World Cup Cyclocross Tabor: Preview

National coach Sven Vanthourenhout announced the selection for the Cyclocross World Championships in Tabor on Monday, January 22. The world championship starts on February 2 and culminates two days later. Time to check which Belgians are allowed to participate and who can still throw a spanner in the works.

Which Belgians are participating?

A major contender for the world championship is Eli Iserbyt. In the last round of the World Cup he had to leave first place to Mathieu van der Poel and he did not get further than fifth place. However, that didn’t matter much, because he ended up with the overall victory in the rankings.

Co-leader Michael Vanthourenhout has also been selected. He became European champion in November and has proven his worth time and time again in the smaller stages. In Benidorm he was the last to join Wout van Aert, but he still had to let go in the last round. Last week in the Flandriencross he was again the last to follow, but this time he was behind Mathieu van der Poel.

Thibau Nys was also selected for the World Cup. At the World Cup final in Hoogerheide, he was able to answer Mathieu van der Poel’s attack once, but was unable to do so a second time. He finished in fourth place, just above Iserbyt. Nys calls it top form and certainly hopes to reach the podium at the World Cup.

Thanks to Eli Iserbyt’s victory in the World Cup, Belgium can take nine riders to Tabor, Czech Republic, next Sunday. In addition to the leaders mentioned, these are Laurens Sweeck, Jens Adams, Toon Vandebosch, Niels Vandeputte, Joran Wyseure and Witse Meeussen.

For the women, Sanne Cant leads a group with Alicia Frank, Marion Norbert Riberolle, and Laura Verdonschot. Cant, who confirmed her 15th Belgian title last year, suffered an injury just before the Flandriencross. That is why she is now taking enough rest so that she can hopefully still be at her best for the World Cup. In any case, she has already announced that this will be her last season.

Dutch challengers

The main opponent for our Belgians is title holder Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman is looking for his 6th world title and can certainly look back on a good preparation. This winter he took part in 13 crosses, of which he won 12. He confirmed his role as favorite by racing to the finish in Hoogerheide and almost completely losing sight of his opponents.

Among the women, Fem van Empel has already won 17 victories this season. She also won in Hoogerheide, but made it a little more exciting than her male colleague. One of her challengers was Ceylin Alvarado, who had already been assured of the final win a week earlier. So it seems that the Netherlands can be very strong among women. After the two cyclocross riders mentioned, Puck Pieterse and Lucinda Brand will also be present.