The Crosscast

In Episode 8 of Season 4 Matt and Neil look back over 5 days of New Year racing that contained 4 races, including 4 wins (or was it 5?) for Mathieu Van Der Poel (and David), and career best wins for Vas finishing on the top step twice.

They talk about how lessons in sprints and lunges are in order after top positions being decided in the final few cm three times over.

At Bredene they applaud the have-a-go attitudes of White and Franck; at Baal they disagree on how similar the conditions were to previous editions and talk, at length, on the old chestnut of appropriate race durations; at Gullegem they enjoyed the fun mini-features and Adams' spirit; at Hulst-not-Hulst they agree that the course was uninspired but what an amazing ride from a flawless Betsema.

Two quiz questions to look out for (can you do better than Matt?)... and who was it that gave Vos and Van Aert a Christmas project of respraying a couple of frames in the garage and finishing off with a packet of letraset?

#SYOTOSOTT

Click to view: show page on Awesound

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 7 of Season 4, Neil and Matt update on the latest big races of the Kerstperiode - Zolder and Dendermonde.

A contrasting pair of races with Zolder keeping to a classic course with another fast and flowing event, and Dendermonde being visited for the first time. They debate exactly how we got to having a World Cup on such a quagmire as Dendermonde, but recognise some fantastic performances from the likes of Pieterse, Honsinger, Turner and Mein. They also discuss course design in terms of rider safety for both events.

In the Laatste Ronde, they are joined by Cero - Cycle Division's Finn Mansfield to help preview the upcoming races at Bredene, Baal, Gullegem and Hulst, all of which he raced last year.... although the Hulst race this year is not actually coming from Hulst.

They discuss some of the unique features of each venue including the mini flyover for cats at Gullegem, and the downhill whoops at Baal.

With 4 races in 5 days it is going to be a busy new year.

#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 6 of Season 4 Matt and Neil give a brief update and review of the recent series of cyclocross races on the continent, a series that has had ace race after ace race.

They talk about the fabulous racing at Namur, who was riding like a machine at robotland, and the heeby jeeby drops at Herentals.

And of course they mark a key result where van Aert won ahead of van der Poel for the first time since the Valkenburg world champs in Feb 2018.

Looking forwards they give as much info as there is (not a lot) about the upcoming World Cup in Dendermonde, and note that logistical difficulties could mean a depleted British squad.

#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.

A Christmas special! In Episode 5 of Season 4 friend of the show and The Cyclocross Bible author Alex Forrester dives into the pits for an in-depth interview with Trinity Racing's Cameron Mason.

We have had the show waiting for a few weeks and it was recorded just between Cam's European Championships' U23 podium, and his broken collarbone collected at Merksplas: twitter.com/camerooney_/status/1330557887987519490?s=20

Don't forget to follow Alex at The Cyclocross Bible facebook.com/cxbible/

#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 4 of Season 4 Neil and Matt come back after a break from recording to review what has been an exciting season so far in the European pro-ranks, but decimated elsewhere. Neil gives his impressions of Tabor, after making the most complicated trip of his life in order to be at the race as tech support for two of the GB squad.

They talk through who has class this year across all categories, not only including the winners of Pidcock, Bäckstedt, Mein, and Brand, but also quality performances further down the field such as Pieterse, Honsinger, Turner, and Sweek.

They dive into the pits with Amira Mellor, who gives us insight on her journey over the past few seasons, and returning to better form than ever in 2020.

In the Laatste Ronde they look forward to what promises to be another EPIC Namur this weekend hosting a strong and sizeable GB squad, and also look forward to Zolder on Boxing Day. They also reflect on the loss of races such as Diegem... and even Spa!

#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.

The Crosscast S4E03 - Muddy Milnthorpe wishing for a washer

All the cyclocross news including reviews of the latest races, guests in the pits and previews of all the upcoming action from the other side of the tape.

In Episode 3 of Season 4 Matt is fresh back from commentating on the World Champs MTB and is clearly still buzzing from an uncharacteristically muddy edition. Neil is clearly buzzing from his excel wizardry on getting the first ever CVV standings calculated. Most importantly they review the first round of the British Cycling National Trophy from Milnthorpe, both in terms of it as an event considering the situation that we find ourselves in mid-pandemic, and also as a concept as we look to the future. Since recording it has been announced that 03 October 2020 (Day 1 of Milnthorpe) was the wettest day ever recorded in the UK! blog.metoffice.gov.uk/2020/10/16/rainfall-on-uks-wettest-day-on-record-could-have-more-than-filled-loch-ness/

They also review the first of the major European races including the favourite of Gieten, and dive into the pits with up and coming U23 Amy Perryman of Montezuma's Race Team, who was racing in The Netherlands.

And in the Laatste Ronde they update on the status of the UK and International calendar as it stands, but who knows what to expect over the next few months.

And in case you're wondering, the CVV 'Crosscast Virtual Victor' is our very own version of the DVV, where, just for fun, we will use the National Trophy timings to give an overall position for the whole season based on elapsed time.

#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 2 of Season 4, Neil, Matt and Bruce start to look forward to the 2020-2021 cyclocross season, as it stood on 11 September. They look back at how the cx riders have been doing over the summer, including Wout van Aert winning more stages of the Tour de France than he won cx races last season... and Tom Pidcock winning more stages of the Baby Grio than he won cx races last season (as well as the overall).

They talk updates on teams that they can discuss, like Trek Factory Racing's dream team of Munro, Neff, Richards, Harnden and wonder whether they could achieve a clean sweep of rainbow stripes. They also hint at team news at IKO Crefan and Bruce's new team that will capable of achieving at lot.

Looking towards the upcoming season they give a brief overview of the international series that are ready to go, and give all the details relating to the UK National Trophy. They dive into the pits with friend of the show, Dave Haygarth who gives you all you need to know about round 1 at Milnthorpe. They also explain why the trophys are not UCI races this year.

And finally, Neil is clearly still cooped up, because he announces the Crosscast's very own CVV competition, rivaling the DVV in terms of status*, and making 15th century parallels with the upcoming battles in Kent, Lancaster, and York.

(*not strictly true)

#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 the first episode of Season 4, Neil, Matt and Bruce give the lowdown on the lockdown including what they have been up to in the months since the last show during which time the world has changed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Recording from home, they review the status of each of the regional leagues in the UK (as of 12 June 2020); the status of the National Trophy is also addressed with an update of where things stand for each of the rounds. The issues and difficulties facing organisers are debated, perhaps giving insight into why there is no news from some of the key events that we would usually be looking forward to at this time of year.

They wonder how the rammed and planned September / October MTB, road, cross calendars can be achieved, with all-rounders needing to choose between classics, and fans (and sponsors) having to make difficult decisions of which races to follow.

Looking forwards they discuss what might happen and what might not for the 2020-2021 season and how they will get their fill of off-road cycling in the next few months.

#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 the final episode of Season 4, Neil, Matt and Bruce review the final DVV and Superprestige races of the season, seeing a key win from Van Aert, and evidence that 'sprinters win on confidence' even in CX, with Alvarado continuing her outstanding record along the finishing straight in 2020.

They review the issue of Manon Bakker being fired from Experza after racing on non-sponsor wheels. They also discuss the classic camera shots and whether it is not necessary for race organisers to have a cablecam and a JCB... and explain why Lars van der Haar is a mental arithmetic whizz.

In the Laatste Ronde they look forward to next season's National Trophy and discuss the implications of it being just 5 rounds, the loss of HSBC sponsorship, and how World Cup clashes will affect riders. They also have the latest on the new rounds, diving into the pits with Mark Deakin, the organiser of the Taunton race that few outside of the South West will have raced.

R1: Westmorland County Showground, Milnthorpe: 3-4 October

R2: Moorways, Derby: 24-25 October

R3: Cyclopark, Kent: 7-8 November

R4: Pontispool Sports Centre, Taunton: 21-22 November

R5: York Cycle Sport, York: 12-13 December

National Champs: The South of England Showground, Crawley: 9-10 January

Don't forget to subscribe for next year's shows!

#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.

Wowzers what a mega show… what a mega lineup!...

In Episode 13 of Season 3, Neil, Matt and Bruce are joined by Nikki Brammeier in the studio where they review the World Championships that came from Dubendorf in Switzerland. They review all of the races, and also ponder whether riders would be better motivated if they were awarded goodie bags for participating. They chat through the issues with the course, and for spectators, and how it changed from day to day.

They join Ben Goddard On The Ground, who chats with the legend Sven Nys, and future legends Millie Couzens, Rory McGuire, Cameron Mason and Evie Richards. Matt dives into the pits with the two British podium finishers Anna Kay and Tom Pidcock.

The most important competition of the year is of course… who is the best at predicting the winners - did you do any better?

In the Laatste Ronde, they look forward to the recently announced world cups for 2020-2021 to question whether this is really 'world' at all and hear views from Sven Nys. And finally they preview the end of the DVV and Superprestige series with Nikki and Bruce, who have both raced all of the key venues in recent years.

...and do you reckon that Ida Brammeier can follow the example of Thibault Nys in following their parents to cyclocross stardom? 😁

#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.