PREVIEW (+ INTERVIEW Cameron Mason) | Cyclocross European Championships 2023 Men&Women - Favourites, Track, TV Guide & Poll

Preview. The Cyclocross European Championships take place in Pontchâteau this season, as the riders travel to France for one of the main races of the winter. The weekend is being heavily affected by the weather however the racing promises to be exciting.

Used most recently in the 2016 European Championships, 2018-2019 World Cup, and 2021 French national championships, it is a race that is not too common in the traditional calendar. It is very similar to what we find in the USA, a fast grassy course which is not overly technical. There is a very big question which is in how much will the weather affect the course over Saturday. Friday's race displayed a relatively dry course with only a few ruts in some corners. This Saturday sees it's events postponed as storm Ciarán plows through the French coast. Sunday we may see a different terrain.

However the video recon of Cameron Mason displays a track that looked largely unaffected by the weather. In an interview for CyclingUpToDate the Briton briefed the course: "The track is really nice. Mix of features, surface and terrain. Will be a good race in the dry or wet. The conditions are the unknown part now though. Some corners are fine and fast. Others are very wet. Still riding the intermediate tyre but it won’t take much more rain for riders to start riding mud tyres. "

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All riders are aware that they go into Sunday with different conditions than previous days. All the racing may affect the lines later into the day as well. However, it was possible to observe that there was only one small running section in the course - in a set of stairs. The planks can be jumped, there are few hard breaking sections, no sand, no steep banks, it's a very simple course. "There is a lot in the trees that won’t become deep mud even with a lot of rain. So I don’t expect much running. Just slick mud I think," Mason added.

"The mud will bring the speeds down a little so that will help me yes. At the moment it is very punchy but still an honest parcour. And once the race is open there won’t be many tactics." On the other hand, I lean to believe tactics will be quite important in the men's race. To make a difference in this track will require a massive effort, and in a track with relatively high slipstream and high speeds making that effort too early can be costly. I expect a somewhat compact race with some mental games - and who knows, the riders may actually try to use the teammate card. In the women's race Fem van Empel will be hard to match in any scenario.

Recon of Pontchâteau European Championships Cyclocross 2023. Via Cameron Mason / Youtube

21 riders only take to the start. A surprisingly low number in a field that has a clear favourite and a clear sole rival. Fem van Empel has literally been unbeatable this season, not only has she won every race she took part in but she quite comfortably did so - often with an attack on the first lap. Here it won't be as easy to do so, the track is very fast and after a few races Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado will know that since the very first moment of the race she has to be wary of a move from van Empel.

This is also a course that suits Alvarado, it is very explosive and if she is able to immediately follow the World Champion then she has the chance of keeping up with her in the first half of the race. Little mistakes and dabs in the technical sections can create a gap that can be decisive at any moment. I believe the two places - if nothing out of the ordinary happens - should be there, whilst the fight for the podium also includes Inge van der Heijden, Manon Bakker, Aniek van Alphen and Annemarie Worst - the entire Dutch contingent. Sara Casasola and home rider Hélène Clauzel can surely put up a good fight however and stop the Dutch dominance.

The men's race will feature 30 riders but it is more stacked and much more open. The 'big three' are absent, but otherwise all the big figures come in and very balanced. There isn't a clear favourite for victory and there are quite a few who can take the jersey - and also fight for the podium. Thibau Nys, number 11 in the UCI ranking would perhaps be the man of the moment. Winner in Waterloo and recently Koppenberg, he benefits of an extremely impressive technical ability. Not only is he highly explosive, but his technique can come in very handy on this course where a slight gap opening in an unexpected section can become a race winning move. I don't believe team tactics will come into play, Lars van der Haar is the one Dutch rider against a plethora of Belgians.

Van der Haar also comes in with great form, winning in Maasmechelen last week in what was a fast track. Last winter in Hoogerheide he soared showing that he can thrive on tracks like this, as did Eli Iserbyt at the time. Iserbyt comes in hungry for a win and is the second riders joining Nys that I would say will like it if the conditions remain as dry as possible. A very explosive rider, he surely has the kick to make the difference and shouldn't suffer from an endurance event. Laurens Sweeck also rode to third in Maasmechelen and, after missing the gruesome Koppenbergcross, could find himself in a perhaps more fresh state that can come in handy.

Then we have defending champion Michael Vanthourenhout, who hasn't seemed as good as last year and won't have a climb-filled course to suit him. It'll be a tough task to maintain his position. Gerben Kuypers the winner in Ardooie could also be a very dangerous card, last weeks he hasn't looked as good but can certainly pop out and do something big. Niels Vandeputte, Pim Ronhaar, Joris Nieuwenhuis and Ryan Kamp are all perfectly reasonable Top5 contenders if they find themselves on a good day. From the "outsider" nations Cameron Mason is certainly a danger after his stunning Koppenbergcross, and would benefit from a muddy course. Kevin Kuhn and Felipe Orts are two more Top5 contenders, whilst the likes of Loris Rouiller, Thomas Mein and Joshua Dubeau could fight for a Top10.

Cameron Mason's insight

23-year old Mason was fifth in Overijse, eighth in Maasmechelen and fourth in the Koppenbergcross recently. It very much seems that his performances are quite better in the tough and muddy courses. Hence, the heavy rain and muddy circuit would benefit him, but in either situation "I would like to put myself in the group of podium contenders, yes," he shares.

"But that group feel pretty big this year and there are a lot of things and scenarios that need to happen to lead to a result like that. I will put myself in the best position possible to try and push for that result though. And I have the self confidence to know I can be one of the guys really battling for the top positions." Mason could benefit from a battle between the two main nations however, or be able to take advantage of having raced the Mixed Relay - something which no other main contender has done - providing him with valuable racing time in a track that is rarely used.

He knows what to expect from his rivals, who he has already raced head-to-head with this week. "Thibau [Nys] on this parcour will be very good. He has the best skills which will allow him to put others under pressure. And then his 30 second power is as good as [Eli] Iserbyt’s. At the top the differences will be made in the small things, and with mistakes. Because the top guy’s physical level is quite similar right now. That also includes [Lars] Van der Haar and [Laurens] Sweeck."

The women's race will start at 14:00 local time and is estimated to finish at 14:50 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; GCN+/Eurosport Player internationally. The channels which will broadcast the race will include Sporza (Belgium), NOS (Netherlands), L'Équipe (France) and TVP-Sport Poland (Poland).

PREDICTIONS:

Women's Elite
*** Fem van Empel
** Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Annemarie Worst
* Inge van der Heijden, Manon Bakker, Aniek van Alphen

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

Preview written by Rúben Silva.