Start Lists: Danish World Cup Bogense Gives Cyclocross a Scandinavian Feel

Telenet UCI World Cup racing returns this Sunday with a more Scandinavian appeal than usual. The world’s best cyclocrossers will head to Bogense, Denmark for one of the five World Cups being held outside of Belgium and the Netherlands this year. Bogense is located on the north end of Funen Island, which is the third-largest of Denmark’s 400+ islands, northwest of the city of Odense.

Sunday’s race is also a preview of the 2019 World Championship location, so while riders are enjoying the new course they can also dream of rainbow stripes in their future.

The Women’s Elite and Men’s Elite races will feature a healthy American representation, especially in the Women’s field. A total of 11 Americans—8 women, 3 men—are slated to make the start. The Junior and U23 races will also feature a healthy U.S. representation, with 10 athletes making the trip to Europe for the November block of EuroCrossCamp.

Needless to say, travel for the athletes is underway:

British women Nikki Brammeier and Helen Wyman, both of whom have been on a roll lately, will be racing, as will Canadian Julie van der Hoop and Australian Natalie Redmond. When we chatted with Danish mountain bike star Annika Langvad at Jingle Cross and Waterloo, she said she was gearing up for the Bogense World Cup, so this will be her time to shine on home soil.

One thing to keep an eye on is Mathieu van der Poel’s health. During his mechanical-marred final lap on Sunday in Gavere, he also fell and had to have stitches to repair a gash in his knee. He said he is off the bike until Thursday, so he will come into the race with a less-than-ideal week of training.

Full start lists are below. Stay tuned for coverage from Denmark.

Women's Start List: 2017 Bogense, Denmark World Cup

Men's Start List: 2017 Bogense, Denmark World Cup