The holiday season is always packed with Belgian cyclo-cross events, but this weekend, part of the peloton will head to France for the World Cup in Besançon on Sunday. With big names like Mathieu van der Poel and Marianne Vos on the starting list, IDLProCycling.com eagerly previews the action ahead!
After taking a year off, the World Cup in Besançon is back, following its successful events in the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 seasons. The inaugural winners were Eli Iserbyt and Lucinda Brand, followed by victories for Mathieu van der Poel and Puck Pieterse the next year.
2022/2023 Mathieu van der Poel / Puck Pieterse
2021/2022 Eli Iserbyt / Lucinda Brand
The course in Besançon, France, which is not far from the Swiss border, was partly designed by former cyclist Francis Mourey. He has kept the course largely unchanged compared to previous editions of the race in the French city. Of course, we will see the familiar cyclo-cross obstacles that we know so well from other World Cups, including barriers, a bridge, and stairs. Puck Pieterse showed the course in her 2023 reconnaissance video, which also featured these obstacles.
Weather
It’s quite chilly in France these days. On Sunday, temperatures will barely rise above freezing, but fortunately, it will stay dry in and around Besançon, with almost no wind.
Times (Sunday, December 29)
Start women: 1:40 PM local time (7:40 AM EST)
Finish women: 2:30 PM local time (8:30 AM EST)
Start men: 3:10 PM local time (9:10 AM EST)
Finish men: 4:10 PM local time (10:10 AM EST)
A total of 87 women are on the starting list for Besançon, including nearly all the big names. The notable exception is Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), who will compete in the cyclo-cross race in Diegem on Monday instead. On the other hand, Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) is making her cyclo-cross season debut in Besançon, bringing a major name to the event.
After her strong performance in Gavere, Fem van Empel, another rider for the yellow-black formation, is the top favorite. The Dutchwoman proved on Boxing Day that she’s in excellent form after a knee injury disrupted her participation in Hulst and Zonhoven. Meanwhile, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) showed her high level in Zonhoven but didn’t race in Gavere.
Lucinda Brand is a constant presence in the races these days, and she has made the podium in every race this year, though her last victory was in Dublin. As the World Cup leader, Brand will fight hard to defend her position in France. The same goes for U23 leader Marie Schreiber, the rider from Luxembourg who is currently racing for SD Worx-Protime, which also has Blanka Vas. Schreiber already demonstrated in Hulst that she’s more than capable of pulling off a win.
Other strong contenders include Zoe Backstedt (Canyon//SRAM), who finished second in Zonhoven, and Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon), who placed third in Mol a day later. We can expect a fierce competition among the ladies in Besançon!
Top favorite: Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Outsiders: Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions)
Long shots: Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime), Zoe Backstedt (Canyon//SRAM), Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Inge van der Heijden (Corran-Corendon)
In the men’s race, Mathieu van der Poel is the undisputed favorite. This will be the Dutchman’s fifth cyclo-cross event in eight days, but by skipping Diegem, he’s given himself some breathing room after Besançon. Van der Poel, fluent in French as the grandson of the late Raymond Poulidor, is always a welcome guest in France.
The riders who have come closest to challenging him in recent races are Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) and Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon). Thibau Nys has also been competitive, but he won’t be racing in Besançon. Vanthourenhout stayed relatively close to Van der Poel on Boxing Day, while Sweeck impressed with his sand-riding skills in Mol.
While Nys will be absent in France, Baloise Trek Lions will rely on Dutchmen Lars van der Haar and Pim Ronhaar, who are likely to contend for those highly-coveted podium spots. Other challengers include Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens-FSP), Joran Wyseure, and Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon).
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) will not participate but will return to racing on January 4 in Gullegem.
Top favorite: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Outsiders: Michael Vanthourenhout (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon)
Long shots: Lars van der Haar, Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions), Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon)
The women’s race begins at 1:30 PM local time (7:30 AM EST) and will be broadcast on Eurosport 1, HBO Max, Discovery+, and Sporza. The men’s race starts at 3:00 PM local time (9:00 AM EST) on the same channels.
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