It has been 11 years since Spain has hosted a UCI Cyclocross World Cup.
The 2023 UCI World Cup Benidorm is a special event as this will be Benidorm’s first time hosting a UCI Cyclocross World Cup.
While many thought Tom Pidcock’s last crash ended his cyclocross season, on paper, the Big Three will be clashing one more time for the penultimate UCI World Cup.
Elite Men
Once again the Big Three will clash in Benidorm, Spain. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin – Deceuninck) has recovered from his Zonhoven crash and a birthday celebration and is ready to face his rivals once again.
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Pidcock, while not racing Worlds, is ready for another cyclocross battle. Can either take down Wout?
Here are some of the top racers who will be attending the race:
- Thomas Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers)
- Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal)
- Laurens Sweeck (Crelan – Fristads)
- Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
- Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal)
- Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions)
- Mathieu van der Poel
Six North Americans will be attending the race, including four Americans who will not line up for the Hoogerheide Worlds but are seizing the opportunity for warm training and racing.
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The five Americans:
- Jonathan Anderson
- Scott Funston
- Caleb Swartz
- Kerry Werner
- Curtis White
Michael van den Ham will be the only Canadian attending the race.
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See the full start list below.
With two more races left, Laurens Sweeck is in a strong position with a 24-point lead. Michael Vanthourenhout has a chance if he finishes third at Benidorm, ahead of Sweeck, and finishes ahead of Sweeck for the last race. However, do keep in mind that the Big Three has been dominating the podium spots, and stealing a spot will be tough. Here are the current top 10 standings.
UCI World Cup Current Standing Elite Men
| # | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWEECK Laurens | 333 |
| 2 | VANTHOURENHOUT Michael | 309 |
| 3 | ISERBYT Eli | 249 |
| 4 | VAN DER HAAR Lars | 246 |
| 5 | VANDEPUTTE Niels | 210 |
| 6 | VAN DER POEL Mathieu | 168 |
| 7 | ADAMS Jens | 160 |
| 8 | KUHN Kevin | 156 |
| 9 | VANDEBOSCH Toon | 150 |
| 10 | VAN AERT Wout | 140 |
U23 Men
Here are some of the top racers who will be attending the race:
- Thibau Nys
- Aaron Dockx
- Jente Michels
Four North Americans will be attending the race.
Andrew Strohmeyer will be the only American attending the race.
Three Canadians will be lining up in Spain.
- Evan Russell
- Cody Scott
- Alexander Woodford
See the full start list below.
2023 UCI World Cup Benidorm Start List U23 MenThibau Nys has dominated the last three races, putting him at a strong 120 points. Even if Jente Michels took first for the last two races and Nys finished eighth and ninth in the next two races, Nys will still be victorious. Here are the current top 10 standings.
UCI World Cup Current Standing U23 Men
| # | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NYS Thibau | 120 |
| 2 | MICHELS Jente | 74 |
| 3 | MEEUSSEN Witse | 66 |
| 4 | VERSTRYNGE Emiel | 61 |
| 5 | WYSEURE Joran | 61 |
| 6 | DEL GROSSO Tibor | 60 |
| 7 | HAVERDINGS David | 55 |
| 8 | RONHAAR Pim | 51 |
| 9 | TONEATTI Davide | 43 |
| 10 | BAERS Arne | 43 |
Junior Men
Only two North Americans will be attending the race, American Andrew August and Canadian Ian Ackert.
See the full start list below.
2023 UCI World Cup Benidorm Start List Junior MenFor the Junior Men, it’s anyone’s game. Léo Bisiaux is only ahead by 27 points which gives him a good lead. He just needs to get second and third in the next two races to secure his victory. That is, assuming Guus van den Eijnden finishes first in both races.
UCI World Cup Current Standing Junior Men
| # | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BISIAUX Léo | 110 |
| 2 | VAN DEN EIJNDEN Guus | 83 |
| 3 | VANDENBERGHE Viktor | 69 |
| 4 | JEZEK Vaclav | 63 |
| 5 | CORSUS Yordi | 52 |
| 6 | NUYENS Wies | 50 |
| 7 | HAVERDINGS Floris | 45 |
| 8 | VAN DEN BOER Seppe | 44 |
| 9 | SCHWARZBACHER Matthias | 40 |
| 10 | AUGUST Andrew | 38 |
