The curtain comes down on Cyclocross in Belgium this weekend, with Oostmalle being the last of the GvA series. Here's tgsgirl's take:
Oostmalle brings a smile to my face. In 2009, Klaas VT sprinted as fast he could to beat the group he was in. He did it. He reached the finish line before the others... with a lap to go. I'm amused by that, I admit it. I'm a simple girl. It wasn't the only thing that went wrong for Klaas though, 'cause with about half a lap to go KVT crashed and hit a pole, quite spectacularly (and painfully too, I imagine). It's in a forest again, this one, with some very nasty bumps in the road. Well, when I say road... There are sandy bits too, which turn ugly and unmanageable when wet.
Well, the snow is melting, so mud is everywhere I am told. Sound good? Oh, and not far away there's Cauberg Cross, and the star of the day will be none other than Lars Boom. Hopefully this includes riding to and from the race via his home in... in... I dunno, Noord-Brabant I think? Anyway, the Netherlands is about the size of Lake Washington, and I can ride around Lake Washington, so Lars should really think about packing in some extra miles. He's gonna need them, like yesterday.
OK, on to Patrick Verhoest's brilliant pics from last weekend at Middelkerke!
I'm so giddy about the Cross worlds that I'm making up Dutch words that don't exist. [Please say this word doesn't exist, or if it does, that it's not patently offensive.] Anyway, the Podium Cafe will be all over the CX worlds this weekend. I can't keep track of everyone who's actually going to the thing, but I know we'll have some post-race impressions posting. And I know we have our man Patrick Verhoest credentialed for photos. Patrick is in Koksijde today and sends the following:
Koksijde is getting ready ... the village of Koksijde is situated at the sea (about 50 kms from my place). It isn't possible anymore to buy tickets , they estimate about 50 000 to 55 000 spectators over the 2 days …A lot of beer is going to be drunk …you may be sure of that.
Yes, I need no further assurance on that point. Actually that describes most weekends in Flanders, but this one even more so. Here are a couple more pictures from around the village today.
Sporza (via GvA) is asking this question today -- can BMC's Philippe Gilbert, slayer of pelotons in the one-day world, win a big stage race? The Belgian press offers no real answer; BMC manager Andy Rihs suggests that something like Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico is in the cards, which of course it is, since the favorites for March races are kind of self-selecting and the decisive climbs are not especially Alpe-like. But I don't see Gilbert busting out for a winter race whose prestige is nice but far below the monuments he's been feasting off of lately. If Gilbert were to set aside his usual targets, it wouldn't be for Paris-Nice. He would aim much bigger: the Giro d'Italia.
Come pondering with me, on the flip!
Our man Patrick (don't call me Safety Jogger) Verhoest found himself and his camera at Quick Step media day yesterday. The results... speak for themselves.
On the flip!
Stronger! Faster! Whiter!?
The Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 2012 (via vacansoleildcm)
The Good: Here's the basic version. More white in the chest, arms and sides than last year's mostly blue effort. It's a more balanced look than before, and a nice change, especially compared to the unbalanced look they achieved in 2011 when the all blue jersey was paired with white armbands. Another +1 to how subtle the yellow looks next to all the white. Dutch champs kit looks very stylish on Pim Ligthart, in part because his shorts apparently won't have the tire track, or suspension bridge treads, or whatever that yellow swoop is.
The Bad: Too busy. Five sponsors on the front alone? Couldn't they have given exclusive real estate and spread the names around more?
The Ugly: Sergey Lagutin's Uzbek Champs kit. The fault likes with the national flag of Ubeki-beki-bekistan, but the end result is still a toxic brew of dark, bright and neon. Incidentally, what Uzbekistan lacks in flag fashions, it makes up for in national emblem awesomeness. Had they found a way to work that in to Lagutin's kit, I'd be handing out Buy recommendations.
Overall, things are looking up for Vacansoleil in 2012, at least on the fashion front. And that's a start.
I told you guys to stop me before I wrote about Quick Step again, but nobody listened. So here goes. Our friend Patrick passes on the official Team OPQS photos for your fashion consideration. You've seen Tommeke in the general Kit thread so here's Peter Velits:
One more on the flip...
Just back from the mountains, where I learned that just because Nordic skiing and cycling go so well together, and that I do a lot of cycling, doesn't mean I am any good at all on a pair of skate skis...
Watching the laatste ronden from the weekend, and I noticed that Sven Nys is either running his rivals through toxic waste or his kit has changed colors. And then I remembered... January 1. New year. Everything about last year can finally be tucked away, officially speaking. Philippe Gilbert doesn't have to train in his Omega Pharma kit. New clothes are changing hands throughout the world of pro cycling as pretty much everyone is required to start sporting the new version pronto, so the new sponsors will know where their money has gone. 
That means you guys are on high alert for new kit sightings. Feel free to submit them here (in the next 24 hours) or in a stand-alone (as they trickle in later) for proper criticism. All kits must be thoroughly criticized if we are to strengthen the cycling kit design revolution. So be a good comrade, don't give in to reactionary temptations, and join in the cycling fashion New Year's fun!
[And remember, kit designers are people too, which means they have feelings and they probably work for someone (like, I dunno, a DS?) who may or may not have good taste and conflicting priorities.]
It's the holiday time of year, you know that time when we write letters to Santa and the dreidel and ask for our hearts' desires. It's also almost the new year, and that means more bike racing. Really, could it just start already? I'm kind of afeared that Twitter is going to explode if there isn't some bike racing soon, actually.
Anyway, if you were to write to Santa or the dreidel or the Christmas bush or Poseidon or whatever holiday gift-bringing entity you like to write to, what cycling gifts for the coming year would you ask for?
Really, this needs more crayons. But you get the idea, right?
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