November 5, 2023
Cyclo-Cross European Championships 2023 U23 🇫🇷 – Pontchâteau, France
For a sport whose foundations were built in and developed in Europe, the European Cyclocross Championships has become a sought after title and one that has increasingly developed into an intriguing battleground for both experienced veterans and future superstars. Organised by the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC), the championships have been held since November 2003 – traditionally towards the start of the cyclocross season. The winner of the championships not only gets to add the coveted title to their palmares, but they’re also granted the honour of wearing the iconic blue and gold champion’s jersey for the next 12 months. This year’s championships will be held in Pontchâteau, France.
Jente Michels (Belgium) has powered through the rain and deep mud to take the victory in the 2023 European Cyclo-cross Championships U23 Men’s race ahead of teammate and defending champion Emiel Verstrynge. France’s Rémi Lelandais was third.
After all racing was delayed to Sunday because of storms, the ultra-treacherous, rainsoaked course at Pont-Château made bikehandling and racecraft vital. The difficult conditions saw multiple crashes as riders skidded on the muddy, rutted course, with numerous abandons.
After early domination by the French on the 7-lap course, by the end of the third Michels emerged ahead of compatriot Emiel Verstrynge, with another Belgian, Ward Huybs, leading ahead of a shattered pack.
By lap 4, as the rain briefly eased, Verstrynge had joined Michels, with Rémi Lelandais (France) just 14 seconds back and closing the gap. However the duo’s advantage increased again to almost double that total.
The question of who would win was only resolved early in the last lap as Verstrynge started to struggle, when Michels surged clear. A podium finisher in the Euro’s in 2019 in the Junior category, with each uphill Michels simply increased his gap, finally crossing the line with a 25 second advantage on Verstrynge.
While it was later reported that Verstrynge had punctured during the race, Lelandais briefly crashed on a sharp left-hander, but fortunately could remount in time to claim bronze.
Results :
, the championships have been held since November 2003 – traditionally towards the start of the cyclocross season. The winner of the championships not only gets to add the coveted title to their palmares, but they’re also granted the honour of wearing the iconic blue and gold champion’s jersey for the next 12 months. This year’s championships will be held in Pontchâteau, France.
Jente Michels (Belgium) has powered through the rain and deep mud to take the victory in the 2023 European Cyclo-cross Championships U23 Men’s race ahead of teammate and defending champion Emiel Verstrynge. France’s Rémi Lelandais was third.
After all racing was delayed to Sunday because of storms, the ultra-treacherous, rainsoaked course at Pont-Château made bikehandling and racecraft vital. The difficult conditions saw multiple crashes as riders skidded on the muddy, rutted course, with numerous abandons.
After early domination by the French on the 7-lap course, by the end of the third Michels emerged ahead of compatriot Emiel Verstrynge, with another Belgian, Ward Huybs, leading ahead of a shattered pack.
By lap 4, as the rain briefly eased, Verstrynge had joined Michels, with Rémi Lelandais (France) just 14 seconds back and closing the gap. However the duo’s advantage increased again to almost double that total.
The question of who would win was only resolved early in the last lap as Verstrynge started to struggle, when Michels surged clear. A podium finisher in the Euro’s in 2019 in the Junior category, with each uphill Michels simply increased his gap, finally crossing the line with a 25 second advantage on Verstrynge.
While it was later reported that Verstrynge had punctured during the race, Lelandais briefly crashed on a sharp left-hander, but fortunately could remount in time to claim bronze.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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