Belgian coach looks into Cyclocross Europeans course: "We will not have a very tough edition and a muddy event like on the Koppenberg"
Cyclocross
All riders and staff are present in Pontchâteau. The Cyclocross European Championships have mostly been condensed fully into this Sunday and riders have been able to see what the track is like. Belgian national team coach Sven Vanthourenhout says that despite the rough weather conditions, there won't be muddy races ahead.
“It won't be too bad. The Pontchâteau course has quite a few paved sections. We will not have a very tough edition and a muddy event like on the Koppenberg," Vanthourenhout told Sporza. "The riders who had to compete on Saturday now have to switch gears and adjust their mindset in order to perform on Sunday. Logistically it will be a tough one for us as a federation. Sunday will be a very long day.”
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All six individual races will take place this Sunday as the race organizers were forced to make last-minute changes due to storm Ciarán. However, it seems as if the races will go ahead. Belgium will not be in a favourable position to take a medal in the women's elite race but other than Lars van der Haar they hold all the cards for the men's event. However, besides having a track that is not a regular at the top of the sport, the riders will have to contest with one extra obstacle in the day of the race.
The storm forced all races into the same day so there will effectively be no time for the riders to be on the track before their race. Additionally, they will have to find another way to get in some riding before their respective race begins. “The riders are therefore not allowed on the circuit on Saturday. It is up to us to find an alternative to that. We have to wait and see if there is an opportunity to train outdoors. If that is not the case, we will convert the basement so that everyone can complete their training indoors."
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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Tree n. 40 for #EuroCross23 joins the #UECForest in Pont-Château 🇫🇷 #cyclocross #ciclocross #veldrijden #cycling #pontchateau
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