The 2022-2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Series is starting this weekend. The first stop is Waterloo on Sunday, October 9th.
It’s a busy weekend of racing with the 2022 UCI Gravel World Cup Series starting as well, along with Ganna’s Hour Record attempt, and the last road Monument of the season, with the Giro di Lombardia, also taking place. A lot of the top multi-discipline racers will be spread out between these events and the World Cup.
Trek Cup, a UCI C1 event, took place on Friday, October 7th, with Amateur racing following on Saturday, October 8th. Lars van der Haar and Clara Honsinger took Friday’s wins, while others skipped the race to rest up for Sunday.
The Cyclocross UCI World Cup will continue its race next Saturday at Fayetteville.
View this post on Instagram
Elite Women Start List
Marianne Vos, last year’s Waterloo champion, is nowhere to be found on the start list.
Marianne Vos showed why she’s considered one of the all-time best racers last year in Waterloo. © Jeff Vander Stucken / jeffvsphoto.smugmug.com/
Superstars Denise Betsema, Fem van Empel, Annemarie Worst, Caroline Mani, Clara Honsinger, and Lucinda Brand will all be competing for the first race win of the series.
Honsinger is coming off an impressive UCI C1 win on Friday at the same venue.
World Cup Waterloo women on the run-up, 2021. © Jeff Vander Stucken / jeffvsphoto.smugmug.com/
The surprising news when the start list was revealed was that there will be no Belgian women racing Waterloo. According to National coach Sven Vanthourenhout, the Belgian women chose not to attend Waterloo due to the lack of returns. They will still attend World Cups closer to home.
“A lot of ladies have traveled in recent years, but you also have to see the yield. That hasn’t really been there for the ladies in previous years. You invest 4,000 to 5,000 euros per person, and if you see what you get in return, for most ladies that was not a necessity to do America.”(Translated) – National coach Sven Vanthourenhout.
A whopping 21 of the 35 total racers hail from North America, 22 if you count Colorado-based Caroline Mani.
2022 Waterloo Start List Elite WomenElite Men Start List
Defending Champion, Eli Iserbyt, is back to defend his 2021 Waterloo victory and overall World Cup title.
Eli Iserbyt takes another World Cup victory. 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Waterloo, Elite Men. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine
Though he has serious competition once again with cyclocross stars Vincent Baestaens, Lars van der Haar, Laurens Sweeck, Michael Vanthourenhout, and Pim Ronhaar. Sadly, none of the “Big Three” in Van Aert, World Champ Pidcock and Van der Poel, will be attending Waterloo, with Mathieu van der Poel instead opting to stay in Europe and battle for the first gravel UCI rainbow jersey.
There are 24 North Americans, with most of the top racers this season taking the start. Kerry Werner is not one of them.
2022 Waterloo Start List Elite MenStay tuned for results from the World Cup in Waterloo at the Trek Bikes headquarters.
