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’23 World Champs are upon us!
John Vandenberg2023-07-31T09:25:24-05:00July 31st, 2023|News|0 Comments
Glasgow, here we are! This years World Champs extravaganza sure seemed to creep up this year. When first announced that the UCI was going to combine all disciplines into one location at one time, it seemed so far away. But in a few days, the fun begins. For me, the [...]
2022 UCI World Cup Schedule is out now
John Vandenberg2021-09-13T14:12:57-05:00September 13th, 2021|News|0 Comments
Well, there's one date that's undecided for location, but there are a couple of exciting things to note for next year, that's for sure. First and foremost, there are now 9 XCO races! That's quite a jump from 6 the last few years. And once again, the USA gets a [...]
MVDP will not race MTB the rest of the year? Bummer…
John Vandenberg2021-08-23T12:02:12-05:00August 23rd, 2021|News|0 Comments
Maybe his insane schedule has finally caught up with him. But man, I'm bummed that he won't be on the start line on thursday or Saturday for the 2021 World Champs. Ever since he showed up and finally showed that the mighty Nino was beatable, I've loved watching Mathieu Van [...]
Post Olympic Year Weirdness
John Vandenberg2021-08-17T15:35:40-05:00August 17th, 2021|News|0 Comments
I've personally never really enjoyed Olympic year mountain biking. Although this last round was of course especially odd. The racers spend the entire off season and early part of the regular season trying to magically prepare for one single day. That's it. Honestly, I think they all over do it. [...]
The fun starts tomorrow!
John Vandenberg2021-05-06T16:15:27-05:00May 6th, 2021|News|0 Comments
Man oh man. Real, genuine world cup racing. While I really loved last years few weeks of fun, it just felt weird. It didn't feel like the real deal, primarily because nothing was really on the line for the racers. Of course they all wanted to win, some had contracts [...]
Can Nino win one more?
John Vandenberg2021-05-03T17:05:17-05:00May 3rd, 2021|News|Comments Off on Can Nino win one more?
Read a quote today that has Nino Shurter saying he wants to win at least one more World Cup to equal Absalon's record. I haven't heard him come outright and say that in the few interviews I've seen of him recently, but this would be expected for someone who is [...]
Missing the days of customization on the pro’s bikes.
John Vandenberg2021-04-30T13:11:16-05:00April 30th, 2021|News|Comments Off on Missing the days of customization on the pro’s bikes.
I'm following with interest the development of the new Santa Cruz/FSA team featuring the ever-consistent Maxime Marotte. Having been booted from Cannondale, he's leading the charge for this seemingly new team. The brand Santa Cruz certainly hasn't made a splash on the top levels of XCO racing in years past. [...]
1450 gram carbon wheels for $1200?
John Vandenberg2021-04-26T13:19:36-05:00April 26th, 2021|News|Comments Off on 1450 gram carbon wheels for $1200?
Anyone who has ever thought about buying a carbon wheelset for their XC bike has come to at least one conclusion - they don't come cheap. The main reason carbon wheels came on the scene, at least for me, is weight savings. Although, it wasn't as much as I thought [...]
Data analysts predict Olympics, no Van der Poel? Hmm.
John Vandenberg2021-04-20T16:39:01-05:00April 20th, 2021|News|Comments Off on Data analysts predict Olympics, no Van der Poel? Hmm.
Well, it seems a company called Gracenote has done some number crunching, and it's predictions for the 2021 Olympics, if they happen at all? XCO men's category: Nino Schurter (Switzerland) Jordan Sarrou (France) Mathias Flückiger (Switzerland) XCO women's category: Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (France) Jolanda Neff (Switzerland) Kate Courtney (USA) That [...]
Euro pre-World Cup races are in the books.
John Vandenberg2021-04-19T11:31:55-05:00April 19th, 2021|News|Comments Off on Euro pre-World Cup races are in the books.
Well, I don't ever recall in years past racers all flocking to smaller xco races the way they have this Spring. Italy, Austria, wherever they've been. I've watched 4 or 5 of them already, and since so many of the top racers have participated, it's become no different than real [...]