European titles are on the line as the Great Britain Cycling Team heads to the Czech Republic for the 2017 UEC Cyclo-cross European Championships.
Nine riders have been selected to represent their country in Tabor on the 5 November with confidence high in the squad following a hat-trick of British wins at Koppenbergcross.
The team
2012 and 2013 European champion Helen Wyman will look to become just the third woman to win three European cyclo-cross titles in Tabor this weekend.
The British rider - who won at the Nacht van Woerden event last month and topped the podium at Koppenbergcross just days before the championships in Tabor - took the European crown the last time the event was held in the Czech Republic in 2013.
That year, Wyman pipped her teammate Nikki Brammeier to the gold and the 2016 Olympian will be hoping to come out on top in Tabor.
In addition to her 2013 silver medal, Brammeier also claimed three bronze medals in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Hannah Payton completes a three-woman lineup for the elite race, fresh from back-to-back sixth place finishes in the HSBC UK | Cyclo-cross National Trophy.
2016 European junior cyclo-cross champion Tom Pidcock makes the step up to the under-23 ranks, looking to claim his first major title at that level.
Pidcock - who is the reigning junior cyclo-cross and road time trial world champion - won his maiden Telenet UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup under-23 race last month.
The Yorkshireman followed that up with victory in round two of the HSBC UK | Cyclo-cross National Trophy before taking a victory at Koppenbergcross and will be considered the red-hot favourite in Tabor.
Anna Kay and Harriet Harnden will compete in the under-23 women’s race, with both riders in terrific form.
Kay has consecutive third place finishes in the HSBC UK | Cyclo-cross National Trophy while Harnden finished second in the series opener and is the highest ranked junior in the competition after two rounds.
Ben Tulett will be hopeful he can get on the podium in the junior men's race following his victory at Koppenbergcross this week with Lewis Askey and Sean Flynn also competing in the junior men’s race.
Great Britain Cycling Team for the UEC Cyclo-cross European Championships
Elite women
Nikki Brammeier
Hannah Payton
Helen Wyman
Under-23 men
Tom Pidcock
Under-23 women
Anna Kay
Harriet Harnden
Junior men
Lewis Askey
Sean Flynn
Ben Tulett
The venue
Tabor is a city in the South Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, with a population of around 35,000. Founded in 1420, the town is famous for its majestic town hall, beautifully decorated Renaissance houses and for having the oldest reservoir in central Europe. More recently, a Lego museum and a museum of chocolate and marzipan has opened in the town.
Racing will take place in Komora, to the south of central Tabor.
The schedule (UK times)
Sunday 5 November
8am - Junior men
9.15am - Under-23 women
10.30am - Under-23 men
12pm - Elite women
How to follow
- Race updates on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
- Report will appear on the British Cycling website
- Coverage of the elite races live on Eurosport Player online
