Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 1:20 PM
No snow, no ice and no fast green grass meadow either. The course of the 2024 Cyclocross World Championships is the opposite of what was predicted. In Tabor it is now slogging through the mud.
“It is much heavier than expected,” says Mathieu van der Poel following his first inspection. “I’m glad I was able to do a few laps, because the course is very different than I expected. This is real cyclo-cross, a lot of swords than I initially thought and expected.”
There is a lot of slogging through the mud, especially in the eastern grass meadow. This part of the 2.95 kilometer long trail also has the most elevation gain.
Just like last year, there is a lot to do around the bars. On the course in Tabor the bars are on an ascending strip, but that is not the point. The height of forty centimeters makes jumping over it almost impossible.
There are some images on social media of cyclists who successfully passed the bars during the exploration without getting off their bikes. But that was on a less boggy surface.
The muddy course does not have to be a disadvantage for MVDP. “It is a fair course, where normally the rider with the best legs will become world champion. I feel good and am already looking forward to tomorrow.”
The route is known to everyone
Because Tábor is a cross country classic, many riders already know the circuit like the back of their hand. Mathieu van der Poel won his first professional world title in 2015 and his first European title in 2017.
Furthermore, we often find a World Cup round there at the beginning of the season. “You can compare the World Cup course with that for regarding eighty percent,” says Jakub Riman, a Czech World Cup participant among the professionals. “The only real differences are that the sector at the back is driven in a different direction and an extra loop has been added. Furthermore, two additional bridges have been constructed.”
Two weeks ago he had a taste of the track during the national championships, in which he only finished twelfth due to a flat tire at a bad time. “The lap was still covered by a layer of ice, which made it slippery in the corners. But Tábor still remained a circuit in which every rider can use his strengths and be the best version of himself.”
