Unlike the Elite races, which look like they will be contested by many riders from around the world, the U23 and Junior races come with a few heavy favorites in each race. While snow is likely, our photographers set foot on the ground and captured shots of the Friday course, which includes loads of mud and ruts already covering the course.
Interestingly enough, the first two rows of the U23 and Junior races are not designated to the UCI ranking, but the overall World Cup standing, which is counter to what one finds in the Elite races. As Logan Owen told us earlier today by tweet, "If anything the World Cup points should only matter for the elites because of all the travel that the World Cup requires... Some of the younger juniors and U23's don't have the resources to make those expensive trips."
Junior Men's start list is here, U23 Men start list is here. Also, don’t miss our Elite Women and Elite Men’s Preview of Tabor.
Other Riders to Look For:
Jack Clarkson, mentally preparing himself for his last U23 race. © Phil Ingham
U23 Riders:
Gioele Bertolini of Italy is a rider with a front row call-up that cannot be ignored. Although he might have come into the season a little too hot too early, he will set out to prove himself at Tabor. Oddly enough, the Japanese contingent might be cheering for him after he visited the country in November to win both days of Shinshu Cyclocross over a Japanese field and Tim Jonson.
While on the subject of Japan, Kota Yokoyama has fought his way to an impressive top 20 call-up, and he will be starting right behind the two rows of the best ranked World Cup riders.
Closer to the mid-pack of the race, Ben Sumner and Jack Clarkson are the top two riders representing Great Britain. Both will have a fourth row call-up and will look to maintain a good pace in the field. You can find our recent feature on Clarkson as well as our Pro Bike Profile of Sumner’s Specialized.
Junior Riders:
Italian riders Stefano Sala and Jakob Dorigoni will both have front row call-ups at Tabor, with Giorgio Rossi right behind in the second row. Sala had a strong start to the season in particular, taking several wins in Italian Junior races while placing sixth at the World Cup at Valkenburg. His closest finish after that was a seventh place in Namur.
Alfie Moses leads the British contingent of four riders, with all four using this race as a great experience to race at the highest level. Arthur Green will also start near the back of the field, but it is worth noting that he took a big second place at Milton Keynes behind Gavin Haley.
Finally, Oliver Evans will lead the Junior group of our Canadian friends in the north. He will be joined by Willem Boersma, Quinton Disera, Liam Mulcahy and Stefan Ritter.
Junior Men’s start list is here, U23 Men start list is here.
