Preview World Cup Zonhoven 2024 | With Van Empel out, the women's battle in the "Pit" is wide open

Sunday, January 7th, marks the twelfth round of the World Cup. On the first Sunday of the new year, the cyclo-cross riders descend to Zonhoven for a classic cyclo-cross in the sand. Mathieu van der Poel and company, will have to face the notorious 'Pit'. IDLProCycling.com will take you along for the ride!

Only established names in cyclo-cross have managed to conquer the 'Pit' the fastest. Van der Poel has won the race three times, but his last victory dates back to 2018. It's also noteworthy that Toon Aerts was the best in the Kempen region both before and after the coronavirus pandemic among the men. The Belgian is still suspended for well-known reasons and thus won’t be able to add a third victory to his resume. In the women's category, we've seen a different winner in each of the past five editions, and this year seems likely to follow suit, as Shirin van Anrooij will not be able to defend her title due to a rib injury.

Most recent winners World Cup Zonhoven

2022-2023 Wout van Aert / Shirin van Anrooij
2021-2022 Toon Aerts / Denise Betsema
2020-2021 Cancelled due to Covid
2019-2020 Toon Aerts / Annemarie Worst
2018-2019 Mathieu van der Poel / Sanne Cant
2017-2018 Mathieu van der Poel / Maud Kaptheijns

Course, weather, and times for the World Cup Zonhoven 2024

Compared to the previous edition, the organization has no changes in store for the course this Sunday, as the circuit underwent significant alterations last year. The route then received an additional dive into the 'Pit'. After the start, there's the first descent of the infamous sand hill, which then has to be climbed again in a different section of the course. Since the section in the fields was removed from the course due to 'lack of attractiveness', the race has become much tougher.

Weather
According to the Royal Meteorological Institute, it's expected to be predominantly dry in the Kempen region on Sunday. The temperature will be flirting with the freezing point, so for one of the first times this cyclo-cross winter, the riders will need to bundle up well. There's also no heavy cloud cover or strong wind forecasted, making it ideal for a perfect afternoon of cyclo-cross!

Times
Start women: 1:40 pm
Finish women: around 2:30 pm
Start men: 3:10 pm
Finish men: around 4:15 pm

Favorites for the men’s World Cup Zonhoven 2024

Since his mid-December return to cyclocross, Mathieu van der Poel has been dominating. The five-time world champion has won all nine of his cyclocross races this season and is eager to add a tenth victory to his record. Van der Poel has already won three times in Zonhoven, with his last victory dating back to 2018, but in the absence of Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock, the Dutchman shouldn't expect too much resistance from the competition. Moreover, he has demonstrated his excellent sand riding skills during the races in Antwerp, Mol, and Koksijde, making him the absolute top favorite for Sunday.

With two of the 'Big Three' missing, it's worth watching what Pim Ronhaar can do. The 22-year-old Dutchman is the season's revelation this year and was the only one who came close to Van der Poel in Koksijde. On the Belgian coast, he even finished ahead of Van Aert, while on New Year's Day in Baal, he was also among the top riders. His teammate Lars van der Haar, after the New Year, showed great form and fiercely defended his ranking in the X2O Trophy in Koksijde, but fell off the podium both in the GP Sven Nys and on the Belgian coast.

To complete the top five, we look at names like Gianni Vermeersch and Eli Iserbyt, who is back after a period of illness. The World Cup leader is somewhat compelled to perform well again, as his lead over Joris Nieuwenhuis, who is also starting, is not very large. Moreover, we would normally rate Laurens Sweeck, a real sand specialist, much higher, but his performance this season has been modest. However, he recently scored some points with a few stand-out results (fourth in Antwerp and sixth in Koksijde).

Just like Sweeck, European champion Michael Vanthourenhout and Thibau Nys would also rank higher, but the two are not real sand specialists and have been seeking consistency in their performances this season.

Favorites for the men’s World Cup Zonhoven, according to IDLProCycling.com

Top favorite: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Outsiders: Pim Ronhaar and Lars van der Haar (both Baloise Trek Lions)
Longshots: Eli Iserbyt and Michael Vanthourenhout (both Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), Joris Nieuwenhuis and Thibau Nys (both Baloise Trek Lions) and Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Favorites for the women’s World Cup Zonhoven

With Fem van Empel absent in Zonhoven, the competition among the women is wide open. Lucinda Brand and Puck Pieterse are both placed at the top tier. Both Dutch women, along with Ceylin Alvarado, have been the epitome of consistency this season, rarely finishing off the podium. The Dutch champion can rely on her mountain biking skills to navigate through the sand, while Brand triumphed in Mol and finished as runner-up in Antwerp and Koksijde. Pieterse is approaching her best form in preparation for the championships and won her last three races in Hulst, Diegem, and Gavere.

There are also opportunities for the women in the second tier to achieve a strong result. With the national championships on the horizon, it's hard to predict what Laura Verdonschot and Sanne Cant will bring to the table. Both will be starting as top favorites at the Belgian Championships in Meulebeke next week and will be keen to land an early blow on each other. Other contenders aiming for a top-ten finish include Inge van der Heijden, Blanka Kata Vas, Marie Schreiber, and Annemarie Worst.

Favorites for the women’s World Cup Zonhoven, according to IDLProCycling.com

Top favorites:Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions)
Longshots: Sanne Cant (Fenix-Deceuninck), Laura Verdonschot (De Ceuster-Bonache), Blanka Kata Vas and Marie Schreiber (both SD Worx), Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM Racing) and Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon), Annemarie Worst (Cyclocross Reds) and Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal)

TV and times for the World Cup Zonhoven (Sunday, January 7, 2024)

The race can be followed via Sporza, Eurosport (main channel and online platforms), and NOS.nl, starting around 1:30 PM.