PREVIEW | Cyclocross Besançon World Cup Men&Women - Favourites, Track, TV Guide & Poll

The cyclocross World Cup ends on the 29th of January. It will be in Besançon, France, that the competition will end and it will be a quality end that will crown the new winners of the competition, whilst having the presence of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.

Very cold temperatures in France this weekend, but the track in Besançon will be dry and perfect for explosive cyclocross action. Besançon features a track similar to some we've seen early in the season, with a grassy course with no running sections besides two stair sections.

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Video Course 2023 Besançon World Cup. Via Puck Pieterse / Youtube

It's a very fast race that will be happening, with little spots to really open up gaps. Riding this mistake-free will be important as gaps can very quickly open, it won't be as fast as Benidorm but definitely a quick one to end the World Cup.

Races should be tight once again, the men's one specially as the speeds should be so high that slipstreaming will have meaningful benefits. There is one tricky camber section towards the end of the lap that can cause problems, but it features many wide turns, with no mud or sand aswell present it should make for a thrilling explosive race.

The women's race will have a modest field as the classifications are set. World Cup winner Fem van Empel won't be present and won't be crowned as she prepares for the World Championships, as do several other big riders. Puck Pieterse is the only one of the Dutch 'big three' and is the main contender to take the win in Besançon. Behind her is a wide array of riders that are at similar levels and have had different approaches to their winter, some of which may work in this round with a smaller field.

Silvia Persico and Annemarie Worst are riders that for different reasons have not raced a big portion of the season and look to be in great form currently. Zoe Bäckstedt and Denise Betsema are great contenders to the podium although the latter is unlikely to thrive in such a fast race, as is Inge van der Heijden. Aniek van Alphen, Line Burquier, Hélène Clauzel, Marie Schreiber, Manon Bakker, Marion Norbert Riberolle and Maghalie Rochette will also be seeking a strong result to end their stints in the World Cup and have a great opportunity.

Wout van Aert's absence will certainly dictate the race which should be less open. Mathieu van der Poel has won last week in Benidorm and this track is very well suited to his abilities. I see it as very hard to beat him here although both Eli Iserbyt and Laurens Sweeck have shown great form last week in such a fast track.

So did Kevin Kuhn whom I regardly highly, although at times he is not so consistent. Lars van der Haar has recently criticized the current World Cup format and he hasn't looked as sharp in recent weeks, it won't be easy to fight for the podium. Jens Adams, Pim Ronhaar, Joris Nieuwenhuis and Niels Vandeputte have had occasional stellar performances this season and will be contenders for a podium place if they find themselves on a strong day. Felipe Orts, Gerben Kuypers and Toon Vandebosch are among the list of riders who will also be fighting for a place in the Top10 here.

The women's race will start at 13:40 local time (13:40CET) and is estimated to finish at 14:30 local time (14:30CET). The men's race is set to start at 15:10 local time (15:10CET) and is estimated to finish at around 16:15 local time (16:15CET).

You can watch the broadcast of the race at the UCI website; GCN+/Eurosport Player internationally. The channels which will broadcast the race will be Flobikes (Canada/USA), Sporza and Proximus (Belgium), L'ÉquipeTV (France), NOS (Netherlands), Ceská Televize (Czech Republic), TV2/Play Danmark (Denmark) and TV2 Norge (Norway).

PREDICTIONS:

Women's Elite
*** Pieterse
** Persico, Worst
* Backstedt, Betsema, van der Heijden

Men's Elite
*** van der Poel
** Iserbyt, Sweeck
* Kuhn, van der Haar, Ronhaar