'I sat back and went: 'Right, it cannot be like that'; Cameron Mason's amazing turnaround makes him a CX-dark horse

With big names like Michael Vanthourenhout, Joris Nieuwenhuis, Lars van der Haar, and, of course, race winner Thibau Nys on the start line, the Koppenbergcross boasted a phenomenal field. That made it all the more impressive when Cameron Mason surprised everyone — friend and foe alike — by taking second place in Oudenaarde. The Brit has rediscovered his top form, and just in time for the European Championships.

Nys made the decisive move already in the second lap on his way to another victory on the Koppenberg, but Mason managed to stay close for a long time. 'I’m very happy,' he said in the flash interview afterwards. 'Today was kind of like a time trial for me, which was the plan. I knew already in the first lap what I was doing; I was one of the fastest on course. I just tried to ride my own race.'

Nys was a bit sloppy at times, allowing the British champion to stay within touching distance — until Mason himself went down. 'I knew the gap was a bit of a yo-yo'ing with Thibau, but I was concentrating more on keeping it close, so that if he made a mistake, I was there. But in the end, I was the guy that made the mistake. But It was exactly how I planned, and that results in second place. That's really good.'

Mason was sharp and technically strong throughout. On the steep Koppenberg climb he had to let Nys go, but in the muddy sections he matched him stride for stride. 'My one goal today was to make as few mistakes as possible on a course like this. Already on the first lap, you have to be riding the correct lines. I knew from the recon where to go. I actually had a lot of clear air to race.'

He only let go of the thought of victory in the final lap. 'On this course, one big mistake can already put you back. I’ve worked really, really hard for this. Since February, a lot has changed for me — really for the better. It’s shows in the racing, and that’s a bonus for all the other things that are going really well. It’s nice to be able to show it on paper for my sponsors and my team.'

Last winter was anything but lucky for Mason, and that, he says, lit a spark for this season. 'At the end of last season I sat back and went: 'Right, it cannot be like that.' I realized that I am the only one that is really going to make that change, and I realised this summer that, if I wanted to change thing, I needed to start with me. I put on a lot of weight, a lot of muscle, that really helped. I got other things in my life in other, just to help the bike racing to take care of itself.'

With a clear head and strong legs, Mason suddenly looks like a real dark horse for the coming cyclocross winter. His form has come at the perfect time — the European Championships take place next week in Middelkerke, Belgium. And if there’s one thing cyclocross has taught us, it’s that outsiders can spring surprises: just look at Felipe Orts, who finished second at the Euros last year.

'It’s a sand course, traditionally that's not really a thing for me,' Mason admitted. 'But I’ve shown in other races that it doesn’t matter what course it is — if I’m on a good day... It would be cool if the European championships would be on a course like this, But the cool thing about cyclocross is that it's always different: a new rider, a new course, new conditions. I want to be adaptable, and I'm ready for that. I'm looking forward to it.'