Britain’s best cyclo-cross riders are back on the hunt for rainbow jerseys this weekend at the 2022 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Here’s everything you need to know.
Representing the Great Britain Cycling Team
A reduced team of nine British riders will take to the start line in Arkansas, but it’s a squad which really demonstrates the current strength of the discipline, with medal contenders across the categories.
Team Ineos Grenadiers team-mates Tom Pidcock and Ben Turner will ride in the elite men’s category alongside newly-crowned national champion Thomas Mein, with Pidcock entering the race in fine form having taken world cup victories this season in Rucphen and Hulst.
Zoe Backstedt will look to add to her rainbow jersey collection in the junior women’s category, where she’ll be joined by junior national champion Ella Maclean-Howell, while elite national champion Hattie Harnden will be flying the flag solo in the women’s under-23 event.
Cameron Mason and Joe Blackmore will be hoping to cap off impressive seasons in the men’s under-23 race, while Nathan Smith rounds off the squad in the junior men’s category.
Anna Kay has unfortunately been forced to pull out of the championships following an injury she sustained in last weekend’s world cup round at Hoogerheide. We’re all wishing Anna a speedy recovery, and know she’ll be back stronger than ever next year.
You can find the full rider lists on the UCI website here.
What’s the schedule?
The championships begins on Friday with the Team Relay, however there will be no British team in the race.
Saturday’s racing includes the junior women’s race at 17:00, men’s under-23 at 19:00 and elite women at 20:30.
The race timings remain the same for the Sunday, with the junior men’s race at 17:00, women’s under-23 at 19:00 and elite men at 20:30. All times given are GMT.
Where can I watch?
The BBC will be broadcasting live coverage of the junior women’s, elite women’s and elite men’s races through the Red Button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website, with the races also available to watch on BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast.
Full coverage of the event will also be available through Eurosport and GCN, and British Cycling members can get 25% off an annual GCN subscription. Find out more about that here.
And what about the course?
Riders will be greeted by a fast and challenging 3,100 metre course, with key features including a gruelling 39-step staircase, woodland area, punchy banks and sweeping descents.
The weather is likely to play its part too, with freezing conditions overnight leading to slippery early mornings and the potential for muddy afternoons.
