Two Vastly Different Courses On Tap This Weekend

The DVV Trofee returns this Saturday for its eighth and final round in Lille, Belgium, with Krawatencross. As the riders circumnavigate a small pond, they will face a course that features a hearty mix of long sandy stretches along the shore, and technical forest trails — typical of a Flandrien cyclocross affair.

The mixed course was the grounds of one of the greatest battles of the 2016-17 season.

From Lille, the racers will take a quick 25km drive north to Hoogstraten for the second-to-last race of the Telenet Superprestige. Unlike Krawatencross, which relies primarily on the challenges of the natural terrain, Hoogstraten is a heavily twisting course with planks and flyovers thrown in to spice up the otherwise flat, grassy field.

The course is not without variety, however, as last year saw a mix of well-maintained speed sections, and stretches of thick heavy mud as racers travelled between fields.

Wintery Mix Of Conditions

Mechanics will be kept on their toes this weekend as riders will face weather typical of winter in Northern Belgium — cold with a chance of some kind of precipitation.

Flurries of snow leading up to the weekend could aid the riders in creating a muddy mess of the courses. A heightened chance of rain on Sunday furthers the possibility of a heavy Hoogstraten course tilting the odds of victory from a nimble handler to powerful rider and runner.

Van Aert And Van der Poel: The Post-Worlds Faceoff

Mathieu van der Poel has been confirmed among the starters of Krawatencross following a stomach illness which forced him to miss the mid-week Parkcross in Maldegem. Wout van Aert also returns to racing following his success in Valkenburg.

The two favorites treated fans to one of the most epic battles of the 2016-17 season at Krawatencross, which saw Mathieu van der Poel take the win following a volley of daring passes between the two.

Van der Poel will be tasked with defending his victories in both races this weekend. Barring any mishap, the Dutchman will secure his overall DVV Series win on Saturday. However Wout van Aert leads van der Poel by only one point in the Telenet Superprestige standings. With two races left, the season-long battle between the two titans of cross is not over yet.

The elite women’s field also promises a showdown, as Katie Compton will race her final European Cross race of the season this Saturday in Lille. She will certainly be a contender as she seeks to finish off a very strong season. On Sunday, expect a battle between Sanne Cant and Maud Kaptheijns, who are in a dead tie for the lead of the Superprestige standings.

Get all the action live on FloBikes starting at 6:45 AM CST both Saturday and Sunday.