THEMOVE: 2023 Men's World Championships Road Race 

Gents, I am almost 60. Have seen 50 championships in my life for sure and this one was by far the most exciting thanks to the parcours. Maybe it was a bad or good parcours but it gave is the best ride ever with the most iconic podium in the history of the sport. First a nice scenery route through Scotland and after a spectacular super criterium. We got it all for the price of one. Just fantastic.

Wout, Tadej Pogacar, Mathew, cycling has suddenly found some phenomenal athletes that are absolute gentlemen. No trash talking, no bitter feuds, no grudges, just young men who respect each other and don’t let their egos get in the way. Cycling has come a long way since Armstrong. Respect.

I love the no radio, it's old school. If someobe gets away you've got to make a choice: let 'em go OR go get 'em.

Never, ever underestimate Mathieu van der Poel's memory. You can bet he remembered that crushing loss on the line to Sonny Colbrelli in the 2021 Paris Roubiax when he won it in 2023. He remembered having his streak of world cyclocross championships broken by Tom Pidcock in 2022 (when he didn't compete) when he won it in 2023. And he remembered his disaster at the 2022 world championship road race in Australia when he won it this year. And he will remember his disaster at the Tokyo Olympic mountain bike race won by Pidcock at next year's Olympics. Take note, you betting guys. True, George is right, the TdF was just training for him to get ready for the worlds. He said as much in interviews before the Tour.

Wout is such a good sportsman... hope he wins the world cham. soon. Mads Pedersen with hims team mates was the one making sure the race was as tough as posible, he deserved a medal also🙂

In regards to the circuit, it certainly favors a certain type of rider. But the world championships are that way. We should never have the same profile every year. I said after Mathieu won, i will never believe how Sagan won the worlds 3 years in a row on 3 different profiles, weather, course conditions. Peter was fucking amazing man. I’m gonna miss that guy badly

That course was brutal but it is the world championships and the top riders were the tops riders. Great to watch as a fan. Thanks for the discussion and insight guys.

MVDP is a warrior.Well deserved

I’m a big fan of MVDP, but I think it’s also crucial to remember that Marianne Vos has been road, cross and track world champion and Pauline Ferrand Prevot has been world champion in road, cross and XCO in the same year!

Great to see the Wedū Fab Four back on form 👏🏻👏🏻 🚴🏼‍♂️

Mads Pedersen is a beast!

The circuit was, with all the cornering, short climbs, intervals, different surfaces, almost like a cyclocross race. So it shouldn't be surprising that the two CX world champions of the last decade came in 1st and 2nd. And Pogacar said in an interview with Dutch TV he didn't know MvdP had crashed but that it didn't matter. "He was gone" he said, "He could have gone for coffee and still have won."

That course looked absolutely hellish! Impressive victory by MVP

Races are SO much better without radio.

Thank you gentlemen for sharing your incredible knowledge and insight to racing. You add artistry to the sport. 🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️🚴‍♀️🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️

it was a 120K warmup for a 150k kermess. It was awesome

MvdP doing interval 😅 . I heard a cyclist/journalist who rode the Schemde/E3 in Antwerp this year . A sprinters race. VdP was 'working' for Jasper Phillipsen, not for the win. The reporter mentioned that VdP was doing waterbottke duties, going up and down from the team car and doing them as if doing interval training . He didnt make use of the cars drag , but deliberately raced with his head in the wind ! The reporter mentioned how intimidating that was to the oth other riders, who of course made use of the cars ...😅

It was entertaining with 190,000 spectators in a major city A unique course

The parcours, with rain, was mildly reminiscent of the Oslo city circuit 1993 WC race that Lance won. A little more wet in Oslo, and steeper pitches and more corners in Glasgow, but they felt a lot alike visually. What an awesome podium!

Hang-on hang-on, That's the guy that took a shit in our house!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Yup, the TdF training camp paid off 😅 Great World Champ!

Van Aert needs to stop dragging that twig around the French tourist board trophy and concentrate on winning his own races

I am so happy to watch the wonderful advances in conditioning and the sciences of the sport.

One mind-blowing stat from PCS was that only 12 riders finished within 5 minutes of the winner. The lowest by far in history. Just showed how brutal this was as a race of attrition.

MVP for me is THE best one day rider, period. Ugliest circuit for the worlds I have ever seen.

Mathieu can possibly match Pauline Ferrand Prevot with 3 Rainbow Jerseys in the same year

Those Scottish people could put a plaque on the side of their house "MDP once took a dump here" - then apply to the Scottish Tourist Board to have it mentioned in the holiday publicity!

George still finding it hard to accept that MVDP is simply stronger than WVA. Just like so many people find it so hard to believe that Pogacar can be beaten on merit in the Tour. Always looking for other reasons why these guys lost. Yes the Tour was different for the both of them, but there was not necessarily better. One worked harder, one was sick. But both came into this race being strong.

I know you are the sensible one George ! I 100% agree with you about the course ! Amazing spectacle and challenge for the riders to justify crowning a World Champ !

Marianne Vos had been XC world champion and World Champion many, many times over!

George. Claiming that riding the Tour as a top domestique is the reason he was second is a strange argument because it probably is true. But what does that really tell you? That Wout is in the wrong team to become the world champion? As one ex-colleague of mine always said to people complaining: Success is a choice. We will never know if Wout had chosen to be on Levefre's team, he would have become the world champion already? That is how we Dutch say: As is verbrandt hout! (if is something that does not exist).

Van aert works so much during all race.

Correction guys : MVDP is NOT the only cyclist in the world to double up on Worlds Cyclo-Cross and Worlds Road Cycling. Also, Marianne Vos did it before him. Nevertheless, super duper !

San Remo, Roubaix and world champion… fine season 😊 and also why he wasn’t peaking in TDF Was hoping for Mads… but the Vikings 🇩🇰 will raise again ⚔️

Very happy for MVDP, it was spectacular !!! I still hope Wout will win the worlds soon, he deserves that so much 💪💪💪

That was a very elite Crit Race! Some say the World Champs should cover every facet of road cycling, some years mountains, some years sprint type stage and some years classic type course, so why not a crit style......not my cup of tea but that podium sort of says it all

It was a great course. It created a very interesting race, and it did identify the 3 strongest riders in the race. Have we ever had a stronger podium at a world championship? I don't think so!

Pogi didn't win but the man still is a fantastic multifaceted Cyclists...yeah he could be Jonas and do the Lance program but he loves to ride and go for wins in classic style races where he is at a bit of a disadvantage but certainly as a fan this is what we want to see.

He didn't have a good tour? Hmm, those leadouts were pretty epic.

WvA fears MvdP when he is on top form

George’s description of the effort required for mtn biking sounds somewhat similar to cyclocross, granted the elevation and technicality differ. And, of course it’s August, not January, so clearly his firm is different…but, this guy, he’s not only insanely fit and has tremendous bike skill…he’s also just a gladiator. Anyhow, I for one am excited to watch.

Mathieu sal altyd n legende bly in al die weergawes van fietsry, ek hoop dat hy die mountain bike wêreld kampioenskappe ook kan wen, MVP😎

Yes there are justifiable criticisms of the course but the UCI WC venue changes every year and the local organisers working with the UCI can set its own objectives for the course design. It was good to see this difficult course that essentially only CX riders could win but one reason I like it is that I know that it’s a one off and a similar parcour won’t be seen again for at least a decade.

Brian Smith - ex pro now commentating on Eurosport - and from Glasgow area - said weeks before the race he thought the course was dangerous and maybe not designed by a bike racer! The general consensus in UK is that Pidcock should have ridden and may live to regret it if for instance he has a mechanical in the MTB race?

Remark about the circuit… it is the same for everyone… circuits always suits one more than an other. It is what it is.

You know you have watched a legendary race when someone like Pogacar says that it was the hardest day of cycling he ever had. Oh, and besides the boa button, Mathieu also broke his shoe plate. Amazing though that he slid on his derailleur and could continue without a problem. The chain falling back was kind of lucky too. His shoes and outfit will become quite the collectors' items

Wout is my grand tour man there he is beter than MVP and MVP is my one day classic man they are both my favourites what a gift to see these 2 men give us this cycling matches they are the best

Call it a criterium if you want but the fact is it was brutal and selective towards the absolute best of the best 1-day riders. It's all RVV capable riders who got a result. I like it. Coming years we wil have more 'climbing' World Championships, and that's fine as well for a change.

Great worlds 🌎 course. MVDP on 🔥. Wout needs to change teams at some point.

You are right, the tour was training, he is his own boss and manages his career and programme very well, Van Aert could learn from him.

Mvdp should do a 250km warmup for the MTB race.

Love the podcast guys but can you add clips of the race (or whatever topic) as you're discussing? Will make it more fun to watch!

Not sure i liked the course in the city bit lovely scenery. I'm with Johan that the surface in the city was not up to standard and this barriers are dangerous. I didnt mind the technical aspect so agree with George there.

These last 10 rounds at Glasgow were just like a cyclo-cross, but with asfalt. Very technical. Constantly narrow corners, climbs, descends... That demands a totally different training program. Breaking constantly and then full gas coming out of the corners. So, no surprise, MVP ended 1st and Wout 2nd. Pogacar was a surprise. Maybe he should consider cyclo-cross?. 😂 A lot of interval training and turning skills. Lance, how would you have done on this track? As a Cyclo-cross fan, too, Glasgow was more a semi cyclo-cross championship in my opinion. 😂 At the end, the strongest rider wins, not the strongest team.

I'm with george. WVA gave everything to the tdf. Not only you guys going to be noticing the divergence in careers of MVP and WVA, the press is going to be full of it. Will be interesting to see if WVA changes approach, changes team and starts focusing on his objectives.

MVDP is a very good tactician. He's extremely good at getting other people to do the work for him.

I rode the Ras (stage race in Ireland) back in the 90’s and just before the start of a stage a request came out over the radio if anyone had a spare pair of shoes as he left his shoes in the hotel some 10 miles away. One of my teammates had just dropped out and they gave the guy his shoes, we could not believe it when he went on to win the stage!!

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot was world champ in road, cross, and xc mtb simultaneously and she is the reigning xcc, xco, gravel, and until just recently the xcm world champ. That's domination.

Bruyneel made a mistake when he said the WC is the only race each year where due to the national teams they fight their own teammates. There is also the European championship which has the same format. He made another mistake when he said that Kopecky won the scratch on the WC track: she won the elimination race.

Pidcock, MVP, WVA, Pog,Remco all target specific races and never fail i think they also know which ones each is going for and settle for a podium

Johan calls Remco’s TT World title at 33:33😅 He must have some sort of secret sorcery training 😂

I'm a dutch fan who came here for some after joy. I didn't know about the house hunting nr 2 affair. It's always nice to get some extra information from the insider's

GH playing devils advocate. Love the banter between GH and Johan.

Nielson spent too much energy before it mattered…but hats off for animating and being a stud

In today's cycling, the key is to choose a one or two important races maximum that is right for you and to prepare very well for it, and this also applies to the Big Three. World Championships was the key race for MvP (not TDF, Cyclo-cross or Mountain Bike WC). MvP was prepared so well for this WC that he knew from the beginning that he will win the race (he didn't take any risks by driving in the background, when an important attack took place he always came quickly to the front), he deserved this amazing won, Chapeau! WvA overall racing approach is completely wrong, he would like to be the protagonist for win in all races (including Cyclo-cross), with his driving style that wastes energy for nothing instead of conserving energy for something, and result are here, he lost one year because it has no important wins (except the team TDF win). He is exceptional racer, but his ego is to big to be able to control it, or he is stupid, which I don't believe, in any case these problem can be solved fairly easy, taking Indian ego massage or taking jj (jumbo juice :). Another story is Remco, he chooses the races precisely, especially like those where there are no big favorites or they come exhausted from previous races, so he has a better chance of winning. This WC was a nightmare for him and Vuelta it will probably be the same because of great competition. Another great performance for Pog this year, probably the best tactic for him would be to glue to the MvP wheel and saving energy for second place without trying to cover all attacks by himself. He strives to win every race attacking more than anyone, but he can not race on all races like this in order to win them all! His face was pale again, (this time not because of heat) his eyes shows signs of burnout, if this is the case the condition is chronic already, so he needs a long rest and good Chinese treatment ASAP, the season is over for him. The days of Eddy Merckx are over, the key to win today is to be 100% prepared for one or two important races of the year, the other races must be taken as part of the preparation, mindset is the key and MvP seems to be the best at it.

Both riders are great, for me I simply like the explosive power of MVP. As for results i thi k Wout has to change team. Jumbo is using him as a super domestic and not a captain. Where as MVP always has full team suppprt

With comments about the course was there anyone missing from the final groups that you thought should have been there? the selections where the whos who of the top classics riders.

In Worlds he is still playing number 2 to Remco.

I lived in Glasgow for 5 years and knew the road surface could be a real issue. Roads in the UK in general are really poor.

It’s true…Mvdp is born the bigger talent

About the circuit. MVP said after the race that is was like a junior race or a criterium.Rondje rond de kerk...

Mvp will go for MTB WC this week also to try to do something nobody has ever done.

Wout was instrumental in the last two Tour wins… that counts for a lot.

I use 3 chains. Only deep cleen the frist time. When the chain needs a new wax. Just clean in with a bit of water and a cloth. Put it back in the wax. I had a tip, of putting a Magnet in the molted wax, once in a while. There wil be some Iron parts in it.

chapeau Johan!

So now it is the lead up to the WC that favours Mathieu. Which in itself could be true. But how about all those other wins. It was very similar to the win this year in SanRemo. It is very similar how he dropped WvA last yr in Vlaanderen and this yr. It is also similar to what happened in Tirreno in 2021. And it is also very similar how he won Strade. If it is just the WC, okey. But this happens time and time again. It is no coincidence and it is not just due to preparation. On these steep hills, regardless of any preparation MvdP is simply a lot stronger. I knew well before this climb it would be this climb where he was going to attack and also at this stage in the race. MvdP also takes more risks to win than Wout. Remember in Paris Roubaix when they both were in front. Who did not go full in...Wut. Because (he saod so) he was afraid to go to the finish with Mathieu due to past experiences. And so even Wout knows that he is probably not as good as Mathieu in these circumstances. Now the focus of MvdP will switch to MTB but here Thom Pidcock is probably a bit better. And Thom Pidcock was one we missed yesterday. Edit: the problem for Wout is that he is a jack of all trades master of none. That is to say that sadly for him in each of his specialities someone else is just better. i think he should train concetrated on some goals and then he has more chance.

Worth comparing and contrasting the womens' juniors race. VERY similar in a lot of ways.

There were multiple days at the TDF where MDP was on the attack with no clear promise of a stage win as the days were too hard, clearly MVP was hell bent on building up hard miles?

Vingegaard and Pogacar must enjoy the Next 2 years becau The New Big start is here.he won 4 Danish cha in 4 different Bikes ❤❤❤😅😅😅😅.rember this name because lance i think your record Maybe be stolen from this beast.Worlds Race Report: Albert Withen Philipsen is the new junior men’s road World champion. The 16 year-old Dane was with a strong leading group of seven, rode away from them on the penultimate lap and then soloed to victory. He is the youngest ever junior World champion. Germany’s Paul Fietzke took the silver medal. The bronze went to Felix Ørn-Kristoff, Alexander Kristoff’s half-brother

MVDP is truly a killer…Wout is a beast but lacks the last 3% needed to consistently win…but if MVDP was not here we would same about Wout…MVDP is historically speacial

George, the best riders do the tour de France and the best riders survive a ride as hard as this one, thus your argument about the effect of the tour de France and classification in the worlds is a little confounded.

Great podcast guys

I think that the focuson and evolution of nutrition changed the modern cycling the most. We were stuck for a long time with the tought that a body could process 60gr carbs/h. Nowadays riders take up to 120gr...so they do not run out of fuel as fast as riders did earlier....

Mariane Vos was the first cyclo and road champ

Bruyneel for president!🔥

Sad, the -fantastic- Women's World Championship Road Race was not commented by WEDÜ THEMOVE. Respect? Lotte Kopecky (BELGIUM) Winning 3 🥇🥇🥇AND 1🥉 in 1 week. Everyone's on holiday @WEDÜ THEMOVE? JB and Johan were sufficient. 😪😪😪

With all due respect at MTB World Champs they got to deal with Nino the 🐐

World Tour racing would be more exciting, more fun and more interesting without the radios. Let the boys decide for themselves.

I was missing comments about men PTO race winning Frodeno!

The road surface at Roubaix leaves a little to be desired, with the odd lump and bump here or there. Makes for some great racing though.

Sad that Peter Sagan DNF.

I respect all American sports and other sports and Lance's wish to be a salesman. If you do that too start the video at 5:30. ;-)

Waiting next one to see who wil win ITT WORLD

Thank you JB1 the same barriers that Valverde broke his leg in the TDF

Oh here we go

Much ado! My thanks. -Seb!

Hey fellas, correction…Pauline Ferrand Prévost won all three what she was 23 years old way back in 2014/15. She is the only cyclist to hold all three titles in one year.

The Glasgow course can't be any worse than the Montreal race course. Montreal roads are brutal.

My hometown.. Won't get this chance again. Cannot believe how fast these guys are travelling. Going up Montrose street at 25 mph

Neilson Powless 11th!