In Episode 3 of Season 10, Neil, Xan and Matt are back in the studio as the cyclocross season truly starts to warm up, even if the weather is doing the exact opposite.

Xan checks in after wrapping up her opening Scandinavian block, reflecting on a stellar run of seven podiums from eight races, and looks forward to heading back to her familiar home-away-from-home base in Belgium. Meanwhile, Neil explains his recent conspicuous absence from the bike following some "old man's knee" surgery, though he's keeping busy managing Grity HQ while Caroline returns to racing.

They dive into a packed review of the racing action, starting with a brilliant opening round of the National Trophy in Derby, which saw booming entry numbers, physics-defying cornering speed, a dominant win by Zoe Roche in the elite women's race, and a class-of-his-own performance by Thomas Mein in the elite men's field. They also dive into a classic, power-sliding edition of the Koppenberg Cross, celebrating Lucinda Brand's masterful control, Thibau Nys's attack up the final ascent, and a very satisfying podium duck for Marie Schreiber.

Neil’s spreadsheet algorithm gets a workout as they update the Crosscast Onform Leaderboard, tracking massive shake-ups, a flurry of listener nominations, and deciding who is hot and who is dropping off. Plus, they break down the newly public, refreshingly transparent British Cycling selection criteria for international fields.

Finally, the crew looks ahead to a jam-packed double-weekend, previewing what to expect from the parkland trees and cambers at National Trophy Round 2 in Pontypool, and a return to the classic European Championships venue in Zeddam, Netherlands—complete with a brutal, newly rebuilt 100-step staircase.
Remember, you can support the show and cast your votes for the leaderboard by heading over to buymeacoffee.com. Don't hang around if you haven't got your tickets for the Glasgow World Cup yet, get out there on your bikes, and we'll see you all on the other side of the tape!

Support the show

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To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks! Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.

In Episode 2 of Season 10, Xan, Matt and Neil are back on the mic to look back on a start to the season that will certainly be memorable. Xan gives us the low-down on a pair of wins in Sweden, that gives her a stonking start to 2026. Neil survived another 3 Peaks, despite the wind. They look back on the Peaks, with a whole host of women's records being beaten, and a super-close finish in the men's overall.
After an early Dendermonde they update the Crosscast Onform Leaderboard, with 10 new entries, but top spot now taken by Perryman, Holmgren and Brand. Matt has a little complaint about the XANANA rule (= Xan And Neil Are Not Allowed), after Xan's winning form - what do you think? Remember that you can join in by sending us your nominations too!
In the Laatste Ronde they look forward to the Derby National Trophy, which is always a top race, with huge entry fields and great opportunities for spectators. The big question will be how many of the UK International riders will be able to fit it into their calendar with no UCI points on offer. They also remind that there is a rule update meaning that National Trophy Junior and Elite fields must comply with the full set of UCI regulations in terms of kit, even if the round is not a UCI race.
It's also Koppenburgcross coming up from Oudenarde. Enjoy it people!

Support the show

--
To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks! Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.

In Episode 1 of Season 10, Neil, Xan, and Matt get back together and have a lovely time catching up after a summer of action involving pretty much every cycling discipline known to man or computer. Neil reports back on a summer of MTB and Gravel, Matt after UCI commentary duties at the World Champs MTB, and Xan out there crit racing and already having got a couple of CX races done.

They introduce the Crosscast Onform Leaderboard where riders will go up when they're on form. In the bumper kick-off, Matt, Xan and Neil talk through a bunch of riders who have impressed over the summer and they are eager to see on the 'cross bike soon. You can also have your say - the listeners' voice will come from nominations via www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast.

In the Laatste Ronde, they look forward to The 3 Peaks Cyclocross coming from Yorkshire in just a few days. Neil will be racing again, and this time trying to chase down Finn and Lotta with whom he is making up a Parent-Daughter and Parent-Son combination. Meanwhile Xan will soon be kicking off her international season, but first keep your eyes peeled for the official announcement of the new Xan-setup.

Listen in next time to find out how they do!

Support the show

--
To support the show pop over to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crosscast to make a donation towards our hosting fees - every little helps!

You can watch us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrosscastCyclocross

Follow us on Insta and Facebook, and share to your networks! Neil Mansfield @crosscastneil is part of Grity Sustainable Sports Apparel @gritykit, and Matt Payne @mattfixerpayne runs Full Speed Events @full_speed_events. Xan Crees @xancrees races for Xan Crees Racing.