The Crosscast

In Episode 7 of Season 5, Neil and Matt look back on the Cyclocross World Masters Championships that came from Ipswich.  Not only do they give a run down of how the event panned out, but they also attempt to give a synopsis of every race category and key moments that decided who gets to wear the rainbow stripes for the next year.
They also look back on a very wet Boom that saw impressive returns from Turner, Pidcock in his magic skinsuit, and of course Wout van Aert who was in a class of his own. 
In the Laatste Ronde, they look forward to a bumper couple of weeks of racing and briefly drop into the pits to listen in on Georgia Mahoney (from the Cycling Talk Podcast) chat to Gosse van der Meer, who is planning on racing at several of the upcoming UK races.  
They preview round 5 of the National Trophy, coming from Cyclopark, and also Clanfield Cross that will make up a double UCI weekend in the UK.
And of course there are the imminent World Cups due to come from Val di Sole on snow and ice, Namur, and Rucphen, a full on three courses that will challenge the whole range of skills.
And for those concerned about Bruce, you are right to do so... he phoned in to report a puncture in a snow storm... hope you made it back Bruce!

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 6 of Season 5 Neil Matt and Bruce look back on Round 4 of the National Trophy from Sunderland, that saw some excellent performances... and not just for the first over the line.  They also get a bit seasonal after the snow that came at some of the UK Regional Champs and hope to see some more... and of course discuss the Crosscast NT total time competition, The Wrath of Chronos (thanks @Iainseye).

They wonder whether Iserbyt was sledging (see what we did there!) in his pre-race talk about not being confident in the sand at Koksijde, and are pleased to see Worst back to her best, putting in a trademark power attack that has been a bit dormant for a while.

They also review Kortrijk Urban Cross and the fantastic racing, skating, and martial arts that came from Besancon.  But really... where will the Iserbyt Aerts battle end, as they take it from bike racing to a full contact sport?

Looking forwards they give a preview of the Masters World Champs that is coming from Ipswich with as much insight as possible considering the pandemic undertainty at the moment, and they wonder whether the Ipswich bridge steps are going to be more of a challenge than the hurdles that will not feature in the 55+ categories.

They also look forward to the return of Van Aert and Pidcock due to race at Boom in a few days, and they don't look forward to Antwerp because it's been cancelled.  Neil gets a bit cultured talking about public art and architecture... and his fire alarm went off too.  

And finally, don't forget that TheCrosscast UK map T-shirt is available from Grity (grity.co.uk), and is shipping now.  We don't do ads, and this is a way to help support the show!

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 5 of Season 5 Neil Matt and Bruce go all 2015, covering van der Haar winning the European Champs, and also taking a win in the World Cup.  They review whether this could the pinnacle of a very successful season for van der Haar, even through it has not even started for the World Championship elite men's favourites.  

They debate course design at Niel and what they hope to see when elite racing hopefully returns to Col du Vam.  They also talk Tabor, where Brand also kept the race under control to take the win with a textbook move on the classic course that always provides great racing.

In the Laatste Ronde they preview the next round of the National Trophy coming from another first-time venue in Sunderland, giving the latest on what to expect from the course.  They also preview the continental and world racing from the Koksijde classic, Kortrijk urbancross, and the world's newcomer, Besancon.  

And finally, don't forget that TheCrosscast UK league map T-shirt is available for pre-order from National Trophy supporter Grity (grity.co.uk), and should ship later this month.  We don't do ads, and this is a way to help support the show!

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 4 of Season 5 Neil Bruce and Matt review the most recent action from round 3 of the National Trophy that came from Falkirk, a tough course that was highly praised by riders and a venue we hope to return to.  Whilst Carrick-Anderson and Flynn lead the BC National Trophy, they review how close the unofficial Crosscast league standings are, which are led by Field and Manley.

Bruce re-lives his on-the-ground experiences from his recent block on the continent,  and the show reviews the recent world cups from Zonhoven (yay) and Overijse (hmm), as well as the next round of the Superprestige from Ruddervorde (hmm) and the X2Opener, Koppenburgcross (AKA GP Jolien Verschueren) (yay²).  They talk through whether, and why, continental cross is getting more angsty and limitations of pressure wash provision (anyone willing to crowdfund a fire engine?!).

And in the Laatste Ronde they look forward the upcoming European Champs with its mysterious course, as well as Niel and Tabor, both races that have their uniqueness and a soft spot in the hearts of the Crosscasters.

And finally, don't forget that TheCrosscast UK league map T-shirt is available for pre-order from National Trophy supporter Grity (grity.co.uk), and should ship later this month.  We don't do ads, and this is a way to help support the show!

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 5 Neil, Matt and Bruce go all international with Neil recording in an airport, and Bruce somewhere between races in Ireland and Belgium. 

They cover all the action from Milnthorpe, a race where technical features dominated the overall outcomes.  They talk about how small mistakes cost a lot of time for riders across all the fields, and of course update with the official (and our own unofficial) standings.

They review the first three rounds of the World Cup that came from the USA.  While Neil's previous show's prediction of Honsinger having a decent start was only partially fulfilled, he was correct about the sketchy sections at Waterloo which saw multiple riders crash out, some being hurt.  They debate who the biggest winners are... and the UCI could well be one of them.

In the Laatste Ronde they look forward to the next round of the National Trophy coming from Falkirk that will inevitably result in changes in the standings, as many riders are on World Cup duty at Zonhoven.  They also give previews of the thinkers' course with choices aplenty (Ruddervorde), the hilly one with comedy climbs and corners if wet (Overijse) and the iconic Koppenburgcross which opens opportunity to those KoppenKings&Queens who specialise on the unrelenting cobbles and cowfield.

And finally... TheCrosscast have partnered with grity.co.uk to produce our first ever T-shirt which is available for pre-order.  

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 5, Matt, Bruce and Neil are joined by Curtis White to preview the upcoming USA World Cups and to review the season start in what is an important year for USCX.

They review the first round of the National Trophy that came from Derby... including reviewing the effect of random gridding (smaller than expected to be honest) and also talk about the increasing number of tyre/wheel combinations that are failing the UCI magic measurer 33mm test.

The start of the continental scene is covered including the Gieten Superprestige that was a brutal slogfest and rather different to the traditional beach-side season opener.

By a quirk of fate, Bruce had a power cut in his village just before we would have told him that Spectra Wiggle are leading the unofficial CCNTSRC team competition after round 1... can it be held after Milnthorpe?... which promises to be another classic and if it is true to form will end up being a true test of skill, power and endurance.

#SYOTOSOTT

TheCrosscast is an indepentent production, from Neil Mansfield (Grity Sustainable Sport Apparel), Matt Payne (Full Speed Events), and Bruce Dalton (4SeasonCollective).

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 5, Matt, Bruce and Neil are back to preview the new cyclocross season.  They talk through the implications of the bumper World Cup... the 6 round National Trophy... and the Masters' Worlds to be held in the UK later this year.

They look back on the highlights of the career of Jolien Vescheuren, who sadly lost her battle with brain cancer over the summer, and they also discuss their thoughts on the failed doping test that ended the career of Katie Compton abruptly.

In the Laatste Ronde, they look forward to the upcoming races in Gieten, Bredene and Beringen and give all the information they have on the first round of the National Trophy at Derby.

Most importantly Neil introduces the CCNTSRC - the Crosscast National Trophy Stage Race Competition, a kind of hybrid of the X2O scoring to the National Trophy races, but with fewer ducks.

Important note - if your podcast app uses a manual feed URL it will need to be updated.

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 4 Neil and Matt say farewell to a season that almost didn't happen for the elite riders and fizzled out for the grass roots scene. However, they agree that despite the disruption, the pro and televised racing has been excellent entertainment, and the season-long narrative the most intriguing for years across all series.

They talk through the emotionally charged end of the Superprestige series from Middelkirke where Aerts won the elite men's series despite Sweeck taking the race win under the closest scrutiny from the team, and Brand did what she needed to complete the series despite Betsema taking the win. They are delighted to see the snow for the final two rounds of the X20 series where every second really did count for the elite women's competition with the whole series being won by just 5 seconds by Brand after a committed two races seeing her dig deep, but meaning that she won every competition of the year.

Neil is also delighted to have new namesake in Niels Vanderputte, who took the Brussels podium after a skills showcase on the snow and ice.

And in the Laatste Ronde they look forward to the 2021-2022 world cup with a rammed season of dates including a Stateside block and some back-to-back events in Europe.

#SYOTOSOTT

Click to view: show page on Awesound

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 4 Neil, Bruce, and Matt focus on the thrills and spills, the dreams that came true and the nightmare races, that came from the 2021 World Championships in Ostende.

In this strange season with no Dutch National Championships the rest of the world held back to allow the Dutch squad to fight it out and be awarded a clean sweep of rainbow jerseys.

The Crosscasters debate whether strategy or body composition had a bigger effect on the racing, and despair at the career changing flyover that saw two of the main U23 contenders have serious slippage that could have cost them the title and a vital element of a pro-rider's palmares.

Despite Neil trying to avoid it, they also give the results of The Crosscast Podium Predictions and congratulate the winner of the listeners competion and the best predictions from within the studio.

And in the Laatste Ronde, they look forward to the last big races of the year due to come from Middelkerke, Lille and Brussels (if they don't get cancelled).

#SYOTOSOTT

Click to view: show page on Awesound

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 4 Bruce, Matt and Neil review the racing from Hamme and Overijse, the last test of the legs before the World Champs next week. The close racing at the front of the men's elite with a 1-1 score draw between Van Aert and Van der Poel, and 2-0 for Alvarado but a very timely and consistent rise to form for Bakker. And was Overijse worthy of being a world cup course?... (spoiler: yes it was flippin awesome).

And finally in crosstalk, Neil expresses his angst at the potential unethical treatment of giant rubber duckies being lashed down in sight of a giant lake but forbidden to swim in it.

In the Laastse Ronde they preview the 21-22 UK National Trophy and National Champs and of course the upcoming World Championships from Oostende. They unpick the course that is a lot more subtle than huge bridges and huge sand sections. And where is the crucial point to be ahead to win a new jersey? Is the bridge the crucial landmark, or too far out? Is there too much running to keep a leading group together?

They give their predictions and YOU CAN JOIN IN TOO THIS YEAR!!! Check the link here tinyurl.com/crosscastwc21

#SYOTOSOTT

Click to view: show page on Awesound

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.