Belgian World Cup Squad – Plzen, 10/16

2010 CX Worlds - K. Pauwels

Tim Vanwichelen Photo

The Belgian Team for this weekend’s Cyclocross World Cup race in Plzen, Czech Republic will contain the following 8 veldrijders:

  • Bart Aernouts
  • Neils Albert
  • Tom Meeusen
  • Sven Nys
  • Kevin Pauwels
  • Sven Vanthourenhout
  • Klaas Vantornout
  • Bart Wellens
A glance at the list and we note the exclusion of Dieter Vanthourenhout and Rob Peeters. The final decision may have come down to performances in this weekend’s race in Ruddervoorde, where Sven Vanthourenhout finished ahead of Deiter and Peeters. Keven Pauwels trailed both Sven and Dieter, but with a big win already this year and the potential that follows his performance last season, he was a sure bet for the World Cup squad. Peeters, it seems, didn’t impress enough on his early-season trip to the United States. Missing out on the chance to score points in World Cup races will make those that he did collect in North America that much more valuable to his season.

To refresh our audience: countries may enter 8 riders into each of the season’s 8 World Cup races, plus the current World Cup leader, and the World Champion – so the Czech Republic may enter 9 riders, as one of which would include World Champion Zdenek Stybar. World Cup races offer the opportunity to win significantly more UCI points than UCI C1 and C2-level races, and UCI points determine a rider’s starting position at races throughout the season – making selection for a World Cup squad a crucial determinant for a rider’s season. 

The full list of each participating country’s World Cup squad will be announced later this week.

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