Redbull is back on in my house! Wow, super interesting racing and results. Nino still has the tenacity, but does he have the form, just a bad start? Will Kate warm up for better results this weekend? The U23 are coming (have arrived) and it’s pretty cool seeing the new talent shake up the old guard. How will this condensed racing effect the outcome?
I think a coach Jonathon interview with Keegan is in order, yeah, another one. It would be really interesting hearing the fastest guy in the US’ take on competing and playing at that level.
Great racing so far. Nino was pretty strong through laps 3-7 in the XCO, he said he went too deep to move forward on the start loop and took two laps to recover. It doesn’t look like he has the top end he did, but it’s still early. I think the second XCO will be interesting.
Kiwi Anton Cooper looks to have good form building, I hope he can find a complete race at the World Champs next week.
Keegan was pretty high up during the XCC last night, but seemed to drop back. It looks so tactical and wildly fast to finish with that lead group.
What happened to Jolanda? Rob Warner said she wasn’t in the lineup for the XCC but didn’t say why or if she’d be back for the XCO. It’s still pretty incredible to have recovered from her injuries as she has done.
Go Kate!
Evie Richards would be a phenomenal road sprinter/classics rider if she wanted to, such a beast
Loana Lecomte putting on a clinic was incredible, and did it all with a rigid post
Nino’s heating up, and is going to be a force on Sunday.
Ulloa, what a phenom this guy is, he was on a tear in today’s short track, when Nino almost took him out. If that was me, they would have been taking me off the pavement on a stretcher
Evie looks like a power house doesn’t she. To move through the field twice and still win was super impressive. She’s very young, and fresh off of CX isn’t she (I might be wrong, just going off commentary)? She could be the next Annika Langvad!
Interesting to note that tomorrow there will be covid testing for all teams. I don’t have details on how deep into the team it goes or if it’s just riders. Or what happens if there’s a positive.
As for predictions, Nino and Lecomte with the repeat on Sunday.
I didn’t pick that up but it could be true. Nothing on Google for “Jolanda Neff Covid” lol.
Either way she certainly didn’t look comfortable. The mind was willing early based on how aggressive she rode from the gun, but the body didn’t respond how she expected I guess.
Nino’s move clipping Ulloa’s front wheel in the last XCC race was a jerk move and the sign of a desperate, aging racer who is frustrated that he can’t just ride people off his wheel anymore. I hope to see more first time winners in Sunday’s XCO race.
I only watched the race from Friday but is it me or was that a difficult course? I can’t remember ever seeing so many people walk features on the WC level.
There was no move by Nino other than going to the inside of the pavement for the best line…he was clearly ahead of Ulloa. Unless he had eyes in the back of his head, how could he purposefully clip his front tire? Richards move in the sprint probably should have drawn a little more scrutiny as she clearly wasn’t holding her line.
