Cyclocross stars who elected for team training camps instead of this weekend’s World Cup have been given a huge boost to their series aspirations.
Women’s world cyclocross champion Fem Van Empel was one of the riders who decided against the trip to Cabras, instead joining her Visma-Lease a Bike training camp.
Just 31 women and an equal amount of elite men, were due to be on the start-line in Sardinia as team training camps played a part for those multi-discipline riders.
Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) had the chance to make a big impact in the women’s series in Sardinia, with Annemarie Worst (Cyclocross Reds) in seventh overall being her closest challenger.
Reacting following the news that the World Cup round in Cabras had been cancelled due to the weather conditions, Brand said on social media: “It is of course very unfortunate. I was really looking forward to it, but it’s too dangerous.
“It’s a shame that I can’t take more points in the battle for the overall victory in the World Cup.
“I also sympathize with the organisation. They have worked so hard to make it possible and then it doesn’t happen. There are only losers.”
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Meanwhile, Van Empel has switched her focus this season to combine her road and cyclo-cross goals and has already spent a training camp in Calpe.
Visma-Lease a Bike Sports Director Jan Boven said that the 22-year-old had “excluded classifications” this season.
“Everything we (the team) do in cyclocross ultimately has a function towards the road. Eventually also with Fem,” Boven told Wielerflits.
“She will focus more extensively on this next year. That direction to the Tour de France Femmes is there, but we will only give substance to it after the cross.
“In the field we have excluded classifications, but because she is not riding in Sardinia in terms of World Cup, she might be able to compete there. She also wants to win a few more crosses and the World Championships.”
The World Cup rounds in Sardinia and last weekend’s in Dublin were given preference resulting in no alternative Superprestige or X²O events being organised in Belgium on the same weekend.
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) sat out last weekend’s World Cup in Dublin and did not travel to Italy as she recovers from illness.
The cancellation in Cabras has also resulted in the former World Champion not falling further behind in the World Cup standings.
Crelan-Corendon riders Marion Norbert Riberolle and Inge Van der Heijden, along with British star Zoë Backstedt were also amongst those due to be missing in Italy.
In the men’s field, European Champion Thibau Nys (Baloise-Trek Lions) was also due to be absent in Sardinia, having instead joined the Lidl-Trek training camp.
Nys suffered a swollen ankle during a big crash at last weekend’s World Cup in Dublin but is due to be back in cross action next Sunday in Namur.
His father Sven Nys told Het Nieuwsblad: “Thibau continues to combine the road and the field.
“We will keep the regime of one cyclocross per weekend, all the more so because he will also be in action early on the road.
“His team will communicate about his road program later. It’s a pity that the race in Dublin was over so early, but all in all the injury is not too bad and Thibau can start in Spain on the team training camp. That’s the positive thing.”
Meanwhile, 10th place overall in the World Cup standings, Gerben Kuypers also benefitted from the cancellation having joined the Intermarché-Wanty team training camp.
Ahead of this weekend’s event, Flanders Classics’ head of cyclocross Chris Mannaerts reacted to the decision of many riders who had not travelled to Italy.
“There are also a few sick and injured riders among those riders who would otherwise have been there, but it is what it is,” he told Wielerflits.
“Those team training camps are this week and many riders and teams can’t get around that.”
Laurens Sweeck had decided to travel to Italy, instead of training with his Crelan-Corendon teammates, and was left regretting his late decision.
“That turned out to be the wrong decision in the end,” Sweeck shared with Het Nieuwsblad.
“But no one can do anything about this (the weather conditions in Cabras). It is just not responsible to race now. We can hardly stand still here, what would that give on a bicycle?
“It might have been a course for me with quite a bit of sand.”
Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens-FSP) was also rueing the decision to travel to the World Cup round instead of taking in a block of training.
He told Sporza, “For me personally it’s a shame, because I do have a backlog to catch up and I can’t work on that now.
“On the other hand, it is also important that no one goes home with an injury today.”