Penultimate stage of the season at Flamanville – OA Sport

The 2021/22 FIFA World Cup season is coming to a close: over the weekend, the race will take place in Flamanville, France for the penultimate stage of the season. The track of the site in the far north of France, known to most people as the nuclear power plant built in the 1980s and which has been repeatedly at the center of controversy and accidents, will make its debut on the two-wheeled circuit extremes on the ground and in the mud, having hosted second-tier competitions in recent years. . The cup season will also end here for the men’s and women’s junior and men’s U-23 categories, After canceling the races assigned to them for the Hoogerheide stage.

The location in the calendar and proximity to the World Championships in Fayetteville in the United States mean that many of the great names in the discipline have deserted the Trans-Alpine event. Among the elite men, as is known, Matthew van der Poel and Wout Van Aert have already put an end to their cyclocross season., leaving room for a new name for the rainbow shirt. in Flamanville So all eyes will be on Eli Eserbet, who was already mathematically certain of a World Cup victory Who will try to take advantage of the absence of Governors and Tom Bedcock to put icing on a season cake that is framed. His main opponents will be his compatriots Michael Fanthornhout, Tun Aerts and Quentin Hermanns. European champion Lars van der Haar will not be in the match either. Also pay attention to the Frenchman Clement VenturiniHe was back in the saddle a few weeks ago, but he has been able to win here twice in the past seasons. No Italian will participate in the race.

There were also many absences among elite women, including the absence of Lucinda Brand. The European and world champion is actually at the top of the World Cup standings, but Denise Betsema will still have the chance to join her if Brand also deserts the last stage, in Hoogerheide. The points now splitting them in the ranking are actually 59, with 80 points still available. So Betsima will have every interest in taking advantage of the citizen’s absence, waiting to know the other’s intentions orange. Several Dutch women who will not participate in this race, starting with new National Champion Marianne Voss, as well as Annemarie Wurst, Céline del Carmen Alvarado and Sherine Van Anroy. Thus, the main competitors of Betsima will be Puck Pieterse, Fem Van Empel and Kata Blanka Vas. As for the blue color, it will be this First chance to see Silvia Persico in the Italian champion’s new tri-color jersey. Eva Lechner, Alice Maria Arzovi, Gaia Rellini and Lucia Bramati will take to the track with her.

Cyclocross, Flamanville World Cup 2022: programme, schedules, television, streaming. Contest calendar

The men’s U-23 final round challenge, in which Dutchman Pim Ronhar and Miss Hendrix will battle for victory in the general classification. With Britain’s Cameron Mason absent, the Oranges remained the only contenders for the title. The two arrived in Flamanville separated by only two points in the standings in favor of Hendrix. There will be four Italians at the race: David Tonati, the new Italian Under-23 champion, Filippo Fontana, Marco Pavan and Samuel Leon.

On the other hand, the situation is more specific in the junior categories: among men David Haverdings has already closed the general in his favour, clearly asserts himself in the three contested races so far, putting a good 47-point gap between himself and the British. Nathan Smith, the only one who put the Dutchman in trouble in the first race at Tabor. Also in this match there will be four Blues, among whom stand out Italian champion Samuel Scapini and European bronze medalist Luca Palletti, who will take to the track with Eliane Pacanella and Tommaso Caffuri. A very similar scenario among women, where Welshman Zoe Baxtedt to play Dominatrix, achieving success in all seasonal races. The standings are not closed yet thanks to the Dutch Leonie Bentfield Who has long been placed behind Baxtedt, has maintained his lead in the standings at 30 points, and is still theoretically recoverable. Playing the blues will be Federica Ventorelli and Valentina Corvi, both of whom are already capable of podiums this season and are very convincing overall authors.

Below is a graphic of the Flamanville track, in Normandy, which will make its World Cup debut, marking the second French event of the year after the Besançon stage.

Photo Live Media / DPPI / Fabian Bokla