was big into this Fall and completed about 12 'cross races, so I've witnessed most of the MFG and Seattle series. Check it out next 'cross season, great stuff.
Cyclocross totally fits the Velominati site, should feature more of it. Hell, I think XC mountain bike racing/riding fits as well. It's all one big two wheel suffer fest...
@brianc
+1 I raced a bit of the local CX series this past year and it forced me to take a long, hard look at what I thought were pretty decent bike handling skills on my part. It also forced me to take a long, hard break from riding as the result of a bruised sternum. That said, I can't wait to do it again this season.
living in the heimat of cyclocross: I can't imagine a winter without! nothing more relaxing than go for a ride in the morning and watch cyclocross on TV in the afternoon. every weekend from October untill Februari, there is live coverage of 1 or 2 races, in Christmas Holidays, almost every day.
I just wonder why it s not that popular in the rest of the world?
I concur with the increased appreciation of Velominata on this site. What you you call a hardcore Velominata, a "hardwoman"? Somehow, that doesn't sound as good.
Ugh, Mondays. That should read "what WOULD you call a hardcore Velominata..."
@JC Belgium
CX is definitely picking up steam, but from the looks of it, especially with the 2012 WC being held in Kentucky.
It's definitely picking up Stateside, and is alive and well in the Pacific Northwest. I vowed to race this year but didn't get to the proper n+1 configuration (a situation which has officially changed for 2012). I will race in 2012.
Also, this crash never stops making me laugh. Its OK to laugh, because Joey's OK.