#CX world cup

[tadejpogacar]

Mathieu van der Poel & Wout van Aert UCI CX World Cup, Benidorm 2024 📸 via ucicyclocrosswc twitter

[a-sportygoldfish]

Wonderful Wout💫💛🥇🐝

lost his saddle/seat on the bike when trying to get back on it. This happened a few moments before he crossed the finish line.

[marcelskittels]

Mathieu van der Poel of The Netherlands and Alpecin-Deceuninck in action during the UCI World Cup Besançon 2023 - Men’s Elite on January 29, 2023 in Besançon, France. (Photo David Pintens/Belga MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

[biking-around-the-world]

Val di Sole for Mountain Biking always looks like a fun course, in a dreamy looking place.

Val di Sole for Cyclocross: hell on wheels on ice in freezing weather, in a dreamy looking place.

These women are so impressive right now!

[miafi]

The only way how to defeat Mathieu is to shave off his Mullet of Power in his sleep.

[thegreypedaler]

[oneminutefiftysixseconds]

cx world cup round 9: antwerp

[tadejpogacar]

Wout van Aert & Mathieu van der Poel UCI CX World Cup, Benidorm 2024 📸 by Jasper Jacobs/Getty Images

[a-sportygoldfish]

2nd for Wout in the UCI WORLD CUP GAVERE

[marcelskittels]

WOUT VAN AERT CX World Cup - Zonhoven 2023

[traumadumpwriter]

Heavy trigger warning! This story includes heavy themes of ab*se, r*pe, self h*rm, mental illness and violence.

Check out every part by going on the tag Freedom on my page cx

Freedom: A John Shelby mini fic

Chapter Three: 3599 words

It had now been a month since Alice arrived back in Birmingham and things were starting to actually feel better for her. She'd spent a lot of time with Ada and Karl, something which provided profound comfort to the woman who'd been practically completely alone for years. There were times when she would just cry and cry into Ada's lap for hours, never being able to bring herself to say the true details of what Jones did to her out loud. But most days spent with Ada , the presence of the playful and innocent Karl would soothe her greatly, as she'd all but forgotten about the joys of childhood.

The physical injuries left behind by Jones were gradually healing, as were some of her mental anxieties, meaning she wanted to get back into the real world. To stop moping around in self pity all day. As a stepping stone, she started to help out in the shop - mostly cleaning and making cups of tea - which also helped to keep her frantic mind busy when Ada or Karl weren't around. Her cleaning even spread past the shop and into the rest of the Shelby house, scrubbing the floors and dusting the furniture.

Polly had insisted that she didn't need to do such things - claiming she owed her nothing - but that did nothing to stop the younger woman. And besides, helping out around the shop also meant that she got to see John more, even if it was only for a few minutes on some days.

Ever since that twilight they'd spent chatting in his bed, the two had been secretly obsessed with each other, having many more midnight chats. The conversation topic never got too deep again, but was enough for both of them to get a sense of how emotionally intelligent and aware yet damaged and in denial the other were.

When they weren't able to spend these nights chatting away because the house was full or John wasn't there, Alice's bedtime thoughts were loud, vicious and scary - sometimes needing blood to make them stop. The presence of this sweet man hadn't healed her trauma but now there was a silver lining to the dark thoughts; a fresh flower in a wilted field that gave the damaged girl some kind of hope.

John was having similar feelings; his dreams being less about the war and more about the brunette. Partially, he was fearful of his feelings for her, thinking back to the destructive and careless girl he knew growing up. How badly he pined for her but how unattainable she'd been.

But mostly, it was an instant aphrodisiac to be in her presence, his eyes transfixed as soon as she entered the room.

They both craved more than just their casual office conversations and late night chats, it was clear in the lingering gazes. Neither of them felt brave enough to initiate it though, even with the countless signals being sent both ways.

That was until a random Wednesday evening, when Tommy called Alice into his office, right in the middle of her talking to John.

His mind instantly went to the worst places and he found himself having to pace outside with a cigarette between his lips whilst he calmed himself down. Being in Tommy's shadow was tiring, as was taking orders from him - no questions asked. Even during childhood, John found himself being second to Tommy, third to Arthur and sometimes even fourth to Freddie Thorne when he was around. This left the younger man with a hidden sense of inadequacy compared to his brothers and partial desire to prove himself better than other men.

"If Tommy wants her, he'll have her." He angrily thought to himself. "And she'll definitely want Tommy. Every fucking woman does."

Throwing his cigarette onto the ground, John paced back into the house and grabbed his cap and coat before going straight to The Garrison, planning to drown his troubles in a drink.

Meanwhile in Tommy's dark office, Alice was sat in silence, listening to the man recount the time he spent at war with her brothers and his final moments with Jamie, the eldest.

He had explained that he knew not what exactly happened to Andrew, but that it was surely honourable. Jamie however, had instilled a final wish upon Tommy that the solemn man was now finally able to grant.

Seeing the pain on Alice's usually stoic face, he spared her the gorey details and instead focused on the promise he had made to his fallen comrade, the scene playing clearly through his mind like some torturous film.

"Now I know I should've searched for you and brought you home sooner... In truth, I've been rather preoccupied with other things, setting up the family and all that... But you obviously made your own way back here... your brothers would be proud of that." Tommy continued, taking drags from his cigarette in between each sentence. "Anyway, the final wish that Jamie bestowed upon me was that I would bring you home and make sure you were happy and safe.. I don't expect you to be happy immediately, I know you've been through a terrible time... But I can at least say you're safe."

Alice swallowed and nodded her head shakily, never breaking the intense eye contact as her heart swelled. A moment of silence passed before Tommy spoke again.

"There are many jobs that I can make available to you. Or I can give you a job here in the shop, whichever you prefer."

Alice knew that he was being unusually kind to her, probably due the guilt he felt about only keeping half of Jamie's promise. She was slightly annoyed about that, thinking of the extra suffering she might not have endured if Thomas had rescued her before she finally had the chance to do it herself. But that annoyance was mostly squashed by her appreciation for the man in front of her and his kind offering.

"Thank you." She finally spoke. "I heard there's a job going for a barmaid at The Garrison. I think I could be good at that."

"The Garrison? Really?" Tommy raised his eyebrow and she returned with a certain nod.

"I want to get back into the real world. It still doesn't completely feel like I'm there yet." Alice finally broke eye contact, looking to the floor for a moment before sitting up straight again.

Tommy had to think for a moment as her words resonated with his own internal struggle. He could remember just how crazy and loud she was as a kid. The scars and cuts that she was always covered in and how all the neighbourhood mums were always so worried about her. The way she had some of the boys wrapped around her finger and the others despised her, intimidated by her free will and determination.

Now she seemed so quiet and tame in comparison, partially lost in her suffering. He wondered if she could handle The Garrison; if whatever trauma that happened to her had rendered her submissive and defenceless. But the determined look in her eyes reminded him that she was still Alice fucking Shepherd at the end of the day - she could handle The Garrison.

"Talk to Arthur, tell him I gave you the job. He'll set you up, give you all the details."

Alice thanked him one more time before happily rushing to find the oldest brother. On the way towards the front door she passed John's desk and was disappointed to see he wasn't there, hoping to tell him the news and maybe have him walk with her to meet Arthur. She thought about asking one of the other shop workers, if they knew where John had gone but decided against it in fear that it would make her budding affection all too apparent.

So, she merrily made her way to The Garrison by herself, her mind flourishing on the idea of earning her own money and truly being independent. She didn't even feel the usual paranoia that she felt walking through the streets, fearful that Jones or his men would appear out of nowhere and take her again.

Once she got to the pub, all eyes landed on her and the room went silent, halting her pace for a second. She looked around and saw the red faces of drunk men all around her, seeing Jones in every one of them for a second - only for a second though. She quickly snapped out of it, pulled a brave face and headed towards the bar with her head held high.

"You're a bit too pretty to be in here don't ya think darling?" One of the older men from across the bar grinned at her, earning a chuckle from the men around him.

Alice scoffed, stating "Actually I'm the new fucking barmaid so-" but before she had time to finish the door to the private cubby opened and out stepped Arthur and John Shelby, their presence radiating with power and intimidation.

They'd both been sat in the booth for the last hour, drinking heavily as John relayed his worries to Arthur. It was the sudden silence from the pub patrons that caught their attention and caused them to step out, ready for an attack. Both were extremely relieved to see it was just Alice, looking like a piece of bait surrounded by hungry sharks.

"What? Have none of you seen a fuckin' bird before? Stop staring!" John barked, everyone's eyes averting and the previous chattering instantly resuming.

He smirked and gestured for her to join them in the private booth, which she instantly did, closing the door behind her and sitting down. It was undeniable that his little display of power there gave a few butterflies.

"Look at you! Top dog these days aren't you." She rolled her eyes with a giggle. "How come you're here? I thought you were at the shop."

His smirk nearly fell as he thought about the answer to her question, but then quickly deflected it with one of his own.

"I could ask you the same thing? What the fuck are you doing in this shit hole?"

"Actually-" she turned to Arthur "-I came to talk to you. Tommy said I could have the barmaid job. He said to tell you."

A grin spread across Arthur's face and he let out a cheer before knocking on the hatch and shouting for another whiskey, whilst John had a less pleased reaction. He thought about the reprobates that would surely bother her all day, their predatory eyes and disgusting thoughts. It reignited the flame of jealousy from earlier and he quickly downed his drink before forcing a congratulatory cheer too.

"That's great! I'm sure you'll be the best! Better than that last one for sure." Arthur slurred, scoffing at the end. "I'll get Harry to show you the ropes tomorrow."

"What happened to the last one?" Alice asked with a curious smile, causing John to chuckle and hand her a glass.

"It's a long fucking story. More drinks are needed for that one."

——————

A few hours of drinking, joking and storytelling passed until Arthur had to be walked home - practically carried by Curly - finally leaving John and Alice alone. They were also both fairly drunk, although nowhere the level of incapacity that Arthur had hit.

It was getting late and there were no customers left in The Garrison, not that it mattered to the pair in their private booth anyway.

There few silent moments as their conversations never ran out. Ranging from politics to memories to music to  jokes to outright gossip, never touching on the heavy subjects as they just enjoyed the happiness of each others company.

Although, the later it got and the drunker he became, the more John felt compelled to speak his mind, her angelic appearance driving him crazy as his brain raced with questions.

"Why did Tommy call you into his office?" He  blurted out mid conversation, surprising Alice with his sudden change in tone and demeanour. The usually confident man had a look of uncertainty on his face and one of his hands started to nervously clench around the whiskey glass, things that Alice immediately noticed.

"Why? You worried we fucked?" She smirked, the drink giving her the same confidence she once had as a teenage girl. The momentary shock on John's face gave her a rush of adrenaline and his silence answered the question.

"Because we didn't. Nothing of the sort. We spoke about my brothers and then he offered me a job." John visibly started to relax again as she spoke, regaining his smug smirk and straight posture.

"You always were blunt." He chuckled, lighting a cigarette. "Straight to the point. No fucking around."

Alice grinned, thinking back on the years of childhood they shared together.

"And you were so quiet. Always the sweet one of the three. I suppose you still are... But look at you now eh?" Her heart filled with admiration as the words came out, her eyes taking in the man in front of her. She still couldn't believe that out of all the brothers, John was the one making her smitten.

"Why am I the sweet one?" He chuckled, leaning back comfortably now that his head had quietened. "I'm meant to be scary. Not sweet."

The brunette let out a small laugh, her soft hands moving across the table to touch his bruised and calloused ones. She didn't even know why she did it, but he instantly returned her touch, gently rubbing her hand with his thumb.

"I think you are scary to most people." She smiled but her words had a heavy honesty to them. "I think that if I hadn't seen what I've seen, I might be scared of you too."

A compilation of those worst memories played on a quick loop through Alice's mind and she could feel that she'd made the air heavy again, probably leaving John's mind more curious for answers than before. She had to change the subject, fast.

"Anyway. Let's go dance. I haven't danced in years."

Those words did nothing to distract John's mind from the countless questions he still had though - in fact they only added to it.

"What do you mean you haven't danced in years? What did your husband do? Lock you up in a cage or something?" He snickered, but Alice didn't respond, standing up and heading out the cubby door.

"Come on. I know I've heard some Bill Murray being played in here before." She instructed, going straight to the gramophone in the corner of the main room.

John stood up and followed her without question, his eyes transfixed like he was under some kind of spell as she started to spin and sway to the music, giggling to herself as she did. Her figure became visible through the thin material of her dress and John found himself watching her body with great intrigue, cooly leaning against the bar.

"Are you really just letting me dance alone right now, John Shelby?" She started to step over to him with a grin.

"Well you said you ain't danced in years, thought I'd leave you to it." He chuckled. "And besides, it's not like I do much dancing either, I ain't very good."

"What, and I am?" She laughed in response, her big eyes sparkling with glee. Being able to dance and move with such freedom was filling her with happiness that she found hard to contain. Her joy was so palpable that John found himself too merrily grinning, putting his hand out for her to hold as he started to sway with her.

Slightly nervous, he moved his other hand towards her waist until he finally gripped it, pulling the woman closer. They both laughed, John spinning her around and then catching her as she stumbled.

His gentle touch felt euphoric to Alice, who had almost forgotten that men were capable of such a thing. She realised how safe she felt in his arms - something she never thought she'd experience again let alone so soon.

A part of her knew it was the liquor talking, and maybe just maybe he could hurt or kill her at any second. But a bigger part of her was willing to take the risk and give in to her naive side - just wanting to experience something good and not caring if she died for it.

A happy sigh fell from her lips as she leant fully into his body, her head resting against his chest. He was initially surprised by the action, but quickly moved one of his hands to her back so that he was holding her, gently swaying to the slow song.

After a minute of comfortable silence, Alice decided to answer his question from earlier, her tone still remaining lighthearted despite the horrific truth of her words.

"He actually did put me in a cage once, one made for dogs. It felt like I was in there forever. Maybe it was just a week."

Due to the position of her head against John's chest, she couldn't see his previously beaming smile drop into a straight line; taken aback by her words.

"But even when that punishment was over, I might as well 'ave stayed in the cage. Probably would've been better off."

"What are you talking about? Why would your husband keep you in a dog cage?" John scoffed in disbelief, although his voice stayed quiet as they still swayed slightly.

"Because he is a devil and my suffering was his favourite drug." Alice answered plainly. "There wasn't a single thing off bounds for him or his bloody friends.. I begged for my life so many times and they loved every second of it... Men and their disgusting ways."

She moved her head so that she was looking up into John's concerned eyes, their faces only inches apart. His brows were furrowed and an anger was starting to build up inside of his chest.

"Whatever the fuck those cunts did, they're gonna pay for it. They're gonna pay for it fucking bad." The man's mind began to run wild with protective rage, his grip on Alice's back tightening ever so slightly as he looked into her beautiful, but pain filled eyes. "I'm gonna fucking hunt them down and do everything they did to her a hundred times-"

"But for some reason, I don't think you'd hurt me." She continued, instantly cutting off the violent trail of thoughts in John's head. "And even if you did... I don't think it would matter. You could kill me and it wouldn't matter, just as long as it's not by his hands-"

John stopped swaying and moved a hand to cradle her face, cutting off the words that hurt him so much to hear.

"I'd never fucking hurt you Alice.. And if I or anyone did, it would matter.. a lot. So don't fucking talk like that." He spoke softly, but was clearly serious, something that brought a smile to Alice's lips as she gazed intensely up at him.

"What are you smiling like that for? I'm not joking." John couldn't help but smile back at her, completely enamoured by her beauty. Even as the violence spewed from his mouth, there was now a relaxed, playful atmosphere again. "I'll kill that fucking bastard and every single other fucking bastard that ever had any part in hurting you. I'll fucking-"

Alice couldn't take it any longer; the butterflies going crazy in her stomach and the intense urges in every part of her body. She cut off his rant by moving her hands behind his neck and pressing her lips against his to which he instantly responded by kissing passionately back.

It was a couple seconds until they pulled away, their eyes telling each other all they needed to know. Alice let out a drunken giggle and they started to kiss again, John running his hands along her body before settling one her waist and one on the back of her head.

His mind was no longer racing with rage and violence, but instead beauty, passion, lust and dare he say... love? Alice had been the one girl he wanted to marry as a boy and now actually having her in his arms as a man; it felt all a bit too good to be true.

Nonetheless, he deepened the kiss, holding her until she pulled away, looking up at him with a sudden bashfulness.

"I- I don't think I'm ready to fuck." She confessed, internally fearing that she'd ruined the night. "I- I'm sorry."

"Don't be stupid. You don't need to be sorry." John hushed her, placing both of his hands on her face. "You're a lot more than a fuck, Alice.. I'm happy just staring at those big, fucking beautiful eyes." A grin formed on his face with those last words, knowing how soft he was sounding but not even caring.

That made Alice grin too as she knew exactly what he was thinking, another giggle escaping her mouth before she kissed him again, this time only shortly but in a way that showed comfort. She didn't need to go all out with another passionate tongue session, just some momentary contact was enough for John, and that made her feel safe.

[biking-around-the-world]

Cyclo-cross is something else! 😍🚴🏻‍♀️🚴‍♂️

Welcome back MvdP doing MvdP things.

[miafi]

Gonna say it now and I hope I won't be blocked by too many people. But. Mathieu wishes he could be as versatile as Pidders.

[talaofthevalley]

hihi rin or yuya for ask game

Heyo! I'll do both, cause I love them CX

Rin

Why I like them/why I don’t I LOVE RIN. What first drew me to her was her design, which I think is just amasing. I loved that she had short hair, that it was green (one of my favourite colours) and such a fun style. Then I found out about her deck and loved her even more. I like how she's a scrappy mechanic who built a D-Wheel with her best friend using scraps and what money they managed to scrunge up. How she shared a dream with Yugo. Even if we didn't get to see her much in the show, I love what they've done with her in Duel Links.

But for something I dislike, it'd be the tired slapstick jokes she has with Yugo. I've never been fond of those jokes, and find they come at the expense of character writing. I think Rin and Yugo's friendship is just more fun without it.

What I like about their appearance Covered above already sjdhg, but I will say I love her overall colour scheme, and how she doesn't have One Singular colour to her, which extends to the other bracelet girls. It's so easy to do that when you've got a set of characters like this, and I appreciate they didn't go that route.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names? Luckily Rin didn't get a name change in the dub. Though having Yugo call her RinRin as a nickname is.... kinda silly ngl. He doesn't have a nickname for her in the sub, and it's not like it shortens her name. I get it might be a pun on the ringing of a bell, but it's still eh to me.

OTP Main Rin ships would be Swiftshipping (girls forgotten by the narrative and world who also hold hands) and Appleshipping, though apple leans pretty hard towards queerplatonic nowadays. I really enjoy Natureshipping as well.

NOTP None!

OT3 Can't really think of any that stand out to me.

Favourite card they use You want me to choose a WindWitch?? Ice Bell is one of my favourite of the designs, but I gotta go with Winter Bell. It's such a cool design, I love that it's not completely humanoid like girls in Yugioh usually get, and RIN RIDES IT?? SHE HOPS ON TOP OF HER MONSTER AND RIDES ON IT LIKE A BOARD??? It's so frigging cool.

Favourite moment they were in Hmmm, I think it's a tie between Rin hopping onto Winter Bell or the flashback Yugo has to one of their duels in the Friendship Cup. It's just a cute character moment man.

Least favourite moment The frikkin.... Rin vs Yugo duel. It's such a rough watch. It's so sad.

-

Yuya

Why I like them/why I don’t I love Yuya man, he's such a fun character. He's having a time of it the whole show but he's still going at them. I love how he's energetic and a showman but is naturally low-tension outside of duels. I don't really have anything I dislike about Yuya, he's just such a fun character.

What I like about their appearance Honestly, I love his hair, specifically the styling. I love how his hair and eyes are the same shade of red. The goggles are a great distinctive detail that's used to show Yuya's current state of mind. I love his outfit so much. It's such a perfect balance of elements that flair out, are tight, or baggy. The white jacket also really helps him stand out. Those zoom-zoom boots he gets at the end of the show kinda ruins the balance though.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names? Same as Rin, no change from sub to dub, thankfully.

OTP I really like Dimensionshipping. But I have a giant soft spot for Syncshipping.

NOTP None!

OT3 None that stand out really.

Favourite card they use Oof probably.... Odd Eyes Raging Dragon. The moments iconic, everything about it is phenomenal, but I just really love Raging Dragon's design a lot, the wings especially. Honestly all of Yuya's Entermates are a delight any time they show up.

Favourite moment they were in Honestly any time Yuya gets in the groove during a duel. Actually the most fun protagonist to watch make a comeback for me. It's a mix of expressive animation, fun monster designs, and great voice acting. You feel the pull he gains over his opponent and audience as everyone is wrapped up in his pace and style of dueling.

Least favourite moment Gosh do I even have one.... I guess the argument with Crow in the Synchro arc?? But that's mostly because it's such a pointless debate to begin with, like what are we even doing here.

[littencloud9]

Hello, for the character ask game, can I ask Megumi, Yosano and Cheng Xiaoshi? Thx :D

megumi

Sexuality Headcanon: pan king megumi my beloved. also definitely on the ace spectrum!

Gender Headcanon: cis or he/they nb or transmasc all work with me

A ship: ITAFUSHI!!! MY BELOVED BOYS

A BROTP: him and nobara duh. gege bring them back. they were so precious i could die

A NOTP: uhh. s.ukufushi or g.ojofushi is Not my cup of tea

A random headcanon: hes not good at comforting people so instead he brings his shikigami out for them! and he and tsumiki used to walk his divine dogs together for fun/when shes feeling down :)

General Opinion: MEGUMI!! I LOVE YOU MEGUMI WAUGH. hes the sweetest boy ever and hes so spiky and tough on the outside but on the inside he has so much love to give. also anyone who says hes annoying for wanting to give up on life. i will FIND YOU. hes been through so much. hes had his autonomy stripped and then his powers were used to hurt everyone he loves. the fact that hes even hanging on rn is so impressive i need to give him a big hug MEGUMI GET BEHIND ME!!

-

yosano

Sexuality Headcanon: lesbian or bi or anything works but she definitely Likes Women

Gender Headcanon: transfem yosano. points aggressively. see my vision

A ship: dont have one

A BROTP: her and ranpo!!! the siblings ever i could cry. and her and dazai is very compelling to me. also her and chuuya for the giggles

A NOTP: ok look. i actually liked k.ousano when i first heard about it bc they could be so interesting if you look at [gestures vaguely] their positions in life, their organisations, their morals, very clashing personalities, rs with mori etc etc. but most of the fandom sees them as ‘ooh hot dom lesbians’ or smth similar, and they’re treated as a throwaway ship/just made completely ooc to make it work and im just like. ?? so it kinda ruined the ship for me lol. theyd hate each other and thats what makes it interesting for me. they wouldnt fall in love at first sight

A random headcanon: she has a lower back tattoo! and she also gave herself a belly button piercing bc she was convinced being a medical doctor qualifies her for that, and ranpo is an enabler. but it worked out in the end

General Opinion: YOSANO AKIKO!! I LOVE YOU!! i actually didnt care much for her at all until season 4 and her backstory (dare i say best one in bsd) was shown. then i was like WOAV. and she rose up my ranking so fast. i love that shes KIND and a protector and not afraid to be fierce, and i also love that she cherishes life so much. youd think being able to bring life back so easily means she’d disregard it more but NO! gestures to her fight with kajii. i think she deserves the freaking WORLD shes my everything <33

-

cheng xiaoshi

Sexuality Headcanon: i dont think he’d label himself. just queer :)

Gender Headcanon: also no labels! he goes by he/him but he plays around with gender expression (growing up with qiao ling will do that to you)

A ship: shiguang my beloveds… best ship ever… romantic or qpr or secret third option. they are just meant to be okay

A BROTP: of course him and qiao ling. he calls her qiao ling jie like i could CRY. they are the world to me

A NOTP: i cant see him with anyone other than lu guang lol they are soulmates. so any other ship ig

A random headcanon: his favourite colour is blue :) and other than bball he also really enjoys volleyball. and back in uni, him and xu shanshan are karaoke besties!!! they both have really good singing voices

General Opinion: CHENG XIAOSHI! THE CHARACTER EVER!! god hes just so kind and selfless and despite everything hes been through he has. SO MUCH EMPATHY. and of course that could be because of his powers but i also think that it’s because cxs is HIMSELF. yes he has access to the person’s feelings and memories, but not everyone can really put themselves in other peoples shoes so easily you know? they could feel it, but cxs understands it. id destroy worlds for him haha…

send me characters!

[collectingall]

∀ Brandi Chastain Team USA Autographed 1999 World Cup Celebration 8x10 Photo CX http://blog.collectingall.com/TDk0L9 👉 bit.ly/eBay-CX 👈