De Knegt chuckles regarding country rivalry at European Championships: "Belgians are usually the least aligned"

National coach Gerben de Knegt has already finalized his selections for the European Cyclocross Championships in Pontchateau. The former cyclocross rider can count on a strong group of riders across categories in France, which will give him confidence as he heads into the European Championships. IDLProCycling.com had the opportunity to discuss the upcoming championship with the coach!

First of all, Fem van Empel and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado will be present on Saturday, but two of the most prominent riders, Puck Pieterse and Shirin van Anrooij, will not be participating. When it comes to the men's competition, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert haven't considered the European Championships a priority for several years now. So, what is the significance of this race?

"The European Championship has its charm," De Knegt believes. "It has been held in the first weekend of November for years now, and everyone knows that. These riders simply can't participate in every single race, so I actually like that it's so early in the season. Otherwise, everything is centered around the period around New Year's."

Dutchman De Knegt even competed in a World Championship in Pontchateau himself

"I think it's a beautiful course. I even competed in a World Championship there myself, in 2004," De Knegt reflects on his own career. He finished fourteenth at that time, with Bart Wellens taking the win. "It's a lovely setting in Pontchateau, with a course to match. The track is mainly composed of grass but is definitely not flat. There are quite a few ups and downs, which often makes it an atypical course. When you approach it, it looks like a serious hill, but the riders tend to stay grouped together for a good portion of the race," said the head coach.

Pluvius might also exert its influence on the race in France. "It will depend a bit on the weather. They are predicting a lot of rain for next week, so it could turn into a mud bath. The result of that is that you will have a fair race, in which the best will win. That naturally ranks the riders, so to speak."

In the men's category, we have seen an intense battle for several weeks now between Baloise Trek Lions (featuring Dutchmen Lars van der Haar, Pim Ronhaar and Joris Nieuwenhuis, and Belgian Thibau Nys) and Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal, consisting of Belgians Eli Iserbyt and Michael Vanthourenhout. Will this duel have an impact on the European Championship as well? "Next week, those guys will be wearing orange, so then you're competing for one thing only - and that's your country. We're trying to reach good agreements," counters De Knegt, dispelling the notion that the Dutchmen might also be casting a sideways glance at Nys.

"Thibau is not in the camp of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal, which are his compatriots. We can only benefit from that," says the Dutch national coach. "It can all play a role. If Iserbyt is gone, Vanthourenhout will not ride, and then Nys can't really ride either. But then I wonder if he won't do that. Usually, the Belgians are the least aligned," indicates De Knegt. However, he doesn't attach too much importance to it. "You can come up with all sorts of tactics and stories, but in the end, those rarely pan out."