A change in training focus has seen Britain’s Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) in the form of his life as he leads the British charge into this year’s “super tactical, wide-open” UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup series.
The Scot is aiming for a first podium placing in an individual round this season, something he came close to at Hulst last year – having since added several kilos of muscle in the gym.
The 12-round series kicks off this weekend at Tábor in Czechia and while it’s centred on Belgium, the series ranges Europe-wide over the coming months, with rounds in France, Italy and Spain. It finally finishes on 25 January in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands.
“I think I probably stalled a little bit last year,” he told Cycling Weekly. “I trained like a road rider, with the assumption that being a good road rider would make me a good cross rider. It just didn’t work.”
This year the 25-year-old – who is also the reigning British champion – has trained his weaknesses, he said, with a particular focus on explosivity, which he has honed in the gym.
“Since March, I’ve gained five kilos [of muscle] – I went from being 62kg to 67kg,” he said. “And my power values in every time frame have increased massively.”
“Mathieu, and Wout coming back is also a factor… they’ll probably be back racing in December,” he said. “Even without them the depth of the elite riders is pretty apparent this year [but] I don’t have any doubts that I can be there on the right day.”
Other British CX riders to watch
Elite Women
Anna Kay (Essec Cycling)
Reigning British champion Kay has already been notching up some useful results with her new Essec team this season with a National Trophy podium and top-20s at the highest level races, including 20th in the recent European Championships. The Gateshead-born rider will spearhead the British women’s World Cup campaign, joined by Zoe Bäckstedt later.
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)
Last season she did the under-23 World Championships double – a huge achievement. In the elite ranks Bäckstedt is yet to finish on the top step of a World Cup podium, although she has achieved pretty much every other high placing. Last season she took a brace of personal best second places, and two thirds too. Missing half the season is unlikely to be helpful, but it feels as though that elusive victory is not far off.
Elite men
Thomas Mein (Hope Factory Racing)
North-East rider Mein has spent the early part of the season dominating the domestic National Trophy series, winning four out of four rounds. The World Cup is a major step-up of course, but Mein is a former U23 winner. His results as an elite rider have been steadily improving and most recently he was sixth at the Besançon round last December.
