No surprises in ambitious Dutch world championship squad

National coach Gerben de Knegt finalized his selection after the Cyclocross World Cup finale in Hoogerheide, preparing his team for the Cyclocross World Championships, which will take place from January 30 to February 1 in Hulst, Zeeland. The Netherlands will travel with the ambition to compete for world titles and medals across all categories.

On Friday afternoon, the Dutch team will immediately be in action in the first event, the Mixed Team Relay, where Tibor Del Grosso, Shirin van Anrooij, Guus van den Eijnden, Isis Versluis, Delano Heeren, and Leonie Bentveld will aim for victory on this 'home' World Championship. De Knegt: "When we start, we always want to compete for the podium, and I believe we have a team capable of winning world championship gold."

It is no different for the elite men's cyclocross World Championships, where Mathieu van der Poel is the top favorite and aims to break Eric De Vlaeminck’s all-time record. "Mathieu is going for that title, which is a realistic ambition given his status as a multiple defending champion and the strong season he’s having. We hope he manages to achieve this remarkable feat. But we also hope that more Dutch cyclocross riders can fight for podium spots. Tibor Del Grosso has already shown in recent months that he's definitely a contender, but we have more trump cards than ever."

For the women, Lucinda Brand is a candidate based on her convincing season, according to De Knegt. However, in the weekend prior to the Worlds, she struggled with a minor injury, causing her to skip Hoogerheide. She is expected to be fit again next week. "But she is certainly not the only contender, as we should not overlook Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, who is on a strong streak. And Puck Pieterse, who with her double World Cup wins last weekend in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide, shows she’s in great form and will face a course in Hulst that suits her well."

Youth Categories
In the under-23 women’s category, Leonie Bentveld is a medal contender, and in the under-23 men’s, David Haverdings and Guus van den Eijnden also qualify. De Knegt says: "Riders who have demonstrated this winter that they can compete for victory at the highest level, even though they are not as clear favorites as Tibor Del Grosso was last year. But it’s great that we can hope for a strong result in these categories too."

For the juniors (men and women), De Knegt does not initially expect world titles. "I think a medal would be a great achievement for a strong junior group led by Delano Heeren, but also including Noël Goijert and Cas Timmermans. In the junior women’s field, Nynke Jochems, Isis Versluis, and Rianne Nieuwenhuis are medal hopefuls or candidates for a top 5 finish. In these youth categories, there are always surprises. Hopefully, our riders can achieve a breakthrough result. But staying close to the world’s best is also important in this category."