For SVENNESS 4.1 we visit Ronse, Belgium, for the GP Mario De Clerq, which is the first stop in the BPost Bank Trofee Series. The Ronse track is remarkable for its steep power climbs; fast, tricky descents; and tough run up.

Sven Nys won the race the two previous years and was looking at this race as one that he could win. It’s a tough concept to wrap your head around, that Sven has to pick and choose the races he thinks he can win, rather than just show up and dominate. Grappling with that concept is the main themes of this episode. We spend some time looking at off-camber sections and power climbs, but for the most part, this is a story as old as time. Actually, the story is time. And how it doesn’t stop.

This episode is sponsored by you. Thanks so much for the support over the past year. Your purchases and contributions make it possible to do what we do at In The Crosshairs. If you’re eager to do even more, please check out everything we have to offer at crosshairscycling.com/shop. We have bells by SpurCycle, toe spikes by Horst Engineering and much more. You can also buy SVENNESS and BAALER shirts at svenness.com. Finally, please check out Skills, Drills and Bellyaches: A Cyclocross Primer. We think it’s a great resource and one that will help you in your racing career. Check it out at www.cyclocrossbook.com.

Finally, check out Crosshairs Radio, a cyclocross podcast, available on iTunes. New episodes are released every Tuesday. So far, shows have featured Jeremy Powers, Meredith Miller, Tim Johnson, and more.

If you have any comments or questions, please send them to feedback@cxhairs.com.

Footage for this episode via Sporza.

Music for the episode is all available for sale on bandcamp.com.

Songs:

Blinds~Summer Twins: summertwins.bandcamp.com/track/blinds

Loser~The Hard Aches: thehardaches.bandcamp.com/album/loser-single

Anything, Anything~Beach Slang: beachslang.bandcamp.com/track/anything-anything-dramarama

Honey Dripper~Royce Wood Junior: 37adventures.bandcamp.com/track/honeydripper

Swirl~WESTKUST: westkust.bandcamp.com/track/swirl-2

I Want Your~Marvelous Mark: marvelousmark.bandcamp.com/track/i-want-you

Thanks for watching.