This 4th and 5th of February 2023 will see the Cyclocross World Championships in the track of Hoogerheide. It will be the climax of the season as riders of several different categories battle for their respective rainbow jerseys.
Grey skies will cover the Netherlands this weekend but rain is unlikely. The traditional track of Hoogerheide will be on display this weekend with it's grassy fields, several bridges and fast sections. It isn't a selective course which means that tactics will with no doubt be important and the first few laps are certainly going to see some mutual studying between the riders.
The second half features in quick succession the planks, an up and down bank section, a long stairs drag and an off-camber descent into the finishing straight. It is possible that some of the races will be decided only on the final lap and on this section. The finishing straight section features small uphill gradients but it is rather long and throughout the race will provide room for tactics to be played.
Overall it will be fast and explosive races surely. With dry conditions there is only one running section in the course and no true climbing or descending features that can create meaningful gaps. With no mud or sand in the mix, it will be up to the riders' form and technical abilities to keep the momentum all throughout the race.
The fast race should mean it will be a close battle between the big hitters. Thibau Nys has won all 4 of the 4 World Cup races he's been at this year and everything points towards a great moment of form that should make him the man to beat in Hoogerheide. On his trail however will be the victor in Besançon Tibor Del Grosso, aswell as many of Nys' compatriots who have performed throughout the season.
This could truly become a monumental battle between the Belgian and the Dutch. Besides Nys, Belgium comes in with Emiel Verstrynge, Joran Wyseure, Witse Meeussen, Jente Michels and Victor van de Putte. The Dutch, besides Del Grosso, will feature the likes of David Haverdings and Danny van Lierop. The fight for the first spots should be there, but from the other nations feature a few outsiders such as Davide Toneatti for Italy, Andrew Strohmeyer for the USA and Dario Lillo for Switzerland.
The race will start this Saturday 4th February at 13:00 local time (13:00CET) and is estimated to finish at 13:50 local time (13:50CET).
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 (Belgium), NOS (Netherlands), Ceská Televize (Czech Republic), TV2/Play Danmark (Denmark) and TV2 Norge (Norway).
PREDICTIONS:
Women's Elite
*** Thibau Nys
** Tibor Del Grosso, Emiel Verstrynge
* Witse Meeussen, Joran Wyseure, Davide Toneatti
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