PREVIEW | Cyclocross European Championships Women U23 - Favourites, Track, TV Guide & Poll

The Cyclocross season has picked up steam and it is heading to the European Championships with full speed. One of the most important races of the weekend, the Europeans will take place in the 5th and 6th of November in the tough Belgian circuit of Namur - or Namen.

There won't be too much rain, however in the days leading up to the weekend there has been some precipitation in the area and the course is not a particularly exposed one. Due to the very large amount of riders riding recons with several days in advance, it is likely that there will be some deep ruts, and I would also expect a little bit of mud on course. The track is characterized by it's heavy climbing nature, with the roughest ascent perhaps right at the star of the race.

It transitions into a gravel-like surface, and another tough ascent quickly after, and a short descent leading into the grassy section. There will be a rather steep descent - including a bridge - which can be technical if muddy, with a paved ascent following which will be very tough following several laps. Differences can easily be made there, and the large off-camber section right after can see riders make mistakes taking into consideration how they will enter it on their limit.

The final minutes of the lap will see a steep section where the riders will be forced to run, followed by a long straight descent and a very steep pitch before jumping onto the pavement where the finish will be. The start and finish area will be in very different position, there will be a stairs section that will be ridden for the first time after completing the first lap, and so on. It's a slow track, unlike most so far, with a lot of climbing and pavement changes.

The field in the under-23's is very strong. Some, are missing, such as Fem van Empel and Blanka Kata Vas, but it will nevertheless be a strong field. Puck Pieterse and Shirin van Anrooij have finished on the podium of the recent Maasmechelen World Cup race in the Elites and will be the main contenders for the gold medal. Both seasoned pros, the two Dutch riders will be the ones to beat, with Leonie Bentveld as a possible third option for the Netherlands.

The competition will see supertalent Zoe Bäckstedt, however the Briton has only recently started her season and is yet to show her best results. Marie Schreiber, despite her very young age, has also shown her talent recently and will be a strong contender. Amandine Fouquenet and Line Burquier of France will be two other contenders for the medals, whilst the Czech Republic's Kristyna Zemanová, who has been racing a secondary calendar mostly, but has shown the legs in the last two World Cups.

The race (Sunday the 6th) will start at 13:15 local time (13:15CET) and is estimated to finish at 13:55 local time (13:55CET).

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 Sporza and RTBF Tipik (Belgium) and NOS (Netherlands). (More information may come).

PREDICTIONS:

Women U23:
*** Shirin van Anrooij
** Puck Pieterse, Marie Schreiber
* Kristyna Zemanová, Amandine Fouquenet, Zoe Bäckstedt