📸Will it be a snowplowing contest at the Belgian National Cyclo-cross Championship? Heusden-Zolder currently covered in snow

The Belgian cyclocross championships are approaching. The race will be held in Heusden-Zolder, where the course has hosted a great Superprestige race for the past 25 years. However, the conditions are currently very harsh, so the riders may have to perform in a true winter wonderland.

On the website of the Belgian cyclo-cross organization images of the weather around the course are shared. And there, you can see that it is entirely snow-covered. There is a significant layer of snow on what should be the course for the national championships starting Saturday. That's not surprising, of course: there are plenty of images of cyclo-cross races in the snow, so we hope it will remain that way. Who knows...

The Belgian national championships have been significantly suffering in terms of participants. For example, Wout van Aert will not be there in Heusden-Zolder. He is opting for another program, while in the past, he had enough success around the race track: he won the Superprestige three times in a row and also became the world champion there in 2016. Sanne Cant, Belgian champion since 2010 (!), will not be present among the ladies. She will retire at the end of the season and will hand over the reins to the new generation.

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Iserbyt ill: missed recon course

Super talent Fleur Moors is also absent, which means that only a dozen women riders will be at the start. Defending champion Eli Iserbyt is ill. He skipped the recon of the course, but the Pauwels Sauzen—Cibel Clementines rider will normally start. However, whether he will be in top form to keep his jersey is still uncertain. The absence of these top riders could significantly impact the race's competitiveness. Top names like Michael Vanthourenhout, Toon Aerts, and European champion Thibau Nys will be at the start.  

Read also

After 15 years, Sanne Cant dons her Belgian Champion's jersey for the last time in Dendermonde

Van Aert shows off blazing KOM on Strava and unveils his program: "Flanders, Roubaix, Tour de France and Giro"

Stunning victory for Wout van Aert in the mud: From "if only I had a minor rib injury," to "this Is why I wanted to be a cyclo-cross rider"

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