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

On the 30th of October the Cyclocross field returns to Belgium for the first World Cup inside the country of the year. It is the fourth round of the competition which will take place in the brand new circuit of Maasmechelen which will await the riders with many surprises.

A windy, warm day in Belgium taking into consideration we are almost entering November, however it should be a dry race in the Belgian town. It is a course that starts with a couple of steep and technical banks, but it doesn't keep the level of difficulty for the first 2/3 of the course, featuring only small sections where the banks will be a challenge, but nothing that requires the riders to dismount, and sections where slipstreaming will be possible.

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It will be a fast race. Close to the end there is an off-camber sandy section but it appears to be rideable for most, and an actual sand pit although it is not long and also should not be a big challenge towards most riders.

The barriers section is also unlikely to be key, although right after a sharp corner it may force the riders to dismount. Nevertheless with good weather the track is not selective. Reporters on the ground have talked about exposed rocks and bumps which may cause a few punctures, those could possibly have more effect in the outcome of the race if they are to happen late in the day.

The women's race will be quite balanced. Denise Betsema has taken a good win today in Ruddervoorde, but tomorrow will be for the explosive riders. To beat Fem van Empel won't be easy, she's showing great form and there will not be any serious climbing. The likes of Marianne Vos and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado will be in my opinion the only ones who could take a win besides her, a good course for them. Blanka Kata Vas and Puck Pieterse will be outsiders, both of which with recent wins. Annemarie Worst, Shirin van Anrooij, Inge van der Heijden will also be podium contenders on their best day, Hélène Clauzel an interesting outsider if she does not spend her bullets too early as was the case last week.

Lacking the under-23 field, it will once again be a reduced fight for the win. I believe it will be a very similar race to Tabor, dry it is very much not a selective course, and the differences should only be made inside the final half of the race. As today in Ruddervoorde, I expect to see some of the main favourites having a slower start, and move up through the field. There is room for tactics, Pauwels Sauzen will surely attempt to do so having Michael Vanthourenhout and Ryan Kamp, both last week played a role as Sweeck responded to secondary moves. I expect late moves, a course that suits Eli Iserbyt very well, and a 4th win. Van der Haar showed great form today but I think he will also have to match moves, as will Sweeck once again, he will have to be completely locked in Iserbyt's wheel. The rest of the field is so far behind, Quinten Hermans will likely fill in the Top5.

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

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 Flobikes (Canada/USA), Sporza and Proximus (Belgium), L'Equipe TV (France), Ceská Televize (Czech Republic), Rai Sport (Italy), TV2/Play Danmark (Denmark) and TV2 Norge (Norway).

PREDICTIONS:

Women's Elite
*** Fem van Empel
** Marianne Vos, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado
* Puck Pieterse, Blanka Kata Vas, Annemarie Worst

Men's Elite
*** Eli Iserbyt
** Lars van der Haar, Michael Vanthourenhout
* Laurens Sweeck, Quinten Hermans, Niels Vandeputte