In Episode 12 of Season 7, Neil Mansfield and Matt Payne are joined by Ian Field to review the 2024 World Championships that came from Tabor, Czechia.  The weekend started with a compelling team relay where strategy was key, and where GB were just pipped to the line by France.  Surely this race needs to be covered in full with dedicated graphics to make it more accessible to the less obsessive CX fans out there?

They talk through how day 1 saw Gery take her second jersey of the weekend and how the race with Ferguson could have unfolded differently in a different universe.  U23 men and Elite women's races went to form, with Van Empel's huge win being the biggest gap for years... this caused Neil's Crosscast podium prediction score to be scuppered - yes he is still gutted.

A badly timed puncture meant Sparfel could not make it 3 golds for France but gifted the win to wobbly-wheel Viezzi.  The predicted but no less impressive dominations from Backstedt and Van Der Poel give Ian, Matt, and Neil plenty to talk about, not least of which was Matt's impromptu invitation to / unintentional gatecrashing of Zdenek Stybar's family party.  

The biggest take-aways from the weekend are that we have worthy winners of the jerseys, France are on the up with a mega strong squad 12 months from a home World Champs, and that each of Ian, Neil and Matt were shown up by their family members in terms of predicting the podiums.

One more show, and then it's season's end.  See you then.

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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! Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks! Neil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events, and both support the DonnyChainGang.

In Episode 11 of Season 7, Neil and Matt are joined by cyclocross talent, coach extraordinaire, and commentator on Discovery+, Ian Field.  They review the 14th round of the World Cup that came from Hoogerheide and query whose form is peaking when... some were at the end of a training block to prepare for the World Championships, and others seem to be coming along just nicely potentially challenging for a jersey next weekend.

They discuss whether Belgian Cyclocross is going through a rough patch with few of the podium places at the race or series going back to the country, with the Netherlands taking home most of the prizes this year in the World Cup.  They talk through whether 14 rounds is too many, or whether reducing it would undermine the concept of a series and allow riders to just dip in for part of the season and still take the series.  They also agree that the points in the U23 competition are plain silly daft, and should be fixed for next year - an easy change that will make it fairer.

In the Laatste Ronde they preview the biggest weekend of 2024, CX WORLDS coming from Tabor, Czechia.  They talk through the course and each category in detail.  This is unmissable listening for anyone wanting to get the most out of the World Champs or just impress your friends with your detailed knowledge straight from those who have raced there multiple times, or at least worked in the pits 😁. 

Neil, Matt and Ian make their predictions... can YOU do better?  Join in at the Annual Crosscast Competition that you can find here.  Please share with your clubs, teams, friends and family to see who can do the best.

https://forms.office.com/e/s5bWfqRaLL

Enjoy the weekend!

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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! Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks! Neil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events, and both support the DonnyChainGang.

In Episode 10 of Season 7 Neil and Matt look back on a fabulous Falkirk National Championships with its perfect January weather, superb location, awesome atmosphere and cracking course. They talk through each of the UCI category races, with Mason defending his jersey and Kay taking the title for the first time.  Both were popular wins with the local crowd for Mason and Kay having been a CX pro for a while, and the win coming 5 years after her first time on the National elite podium.  

 They talk through the action from further down the elite field, things that were not shown on the TV coverage.  The juniors saw Ferguson have an impressively dominant ride worthy of someone ready to take on the World's best with her imminent movi to Movistar, and first year Oscar Amey took the Junior Men's title meaning that the jersey will be on show next season.

 They talk through the National Champs from other nations including the Netherlands and Belgian races with a host of winners coming with season back-stories.

 Benidorm World cup is reviewed, a race that saw a huge amount of grit on show for all of the podium finishers, none of whom had an easy ride, with Alvarado repeatedly chasing down the dynamic duo at the front, and even Van der Poel showing that he can have a bad day.  

The big question remains... if the commentator's curse is real, should Matt take some of the blame/credit for Van Aert's tumble on the hurdles that delivered even more action at the race finale?

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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! Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks! Neil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events, and both support the DonnyChainGang.