Rajflyboy

https://www.velonews.com/2020/02/rac...d-title_504433

Outstanding. Can’t wait to see this guy in some big time road bicycle tours.

chadtrent

I love that guy. I know a lot of people say it's boring to watch races with him because he wins all the time. And I get that. But in every interview I've seen with him he comes off as a good guy. I am enjoying seeing him dominate the races. I also started watching mountain bike races again last season. I don't know if he will ever win a grand tour but I think he's definitely going to win a bunch of one day races and the rainbow jersey in the coming years.

MinnMan

I asked this before- as someone relatively new to following international CX, is there precedent for somebody being so dominant? Sure he has the skillz, but van der Poel just seems to have a MUCH larger engine than anybody else out there on the course. It's either wonderful, freakish, or suspect.

Rajflyboy

his career is just getting started

you won’t see him in CX much longer (he just loves that type of cycling)

Stadjer

He is a good guy, he's a cannibal but he took it easy the last round not to add insult to injury. I watched the race on Belgian television yesterday and I really love the Belgians for appreciating performance more than nationality when it comes to cycling, but it's getting really hard for them. Cycle cross is more their sport than any other nation's, so many turn up in the cold an the rain, and Van der Poel is not just by far the strongest physically, hé's also better technically, tactically and mentally, there's no circuit that favours other's relatively more than him, so there's not much short term perspective on at least an exciting fight for the win. They could use succes from the women as a consolation very well, but that's not working for them either, on the contrary. And it's not just others that win, is the Dutch, that stings especially in the women's cycling. Besides the regular rivalry between neighbouring countries in sports, Belgium is much more of a cycling nation (as in sports cycling) and especially cycle cross is much bigger there. So it's getting harder and harder for them to smile in admiration, they still do a great job that but for how much longer?

The good news is that Van Aert has only just recovered and will get stronger in the future. It would be a shame if interest and enthousiasm for cycle cross faded in Belgium, because that's were it's got to come from.

chadtrent

Yes. Look up Erik De Vlaeminck and Sven Nys. Sven only won the worlds once but he won tons of races. Erik won the world championships I think 7 times.

MinnMan

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/con...si-of-cycling/

berner

I'm not generally too interested in racing until I come across something exceptional. I recently saw a video of the Woman's Time Trial World Championship. A young woman there, Chloe Dygert, who had been doing very well in the Juniors and now entering the ranks of world class racing, blew past all the other competitors for the win. She had been ranked 20th for this event. One of the commentators at the end says, "She'll never be ranked 20th ever again".