Antoine Benoist is part of the golden youth of French cyclo-cross. Winner of the general classification of the French Cup in the junior category in 2016/2017, he also won a world cup round the same season on the ultra-difficult Fiuggi circuit and took second place in the general classification of the World Cup. In 2018/2019, for his first season in the U23 category, Antoine dominated the category at home in France, winning both the French championships and the general classification of the French Cup. At a more international level, Benoist unfortunately came up against the duo Iserbyt/Pidcock, and he finished as a bronze medalist at the European Championships, the World Championships and the overall World Cup standings, each time behind the Brit and the Belgian. The Frenchman started the season well as he won in Illnau, Switzerland and at the first round of the French Cup in La Mezière, after a close battle with two-time Grand-prix de Contern winner Steve Chainel. In the Dubau family, cyclo-cross is in the blood: after the father, three-time masters world champion, here comes the sons: Lucas Dubau is Antoine Benoist's predecessor in the U23 French National jersey and he also won a world cup round in the junior category in 2013 in Valkenburg. Together with his brother Joshua Dubau, they also specialized in mountain biking and Joshua won the European champion title in cross-country in the U23 category last year in Graz, in addition to the French championships. In cyclo-cross, next to a fourth place at the European Championships in Tabor, he distinguished himself above all in France, where he won the French Cup overall classification twice, in 2016 and 2018. Joshua started the season very well as he won the international cyclo-cross at Boulzicourt, in the Ardennes, ahead of another two-time winner of the Contern Cyclo-cross, Dieter Vanthourenhout. The best season for Yan Gras was in 2017/2018 when he won two French Cup races, finished second in the U23 World Cup race in Nommay and third in the U23 World Championship in Valkenburg, behind Iserbyt and Nieuwenhuis. He started this season with a strong fifth place in the French Cup in La Mezière, in the elite category. Among all the French riders present in Contern, let us also not forget Théo Thomas, the winner of the Grand-prix COMAT in the junior category twelve months ago. For his first year in the U23 category, the second of the last French championships had a very good road season and, to start his winter campaign, he finished 19th in the U23 World Cup round in Bern just a week ago.

Antoine Benoist leading the Bogense World Championships

In addition to being an excellent cyclo-crossman, Stan Godrie is also a good road racer since he is twice Dutch champion, both in junior and U23 categories. He also won the national title in cyclo-cross in the U23 class in 2015, ahead of Joris Niewenhuis and Sieben Wouters. Bronze medallist at both the European Championships (in 2012 in the junior category) and the World Championships (in 2015 in the U23 category), the Dutchman has won several Superprestige events in the age categories, as well as the elite races at the Trofeo Guerciotti in Milan and the Cyclo-cross in Igorre, Spain. This year, Godrie started his season very early and finished respectively 22nd and 23rd in the two World Cup races in Iowa and Waterloo, before confirming his rising form with an excellent 5th place in the Night of Woerden, taken away last Tuesday by Lars Van der Haar. Jens Dekker has won everything in the junior category: world champion, European champion, Dutch champion, winner of the overall world cup ranking and no less than 5 Superprestige events, during the 2015-2016 season. Unfortunately, shortly afterwards, he was subject to breathing problems during the races and, despite three more Superprestige victories in the U23 category and a very fine win in Renaix last season, Dekker's career seemed compromised. But the Dutchman has since then found a solution to his health problems, has trained well this summer and wants to make his return to the highest level this winter, starting with the cyclo-cross in Contern. Lars Boven and Tim Van Dijke have both signed a contract with the Jumbo-Visma development team for next year. Lars is the reigning Dutch junior time trial champion and finished second this summer in the Classique des Alpes and the European Time Trial Championships. In cyclo-cross, the Dutchman has won last winter the Scheldecross in Antwerpen and a silver medal at the Dutch championships, also in the junior category. The all-rounder Van Dijke is a two-time national mountain bike champion, in both novice and junior categories, and this cyclo-cross season he finished 17th in the World Cup round in Bern.

Jens Dekker, world junior champion in Zolder

On the Belgian side, no less than thirty competitors are expected on the start line in the rue de Moutfort, led by former world champion Thijs Aerts. In 2012, the Belgian had already ridden successfully on the course in Contern, winning the junior race of the Grand-prix COMAT with a lead of more than a minute over Thomas Van de Velde. The following year, in the mud of Hoogerheide, Aerts won the world junior champion title ahead of Yannick Peeters with an irresistible attack in the last lap. The brother of number one in the world rankings Toon has also won the Belgian championship in the U23 category twice, as well as two times the World Cup race in Nommay, which takes also place often on difficult terrain. At the beginning of the season, Thijs finished all the races he competed in in the Top 15, taking 12th place in the Waterloo and Bern World Cups, 12th place also in the Gieten Superprestige and 4th in the Kermiscross of Ardooie.

Thijs Aerts

Twelve months ago, Andreas Goeman had surprised on the track of Contern by holding the wheel of his illustrious team-mate Corné Van Kessel for more than half of the race, before being dropped only at the end and crossing the finish line in second position. Rarely winning, but always placed, Goeman also took second spot in the U23 category at the Druivencross in Overijse last year, along with around ten places in the Top 10 of the major international races. This season, Goeman took a good 12th place in the World Cup round in Bern just a week ago. Fourth last year in Contern, the former Belgian junior champion Jarno Bellens can already count on three podiums this season: third in the elite race of the National Trophy in Derby, England, Jarno won the U23 event at the French National Challenge in La Mezière and the national cyclo-cross in Vorselaar. The runner-up to Bellens in the town of the Wellens, Niels Van de Putte finished sixth in Boulzicourt this season and 10th in the World Cup in Bern. Last year, Niels took fifth place in Contern and won the U23 races at Scheldecross and Gullegem, among others. The previous season, in the junior category, Van de Putte won races in the three main Challenges: Superprestige, Bpost Trophy and World Cup. On the Belgian side, we should also mention the presence of Yorben Van Tichelt, former Koppenbergcross winner in the junior category, winner in three races of the National Trophy in Great Britain in recent seasons and double winner of the QianSen Trophy in China, as well as Robin Alderweireld, winner of three national events in Belgium this season already (Knesselare, Kasterlee and Zingem).

Andreas Goeman

After a very promising start of her career on the road, Thalita De Jong made a remarkable entry into the small world of women's cyclo-cross in the years 2015 to 2017, winning, among other things, a world champion title in Zolder, a European champion title in Pontchâteau, the Dutch championships and... twice the Grand-prix COMAT in Contern. In her beautiful world champion jersey, De Jong had won no less than seven races during the 2016/2017 season, before crashing heavily in the last round of the World Cup in Hoogerheide, just a week before the Bieles World Championships. It was the beginning of a long series of injuries that kept her away from the races for a long time, both on the road and offroad, despite a timid comeback in 2018 with a victory in Leudelange, amongst others. In 2019, Thalita finally managed to have a trouble-free road season with a victory and several podiums, before returning to cyclo-cross. Handicapped by a poor starting grid position, the Dutchwoman finished 14th at the Polderscross in Kruibeke and showed good progression by taking sixth place at the Kermiskross in Ardooie about ten days ago.

Thalita De Jong in 2016 in Contern

In October 2018, Dutch riders Puck Pieterse and Shirin Van Anrooij, both barely 16 years old, created a huge surprise by taking two places on the podium of the Grand-prix COMAT, along with the much more experienced Loes Sels. Since then, the former Dutch champion in the novice category has confirmed her huge skills with a European time trial title in the junior category in Alkmaar. As a true time-trial specialist, Shirin also won the Dutch national title, before finishing second at the Junior World time trial championships a few weeks ago in Yorkshire. She will certainly be one of the contenders for the very first junior world champion title in cyclo-cross, distributed next January in Dübendorf, since she has made a pretty good transition to offroad: she started the season with a victory in the elite category in Steenhuffel, before taking a fine ninth place at the Superprestige in Gieten and 4th position in the Night van Woerden, still among the girls of the elite category. Shirin will be accompanied in Contern by her older sister Lindy Van Anrooij, second at the opening of the international season in England, the National Trophy in Derby, while the other Dutchwoman Monique Van der Ree, winner this summer of the Erondegemse Pijl (cat 1.2) on the road, might also be able to target one of the top places.

Shirin Van Anrooij

The Belgians might not be without chances, however, since there will be a whole bunch of young to very young contenders from the flat country in Contern, including the reigning Belgian U23 champion, Axelle Bellaert, who finished fourth last year in Contern despite a broken chain. On the very physical and demanding championship course in Kruibeke last January, Sterre Vervloet won the Belgian national title in the junior category, while Tess Van Loy, Julie Brouwers and Tessa Zwanepoel also had the privilege of wearing the tricolour jersey of Belgian champion at least once in their life, in junior or novices categories. Less titled, but more experienced and perhaps stronger, Shana Maes and Jana Dobbelaere are currently sharing victories in the national events in Belgium. The first won twice last weekend, in Zolder and Lichtaart, while Dobbelaere raised her arms in Kessel-Fort, in the mud of Kasterlee and in Beersel already.

Axelle Bellaert

In the junior race, the French should be the main favourites with a trio of riders who are all placed inside the Top 40 of the UCI rankings: Ugo Ananie, winner of the first round of the French National Series in Les Mézières, Florian Richard Andrade, fourth of the world cup leg in Bern lately as well as Richard Anchain, last year's winner of the Grand-prix COMAT in the novice category and also first of an international cyclo-cross in Täby Park, Sweden.