Preview World Cyclo-Cross Championships - Elite Men 2024 | Van der Poel and all eyes on the rainbow jersey

We're almost there, but not quite: the 2024 cyclo-cross season is coming to an end, but the race of races is yet to come with the World Championships. This season, it will be held in Tábor, Czech Republic, on a course that most cyclo-cross riders are probably familiar with. IDLProCycling.com explains it all in detail!

Of the Big Three (Mathieu van der Poel, yes; Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock, no), only one of them will be present in Tábor this weekend. However, that doesn't change the fact that they have won the last nine editions of the World Championships. Pidcock won one, Van Aert won three, and Van der Poel managed to win a total of five. The most recent one, in Hoogerheide, obviously went to the latter.

Van der Poel also won the last World Championship in Tábor in 2015, where his dominance began to take shape. In 2010, Zdenek Stybar emerged victorious, and in 2001, the World Championship went to Erwin Vervecken. Who will join this list on Sunday?

Practical Information for the 2024 men's World Cyclo-Cross Championships

• Sunday, February 4, 2024
• Participants

In this article:

• Most recent winners
• Course, weather and times
• Favorites
• TV information

Recent winners of the men's World Cyclo-Cross Championships

2023 Mathieu van der Poel
2022 Tom Pidcock
2021 Mathieu van der Poel
2020 Mathieu van der Poel
2019 Mathieu van der Poel
2018 Wout van Aert
2017 Wout van Aert
2016 Wout van Aert
2015 Mathieu van der Poel
2014 Zdenek Stybar

Course, weather and times for the 2024 World Cyclo-Cross Championships

The course for the World Cyclo-Cross Championships in Tábor is familiar territory for many riders, having been a regular fixture on the World Cup circuit and previously hosting the World Championships in 2015, 2010, and 2001. It was most recently put to the test at the Czech National Cyclo-Cross Championships.

Spanning 2950 meters, the course begins with a decent stretch on asphalt before veering into the fields after a gentle curve along the Luznice River. Riders then face a bridge ascent and descent, leading to the course's first minor technical challenge. The route then doubles back over the bridge, entering a section filled with twists and turns.

The track then gradually starts ascending in the Czech fields, with the hurdles strategically placed just before the first serious ascent. Here, the key is to either maintain or lose momentum. Riders then approach the pits for the first time, where the track begins to climb in several stages.

For most of the final quarter of the lap, the focus is on navigating the numerous twists and turns, although the Tábor course generally offers good visibility. The course's real descent towards the finish line starts near the end, where after several laps, we will discover who will be adorned in the coveted rainbow jersey.

Weather
Riders will have little to complain about in terms of weather conditions this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday will see temperatures well above zero, so we can expect fast cyclo-cross races. There's hardly any chance of rain, but the wind could pick up moderately to strongly from the west.

Times
Start: 2:35 pm
Finish: 3:35 pm

Favorites for the 2024 men's World Cyclo-Cross Championships

It's highly unlikely that we won't see a Dutch or Belgian cyclist on the podium in Tábor this Sunday. Naturally, our attention is primarily focused on Mathieu van der Poel, who is the top favorite for this World Championship. Van der Poel has centered his entire cyclo-cross season around this event and has only suffered one defeat so far (in Benidorm). So, in essence, everything looks favorable for the Alpecin-Deceuninck cycling sensation.

The rest won't be racing for second place in advance, but that thought will certainly be in the back of their minds. This could turn out to be the most interesting battle of the day, considering that it is wide open. In the Netherlands, we are mainly looking at the Baloise Trek Lions trio of Pim Ronhaar, Joris Nieuwenhuis, and Lars van der Haar, all having a very good winter.

Nieuwenhuis and Ronhaar flanked Van der Poel last week in Hoogerheide, but the week before in Benidorm, they had a less successful day. Van der Haar is, of course, a true championship rider, someone who can get everything out of himself on his good days. The Dutch selection is completed by Ryan Kamp, Mees Hendrikx, and Corné van Kessel.

Next up, the Belgians, naturally the challengers of the Dutch riders. Thibau Nys seems to have gained momentum after his strong performances in Benidorm and Hoogerheide, and he appears to have fully regained his form after a promising start to the season. Alongside him, we have two young talents at the starting line, Joran Wyseure and Witse Meeussen.

Among the experienced riders, our focus will primarily be on Eli Iserbyt, the World Cup winner, and Michael Vanthourenhout, the European Championship laureate. Iserbyt has successfully completed his World Cup campaign and can now give his all once a week, while Vanthourenhout put up great resistance against Van der Poel just last Saturday in Hamme.

Toon Vandebosch, Niels Vandeputte, Jens Adams, and Laurens Sweeck complete the Belgian selection and have the potential to surprise on any given day. The same goes for the group of international outsiders at the starting line: Clement Venturini (France), Kevin Kuhn (Switzerland), Cameron Mason (Great Britain), and Felipe Orts (Spain) are well-known names, and we shouldn't forget to mention the retiring Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic).

Who are, according to IDLProCycling.com, the favorites for the 2024 men's World Cyclo-Cross Championships?

Top favorite: Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands)
Outsiders: Thibau Nys, Eli Iserbyt (Belgium) and Joris Nieuwenhuis (Netherlands)
Long shots: Pim Ronhaar, Lars van der Haar, Ryan Kamp (Netherlands), Michael Vanthourenhout, Joran Wyseure, Niels Vandeputte (Belgium), Clement Venturini (France) and Felipe Orts (Spain)

TV coverage of the 2024 men's World Cyclo-Cross Championships

You can watch the Cyclocross World Championship this weekend on Eurosport (both the main channel and Eurosport.nl/Discovery+), Sporza (VRT 1), and the NOS (via NPO and nos.nl). IDLProCycling.com will provide coverage throughout the entire duration of the World Championship with reports and all relevant information from Tábor.