The UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup kicked off at long last this weekend on the frozen ground of Tábor, Czechia. It’s long been a bit of a staple in the CX calendar, and one of very few that can boast this status outside Belgium and the Netherlands. Its return to the World Cup circuit did not disappoint, with strong rides at all levels of competition for some of the standout athletes of the season so far.
The Czech round is often one of the chillier events the riders must take on, and as a cold snap swept across Europe mid-week, thoughts of a magical snowed-in Tábor World Cup began to whisper through the cyclocross world. Alas, though sub-zero temperatures lasted into the weekend, the hard ground remained naked, but for a persistent frost, on the morning of the event.
Fittingly, the first round offered races for (almost) all categories, with the junior men and women kicking things off, before the under-23 men, then the elite races capped off the afternoon. The juniors laid on some of the best action of the day, with big wins for French lad Soren Bruyère Joumard and home favourite Barbora Bukovská. A showdown among the big names of the under-23 men’s ranks followed, with David Haverdings grabbing his first win of the season over one of many nemeses in Aubin Sparfel, as the Italian youngsters also got a piece of the action. Then it was up to the elites, where there were no surprises to be had, but there was plenty to watch nonetheless, especially in the women’s race which was a close-run thing among the early-season stars.*
- Junior men: Soren Bruyère Joumard (France)
- Junior women: Barbora Bukovská (Czechia)
- Under-23 men: David Haverdings (Netherlands)
- Elite women: Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions)
- Elite men: Thibau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions)
*It's not really "early season" any longer, even though the World Cup has only just got underway in its now compact 12-round composition, but it's early enough that several riders have yet to make their debut. Most of them are either road-and-CX riders who will race a limited programme to fit with objectives on the road – Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Puck Pieterse, etc. – or one of the many nursing injuries, like Eli Iserbyt, Zoe Bäckstedt and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. One person who did make their debut this weekend was Lucinda Brand's teammate Shirin van Anrooij, who will be targeting some events deeper into the season when she's worked back into some form.
Junior men's top 5
- Soren Bruyère Joumard (France) 41:02
- Jari van Lee (Belgium) "
- Filippo Grigolini (Italy) "
- Patrik Pezzo Rosola (Italy) "
- Giel Lejeune (Belgium) +0:24
Junior women's top 5
- Barbora Bukovská (Czechia) 36:29
- Lise Revol (France) +0:06
- Giorgia Pellizotti (Italy) +0:26
- Elisa Bianchi (Italy) +0:52
- Lucie Grohová +0:57
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