Lars van der Haar and Puck Pieterse will lead Dutch charge in Waterloo's opening CX World Cup

The KNWU has unveiled the selection for the Waterloo World Cup. Fem van Empel, Puck Pieterse and Lars van der Haar, among others, will travel to the United States for the first World Cup round.

The cross in Waterloo is the only World Cup race in the United States this year. "That means that not everyone of the top riders is now making the crossing, with the exception of the people who really have ambition for the World Cup classification," says national coach Gerben de Knegt. "That gives me the space to give some riders the opportunity who would normally not be eligible if all the top riders want to ride."

For the women, Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse are present, but some top riders are also missing. "Denise Betsema and Lucinda Brand are still dealing with the after-effects of an injury and Marianne Vos will not be riding in the field this winter after an operation. But last weekend in Beringen - where Fem van Empel, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Shirin van Anrooij were on the podium - we could see that we have enough top riders among the women to compete for the win. And I expect that in Waterloo too."

Dutch men lineup for Waterloo World Cup:
Lars van der Haar, Joris Nieuwenhuis, Ryan Kamp, Pim Ronhaar, David Haverdings and Pete Uptegrove  

Dutch women lineup for Waterloo World Cup:
Fem van Empel, Puck Pieterse, Ceylin Alvarado, Shirin van Anrooij, Inge van der Heijden, Manon Bakker and Leonie Bentveld