World Championship 2022: Elite Men’s Preview
This weekend the eyes of the world turn to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championships. If you’re Down Under and looking to tune into the action, be sure to check out our watch guide, which you can read here.
As for who’s likely to be crowned the new Elite Men’s world champion? Read on…
The defending champ
Image: Swiss Cycles
Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) - although he’s the winner of the last three world titles, the tall Dutchman is recovering from a debilitating back injury and won’t be defending his title in Fayetteville.
Image: Swiss Cycles
On hot form
Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) is the only member of cyclocross’ Big Three to take to the start line in Fayetteville, and won the first two World Cup races of his career this season at Rucphen and Hulst.
He was underdone at last weekend’s racing in Hamme and Hoogerheide, but given that he’d just come off a two-week training camp for his INEOS-Grenadiers road team, it’s safe to presume that may not have been a true indication of his form. Even starting on the second row of the grid he’s the man to beat this weekend.
The outside chances
It feels a bit rough to call the overall winner of the World Cup series an outsider for the rainbow stripes, but Eli Iserbyt (Belgium, below left) will have his work cut out for him on a course that doesn’t seem to suit his slight build - even if he has won the last two World Cup races in a row.
His trade and national teammate Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium, below right) won the Namur round of the World Cup that has a very similar climb to this one and is a proven performer at world championships, so it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see him on the podium.
Image: RTBF.be
Image: Cor Vos
It’s been a golden year for veteran Lars van der Haar (Netherlands, below left), who has won the Dutch championship, the European championship and a round of the World Cup. The fairytale would be complete with a rainbow jersey, and if you’re a believer in fate this photo from the Dutch championship race could be a bit of foreshadowing. Is it fate? Lars will certainly hope so...
If you’re looking for a hometown hero to crack the top 10, newly crowned national champ Eric Brunner (USA, below right) is a powerhouse who will be well suited to the Fayetteville course, and could possibly even nudge the top 5 if the course stays dry.
Image: @dionkerckhoffs
Image: USA Cycling
Who’s not there
It’s not just Van der Poel who won’t be on the start line - his long time rival and CX stud Wout van Aert (Belgium, below left) won’t be present either. Despite winning all but one of the races he participated in this season, WVA has skipped the worlds in order to train for his upcoming road season.
Quinten Hermans (Belgium, below right) won the World Cup round in Fayetteville back in October, but has recently contracted COVID-19 and won’t be on the start line.ld Cup held in Fayetteville back in October, but tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week and so won’t be racing.
Image: CyclingPaper
Image: Facebook
Our prediction
A fast opening to the race will see the usual Belgian logjam at the start, led by Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout. Pidcock, Van der Haar and one or two other non-Belgians will chill at the back of the group for a while, before Pidcock goes clear decisively at around the 35 minute mark. Although Iserbyt tries to reel him back, Vanthourenhout eventually shows that he’s on a better day and crosses the line second, with Van der Haar a little further back in third.
Tom Pidcock (Great Britain)
Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium)
Lars van der Haar (Netherlands)