The results from cyclocross worlds last weekend are a bit surprising, really.  I picked Vos and Wout a week ago.  I was close, with Vos losing in the spring.  But cross is a great sport because the conditions dictate the results.

The conditions were so important, as always.  The frozen ground turned to slick, sloppy mud for the men’s race on Sunday.  Mechanicals plus flat tires were an important factor in the results for both men and women.  That is cross too.

If you look at the results for the men yesterday, only one rider in the top 8 is not from either Belgium or the Netherlands.  Belgium had 4 riders in the top 8, and the Netherlands 3.  Pretty stellar results, as normal.

Less than half of the 60 rider men’s field finished the race on the lead lap.  Stephen Hyde was 18th, nearly 6 minutes back.  Probably not the result he was hoping for, but still a good race.

I think that tire selection and pressure played a huge role in the results.  I still don’t understand how some of those guys ride such low pressure.

It seems like they are taking such risk of flatting.  Both Wout and Van de Poel flatted.  It had to be from low pressure.  Van de Poel’s flat cost him a chance at winning.  I guess he knew the risk reward and made a decision.  Maybe it was just terrible luck?

Wout was riding some Dugast tires with Michelin green mud tread on them.  I think that setup is the best I’ve ever ridden in those conditions.  But that tread hasn’t been made since 2002.  But lots of riders and squirreled away some for days like this.  It mattered.

I have a bunch of FMB tires with that same tread pattern on it.  New and waiting.  Not the same as what Van Aert was riding, but for the very same reasons.

Anyway, another season in the books.  Pretty good rivalry going on now.  And Americans are slowly getting in the mix.  At least getting to the point of racing towards the front, on their days. I’m sure most of those guys and gals can hardly wait until next season.

It was super difficult just getting up the climbs, let alone getting down them.

Both FMB casing. The right is a custom tires with a Micheliin mud tread. Wout’s were green, but these are nearly as good.

I watched the 60 Minutes segment on mechanical doping on Sunday and was a bit disappointed.  All they did was tell us something that we already knew.  We already knew that they existed.  Saying that they possibly have been used in the Pro peloton seems silly.

The biggest change, I guess, was a guy from the French doping authority said that 12 riders used the devices in the 2015 Tour de France.  I’m not sure how he came up with that exact number.  And if it is correct, then I am really not sure what we don’t have at least one name of someone that did it.

CBS said that the UCI wouldn’t allow French investigators access to bikes during the Tour to test for the motors.  I find that worrisome.  I’m have no idea why that would be?  Must be something to do with legality.

Then the show said that the motors weigh 800 grams and that the only team that had bikes that weighed that extra 800 grams was Team Sky.  Implying that Team Sky’s bikes, mainly their TTT bikes, had the motors.  I think that is sort of a stretch.

I say that, but don’t know the reason that their TTT bikes would be nearly 2 pounds heavier than UCI standards.  Seems like these bikes are so light that they are always adding weight to get up to the 6.8kg weight limit.

I was hoping for more.  Other than Michele Ferrari (Lance’s doping doctor) being named as a buyer of the bikes recently, nothing else of substance really came out of the segment.  You’d think there are lots of people with knowledge of this, if true.  Guess they staying quiet as of now.

Motor inventor and 60 Minutes reporter.

It goes in the seat tube.