There may not be any top favourites for the elite men's cyclo-cross world title on Team USA's roster in Bieles, Luxembourg, but newly crowned national champion Stephen Hyde is looking forward to proving what the American squad can accomplish on Sunday. Though realistic about the team's chances against the Belgian and Dutch heavyweights, Hyde certainly feels stronger headed into this year's Worlds than ever before.
"I'm going in as the national champion. I'm going in as the continental champion. I definitely have a lot more experience under my belt," Hyde told Cyclingnews this week ahead of his third career Worlds start. "I might not necessarily be that much better but I'm more confident in what I'm doing. You just kind of learn the game a bit more.
"For me personally it's a lot less anxiety. Yeah it's a big race, yeah we want to do well, but there's a rhythm to it and I think I've been in it pretty well. Especially from the past year and especially from the year before that. I'm a little more confident in the travel. I'm a little more confident just being on a different kind of course."
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That course, a technical circuit that saw plenty of spills in the recon rides this week and in the racing Saturday as well, seems likely to suit the American line-up.
"It's a pretty punchy, mountain-bike-type course in a lot of ways. There are some rockier sections. The ground is a little rockier here. Right now it's frozen, and I can't say for sure but I think if that perma-frost goes down a little bit we could see some rocks. Some of the US riders do pretty good in that," Hyde said.
"I think we have a good history of mountain bike riders in the program. Kerry [Werner], Tobin [Ortenblad], they can ride pretty good on those courses. The punchy stuff, big downhills, short uphills, not a ton of running right now but that could change. I think it should suit some of the riders pretty well."
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