Van der Poel, Van Aert, Bäckstedt and More: Big Names Skip European Championships CX

The European Cyclo-cross Championships are notably depleted in the elite women’s category. But there are also big names missing among the men in Middelkerke. We list them here.

We don’t use the term ‘decapitated’ lightly when it comes to a championship. However, due to various circumstances, this European Cyclo-cross Championship unfortunately stands out for the absence of several top female riders. In the case of, for example, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Annemarie Worst, this is not surprising: persistent injuries have kept them out all winter.

Last week, the name of world champion and defending titleholder Fem van Empel was added to the list. Van Empel withdrew early from the Koppenbergcross last Saturday. Her team later reported that the 23-year-old from Brabant had not fully recovered from illness. For that reason, she also did not start the Rapencross on Sunday. The European Championship is coming too soon as well. The world champion will travel to Spain in the coming week to prepare under the Spanish sun for the remainder of the Cyclo-cross season.

Additionally, the British Zoe Bäckstedt is sidelined after a serious crash in training, sustaining several fractures in her right hand and wrist. Luxembourg’s Marie Schreiber has barely been on her bike as she is not yet fit; she too will be absent from Middelkerke on Saturday. On the Belgian side, Alicia Franck is missing due to glandular fever.

Among the men, it is mainly the Belgian selection that is not quite complete. With Toon Vandebosch, the winner of the Exact Cross in Essen, remaining sidelined, and Gerben Kuypers – proud resident of Middelkerke, where the championship takes place this weekend – also not allowed to start. Both understand the decision made by the national coach, they told WielerFlits.be.

For Eli Iserbyt, it is a forced withdrawal. The West Flemish rider has struggled for years with his femoral artery but seemed to have been helped after several surgeries this summer. However, it recently emerged that the symptoms have returned, and he will definitely not be riding for at least four weeks before deciding on the next steps necessary.

Of course, occasional cross riders like Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Puck Pieterse, Shirin van Anrooij, and Tibor Del Grosso are also not at the start yet: they had always planned to resume their cyclo-cross season only in mid-December.