# 2014 world championships...



## RolandsuperX (29 Jan 2014)

Nys, Muessen, LVDH are my picks for the podium..


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## User169 (29 Jan 2014)

Nys and Vos to win.


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## The Couch (29 Jan 2014)

I am going for Nys, Peeters and LvdH in that order (Meeusen looses the sprint for 3rd place )

I know... Peeters is a reach, but he was looking good till the Belgian Championship. But I believe he has been intentionally resting his legs and if he gets a good start (which he seems to have problems with lately) I give him a good shot at 2nd place. Of course he needs to drop just about everyone before the finish-line because he ain't the fastest of sprinters 

Can't see many people not going for Nys ... although of course he has to make sure to drop Meeusen and LvdH cause he can't outsprint either of them

If Compton is 100% (no asthma troubles) I'll go for her, Vos hasn't seem 100% (yet) since coming back.


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## oldroadman (29 Jan 2014)

Course condition will play a part, it's often "horses for courses" at a worlds. That said, class counts for a lot. Compton and Vos in the women, and wouldn't it be nice to see a Brit on the podium Harris or Wyman, take your pick.
For the men, hard to see past Nys and Peeters, third is a bit of a lottery.
And watch for young Van Der Pohl at U-23 level, he's almost unstoppable (and has impressive genetic pedigree!).


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## oldroadman (29 Jan 2014)

Special note. All the above will probably be wrong - what do I know?


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## The Couch (30 Jan 2014)

oldroadman said:


> For the men, hard to see past Nys and *Peeters*, third is a bit of a lottery.
> And watch for young Van Der Pohl at U-23 level, he's almost unstoppable (and has impressive genetic pedigree!).


Nice to see someone backing up my Peeters claim 

Van Der Poel is magnificent and at the beginning of the season I would have agreed... but Wout Van Aert has shown huge improvement throughout the year and should be as high a favourite as Mathieu is
.Vermeersch, Adams, Vanthourenhout have all showed that they can peak to certain races as well, but it should be between the 2 above,


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## The Couch (30 Jan 2014)

Stybar is in... and he was actually saying the track is very easy. 
There is only 1 hill where he needed to get off his bike and he had changed the rhino-tyres immediately for grifo.

So I guess the ground is quite porous and isn't really absorbing much of the rain.
Let's hope that the rain predicted for Saturday can still have a big impact on the track to make it heavier.


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## VamP (30 Jan 2014)

Stybar has just announced he's going to ride 

He might not win it - Nys is looking imperious - but it won't be for lack of trying! I am expecting fireworks.

Nobody expecting Mourney to do well? And Meeusen for third. K-Pau to have a mechanical (again), Peeters to make a tactical blunder, LvdH to run out of puff in the mud... Walsleben? Klaas?


Styby rode the course today and said it was quite dry and fast - that was a big factor in his decision - so it might turn into a tactical battle.


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## VamP (30 Jan 2014)

Snap


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## VamP (30 Jan 2014)

Just thought, not a single suggestion that Niels might make the podium?


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## oldroadman (30 Jan 2014)

Now Stybar is decided, if the going stays fast I'll agree there may well be some interesting racing. If we get wet weather over the weekend, then the game changes and I still can't see past Nys. That change to Grifos might be a bit premature!


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## VamP (30 Jan 2014)

I think that if the course has stayed dry with all the rain Northern Europa has had, rain on Saturday (some is forecast) will not dramatically change things. Maybe for the women, if it rains while they are out...


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## RolandsuperX (30 Jan 2014)

VamP said:


> Just thought, not a single suggestion that Niels might make the podium?


 
I know ....


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## RolandsuperX (31 Jan 2014)

All races live on UCI`s youtube channel.....


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## The Couch (31 Jan 2014)

VamP said:


> Nobody expecting Mourney to do well? .


Nys does, he said this week he has his eyes on Mourey as his biggest opponent



VamP said:


> Just thought, not a single suggestion that Niels might make the podium?


Would be a surprise (even to himself) and the same applies to Van Tornout, neither of them (although Klaas probably worst) have show much of form as of late


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## VamP (31 Jan 2014)

The Couch said:


> Nys does, he said this week he has his eyes on Mourey as his biggest opponent
> 
> 
> Would be a surprise (even to himself) and the same applies to Van Tornout, neither of them (although Klaas probably worst) have show much of form as of late



Niels won at Hoogerheide in 2009 though, and he's always there or thereabouts for the big races. I would not be shocked to see him on the podium. Let's put it that way.

There are pictures from the course recce yesterday on Cyclingnews, it looks very dry, apart from one muddy section in a lower field. Forecast light rain for Sturday, dry for Sunday.


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## The Couch (31 Jan 2014)

VamP said:


> it looks very dry, apart from one muddy section in a lower field. Forecast light rain for Sturday, dry for Sunday.


If that's the case, LvdH becomes top-favourite (don't think anybody can beat him in a sprint). Just think back at the (boring) Heusden-Zolder race where most of the field stayed together


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## VamP (31 Jan 2014)

The Couch said:


> If that's the case, LvdH becomes top-favourite (don't think anybody can beat him in a sprint). Just think back at the (boring) Heusden-Zolder race where most of the field stayed together



I thought Heusden - Zolder was one of the best races this season! 

Did we watch the same race?

I think Stybar would have won that one BTW, had he not fumbled a clip-in on the last run up.


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## The Couch (1 Feb 2014)

If the video works for non-Belgian locations, this is a quite interesting look on the track:
http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/veldrijden/1.1854378

Watch the Czech bullet fly by as well


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## VamP (1 Feb 2014)

The Couch said:


> If the video works for non-Belgian locations, this is a quite interesting look on the track:
> http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/veldrijden/1.1854378
> 
> Watch the Czech bullet fly by as well


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## User169 (1 Feb 2014)

Well that was made to look pretty routine! Bad luck for Compton though. 

Course is firm. Barring a deluge, looks like it will be quick tomorrow!


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## VamP (1 Feb 2014)

Quality ride by Lechner, and a happy result for Wyman. Compton clearly not well. Same Toupalik in the juniors. 

Can't wait to see how Stybar copes with 4th row gridding tomorrow. Should be a good race. The course is great, quick but with plenty of sketchy sections that penalise mistakes heavily.


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## RolandsuperX (1 Feb 2014)

Expecting plenty of fireworks during tomorrows U23 event, should be a real classic...


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## Pedrosanchezo (1 Feb 2014)

Last cx race of season for me. 150 riders and a "neutralised zone" + a month of rain so will stupid muddy. 11:45 kick off. 

What time is the main event streaming live? Will there be a catch up service? Stybar or LVDH for win.


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## VamP (2 Feb 2014)

Pedrosanchezo said:


> Last cx race of season for me. 150 riders and a "neutralised zone" + a month of rain so will stupid muddy. 11:45 kick off.
> 
> What time is the main event streaming live? Will there be a catch up service? Stybar or LVDH for win.


 
2pm on the uci channel, and it's a available there for viewing for a week I think...

I think a Belgian is going to win this time, for a change, and his name will begin with an S and with an s.

But I agree it's not a given.


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## Pedrosanchezo (2 Feb 2014)

Should be back for around half 2. Come back from a race to then announce that i'll be watching a race! I'd likely find the locks changed next time i left the house. 

Great if it's on all week though. Cheers.


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## User169 (2 Feb 2014)

Top racing!!


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## VamP (2 Feb 2014)

Epic!


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## The Couch (3 Feb 2014)

Great display of the 2 people who probably have the biggest work ethic of the whole bunch. That was a great duel and nice/deserving win for Styby.
Could have gone either way, the "loser" was clearly going to be the one who was going to make an error in the last round.
(Strength-wise there wasn't really anything separating them)

Also great display of Wout Van Aert, seems like Van der Poel didn't feel at his best (my feeling is that he's worn-out of going from the road straight to CX without taking much of a break).... still the evolution Van Aert made this year, is pretty incredible.

Compton having the entanglement of bikes made the women race pretty much only interesting for 3rd place.

All in all, not a bad 2 days for Belgium (we have had some ugly results in the past) it seems the upcoming generation U23 and juniors aren't too shabby


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## BUR70N (3 Feb 2014)

Just watched the races online, awesome racing in all the categories. Vos was just class from the start but good podium result for Wyman, the mens elite was just fast and fun to watch!


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## User169 (5 Feb 2014)

This is quite fun..


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5WOtcKwUK4


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## The Couch (6 Feb 2014)

Delftse Post said:


> This is quite fun..


Would have been nice with something like this: "waiting...waiting....waiting... and .... no, still waiting... waiting... YES, there they are, Pauwels, LvdH and Van Tornout, the next best guys in the field are right on the wheels of Stybar and Nys .... will they be able to bridge?"


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