UCI cyclocross world championships preview
Cycling Canada Cyclisme announced the seven riders who will compete in the upcoming UCI cyclocross world championships held on Feb. 1 and 2 in Hoogerheide, Netherlands. Elite racer, Aaron Schooler, says the team is prepared and “stoked” to be representing the nation on the sport’s world-class stage.
The team united at the seventh World Cup in Nommay, France on Sunday, in preparation for worlds. Schooler, who was second to Geoff Kabush at cyclocross nationals, and Mike Garrigan will be competing in the elite men’s race. They will be providing mentorship to under-23 riders Michael van den Ham and Connor Wilson, and junior riders Willem Boersma, Mason Burtnik and Sean Germaine.
“Nommay was kinda like a trial run for everything,” Schooler said. “It was a bit of a shock to the system for them, so a few easy rides, one last set of intervals and they should be ready to go for next weekend. We have a pretty top-notch team of mechanics and support helping us out, so things are really going quite smoothly.
@CDNCyclingMag @BikeConnorW @bikemikevdh @willmablubber15 @Mike_Garrigan Roll with the punches and trudge harder.
— Aaron Schooler (@aschooler6) January 27, 2014
@CDNCyclingMag @BikeConnorW @bikemikevdh @aschooler6 @Mike_Garrigan ride harder, fight for every position, #wkhoogerheide
— Willem Boersma (@willmablubber15) January 27, 2014
“The guys were getting along really well and I hope the younger guys are able to take away some valuable knowledge from this project, learning from Mike and I who have been over here quite a few times already. Ian Hughes is a good guy to converse with regarding training and advice, so there’s no lack of professionalism with this project. The guys are all pretty stoked to be able to wear the maple leaf for the first time.”
Worlds was held on the same course five years ago and the venue has been a longtime member of the World Cup series. The course is technical and typically includes steep run-ups and thick mud sections, depending on the weather conditions. Schooler is looking forward to taking on the challenge, especially on a course that he has raced on many times.
“It’s the one course that I’ve done the most when coming to Europe,” Schooler said. “I’ve raced it in frozen, muddy, dry and even down-pouring conditions, so I’m prepared as far as what to expect before even seeing the course.
Checked out the Hoogerheide course today. Looks a bit more technical and a bit drier than this past weekend. Let's see if it stays that way.
— Michael van den Ham (@bikemikevdh) January 30, 2014
“We will get to see it for the first time on Thursday when the team arrives at the race hotel. The course has a couple good road sections, some open riding through tall grass, which can turn into a mud fest if wet, and some sections through the woods that are fast. Race organizers added a couple technical climbs and descents.”
The elite fields will include defending world champions Marianne Vos and Sven Nys, along with World Cup series winners Katie Compton and Lars van der Haar.
