Just reiterating this from last week: Canadians and Americans can watch the UCI World Cups on YouTube, no VPN needed (everyone else: you can watch for free with a VPN set to the US).

It also seems available on Flobikes, so options!

Here's the Youtube link for today's men's race in Dublin, which will start at 14:40 GMT (click the time link to see when that is in your local time zone).

The women's race will on at 13:10 GMT.

All this info, and more, is also available in the race thread.

Weather: 12C/53F grey and dry

###Course
Time to open up the first window in your advent calendar and to make the trip to lovely damp Ireland for the second round of the World Cup. Less complaining about a round in Ireland this year what with the protected status giving teams ample travel time, and teams can use the Sport Ireland facilities on site, making it quite a convenient trip. Actual showers rather than just a bucket!

The course itself is a bit more compact and less muddy than previous years, fewer long straights and some more technical corners, plus a new longer climb. Still no barriers on the Sports Ireland show jumping training grounds, so still something to aim for next year.

###Women's race
Alvarado and Casasola are taking a week out, so question is whether it will be muddy enough to give Brand a shot against an in shape Van Empel.

And how long can Schreiber stay out front after her lightning start? Vas is here too, she had a poor start last week but was making up places in the background. On a tougher course, she might have more opportunities. And Norbert-Riberolle and Backstedt will love themselves some mud. And some more North Americans have crossed the pond so we might spot Rochette and Clouse.

###Men's race No Vandeputte, but everyone else is here. Will Van der Haar, Nys and Sweeck have learned from last week and not let Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout play their games again?

Toon Aerts is also excited about today as thanks to a good finish last week, he gets to start on the first start row again on a course that suits him. So no wasting energy chasing from the back in the first half of the race today.

And maybe Mason, Orts and Kuhn can have another go at making the top 10 a bit more international.

After some struggles with spd in cross… i finally popped on time atac pedals. It was a muddy race and peanutbutter mud and grass was everywhere. my Shoes had more mud than i have ever experienced… and squish down and clip, i was in again. no aiming, no thinking, no real struggle… just clipping in easy. those that rave about these pedals are 100% correct… great in the mud!

Raced in the coldest by far race of the season. My hands were frozen despite being doubled gloved. What are some good cold weather gloves? I have one race left in the season but will probably do gravel/road during the remainder of the winter off season.

I'm sure this gets asked a lot. Started cross this season, had a blast. Used a XC hardtail and ready to invest in a proper bike. Im not interested in ultra endurance adventure riding, just 2 or so hours for cross training and to get out of the house... and then of course cross season. I want to go fast. Maybe a short gravel race thrown in to keep things interesting. I have 2 MTBs and a steel touring bike, so not looking for overlap. Something that functions well at both gravel and cross.

There are no shops close by with inventory, so this will most likely be buying sight unseen.

Bikes that have my interest:

Cervelo Aspero- price point is amazing. Low end at 2100. Full carbon and wireless set at 3300. Racey geometry seems intriguing. Stiff ride? really wish I could ride one.

Canyon Grail SL 8- 2400, Seems like a good, non sexy bike.

Giant Revolt Advanced 1- 3000. Lowest BB of all, only bike with 1x11 (rest are 1x12). Not a great deal IMO.

OBED Boundary GRX 810 Di2- less than 3k depending on build. Kind of a sexy choice. BB drop of 67, highest BB of the choices.

Specialized Crux- 3100

Feedback? Any other ideas?

Thanks!

Hubby and I have our superfan-dream-trip mostly planned and reserved but with still a few gaps. We are basing in an Antwerp AirBnB near the central train station and planning to public transport to the races. Trains, trams buses, and walking look like they will work...mostly.

21Dec Hulst- a long roundabout way to get there by train and no way back after 4pm, 22Dec Zonhoven- no trains on Sunday, 23Dec Mol, seems easy to get to by train. But maybe best to try and rent a car for those 3 races? (actually Dec 20-24)

1Jan SvenNys- Holiday? no trains?

I'm not sure the exact way to buy bus and train tickets to assure that we have a spot on crowded transport- particularly leaving a venue to get back to Antwerp.

We are so excited, and feel mostly prepared, but totally unprepared also. Hints, tips and tricks?

Are there any other 'cross fans in Antwerp planning the same pilgrimages?

Anybody have any thoughts about a Specialized Diverge for racing? The sale is tempting. My region’s racing is mostly over rough and rooty fields. I think a little bit of suspension would make it much more comfortable and allow me to go faster over the chundery. Thoughts?

Seems like a monthly question thread isn't really working anymore, but since December is the Holy Month of Crossmass, I figured a pinned post with upcoming races for your Kerstperiode planning might be helpful?

I'll add more info on which big names will lining up for each race once riders announce their programmes.

https://velo.outsideonline.com/cyclocross/cyclocross-racing/eurocrossacademy-adapting-to-the-european-culture-and-way-of-racing/

I’ve got an old redline conquest cyclocross bike that has been sitting in my garage. My son has been mountain biking with me but wanted to do some longer rides on light gravel, bike trails paved and cinder. Most tires appear to call for wider rims. I have some skinny gator skins that have been on there for 20 years, they aren’t wide enough.

Any inexpensive recommendations?

Original Dutch Wielerflits article and translation (DeepL with some tweaks):

Fem van Empel will still be doing cross in the coming months, but the cyclo-cross world champion will be selective and cut back on her programme. In total, she will race just under twenty crosses, half of which she has already completed. For Van Empel and her team Visma - Lease a Bike, more than cyclo-cross alone counts, as they also want to score in the road season.

In those first eight races of the winter, Van Empel won five times. Yet we cannot rid ourselves of the impression that it is only since last weekend in Kortrijk and Antwerp that we have seen the best Fem van Empel at work. After her European Championship victory in Pontevedra, Spain, at the beginning of November, the world champion travelled to Calpé, where she had two weeks of good training.

‘I think after one cross it's still not easy to say whether I'm really stronger than everyone else. It was also a technical cross with sand in Antwerp, which is difficult for everyone. We will see where everyone stands a bit better in the coming weeks. In any case, I have the advantage of being a bit fresher in terms of training and having done fewer races,’ Van Empel said afterwards.

Team manager Jan Boven of Visma - Lease a Bike follows that theory. ‘So far it has looked like everyone is close together. We are still making strides, that's what we aim for. But so are the rest. For us, it was important to keep maintaining volume. If you do a cross-winter with a race every weekend, it's harder to do that. Now we were better able to keep building. Fem is going to put in two more shorter blocks and then it's on to the World Championships.’

‘Whether she will remain so dominant will largely depend on what type of crosses we get. Last year Fem obviously won all but two of them. Only then the conditions were much tougher and therefore you get a different type of race. That's where the biggest difference is. Fem really likes those tough conditions,’ said Boven.

Difficult start
Still, those first races were not always easy for Van Empel. When she lost to Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado or Lucinda Brand, she immediately had to justify afterwards why she had not won. ‘It was quite difficult for her to read that you are not allowed to come second anymore all of a sudden. For a young girl, that does do something.’

‘We had fortunately prepared her well for what might happen. That's why those questions didn't necessarily bother us too much. But you have to take into account that she only failed to win two races last year. Then you can hardly expect to win all the races now. You're not going to be able to do any better than that. That moment will come when you won't cross the line first for once, despite having ridden a very good race. It turned out the way we had hoped and planned.’

Multidisciplinary
It marks the professional and multidisciplinary approach the WorldTour Women's Team has with Van Empel. That also plays a role this cross season. There is more to both Van Empel and Visma - Lease a Bike than just cyclo-cross. Last year, for example, she already worked through her most extensive summer campaign ever, with lots of classics, (half a) Giro Donne and Tour de France Femmes. In the Flèche Wallonne she finished eighth.

‘We are already thinking ahead with an eye on the future,’ Van Empel confirms. ‘Protecting my own body and realising that rest is sometimes worth just as much. There are a few main goals in cyclo-cross where I want to be at my best, but I might also already be thinking about next road season.’

Because of that, she decided to cut her programme in the coming weeks. Whereas she completed 23 races last season, that should be six less this winter. At least, as it looks now. ‘I don't think it will be super busy. I choose my races well because I still want to keep the bit of training in it and stay a bit fresh. I won't be seen super much, but it will still be plenty of crosses.’

That approach is easy to explain, according to Boven. ‘Everything we do in cross has, in the end, mainly a function towards the road. Eventually also with Fem. She is going to focus more extensively on that next year. That direction towards the Tour de France Femmes is there, but only after winter will we flesh it out. In cross, we have ruled out classifications, but as she is only not riding in Sardinia in terms of the World Cup, she might be able to compete there. Furthermore, she wants to win a few more race as well as the World Championships.’

3 people broke bones on these berms this weekend. What do/did people think of the course?

https://preview.redd.it/z7fugdh3853e1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0339594bc9784bc010ddf9ae085aeb0857e1cb2a

Hi all, trying a CX event on my rim brake steel bike with a carbon fork. My 30 mil CX tyre gives me about 2 mil clearance to the caliper and 3 mil to the fork. Can that work or wil I just crash / ruin the fork? Cheers P

Looking to try it for some lower pressures but idk if it's worth it or theyll even fit in 33s

Anybody who watched todays race or the many that come before are probably all too familiar with the Bingoal team and their tactics, notably Eli and Michael.

While I find it mildly annoying, especially if it undermines the competitiveness of the race, I have expressed my views in the race threads I will try and be objective about it.

My conclusion is that the line between unsportsmanlike behaviour and team tactics is very fine.

Blocking to protect your position by changing lines in tight spots is probably just racing but dragging your legs in the sand just enough to keep yourself up but throw off everyone behind you and put them off keel is not right. Nor is dismounting your bike and using your push stance to narrow the available lines.

The commentators call it team tactics. I see some of the antics today and just unsporting not anything tactful.

Kinda reminds me when DSM blocked the Koppenberg during the classics and everyone dropped off the back because they had no traction. No one came to their support for that action.

Eli was super fast today and no doubt was going to podium but I can't help but feel that it wasn't entirely fair.

But first is first and that's it.

In races lactate is holding me back, it builds up and I'm stuck between going harder and possibly blowing my legs up / recovering to go again. Any tips how I can get on top of this lactate build up.

Blanka Vas will not participate the Hungarian National CX Championships in 2025, because she will be on SDWorx's training camp. Again.

Hi, I've only recently got a cyclocross bike and have signed up for a race in about a month. However, I also use it as a winter bike and ride it a lot on the road. Which tire do you think is the best all-rounder?

I would put on different tires for competitions, but not for training on the road or off-road.

Found out just now while checking Flobikes that they are doing Antwerp today here in the US, and so I assume the rest of the World Cup series.

Tuned in too late to catch the women live, but the men should be starting up shortly.

Weather: 17C/63F grey, dry and windy

###Course
Time for the World Cup! The riders will fight for the World Cup leaders' jersey on the sandy shores of the Schelde today. In balmy, almost summery weather, especially compared to the freezing cold earlier in the week.
The course itself is exactly the same as last year, though it's been a lot dryer this year so the (many) sandy sections will likely be a bit more technical.

###Women's race
Fem van Empel, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Lucinda Brand have all beaten each other at some point already this season so it could be any of them winning today. Alvarado might have the upper hand in the sand, while Brand of course won her rainbow bands by powering over the Oostende beach, and you can never count out Van Empel.

Verdonschot has had a strong season start too, and is a sand specialist so she'll want so show that off for a home crowd. Casasola, a podium regular, meanwhile is a bit of a mystery as she skipped the sandy cross races the last two seasons. Might be a scheduling thing, might be intentional?

There's also a second U23 jersey up for grabs (just for the women) with Schreiber, Backstedt, Moors, Bentveld and Gery (first Belgian cross of the season for the U23 Euro champion) as main contenders.

###Men's race The last 6 editions were won by Mathieu van der Poel, but no word from him on whether he'll race this season yet. Sweeck, sand specialist and in form rider, will be happy about that today. He'll be chased by the Trek-Baloise duo of Thibau Nys and Lars van der Haar, who both have a few wins under their belt too. All three sat out yesterday's race to focus on today.

Meanwhile, Vandeputte, Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout did race in chilly Kortrijk yesterday, and graced the podium there. Good warm-up, or will they feel it in the legs today?

Orts should feel at home with the temperature and the sand, but other non-Dutch speakers near the front would be a surprise.

It was muddy and wet. What do you expect?

For those who attended, I might have gotten a photo of you.

20241117-Woodland Park-A6704685 | L P | Flickr

https://preview.redd.it/mol9jxal2q2e1.jpg?width=6192&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca2388502160bc61b1743e48d55d037d475b1f10