Van der Poel will seek his fifth victory in the return of the World Cup to Besançon

After two years of absence, Besançon will host its World Cup race this Sunday, the 29th, with the great attraction of Mathieu van der Poel, who coincidentally was the last winner in the French town. Belgian Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) will try to get closer to victory in the overall classification, where he leads his compatriot Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens) by 36 points with five races to go.

Where and how to follow the Besançon CX World Cup 2024

Eurosport remains the best guarantee to follow live the main cyclocross competitions on the international circuit. This time through Eurosport 2, the channel will broadcast the two elite races in Besançon. Additionally, as always, their subscribers can enjoy the races in full and without ads from the MAX platform.

For those near the Jura massif, there is also the option to attend this eighth World Cup race live for a modest price of €14.50 if tickets are purchased in advance through the usual channels, or €17.50 if bought at the ticket office on race day.

Besançon World Cup Schedule

• Elite women's race: 13:40
• Elite men's race: 15:10

The two races in Besançon

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Van der Poel wins the first battle against Van Aert in Loenhout

The presence of the dominant figure in the discipline at the starting line once again predicts a race in two acts: from the sprint at the beginning to Van der Poel's attack, and from that moment until the end, with the battle for the other two podium spots and crucial points for the World Cup overall coming into play.

Following this script, even though Van der Poel would continue to climb the standings despite missing the first races, Vanthourenhout should be most concerned about the performance of his compatriot Toon Aerts, the only one within one race (40 points for each winner) with five races left. Riders like Pim Ronhaar, Lars van der Haar (both with 115 points), or Joran Wyseure (105) seem to be far from the winner in Dublin and Namur, who, like his closest pursuers, chose to rest at the Exact Cross in Loenhout this past Friday.

Marianne Vos kicks off her cyclocross season

Absences in various races by Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Fem van Empel have allowed their compatriot Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) to arrive in Besançon with a comfortable lead in the World Cup standings. Thanks to her consistency, the Dutch rider leads by over 40 points ahead of Luxembourg's Marie Schrieber and over 50 points ahead of Britain's Zoe Backstedt.

The big news in France will be the debut this year in the cyclocross campaign of Marianne Vos. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider, who will only compete in four races, will make her debut in Besançon before participating in the Dutch National Championship, in Benidorm, and in Hoogerheide.