Ethias Cross – Parkcross Maldegem 2022 (Men) – Preview

By @EchelonsHub

The Course

Back in Belgium after what was a long anticipation period for the world championships and ultimately, the world championships themselves. Despite having a track that many didn’t find truly representative of cyclocross, last weekend delivered a lot of show, and for those who watch the discipline all winter long tomorrow we are back in action.

Maldegem is the race we’re having, part of the Ethias Cross series this race is actually not in it’s original calendar, but it comes in to fill the spot. There are 3 weekends of racing left kicking off with a classic track that features a lot of things we didn’t see last week like sand, barriers, mud and a whole lot of corners specifically designed to break speed.

It shouldn’t be too muddy but some rain has fallen leading into the race, the temperatures will be cold too so it’ll be more familiar track conditions for the local riders. There isn’t a hill that this track goes through so the decisive sections are really the ones where technique will have a crucial role.

Recon video, but the route differs from 2022. It is useful to see the kind of terrain and some sections of this year’s course which are exactly the same, but it’s not a replica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WifWp1kP1Ek

The Startlist

The Favourites

It’ll be a very open race. Not being part of a cup it is only the win that is on the line, some riders may not give it their 100% if they have a mishap or aren’t in a good position, and on the other side you can have some outsiders popping up.

That’s very much what I think of this race, although there is a packed and full startlist, if you ignore the lack of the past three world champions. Pauwels have three options in Eli Iserbyt, Michael Vanthourenhout and Laurens Sweeck and here you race very individually, I think Sweeck will like the track with the amount of sand sections there are and the lack of climbing, Iserbyt’s explosivity can also come in handy. Trek have Toon Aerts and Lars van der Haar as main weapons, the latter thrived in the world champions and has been in great form so I would definitely have him as a main favourite. 

Competition is heavy, the likes of Corne van Kessel, Daan Soete and Toon Vandenbosch are also capable of being up there in the fight, in the right day, but I think the U23 riders have to be taken into consideration judging how they’ve prepared for the worlds.

Joran Wyseure had an impressive performance over in Fayetteville to net the rainbow stripes, he and Emiel Verstrynge should be very good candidates for a Top10 or more judging by how they rode. The likes of Mees Hendrikx, Ryan Kamp and Thibau Nys can also be in the fight and will try to do so.

Prediction Time

1st– Lars van der Haar

2nd– Laurens Sweeck

3rd– Eli Iserbyt

4th– Toon Aerts

5th– Emiel Verstrynge

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