February 1/19 8:47 am - Cyclocross World Championships Preview, interviews and Team Canada Photo
Posted by Editoress on 02/1/19
The 2019 UCI Cyclo-cross world championships get underway tomorrow in Bogense, Denmark, a small town on the north coast of the island of Funen, about two hours from Copenhagen.
On Saturday, the competition will begin at 11:00 am local time (5:00 am EST/2:00 am PST) with the Junior men, followed by the Under-23 men two hours later, and the Elite women a further two hours later. On Sunday, the Under-23 women will race at 11:00 am local, followed by the final event, the Elite men, at 3:00 pm local. Canada has entries in every category - a total of 13 riders. [See Cycling Canada Announces Cyclo-cross World Championships Team]
The circuit is a bit different from usual. Since it is right beside the ocean, it is mostly flat and grass, with no sand pits or stairs. There is a steep ridge at the far end of the course, and course designers have made the most of it, sending riders zig-zagging up and down it eight times per lap. Most ascents and descents are pretty much straight up and down, and a lot of riders are having to run up. There is one traverse along the side of the ridge, and it is clearly one of the most difficult obstacles - even in the dry training conditions, very few riders were able to ride across it.
It has been around freezing with a cold wind off the water, but snow is predicted for Saturday, which could make things a lot more slippery.
Team Canada
Start/Finish line
The wind off the ocean can get chilly
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