The Crosscast

In Episode 5 of Season 6, Neil and Matt are joined in the studio by Ed Beechinor-Collins, who is not only Thomas Mein's coach but UCI and UEC Commission member. Ed brings us fully up to date with plans and asipirations for the European Cyclocross scene, including the potential for a European Cup, and for international races with Youth and Masters catergories.

In today's Crosstalk, the recent National Trophy rounds from Falkirk and South Shields are discussed - both of which proved to be outstanding riders' courses. Oof, it's a tough challenge for best course of the year this season! They also reflect on Sweeck's World Cup win, after 8 years of being at the sharp end of Elite races. There are yet more developments coming from Cyclopark, and Neil queries whether Vos has a technical innovation in riding with a light at Woerden. 

In the Laatste Ronde, they preview Koppenburgcross, acknowledging that the race would occur after the show hits the feeds - you can evaluate whether they got anything correct in the predictions... (spoiler - just watch it, folks :-) ).  They also preview the upcoming European Championships coming from Namur, that will include all categories including Masters. They also preview the next round of the World Cup from Beekse Bergen, which is desribed as 'Zonhoven before it became famous'.  

Support the show

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To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!  

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks!  Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.

In Episode 4 of Season 6, Neil and Matt are joined in the studio by Montezuma's Race Team's Amy Perryman fresh from a summer of off road riding and kicking off her Trophy season in Derby.

In today's Crosstalk they catch up on all the action from the Derby National Trophy, talking detailed positioning of barriers, happy riders, and whether Brammeier is back, or is back-back. They also pay respects with a moment's silence for Scotty Chalmers' (ex) cool carbon canti frame whose seat tube was impaled on a spike and debate if that meant Scotty was lucky or unlucky. They also agree that rider of the day was... Elena Day, with her impressive moving up the field as she moved up to U23 racing.

They also look back on the action from the twin USA world cups with its exciting racing, the twin wins for Iserbyt and Van Empel, and the new twins on the block: Canadians Ava and Isabella Holmgren, being just 17 and achieving twin top 20 finishes.

In the Laatste Ronde they look forwards to rounds 3 and 4 of the National Trophy with all the info from Falkirk and the Antonine Wall, and from South Shields where you are dared to take your cossie and go for a dip in the North Sea. World Cups from Maasmechelen and Tabor are previewed - one new, one classic, but both promising to offer bags of entertainment. They also quiz Amy on Ruddervoorde, a course which she raced on a couple of seasons ago. There is also an update from Cyclopark, which is expecting to have a venue tweak, so the modern classic can have a bit of maintenance and a fallow year.

They even dip into a bit of tech talk, talking tyre gauges, teams shifting shifter suppliers, and introduce the first appearance of the 22-23 Wrath of Chronos.

Thanks so much to everyone who has supported the show at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast where you can also buy us a virtual coffee! Proceeds go to paying for hosting fees.

Support the show

--
To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!  

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks!  Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.

In Episode 3 of Season 6, Neil is joined in the studio by CX talent Alison Kinloch and Alex Forrester. In Crosstalk, the trio unpack their different experiences on Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen Y Ghent, with their thrills and spills... and how they're feeling after a week of recovery. They consider just how many whippersnappers are close on the heels of the Hope block-out of 4 of the 6 individual podium places at the front of the elite race.

They also consider the news from Belgium with Aerts' (probably) season out, from France with Ferrand-Prevot's move to Ineos, joining a strong GB squad that could make an impressive line up.... if they ever get to a CX start line, and the bizarre goings on with Van der Poel in Australia. 

Neil also contrasts the Kings Cup Gravel Champs with the Three Peaks... spoiler - the contrast is as big as it gets (haha!), but both are great prep for a full 'cross season.

In the Laatste Ronde, they look forward to the opening rounds of the World Cup in the US, wonder whether the dungareed human statue will be on site again, and speculate on what the beer tent might be serving at the newly announced Dublin World Cup.

They also give all the latest on Round 1 of the National Trophy due to come from Derby in a few days, with news of a bomb hole, a new start, plus the classic Derby features that make it such a cracking event to race and spectate.

And if you're wondering what's happened to Matt - conspiracy theorist fill your basket, just like the Nordstream Gas Line, pipes have burst at the Old Beer Cellar Studio and work was needed to stop it becoming a basement water feature.

Thanks to all for supporting the show - we have a page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast where you can really help out with hosting costs by buying us a virtual coffee! 

Support the show

--
To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!  

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks!  Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.

In Episode 2 of Season 6, Neil and Matt are joined by author, rider, and CX guru Alex Forrester. Alex gives us a bit of an insight into his relocation from the South of England back to his Derbyshire roots, and how he is getting his cycling cafe prepped for all weathers.

In crosstalk, they chat through some of the team changes that have been posted (if not announced), and tackle the can of worms that is the UCI sticker on a frame. They also wonder whether a 14mm thru axle disqualifies a bike from being a true cyclocrosser.

Much of the show is given over to 3 Peaks Prep, wondering whether Neil's belt and braces use of Rimpact tyre inserts with robust tyres is a better move than Alex's 'pump em up as hard as you can and send it' strategy. They also talk favorites for the race, and also whether the clash with Kings Cup Gravel could draw riders away from the purity of the Yorkshire Peaks, to newfangled corporate gravel... wherever you're riding - take a moment or two to enjoy it!

Before you go... if you would like to show your support and help us cover some of the production and hosting costs, please pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast. It will really help us keep the show rolling, means we won't need to do paid ads, and will give you a warm fuzzy feeling!

Support the show

--
To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!  

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks!  Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.

In Episode 1 of Season 6, Neil and Matt are back with another season of cross-goodness! This season we say farewell to Bruce Dalton and wish him a happy retirement from the mic as he pursues so many ace projects over the winter. Neil and Matt will be teaming up with guests throughout the season to bring something new to this season's pod.

In Episode 1, they look back on what the cross-community have been up to over the summer, focusing on some of those emerging riders who look to be in the form of their lives forward to the upcoming cyclocross season - ones to watch include Niamh Murphy who finished on the podlium at the women's Junior Tour of Flanders, and our brand new European MTB eliminator champ Zoe Roche.

They cover Thomas Mein's move to Hope, and also question how we can still be waiting for an update on Toon Aerts' status, 7 months on from when he failed a doping test.

Looking forwards the upcoming seasion is looking really varied with National Trophies in classic and fresh venues, just like the World Cup which even goes to Benidorm this year. At least there will be sand.

Before you go... if you would like to show your support and help us cover some of the production and hosting costs, please pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast. It will really help us keep the show rolling, means we won't need to do paid ads, and will give you a warm fuzzy feeling!

Support the show

--
To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!  

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks!  Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.

In Episode 12 of Season 5, Neil Matt and Bruce review the World Champs that came from Fayetteville and gave a new meaning to Dry January, but still delivered some great racing with photo finishes, dominant rides off the front, and drama throughout.  It also delivered a decent haul of GB medals 🤩.

They spend some time unpacking Ribblegate, understanding why one of the GB podium favorites needed to borrow bikes from Sven Nys to race at the World Champs after arriving with non-approved frames... and they speculate on why this might have significant knock-ons to anyone wanting to ride or organise a UCI race in future.

On a lighter note, they also announce the winners of the Crosscast Podium Prediction competition and acknowledge that most listeners trounced Neil Matt and Bruce.

In the Laatste Ronde they look forward to the conclusion of the X2O and SuperPrestige series, both of which are still undecided, and also have a first look at the 2022-23 National Trophy with a classic mix of classic venues with some new rounds coming in, and a lot of variety in character.

And with that, The Crosscast are crossing off another season.  Thanks for the support, friends of the show, and say hi if you see us out and about on the trails, on the road, or on the zwift. See you on the other side of the summer. 

Support the show

--
To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!  

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks!  Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.

In Episode 11 of Season 5, Neil Bruce and Matt look back on final round of the National Trophy that came from Broughton, Skipton, that not only gave a tough course, but also a great example of what can be done to make a top tier race happen in the UK if you have the support and expertise from people like those at Hope. It also gave Neil his PB result of the season (😎). 

They also look back at the final two rounds of the World Cup from Flamanville and Hoogerheide that delivered some close racing albeit with depleted fields. Were they a bit of an anti-climax considering the extent of the World Cup this year, or an opportunity to foreshadow the World Champs due to start in a few days time.

In the Laatste Ronde, they dedicate their thoughts to the World Champs and come up with their predictions for the podiums across all catergories.  And of course YOU can join in too! Head over to https://tinyurl.com/CCWC2022 to see if you can do better than Neil Matt and Bruce.

Don't forget to follow the show on Instagram and Facebook, and support the show by treating yourself to the official T from grity.co.uk https://grity.co.uk/collections/leisure-wear

Support the show

--
To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!  

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks!  Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.

In Episode 10 of Season 5, Neil, Matt and Bruce are just back from what was an excellent National Championships, but they are still far from dried out after the Saturday drenching.

In Crosstalk they talk through all the details of what was a challenging and muddy course, but a course that still brought exciting racing.  They reflect on their own experiences of being on the mic as well as on the start line... and Neil also making it to the finish line.  All the UCI races from Sunday are reviewed including the Junior women's and men's, as well as the two elite races. They also cover other key national Champs from across the world, over a weekend that saw some very experienced riders bring home jerseys to add to extensive collections, whilst other nations (including the UK) had younger riders taking titles.

In the Laatste Ronde the upcoming World Cup finale is previewed and the difficult choices facing riders and squads who might also be targetting the US World Champs are discussed... hopefully the final few races before focus shifts stateside, will be as entertaining as the venues promise, with a French Chateau, the best camera shot of the year, and a course that brings tight racing all due over the next fortnight.

Matt also unpacks the calculations that will be made to decide final positions at the final round of the National Trophy coming from Broughton. There is still a lot to decide and the course is promising to be a tough addition to the calender, whilst also benefitting from invested to make it a great venue... tune in next time to hear the view from Crosscast Towers on how close it is coming.

In the meantime - Bruce, we all hope that the physio does their magic with the National Champs DNF injury, and that you'll be able to take to the start line in Skipton.

Support the show by getting your spring T-shirt order in over at grity.co.uk

Support the show

--
To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!  

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks!  Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.

In Episode 9 of Season 5, Neil Bruce and Matt bring a bumper show. reflecting on one of the season highlights - the Kerstperiode - the classic series of Christmas races in Belgium which gave loads of discussion points in each race.  Neil managed to travel to Belgium for the Kerste and he brings his view from the pits.  

In today's Crosstalk, they review the world cups from Dendermonde and (the real) Hulst... they discuss the SuperPrestige from Zolder... and debate the X2O action from Baal and Loenhout. 

They debate - are we now in the midst of a new golden age of UKCX, with consistent outstanding performances coming in all categories... Junior men and Junior women, U23 men and U23 women, Elite men and Elite women?

And is there a better way of giving a clean race to riders at both the front and the back of the field, or is the '80% rule' the best option out there?

And will we see Van der Poel again this season... or even racing in the classics?

And in today's Laatste Ronde, the upcoming National Championships are previewed with the all important ones to watch picked... and considering the astonishingly good current crop of riders, probably some were missed too!  ... and on the topic of missing people - will we see the Ineos duo Pidcock and Turner take to the line?  It is really one not to miss - get there is you can, it's one of the best men's and women's fields in the world racing on home soil... or should that be home mud?

And don't forget you can support the show at Grity.co.uk by treating yourself to the UK Cyclocross t-shirt!

Support the show

--
To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!  

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks!  Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.

In Episode 8 of Season 5, Neil Bruce and Matt are back with a Christmas show packed with action and previews.

In Crosstalk, they review the UK UCI double header, with the first running of Clanfield Cross as an international race, and also cover round 5 of the National Trophy that came from Cyclopark, a race that polarised opinions, and a course that changed throughout the weekend.   They review the snowy Val Di Sole and debate whether this is a direction in which cyclocross should move, or whether it's a too far from the roots of the sport.  

Rucphen and Namur gave a World Cup double weekend with a fantastic series of races, and the Netherlands venue delivered a great course design despite the dreadful spiral of doom (do you agree?).  It was of course, a weekend to be remembered by UK CX as the first time that a British rider has won a men's elite race... whilst Backstedt maintained her unbeaten run having won every Junior Women's world cup race ever.  

In the Laatste Ronde, they look forward to the Kerstperiode including two World Cups, two Superprestiges, and two X2O races in just a few days.  Will Dendermonde be another waterslog?  Will Zolder deliver last lap excitement this time?  Will anyone get stranded at double-pit Diegem?  Will Neil start to appreciate Baal?  Will Van der Poel return at Loenhout, as Van Aert did 2 years ago?  Will Hulst-not-Hulst ever go back to the much-missed windmill?

In fact, with the pandemic allow anything to happen at all?

Happy Kerstperiode everyone!

Support the show

--
To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!  

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks!  Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.