Pidcock dominates and takes his first Elite CX World Championship win as he goes for the Triple Crown

With the absence of the two 'greats', Wout Van Aert and Mathieu Van der Poel, the 2022 Fayetteville Cyclocross World Championship was open to a new champion to finally replace them in the list of winners after 7 years. And that has been a stratospheric Tom Pidcock, who has won his first title and is going for the triple crown (with MTB and Road). Who else? The new member of the 'big three' of CX, already in his own right, has fulfilled all the predictions and is the new World Champion.

Tom Pidcock wins a frantic race with the Belgians as losers

Riding his new Pinarello Crossista F, Tom Pidcock chose the perfect moment to make his move, halfway through the fourth lap. Shortly after, Eli Iserbyt, who was expected to be his main rival, was in the hunt. But he couldn't get close to the unbeatable British rider, and was swallowed up by the group behind, with a surprising Clement Venturini, Dutchman Lars Van der Haar and his compatriots Laurens Schweek and Michael Vanthourenhout.

By the sixth lap, the man who had taken over from Van Aert and Van der Poel had already gained more than half a minute on his pursuers. They then began to keep an eye on each other, thinking more about the silver and bronze medals than the unchained Pidcock. Finally, Van der Haar and Iserbyt imposed their quality and, above all, their great end of season, to fight for second place in the sprint. The Dutchman took it in the sprint, a situation that has been repeated many times in this World Championship.

Once again, the Belgians, who arrived as top favourites, with a very powerful squad, were defeated in a World Championship (remember last year's Flanders Road Race). Because, although they won a medal, the bronze probably doesn't taste like much when you have 6 riders in the top 10.

As for the Spanish riders, Felipe Orts from Alicante started quite far back, around twentieth place in the first laps, but then he made his way up to 13th place. Kevin Suárez also improved throughout the race, finishing 19th.

Puck Pieterse reigns in Under-23

Fem Van Empel and Puck Pieterse, who are already in their own right two of the best elite cyclo-cross riders of the moment, were supposed to reproduce in the Under-23 race the duel between Marienne Vos and Lucinda Brand on Saturday. However, Pieterse proved superior on the North American circuit, as she had already shown in the last World Cup race in Hoogerheide.

She was the only one able to follow Shirin Van Anrooij's very strong attack on the second lap, although later Van Empel managed to link up with her two compatriots. On the last lap, however, she suffered a mechanical problem, and it was Van Anrooij and Pieterse who reached the sprint on the final straight, with the latter winning (quite narrowly). Another sprint in this World Championship, and another trio of Dutch women on the podium; a classic of women's cycling in recent years.

As for the Junior Men's race, it was a bit of a change from the norm for the Belgians and the Dutch, as the Swiss Jan Christen won the men's race. He did it (needless to say) in a sprint, in front of the Belgian Aaron Dockx and the British Nathan Smith, who took silver and bronze, respectively. All of them from 2004, they were in the lead for a good part of the course, and gave a good show, with continuous attacks, although none of them managed to leave their companions. The favourite, the Dutchman Haverdings, suffered a crash and finished ninth. And there was no luck either for the Spanish Raúl Mira, who finished 31st.

Elite Men's CX World Championships Results

1. PIDCOCK Thomas (REINO UNIDO) 1:00:36
2. VAN DER HAAR Lars (PAÍSES BAJOS) +30
3. ISERBYT Eli (BÉLGICA) +32

Women's Under-23 CX World Championships Results

1. PIETERSE Puck (PAÍSES BAJOS) 46:27
2. VAN ANROOIJ Shirin (PAÍSES BAJOS) m.t.
3. VAN EMPEL Fem (PAÍSES BAJOS) +12
4. BOURQUIER Line (FRANCIA) +39
5. FOUQUENET Amandine (FRANCIA) +1:26
6. SCHREIBER Marie (LUXEMBURGO) +1:49
7. ZEMANOVA Kristyna (REPÚBLICA CHECA) +2:15
8. MUNRO Madigan (ESTADOS UNIDOS) +2:16
9. CLOUSE Katie (ESTADOS UNIDOS) +3:03
10. HARNDEN Harriet (REINO UNIDO) +3:34

Men's Under-23 CX World Championships Results

1. CHRISTEN Jan (SUIZA) 43:11
2. DOCKX Aaron (BÉLGICA) +1
3. SMITH Nathan (REINO UNIDO) +1
4. LEQUET Corentin (FRANCIA) +20
5. AUGUST Andrew (ESTADOS UNIDOS) +20
6. VANDENBERGHE Viktor (BÉLGICA) +33
7. NUYENS Wies (BÉLGICA) +35
8. ACKERT Ian (CANADÁ) +39
9. HAVERDINGS David (PAÍSES BAJOS) +41
10. NIELSEN Daniel (DINAMARCA) +49