Until this past weekend, the international women’s field had seen little shakeup. 

Reigning world champion Sanne Cant was proving she’s the strongest of the bunch, leading the World Cup and taking almost every win, while racers like Katie Compton were breathing down her neck.

However, at the DVV Trofee series race in Essen, Belgium, and Vlaamse Druivencross in Overijse, the international women’s field saw a massive disruption.

Women historically race two seasons: road or mountain, followed by cyclocross — primarily because most women can’t afford to race only cyclocross. 

Thus, after a period of rest following their road or mountain bike seasons, riders with world champion palmares and potential come out of the woodwork, hop into cyclocross, and shake things up.

At Overijse, former world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot was called up dead last in the starting grid, moved into fifth by the end of the first lap, and ultimately soloed to the win ahead of Sanne Cant. Another newcomer challenged Cant for second place: Lucinda Brand.

The women coming into the season late have an interesting advantage: time off the bike. Most have taken between three to eight weeks away from racing, so they’re fresh compared to someone like Sanne or Compton, both of whom have been racing nearly nonstop all season.

Let’s look at who we might be seeing at this weekend's DVV Troffee series race Scheldecross Antwerpen (live on FloBikes) this Saturday as the cyclocross season progresses toward worlds. 

Marianne Vos

While Marianne Vos wasn’t in the field at Overijse, she’s scheduled to return to cyclocross this coming weekend in Scheldecross Antwerpen. 

The multiple-time world champion (in cyclocross and road) and Olympic gold medalist has always been a late-season force to contend with.

Fans may remember last season when she lined up in the last row at the Zolder World Cup only to stomp the field and take the win in her first big race of the season. Unsurprisingly, Vos has worlds on the brain.

She told WM3ProCycling.com: "That the world championship this year takes place in their own country, makes it extra nice. I hope to be in Valkenburg in the best possible form.”

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot

In 2015, PFP (as she's known in shorthand) was the road, mountain bike, and cyclocross world champion at the age of 23 — the first person to ever hold all three titles in one year. 

Injuries and burnout plagued her in the last two years, but this season her road racing is getting back on track. She didn’t have any wins, but took 11th at the road world championships at the end of September, while the cyclocrossers were already two World Cup races into the season.

Now, she’s back. Does she have her eye on another world title? Her performance this weekend suggests she does.

Lucinda Brand

If the inclusion of a Liv cyclocross bike at the head of a race seemed surprising to spectators, it shouldn’t have. Lucinda Brand has always been a CX powerhouse, but her main palmares are on the road. 

She had a strong 2017, finishing first at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and winning Stage 8 at the Giro Rosa. 

Last year was her first full cyclocross season, but this year she’s back to her more standard style of racing — primarily in December and January. She was evenly matched with Sanne on an extremely technical course on Sunday, defying the stereotype that road racers only do well on fast courses.

Annemarie Worst & Evie Richards

Worst and Richards are the young guns: two under-23 world champions, both mountain bikers racing back into shape for another potential championship title. 

Annemarie Worst, who won under-23 worlds in 2017, has been racing smaller events this season, but will be starting a bigger push in coming weeks as worlds gets closer. 

Evie Richards, the British former under-23 world champion, is back after a season of mountain biking. With a seventh-place finish in Overijse against a stacked field, she’ll certainly be one to watch.

Katerina Nash & Eva Lechner

The Clif Pro Team riders aren't just starting the season, exactly, but both have had a couple of free weekends — since the World Cup in Zeven — to recover and get some base miles in. 

They’ll be returning for Namur feeling fresh compared to the women who raced in Hamme, Mol, Hasselt, Essen, and Overijse in the last few weekends. Katerina Nash took an early season World Cup win, and she performs well at technical races, which Namur is almost guaranteed to be.

By Molly Hurford; Images by Balint Hamvas - Cyclephotos