2024 World Cross-Country Championships in Tabor: A preview of the favourites and the course
Sebastian Lindner
· 14.11.2023
When the entire cycling world came together in Glasgow this summer to crown their world champions, one major division of the UCI cycling organisation was missing: cyclocross. Some of the best in their field were nevertheless part of the title fights, albeit on mountain bikes or road bikes. They had already completed their own world championships in Hoogerheide in the Netherlands in February.
Cyclocross World Championship 2024: Titles to be awarded for the 75th time
Exactly one year later, the cyclo-cross athletes will be fighting for their World Championship title again, for the 75th time, at least as far as the male elite is concerned. But the women are also celebrating an anniversary. It will be the 25th World Cross-Country Championships for them. Hanka Kupfernagel became the first female world champion in 2000.
The 2024 venue is the small Bohemian town of Tabor. This will be the fourth time after 2001, 2010 and 2015 that the world championships have been held on the southern outskirts of the town. The European Championships have also been held at the venue twice (2003 and 2017), and Tabor is also a regular World Cup venue.
Cyclocross World Championship 2024: The schedule
Seven competitions will be held over the three days of competition in the Czech Republic.
- Friday, 2 February, 12:30 p.m. | Mixed relay
- Saturday, 3 February, 11 a.m. | Juniors
- Saturday, 3 February, 12:30 p.m. | Men U23
- Saturday, 3 February, 14:30 | Women Elite
- Sunday, 4 February, 11 a.m. | Juniors
- Sunday, 4 February, 12:30 p.m. | Women U23
- Sunday, 4 February, 14:30 hrs | Men Elite
The defending champions from Hoogerheide
Although the Netherlands is still well behind the Belgians in the eternal medal table with a total of 47 gold medals, they won four of the seven titles at their home 2023 World Championships in Hoogerheide. In addition to the rainbow jerseys in the elite for Mathieu van der Poel and Fem van Empel, the mixed relay and Shirin van Anrooj also won the U23 women's race. Thibau Nys took the only title for Belgium in the men's event. The gold medals in the junior category went to Leo Bisiaux (France) and Isabella Holmgren (Canada).
The Dutch have also become the absolutely dominant nation in recent years. Eight of the last ten elite world champions wore an organic jersey before the rainbow jersey. There have been regular all-Dutch podiums among the women. And among the men, van der Poel alone has won four of the last five titles. Two years ago in Fayetteville, he was not at the start to win for the fifth time.
Cyclocross World Championship 2024 Tabor: Van der Poel and van Empel again top favourites
The cyclocross winter is still quite young. At least the pros, who are also racing on the road, are taking a break and won't start until December for the most part. However, the European champions were already crowned in November, and world champion van Empel was just as unstoppable there as she has been in all the other races since October. Seven starts - seven victories. Even if it is still a while to go, the title in Tabor will probably only go to her.
It's a different story in the men's event. The new European champion Michael Vanthourenhout from Belgium should only have an outside chance of winning the world title. And that also applies to all the other riders who are currently riding off-road. Because - if they were there - the road pros have dominated the action on the cross-country tracks in recent years. Van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Thomas Pidcock have been regulars on the podium of the most important race in recent years.
The last world champion to predominantly compete in cyclo-cross was Sven Nys, father of the current U23 world champion. The Belgian won in Louisville in 2013. After that, Zdenek Stybar, van Aert, Pidcock and van der Poel took all the titles.
The latter is also the favourite for the upcoming Cyclocross World Championships, even though he has not yet raced this winter. His performances in recent years have been too dominant - and he is also the only one who has already confirmed his participation in Tabor. Pidcock and van Aert have not yet commented publicly.
Cyclocross World Championship 2024: The route from Tabor
A lap of the Tabor circuit is just under 3000 metres long. Depending on the respective competition, more or less of these are completed. A bridge that has to be negotiated twice, two steps and a hurdle are the elements of the course that have to be mastered. Apart from a tarmac section around the start and finish area, the rest is grassland - or what is left of it after hundreds of laps have been completed in training and competition.
A GoPro video by Dutch cross-country skier Lauren Molengraaf, who travelled the course with her camera in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup, provides a foretaste of the course.
