PREVIEW | Cyclocross Gavere 2023 World Cup Men&Women - Favourites, Track, TV Guide & Poll

Preview. Round number 10 of the cyclocross World Cup is the first after Christmas day and the second of the Christmas block. The riders travel to Gavere for another exciting circuit!

Rain has been falling in Gavere, and a slightly muddy course is expected. The start straight is relatively road-friendly and it will take a while until the riders hit the dirt, however aswell in a wide and fast field section. Although there are a couple of difficult sections, they are not long and there is no running expected in the first half of the race, which features another long straight flat section in a gravel road.

That is then followed by another long in-the-saddle climb, before a more explosive section of the course with some sketchy descending and steep pitches which should see some running, and a possibility for someone to power away and create gaps. Another hard climbing section comes before the second pit area. The final minutes of the lap feature some more rolling terrain before a long flat grass section that leads way to the finish section. It's a mixed race, it features a very slipstreaming-prone first half of the race, but grinding difficult climbs in the second. A race of endurance, pacing will be important and with the wide track, it definitely is possible to start off slower and then ride up throughout the race.

A race for those who can climb. I would not put Puck Pieterse and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado on the same level as Fem van Empel and Lucinda Brand on this one. The level is the highest possible and it is a very tough track, with everyone on good form. After seeing such outcome in Antwerp, I think Brand is the only one able to contest with van Empel but I argue that this track will suit her even better. A great battle is very likely, I have no doubt.

As in Antwerp, the field is very strong as we'll see the same names fight behind. A lot of quality, so a bad day for one of the riders means falling down the ranks significantly. Zoe Bäckstedt, Inge van der Heijden, Shirin van Anrooij (whose form is rising), Marie Schreiber and Sara Casasola should be amongst the best and will definitely be in the fight for the Top5. Laura Verdonschot surprised quite a bit in Antwerp and she could also be a wildcard on this track, carrying great form.

We've got Val di Sole winner Manon Bakker among other outsiders and other Dutchwomen in Annemarie Worst, Denise Betsema, Leonie Bentveld and Aniek van Alphen. Marion Norbert Riberolle, Blanka Kata Vas, Hélène Clauzel and Francesca Baroni should also aim for a spot in the Top10, meaningful at this point of the season.

The men's race. We've had a great battle between Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock here last year, and they're all back! Van der Poel so far the overwhelming victor, however this track suits him less, and is a good one for Pidcock specifically. Endurance, long seated-effort climbs will suit the Briton whilst the wide track allows for riders to start off slower, as he usually does. It's not an explosive circuit where van der Poel can fly away the same way he has recently - although nothing can surprise me at this point, he can easily prove me wrong.

We've got almost 90 riders at the start line, from all nations, several coming from the road, several under-23's and no real meaningful absence. It's an all-star spectacle and the fights should be exciting for every place in the Top10. Michael Vanthourenhout, Lars van der Haar, Cameron Mason and Pim Ronhaar are in my opinion the best suited to this circuit behind those. Ronhaar specifically was close to victory in Namur and could well be in the mix for fourth place if he has his best legs. Joris Nieuwenhuis is also carrying great form, whilst Eli Iserbyt is also in a good moment and should be up there - although I think the track is not as explosive as he usually enjoys.

We've got a third line of contenders in the likes of Thibau Nys and Laurens Sweeck who headline it. Ryan Kamp, Niels Vandeputte, Gerben Kuypers, Joran Wyseure, Toon Vandebosch, Jens Adams, Witse Meeussen, Kevin Kuhn, Felipe Orts and Timon Ruegg.

We've got another interesting set of riders to follow, those who are coming from the road. Quinten Hermans, Tim Merlier and Zdenek Stybar will be interesting to follow. In the under-23's present we'll have David Haverdings, Tibor del Grosso, Emiel Vertstrynge and Jente Michels too.

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

You can watch the broadcast of the race at the UCI website and Eurosport Player internationally, as well as the traditional outlets. The channels which will broadcast the race will include Sporza and Proximus (Belgium), Flobikes (Canada) and NOS.nl (Netherlands).

PREDICTIONS:

Women's Elite
*** Fem van Empel
** Lucinda Brand, Puck Pieterse
* Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Shirin van Anrooij, Inge van der Heijden

Men's Elite
*** Mathieu van der Poel
** Tom Pidcock, Wout van Aert
* Pim Ronhaar, Cameron Mason, Eli Iserbyt