ebbe nieuweboerJust catching up with the #Dublin #CX #WorldCup now. So obviously I'm not doing a running commentary, because I'm much too late for that anyway. I will say that the course looks amazing! Not many difficult features, but it has all the different kinds of mud we could ever ask for: Shallow slip-sliding mud, frozen mud with unforgiving ruts, deep watery mud in blobs, fast downhill mud, uphill mud. It's mudderly beautiful, really a #propercross!
Women's elite race was awesome! Now for the men's.
Dare I say it? As a glaring exception to the general state of affairs, the men's race is even better today!
Paul Convery@ebbe was at it in person today. Didn't get round to the second half of the course in person, but that part looks like it was a lot more tricky.
In the elite mens race, the little uphill section before the barriers (the camera didn't do that part justice at all) became extremely tricky, they struggled on that far more than the women.
@Ravenblade86
Yeah, it looks… like… exactly what you want from a cross! Apparently Ferrand Prevot was also very complimentary about the overall organisation, so that's some more feathers in the cap of the Dublin cross.
I already know who won both races, so don't worry about spoilers ;-)
@ebbe that's good to hear, I know I heard Rob Hatch on commentary for GCN saying nice things. Hopefully we will see it back next year, and hopefully with a bigger start list (seems to unfortunately fell at a bad time for training camps etc.) but the women's race had a lot of very young Irish riders because of it and if we can have a regular event like that it will only help grow the sport here.
@Ravenblade86 Dutch commentary talked about the local talent as well, during the lead up to the start. How cross is becoming quite popular because riding on the roads may be dangerous, so many prefer riding on fields and gravel. We can definitely hope this will, in the coming years, lead to a couple of real contenders on a high level! Would be great to have a (more) international field.
@ebbe talking to one of the other spectators he was commenting on how big the fields have been for the local cyclocross races he has been doing this year.
Liam O'Brien had a good race in the men's junior, but the two British Garden Shed riders ran away with it after he had a bit of a crash.
@Ravenblade86 Yeah, seems like Ireland has all the necessary ingredients: Fields, climate, rain, mud, even aan horse track to use as a sand pit. Combine that with enthusiastic competitors and organisers, and there's much potential. Would be great to have it again next year, indeed!
@ebbe the sand section was unfortunately not that easy to access for the public, all those people you saw at that section had to squeeze past some fencing and climb over a hedge around the equestrian centre which I don't think was what the organisers had planned 😂
I know in Northern Ireland someone has opened what is apparently a permanent cyclocross park that is going to be available all year round.
@Ravenblade86 Well now, that sounds like a full Irish weekend in the works for next year! ;-)
Could also help attract more riders. Aniek van Alphen for instance skipped Dublin because with the big guns in over in Ireland for the weekend she had the perfect chance to win Essen yesterday.
@Ravenblade86 Pieterse also complimented the Irish fans, I just saw in her post race interview.
@ebbe Yeah, between Essen and a bunch of training camps we got a very light women's field. Aniek van Alphen definitely made the most of not coming over though, she looked great again yesterday and getting some wins is bound to give her a big boost.
Was very surprised by how well Jens Adam rode today considering he was the only one of the men to ride in Essen yesterday and he is doing that all as an independent rider as well.
@Ravenblade86 Men's elite race in starting now, for me… so I'll keep an aye out for Adams!
@Ravenblade86 Wout van Aert's DS/chaperone/companion, Nico Dick, apparently also had some laudatory words about the organisation. The feathers keep coming!