The Cyclocross World Championships will take place in Lièvin and it is only two weekends away at this time. A few teams have begun confirming their plans for what is perhaps the most important weekend of the cyclocross season, and Great Britain are one of the first to make it public, headlined by Cameron Mason and Zoe Bäckstedt.
The selection notably does not feature any athlete for the women's elite race, which comes as a bit of a hit for the country's athletes, but is not something unheard of in recent years with national teams for the European nation.
The men's elite field will include two Britons in national champion and last year's silver medal at the Europeans Cameron Mason, who's had a rough season hampered by health issues, but has recently finished in the Top10 of the Dendermonde World Cup and will be a contender for such result. Thomas Mein, 6th at the Besançon World Cup, will also be hoping for a similar performance on this key day.
But Great Britain will be prime favourites to win the under-23 women's race, as none other than Zoe Bäckstedt will be at the start. She will face very strong competition, but the 20-year old has been incredibly consistent this winter and has finished every single race inside the Top10 at elite level. Although much younger, the likes of Cat Ferguson and Imogen Wolff will also be interesting outsiders for the race.
Great Britain for men's Elite race: Cameron Mason and Thomas Mein
Great Britain for men's junior race: Oscar Amey and Milo Wills
Great Britain for women's under-23 race: Zoe Bäckstedt, Cat Ferguson, Ella Maclean-Howell and Imogen Wolff
Great Britain for women's junior race: Arabella Blackburn, Ellie Mitchinson and Zoe Roche
🌈 Chasing the first rainbows of the year!
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) January 21, 2025
Our squad heading out to Lievin for the 2025 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, including a defending champion ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ZfPuxEV50G