CXs and Os Ep 7 | The Zolder Uphill Off-Camber
A calling card, for better or worse, I can always use in a pinch in the cyclocross world when meeting someone new who is trying to figure out what I do, is “I made those SVENNESS videos.” More times than not that will ignite some recognition and we can go from there. It’s a nice card to play in a pinch.
After I finished producing that series, however, it was something I didn’t always enjoy talking about because the conversation was always something along the lines of “forget what you’re doing now, you should do that again.” It was a bit frustrating knowing people just wanted you to recreate your debut album.
It’s been several years now since the last SVENNESS episode and I’m more comfortable with the legacy and incredibly dumbfounded every time somebody tells me they watched the series as a kid, or got into ‘cross by following SVENNESS abd LIKEAVOS. If I do nothing else, I’ll take that legacy any day of the week.
That’s a lot of words to say that I think that CXs and Os gets back to what I was originally trying to do with SVENNESS before it evolved (or devolved) into lengthy race recaps. When it started, it was focusing on one aspect of a race. And the first one I ever did was about the Zolder uphill off-camber feature. That’s what we’re re-visiting, here. It’s SVENESS No. 1, 2.0.
For the short time Zolder has been around, it has amassed three world championships and a lot of cyclocross history. I only touched on some of it in this video. Track down the old races, they are good fodder for the winter trainer season.
Give ep 7 a watch and let me know your take in the comments. If you have a feature that you think deserves the CXs and Os treatment, let us know that, too. Also, please share with your friends and help us grow the CXHAIRS Bulletin family.
I watched some SVENNESS videos - I even bought my son a T-shirt. But I like even more the way X&O takes a historical and strategic look at features and covers any and all racers over time.
I would recommend looking at Celine DCA’s race winning move yesterday going right through on the uphill tree section when Brandt went left at GP SN.
Well I love the Svenness video’s, didn’t know there was a Marianne Vos version (though it makes total sense) and actually discovered you and CX Hairs via those “too long” race recaps. CX’s and O’s is a worthy reboot. As to future course features I am still too new to CX to know that many but two that come to mind are the log “U” at GoCross and that insanely steep run-up at Hulse (timely don’t you think). Though neither are likely lap defining like the Zolder off camber. BTW surprised the media pit crew hasn’t taken up Ant 🐜 McCrossan’s “Adverse Camber” description. He sure gets a lot of grief but sooooo much better than when Flo Bikes was narrating from Austin last year.