The fervour keeps rising in the 2022-2023 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. The stars of the mud opened the series in style at the beginning of October with two rounds in the USA. They’ve now cranked up the intensity as the series travelled to Europe for two more thrilling events capping off the first month of competition, ahead of ten more rounds until the end of January.
Dominant in Waterloo and Fayetteville (USA), Fem van Empel and Eli Iserbyt still lead the overall standings of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, four rounds into the series. But while the rising Dutch star racked up two more victories, the more established Belgian suffered a first defeat when his compatriot Laurens Sweeck powered to glory on home soil.
The two rounds in Tábor (Czech Republic) and Maasmechelen (Belgium) also hosted the first races dedicated to the youth classes. Belgium’s Thibau Nys and the Dutch youngster Lauren Molengraaf were dominant while Léo Bisiaux (FRA) and Guus van den Eijnden (NED) are shaping a spectacular confrontation.
Men: Sweeck stops Iserbyt’s sweep
Having already shone in the American opening rounds of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Iserbyt went on to claim another success in Tábor, where he had never previously claimed victory and where he took his 14th success in the UCI World Cup.
In the Czech Republic, the winner of the 2021-2022 series pushed the pace from the third lap and dropped all his rivals in the penultimate circuit, with the European Champion Lars van der Haar (NED) taking second and Michael Vanthourenhout (BEL) eventually getting the best of Laurens Sweeck for third place.
A week later, as he reunited with the Belgian crowds, could Iserbyt make it four victories from four rounds? That feat would have matched Mathieu Van der Poel’s record start to the 2017-2018 campaign.
Iserbyt launched a fierce attack on the fifth lap but Sweeck quickly reacted and the leader went down. Sweeck managed not to get caught up and went solo all the way to the victory, his first in the UCI World Cup.
“I had a good start and I had a good feeling in the legs,” Sweeck reflected, adding that his rival had made some small mistakes “… because we were on the limit.”
The battle between the two Belgians delighted the spectators who were out in force – an estimated 8000 – after restricted access to competitions in Belgium last season and no access the previous season due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is how winning your first ever #CXWorldCup looks like. 😍 pic.twitter.com/ZpAvVsH8MA
— UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup (@UCIcyclocrossWC) October 30, 2022
Women: Van Empel on a stellar roll
In the women’s competition, to find a run of four victories to kick off the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup takes us back to 2005, when Daphny van den Brand launched an extraordinary season that saw her win every round. Seventeen years later, could her young compatriot Fem van Empel repeat that achievement?
The task is much bigger, with 14 rounds this season instead of 7 for Van den Brand, but the 20-year-old wonderkid has been untouchable so far. Her whole progression is extraordinary - she started cyclo-cross in 2018, was crowned Under 23 UCI World Champion a couple of years later, won her first UCI Elite World Cups last season and now rules the series so far.
Following her two wins in Waterloo and Fayetteville, Van Empel surged to victory with a massive attack in the last lap in Tábor to get the best of her compatriots Puck Pieterse and Annemarie Worst.
In Maasmechelen, another Dutch youngster, Shirin van Anrooij, got in the mix. But Van Empel still reigned supreme with a decisive move highlighting not just her physical strength but also her technical skills and tactical craft.
“It was a hard battle,” Van Empel observed. “I saw a gap in the last steep section. Luckily, I could overtake Puck and then it was full gas until the finish.”
What a final lap by the 3 Dutch 🇳🇱 youngsters! But it is Fem van Empel who stays unbeatable in the #CXWorldCup. 💪👏 Puck Pieterse 🥈, Shirin van Anrooij 🥉. pic.twitter.com/bspPwXWXn3
— UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup (@UCIcyclocrossWC) October 30, 2022
After a solid road season, reigning and eight-time cyclo-cross UCI World Champion Marianne Vos (NED) was back on off-road terrain in Belgium. The Team Jumbo-Visma rider took 6th place in her first UCI World Cup appearance of the season.
Youth categories: Nys, Molengraaf and Bisiaux lead the way
Van Empel also naturally leads the Women Under 23 standings, based on the results of the young riders already battling with the more experienced champions of the Elite category. For the remainder of the season, the young Dutch star, like Hungarian Kata Blanka Vas, has chosen Elite status and is permitted by the UCI to race Elite competitions rather than Under 23 competitions. Her first race with Elite status will be this weekend at the UEC European Cyclo-cross Championships in Namur (Belgium).
As for the Men Under 23, Women Junior and Men Junior, they had their first UCI World Cup battles of the season in Tábor and Maasmechelen.
Already Under 23 bronze medallist in the last UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, Belgium’s Thibau Nys is in stellar shape ahead of his 21st birthday, on November 12. He won in Tábor ahead of his compatriot Jente Michels while Pim Ronhaar (NED) came second in Maasmechelen.
The young Dutch woman Lauren Molengraaf also took two victories in these two rounds to lead the Women Junior standings with 80 points, 25 more than Fleur Moors (BEL). The Men Junior class is more balanced at the moment with Guus van den Eijnden (NED) claiming victory in Belgium after Léo Bisiaux (FRA) struck first in the Czech Republic. Bisiaux retained the series lead as he finished 2nd in Maasmechelen.
The next races for the young stars in development will be held in Zonhoven (Belgium), in January. In the meantime, the next Elite rounds are coming thick and fast, starting with Beekse Bergen (the Netherlands) on November 13.