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a game of two halves

a few weeks ago i mentioned that a video on youtube alluded to an intrinsic problem within cyclocross racing, a problem i was inclined to dispute. however, it's hard to avoid that the sport does indeed have a problem if not exactly that purported within the video.

yesterday saw the final round of the x2o badkamers trofee series at brussels university, ending a long season of televised cyclocross racing that began in october of 2025. as i've said on several previous occasions, the road season already underway is simply something that gets in the way of next cross season. and it's road racing that is effectively responsible for the problem identified here. that can be encapsulated by the fact that this year's women's world champion, lucinda brand, has at least honoured the rainbow jersey by continuing to show it right to the last, while others have departed the scene. i need hardly point out that men's winner, mathieu van der poel was off to the road as soon as the hulst world championships had ended. exactly as he did last year and the year before that.

however, it would be iniquitous to single out mvdp as the sole conspirator. since the world championship race, there has been no sight of thibau nys, tibor del grosso, puck pieterse, shirin van anrooij and one or two others. but then perhaps we're back to apportioning blame to both mathieu van der poel and his nemesis, wout van aert, both of whom began their illustrious careers in cyclocross before opting to capitalise on their fame by shifting focus to the road season at the earliest opportunity. van aert crashed out of this year's season suffering a fractured ankle, but in truth he was only scheduled to compete in one more race following that undfortunate accident in the snow, while racing a close second to van der poel.

obviously enough, a professional rider's career is a tad shorter and less secure than those of us who opt for the humdrum. the mean retiral age for many sportsmen and women is mid-thirties, so it makes a great deal of sense to earn as much as possible while they have the physical ability to do so. but i can't help feeling that van der poel and van aert are exploiting the situation, rarely choosing to compete across an entire 'cross season, but generally happy to pick off championship wins and, in van der poel's case, eight world championship jerseys. as i've mentioned before, i can't help but feel sorry for those like michael vantourenhout, cameron mason, toon aerts and lars van der haar, whose cyclocross careers have coincided with with those of mvdp and wva. the latter are in the position of being able to cherry-pick the events in which they will compete, effectively denying trophies and jerseys to those whose entire careers are focused on cyclocross.

yet the likes of del grosso, nys, pieterse and van anrooij were keen enough to gain the kudos conferred by competing in the sport's elite races and trofees, but discard the end of season as if it no longer matters. until last weekend, thibau nys was sitting in fourth place in the x2o badkamers series, with the distinct possibility of gaining a higher placing given his form and skills. yet, while the belgian was happy to commence his career and enhance his reputation riding for his father's trek cyclocross team, he obviously considers road-racing as the more lucrative option. as i said above, i can fully understand that, but it would have been nice if he'd chosen to spend the two weekends following the world championships racing the final events of the season. same goes for van der poel, if only to show off the rainbow stripes to the fans who have supported him since he deigned to grace cyclocross with his presence.

cyclocross obviously still fosters a sporting cachet, otherwise the above mentioned would scarcely spend their winter breaks midst the mud, snow, rain and sand. but should any of them be reading (highly unlikely), those of us invested in the sport, along with big bobble hats and plastic ducks, would be extremely grateful if you'd end your 'cross season when everyone else does. after all, your professional road teams have plenty of others riders from which to choose.

it would surely be the professional thing to do.

that said, this season has been wonderful. congratulations to british champion, cameron mason, on his third place in the x2o badkamers trofee, and (grudgingly) to tnt sports for superb coverage. oddly enough, the station ident on yesterday's brussels event was that of eurosport, a broadcaster that those of us in the uk had beeen told no longer existed. i have now ended my tnt subscription, ready to renew next october on hbo max to watch the same coverage at hopefully no price increase.

monday 16 february 2026

there may be troubles ahead

this past week, it has come to light that suntory global spirits, owners of laphroaig and bowmore distilleries, has opted to combine the production staff of both plants into a single unit to work between both distilleries. even if you're not into whisky, you can probably see the potential problem this engenders; too many people. in order to rationalise this potential problem, suntory has opted to offer voluntary redundancy to those for whom the combined workforce may not suit. the two distilleries are but 18km apart, so it's hardly likely to create an insurmountable travel problem; already there are employees of both who live in opposite villages. and so the problem may persist.

but according to senior management within the company, there will be no compulsory redundancies, which rather calls into question the veracity of their strategy, but that is their problem, not ours. bowmore distillery ceased production last october and only recommenced midway through january this year, so clearly the problem might be bigger than suntory, or any other distiller of scotch malt whisky. and that, to be blunt, is exactly the problem. reputedly carrying on from the covid pandemic, increased sales encouraged increased production, but as lockdowns evaporated, so did sales of single malt (does this sound at all familiar?). though any whisky made today is unlikely to see the light of day for a further ten years, the current problem is simply too much product in the pipeline, product that is facing altered drinking habits.

it's not a problem that is confined to whisky producers; heineken, purveyor of beers and lagers has experienced a similar downturn in sales, necessitating a parallel scaling back of production. the difference, though probably of no comfort to either, is that the whisky industry claimed such a downturn simply couldn't happen, that the industry was a different animal today than it was in the 1980s, when last the distilleries hit a brick wall. the conundrum for islay in particular, is three distilleries yet to be completed and begin distilling in the face of reduced demand. and the two new ferries allocated to the islay/jura route, were predicated on a future capacity demand in the face of those additional distilleries.

we've already discussed a similar set of circumstances within the bicycle industry, where a concomitant backlog of stock in warehouses has resulted in a downturn in sales. and while i really ought to have thought of this before, i foresee a looming problem.

as mentioned to the point of boredom, every saturday, i remove my fluorescent orange and green specialized crux cyclocross bike from the shed and head southwest to debbie's for lunch. it has been my habit to turn onto the grass along uiskentuie strand to hone my less than existent cyclocross skills, thus justifying ownership of a bicycle i have possessed since 2016. a work colleague, who bought a brand new car only a matter of two or three years ago, returned home midweek, driving another new model of the selfsame vehicle (even the same colour), when there was truly nothing wrong with its predecessor. though i replace the challenge 'cross tyres whenever necessary, brake pads too and had an enforced replacement of the sram rival rear derailleur over a year past, i absolutely love this bike. it does everything i am capable of doing, it's comfortable, reliable and, when clean, looks every bit as good as it did when first it arrived.

why would i want to replace it?

if we assume that many others across the world, replicate my sense of joy and happiness, it's no great stretch of the imagination to recognise why the industry is in trouble. the crux retailed at £2,700 in 2016; the current equivalent from specialized (based on the groupset), costs £5,000, though a model with shimano grx can be had for £3,400. those are ballpark prices in a market that has seen considerable price increases in recent years. but based solely on the specifications of the new, i can't see why i would have any more fun on the latest model, than the one that sits in thewashingmachinepost bikeshed. and that's probably true across the board.

so, aside from assuming that the sales figures experienced during the covid pandemic would continue well into the future, the bicycle industry's error could well be as simple as having produced fundamentally brilliant bicycles, that, with regular care and maintenance, will last a long time before there need be any thoughts of replacement. i wrote in my review at the time that it was one of the best bicycles i had ever ridden, and that's a statement that's every bit as true today as it was then. there will always be those who simply have to have the latest, and other than a lack of money, that's a state of affairs that will probably continue for the foreseeable future. but in my case, i'd be inclined simply to upgrade the componentry when necessary, and continue riding the crux until i'm too old to do so.

and honestly, the same goes for my ritchey. a bit of a problem, huh?

sunday 15 february 2026

prepare

it is, in truth, way too early for this, though now that i read that back, i realise my parochiality is showing through. i ought to clarify that it's way too early up here on the outer edge, but as a problem that never actually goes away in urban areas and inner-cities on the uk mainland, i should imagine it is a perennial problem that never actually goes away. to get not quite immediately to the point, i'm referring to the propensity of motor traffic to be everywhere a cyclist would like to go in order to simply achieve a few kilometres of peace and happiness. on narrow, well trafficked roads, there's the unavoidable backlog of traffic, with drivers becoming ever more irate at being stuck behind an inevitably slower moving cyclist perhaps inadvertently holding up the wheels of industry.

i'm aware that i've touched on the subject on previous occasions, and i think there is little doubt that i will do so again, but i'm apologising on james shrubsall's behalf that i've raised the subject before we've even reached the end of february. mr shrubsall's article currently available on the cycling weekly website, is, however, quite pertinent to his and my set of circumstances (different though they may be), featuring sentiments with which many will agree, but possibly a few less would take issue. however, given that the comic's senior news and features writer apparently lives in norfolk (don't judge me, but i had to look on google maps to find out where that is), let's just say it isn't the hebrides, or, more pertinently, islay, so i'd imagine traffic conditions to be considerably different to those here in the centre of the universe.

his well-written article concerns the traffic build-up identified but a single paragraph previously, one which, it would appear, is less onerous than experienced in london and the home counties. nonetheless, i feel confident in assuming that his experiences in norfolk do not exactly match that of mine. however, it seems that mr shrubsall's conclusions and my own would appear to concur. but am i really too early in bringing the subject to your attention?

during the final week of may every year since the turn of the century, islay has held its annual whisky festival, correctly referred to as fèis ìle. this involves open days, limited edition bottlings, musical entertainment, tours and tastings and more than usual clogged highways and byways. since they joined the party in 2001, bruichladdich distillery has held next to pole position on the first sunday of the week, packing hundreds into their courtyard to watch and listen to oft-favoured musical acts. this year, they will include nathan evans and the phnx band, tidelines, cammey barnes and a singing accordionist whose name currently escapes me. keen to offer the finest of festival experiences, the distillery engages the services of professional stage and sound specialists to create the finest of experiences.

this year, the laddie open day falls on sunday 24 may, but they've already sent out a press release and placed advertising to highlight adam's masterclass at £150 a pop and £30 a ticket for a full day's entry. granted, 2026 is the 25th anniversary since the distillery re-opened in 2001, so we can forgive them their early enthusiasm. therefore, my mentioning a set of traffic circumstances that is unlikely to be witnessed until near the time of bruichladdich's open day, is perhaps not as iniquitous as i might have tried to make it seem.

so, what precisely are james shrubsall and i talking about?

even though cyclists have every bit as much right to be on the road as those on four wheels, it is glaringly obvious that, in the majority of cases, we are a great deal slower than our motoring counterparts. so while legally there is no onus on a cyclist to give way to following traffic, or on singletrack roads, oncoming traffic, for the sake of international relations, why not just dip into a space (or in my case, a passing place) and let them past? after all, so doing makes life a lot less stressful, and if there's something we probably all hope to gain from a bike ride, it's a reduction in stress levels. i'm only riding round in circles before i head home for a shower, so where's the problem in simply getting out the way, by stopping for a few minutes?

granted, if i had a commute to work and had to continually stop to let cars past, perhaps i'd have a different viewpoint. but even under those circumstances, i think i'd be inclined to stop anyway, if only on the basis that a line of frustrated drivers is likely to become a great deal more of a problem, than stopping to let them past. and precisely on that basis, if you're heading to the hebrides or rural scotland anytime soon by bicycle, be as courteous as you can, and let everything past. believe me, it'll be worth it.

to quote a common island epithet: 'islay - and it's goodbye to care.'

james srubsall on cyclingweekly.com

saturday 14 february 2026

but are they really?

to a certain extent, the nightmare is simply being prolongued. while i am reasonably confident in my mechanical abilities, allowing me, for the most part, to keep my bicycles in tip-top condition (if not quite as clean as you'd hope), there is still one aspect pertaining to my cyclocross bicycle that concerns me: hydraulics. while the ritchey logic pleasingly retains the simplicities afforded by rim brakes, the specialized crux is brought to a halt by a pair of sram rival disc calipers. so far, the worst that has happened has been at the behest of slight rubbing of the pads on rotors when the former are replaced. yes, i'm aware of the not-so-secret process of aligning the calipers to the rotors, after pushing the pistons back into their rounded slots, but, as we all know, that's often a bit hit-or-miss.

so the routine stuff, i can manage just fine, but at some time in the foreseeable future, it's going to be necessary to replace the hydraulic fluid, and that's the point at which nightmare turns into reality. before anyone tells me that there are endless numbers of youtube videos willing and able to hold my hand through the process, not only is the price of a compatible bleed-kit and hydraulic fluid likely to be an unwelcome obstacle, but successfully carrying out the entire process probably broaches the limit of my confidence, particularly since, for the present at least, it remains something of an unknown quantity.

there will be those of you who carry out such tasks with confident abandon, currently querying why this should be of concern, and once i have actually undertaken the task, i believe i may be amongst that number. but for the moment...

the specialized is of an age that brought it within the press-fit bottom bracket era, one that i believe hit the buffers only a year or two following my acquisition of the bicycle. yet last year, not only did i successfully order the correct replacement bearings, but also the necessary tool with which to install them. the disappointing aspect is the knowledge that i already possessed the requisite workshop tools to install the more common external bearing cups; requirement to purchase yet another (albeit inexpensive) tool to press fit the bearings was a bit irritating, to say the least.

when such eventualities arise, i find myself silently expressing sympathy for all those independent bike shops who have to purchase similar tools but doubtless at greater expense, as well as having to train the workshop staff in how to carry out an endless series of additional tasks. but it may be those additional tasks that have seemingly proved beneficial to the bottom line. a recent survey carried out by cin market data shows that cycle shops are seeing increased workshop revenue, by as much as 25%. considering the alleged parlous commercial state of the country's independent bike shops, and notwithstanding the fact that they were one of the few retail sectors allowed to remain open throughout the covid pandemic, this must surely be viewed as a reason for optimism within the industry.

but does it actually reflect the current state of play?

to provide a simple example, my ritchey road bike features all external gear cables, not only easing the job of visual checks, but making it a simple job to replace them when necessary. though the specialized has no front gear mech, the rear cable disappears into the downtube, only to reappear above the rear dropout on its way to the cable adjuster. since that particular cable has yet to require replacing, i confess, i have no idea whether it is routed via an internal spaghetti tube, or whether it is simply left to fend for itself inside the frame tubes. no doubt i will find out soon enough.

however, in the meantime, i think that it's quite possible that replacement of the rear derailleur cable on the specialized might take longer than both cables on my ritchey. i have had sleepless nights over the replacement of the 'cross bike's hydraulic hoses (also interanlly routed).

should my fears be grounded in reality, leaving the bike in at a bike shop simply for a cable replacement might be a tad more expensive for the specialized than the ritchey.

if we accept that almost all contemporary road bikes, gravel bikes, 'cross bikes and mountain bikes feature hydraulic disc brakes, along with the professional mechanics' nightmare, internal cable routing via bars, stem and headtube, even routine maintenance will surely be noticeably more expensive than it was in the days of enlightenment? which means that though workshop profits are on the up, this might not be at the behest of more folks on bikes, but the same number of folks on more complex bikes. and while the intrepid bicyclist may once have been inclined to have their pride and joy regularly serviced, is it possible that the increased costs of so doing might result in lengthier gaps between bike shop visits?

in other words, might those current profits level out sooner, rather than later?

what does pessimism mean?

friday 13 february 2026

the price of submission

some of you will recall the flurry of cycle jerseys that arose in the principality several years ago, instigated, not at my behest, but ultimately because of my persistence with the now retired hamish torrie, one-time overseer of all things ardbeg. the original ardbeg jersey had been created for members of glenmorangie's bottling hall staff (glenmorangie are owners of ardbeg distillery) several of whom had entered a 24 hour mountain bike event. on a subsequent visit to the hallowed isle to compete in the annual half-marathon, this team sported the rather attractive original cycle jersey but this time as a signifier of their running team.

the original run of jerseys, produced by endura, had amounted to no more than a dozen jerseys, but it took a further two years for mr torrie to finally relinquish his opposition and have 48 printed, "just to shut you up". in mitigation, he did thank me the following year when it transpired they'd eventually sold over 200 online and at the distillery. though there is no definitive connection between whisky and cycling, it didn't take long before other island distilleries chose to encapsulate their own brand on a cycle jersey: bruichladdich, kilchoman, bowmore, ardnahoe and jura all, at one time or another, featured cycle jerseys (and even bibshorts) in their distillery shops.

the ending of endura's custom kit division last year has, to all intents and purposes, ended the trend. most were happy or even insistent to have their jerseys produced by a scottish-based company, but i fear it's a trend that has now died a natural death.

however, each and every distillery across the island, offers for sale, branded every-day apparel, ranging from the inevitable t-shirt (those with fèis ìle crew on the back are much sought after) to goretex waterproof jackets, many at premium prices. the habit of whisky aficionados dressed in support of their favoured dram while visiting other distilleries once looked quite incongruous, but nowadays, rarely raises an eyebrow. of course, wearing branded apparel is nothing new and certainly not restricted solely to the realm of the whisky lover or distillery staff.

it is quite common to meet friends, family and strangers, clad in sweathshirts pertaining to american universities which they did not attend, or wearing outsize hooded sweatshirts writ large with text or logo pertaining to names i have not come across before. placement of text reaching from one cuff to the opposite in large lettering continuing across the back, seems to be an attraction itself, apparently unrelated to the brand of which nobody has heard. fashion is fickle, as we all know, but an e-mail received yesterday from the denizens of cambiago was both eyeopening and breathtaking at the same time.

not satisfied with producing some of the world's finest, yet alarmingly expensive carbon bicycles, colnago has now released the latest of its capsule collections consisting of predominantly black with gold detailing for off-the-bike wear. the collection consists of a leather sleeved varsity jacket, a windjacket, college zip and regular hooded sweatshirts, and two t-shirts, one of which bucks the black trend and appears in red.

those of you who did not receive the selfsame e-mail will presumably be wondering why this might be perceived as worthy of the preceding monologue, and i think it best to advise the reason by stating that the basic t-shirt retails at £77, the hooded sweatshirts slightly dearer at £240, and that leather detailed varsity jacket leaving little change from £900, priced at £853. i can only conclude that the suits at cambiago have decided that anyone able to spend £13,682 on a v5rs, will find these prices akin to mere pocket money.

and to think this used to be regarded as the sport of the working classes.

thursday 12 february 2026

where to look

i'm pretty sure i have managed to wring every last bit of vitriol from the situation that has befallen those of us in the precarious position of subscribing to tnt sports in order to watch live and on-demand cycling. and for yours truly, there is a (temporary) end in sight, as this weekend signals the end of the 25/26 televised cyclocross season. at that point, as i did last year, i will end my current bout of subscription payments, having donated £155 to the tnt coffers since last october. compare that with 24/25, when exactly the same coverage cost me a comparably low £35, which included access to discovery channel programmes which my present subscription excludes entirely.

there's inflation and then there's tnt inflation.

though my online subscription was initially begun to allow the watching of competitive cycling on my macbook air, while mrs washingmachinepost watched whatever it is mrs washingmachinepost watches on the telly box, in practice, the twain never quite met in the middle, and i had the comparative luxury of watching pretty much the entire 'cross season on a 42" flat screen telly. i perhaps need not underline that i enjoyed every minute of it. i extend my sincere gratitude to ian field, marty macdonald, oli beckinsale and helen wyman for accompanying my viewing each weekend, and occasionally midweek.

however, as i have reiterated to the point of boredom, i am really only interested in watching cyclocross, and though i occasionally have a hankering to view some of the spring classics, there is a limit to just how much i intend to spend to do so. had the subscription price remained at a more amenable level, i'd likely have let the payments roll over each month, taking in the spring classics, the three grand tours, and the world championships into the bargain. but much as i enjoy my cycling, spending almost £372 to do so is an investment too far.

thus, by this sunday evening, i will sign in for the last time this 'cross season, leaving myself a great deal of additional time to ride my bicycles, forcibly untroubled to watch even those three weeks in july. but it seems a change is afoot once again, for when i return in october, no longer will i navigate to the discovery+ app on my tv's home page, but instead find myself having to download and install something called hbo max. the more things change the less they remain the same. tnt sports, according to an e-mail that landed in my inbox this morning, is transferring its affections away from discovery and landing with hbo, the very company that withdrew the big bang theory and young sheldon from e4 channel, netflix and disney. (oddly both related programmes have appeared on tlc, a discovery channel associate which appeared from nowhere only a few weeks past.)

the e-mail began by stating, "the news is out! on 26 march 2026, hbo max is launching in the uk and tnt sports is moving from discovery+ to hbo max." mrs washingmachinepost and i have lived in the same house for the last 36 years, yet live cycling coverage seems unable to hang about anywhere for longer than a year. and yet again, we see the result of the might of the dollar, which not only is able to raise subscription prices to eyewatering levels virtually overnight, but decide what we see, when we see it, how much it will cost and which app needs to be clicked in order to do so.

the good news, and i'll admit finding some of the latter amongst these high value musical chairs is not easy, is that log-in details will remain identical to those required to gain access to tnt streaming on discovery+. the obvious question is "where will it all end, and will it be in (our) tears?" though you and i do not own cycle sport (that's aso's job), our affection for it is, in part, what fuels the inflated salaries of those in television boardrooms across the globe. it's a fate that we share with fans of almost every other televised sport, though possibly not soccer, which seems to enjoy a privileged position on free-to-air channels. would that we could amalgamate and withdraw our favour en-masse. it might be sheer folly to think that so doing would make a tangible difference, but at present, we are but numbers on an excel spreadsheet, mere playthings of those who wouldn't know a derailleur from a slated caramel energy gel.

maybe there's a comments box to fill in when ending a tnt subscription?

wednesday 11 february 2026

be careful what you wish for

purely out of habit, initiated by a single instance, i now grace the tables of bowmore's local bookshop with my presence on monday and thursday afternoons in search of a soya latte in its café. thursday afternoons were at the vanguard of this habit, based entirely on the fact that, by that point in the week, i ought to have finished my own contributions to the production of the island's community newspaper. as i'm sure many working in the rarefied atmosphere that constitutes the printed media will agree, as soon as one issue has been sent to press, it's usually time to begin considering the next issue, denying any opportunity to commiserate over the paucity of content (particularly at this time of year), or, indeed, celebrate a hitherto unrealised ability to produce an edition worthy of approbation. to stop either of the above taking place, i opted to play hooky, go get a coffee and put off any thoughts of the subsequent issue till later.

while that perhaps explains thursdays, monday's coffee rests far less on such traditional sensibilities. midway through 2025, having experienced a particularly over-wrought weekend, and very much against my better judgment, i decided i might 'need' a coffee, a sentiment i believed i had been successful in avoiding. as it transpires, that seems not to be the case, but perhaps promulgated by the suspicion that my office colleagues enjoy the half hour break as much as i enjoy the coffee and a brief read at the book du jour.

one week ago, i struggled to find an empty seat, such was the unannounced popularity of the local venue, yet come thursday afternoon, there wasn't a soul to be seen (or heard); quite the revelation. therefore, as i donned my jacket and x2o badkamers bobble hat to head down main street, i publicly lamented the possibility that last thursday's lack of occupation might well be repeated.

nothing could have been further from the truth, with almost every table occupied by conversing couples, and one, a tad too proximitous, occupied by a woman loudly talking on her smartphone for the entire time that i struggled to read my book about the italian renaissance.

though effectively unavoidable, it proved to be one of those moments when i had cause to regret that which i had wished for. and it is a phrase that might soon become applicable to the world of cyclocross racing.

for as long as i have been in thrall to the best genre of cycle racing, there has been informed discussion over the possible inclusion of cyclocross in the winter olympics. and, as the latter are currently underway in italy, the topic has, once again, reared its inquisitive head. anecdotally, inclusion of a sport or activity in the winter olympics rests upon its dependence on snow and/or ice to take place. though there have been many cyclocross seasons (even the one about to end next weekend) during which competition has taken place over a snowy, wintery landscape, at the risk of repeating a tautology, the white stuff hardly constitues a pre-requisite.

however, a report in het nieuwsblad would tend to suggest that opposition to cyclocross being added to the panoply already admitted, is allegedly softening. but with no apology for repeating the headline, it's a possibility that might come back to bite them on the butt. with reference to yesterday's monologue, mathieu van der poel reputedly included world cup cyclocross into his winter programme in the achievable hope of winning more world cup victories than anyone else and more world championship jerseys than anyone else. i daresay when you become a professional at the top of your game, rewards speak louder than pure enjoyment. as i believe i mentioned relatively recently, while van der poel may only be satisfied with ultimate victory, arch nemesis, wout van aert, seems mostly invested in the enjoyment of the sport.

so, while incorporating cyclocross may possibly enhance its reputation and profile, it might also open a door to members of the professional peloton who currently keep mud, obstacles and carrying the bike at arms length. though the likes of pogacar, evenepoel and vingegaard have demonstrated no appreciable interest in 'cross, the lure of an olympic gold might change all that. and in order to be selected for a winter olympics 'cross race, they would presumably require to participate in similarly brief seasons as espoused by mvdp and wva.

with an apparently growing trend of riders becoming full-time cyclocrossers, rather than departing in early february to pursue a primary or secondary career as a roadie, it would appear a tad unfair that they might be denied the pinnacle of their chosen career, by the itinerant, temporary visits undertaken by cycling's top stars, not entirely out of singular enthusiasm on their part. it may be that i doth protest too much, and that such a scenario will embarrassingly fail to vindicate my concerns. but were van der poel not to have finished last cyclocross season only one jersey away from history, there's a sneaking suspicion that we would not have seen him at hulst on 1 february, nor conducting such a comprehensive world cup campaign.

hopefully i will be proved completely wrong, but nonetheless, should cyclocross be admitted to the winter olympics, remember where you read it first.

tuesday 10 february 2026