UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships 2016: Elite Men Preview

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Mathieu Van der Poel (BKCP-Corendon)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

The 2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World championships will give the Belgian home crowd at the Terlaemen car racing circuit seven strong men to support on what is expected to be a rainy Sunday afternoon. Their main hopeful is Wout Van Aert (Crelan-Vastgoedservice), but he will face up against a formidable defending champion, Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands).

Van Aert, 21, already took 17 victories this season. He’s the overall winner of the World Cup in which he won the opening round in Las Vegas, USA. Van Aert also won the Bpost Bank Trophy and is on his way to win the Superprestige cyclo-cross series, too. Three weeks ago he won the Belgian championships, also regarded as a mini-world championships. And although he even has a good sprint, he stated that he’s not the top favourite for the World Championships.

Next to Van Aert, most riders in the Belgian selection are capable of finishing on the podium. Ahead of the race, only Van Aert and 31-year-old Kevin Pauwels (Marlux-Napoleon Games Continental Team) received a free role. Pauwels is enjoying great form and excels on fast courses with some elevation like the one in Zolder. He was a close runner-up to Van der Poel in Heusden-Zolder at last month’s World Cup round. The other riders are Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea), reigning U23 world champion Michael Vanthourenhout (Marlux-Napoleon Games) and Laurens Sweeck (ERA-Murprotec), Tim Merlier (Crelan-Vastgoedservice) and veteran Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink), who will ride his last World Championship race.

There’s two more Dutch riders to check out. European champion Lars van der Haar (Giant-Alpecin) finds a course that suits him perfectly and he might profit if Van der Poel and Van Aert are racing tactically. Then there’s also Lars Boom (Astana). He’s the unknown factor in the Dutch selection. The Treviso 2008 cyclo-cross World champion only rode the World Cup round in Zolder and was the last rider to finish in the lead lap. He prepared for the World Championships by riding the Tour Down Under.

There’s little to no chance that the new cyclo-cross world champion will come from anyone outside of Belgium or the Netherlands. A top-10 result would be an achievement for someone like US-champion Jeremy Powers, who enjoys a front-row start position. The same counts for Clément Venturini (Cofidis, Solutions Crédits), Radomir Simunek (ERA - Murprotec), Michael Boros (BKCP-Corendon), Julien Taramarcaz (ERA Murprotec) and Marcel Meisen (Focus).

Last month, during the World Cup round in Heusden-Zolder, Cant won ahead of Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective) and Ellen Van Loy (Young Telenet-Fidea). Pan-American and US-champion Compton wasn’t able to train all summer, but the 37 year-old rider showed a lot of progress with her second place in Zolder and a 12th consecutive national title. The last two World Cup rounds haven’t go well though and she remains a big question mark for everybody, probably including herself too. Compatriot Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) is the young and upcoming force who captured her first World Cup podium in Valkenburg in October.

Despite the absence of Vos, the Netherlands still have a strong selection. Last week Sophie de Boer (Kalas-NNOF) won the final World Cup round in Hoogerheide. Obviously her form is great but she acknowledged that the fast course in Zolder is not to be compared with the mudfest she dominated in Hoogerheide. Sabrina Stultiens (Liv-Plantur) excels on fast courses and can surprise on Saturday. The latest Dutch talent to emerge is 22-year-old Thalita de Jong (RaboLiv). She impressed with fourth place at this season’s World Cup round in Zolder despite a back-row start position. Last week she finished in second place behind De Boer in Hoogerheide.