After four months of adrenaline-filled muddy (and sandy) action, it is almost time to find out who will be cyclo-cross world champion for the next 12 months. It would take a brave person to bet against the defending holders, Mathieu van der Poel and Fem van Empel, winners of 12 out of 13 and 17 out of 19 CX races this season to date, but anything could happen in Tabór.
The big talking point going into this weekend's cyclo-cross World Championships is undoubtedly the absence of two former champions in the men's elite race - Wout van Aert of Belgium and Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock. Both riders have opted to skip the worlds in order to fully prepare for the opening of the European road season.
