The SRAM CX1 group was installed on a few riders' bikes. Not yet released, the single-ring or "one-by" group has a long cage and roller bearing clutch mechanism(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
The place every rider was aiming to reach first(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Wyman's other bike on display was set up with TRP's clever cable-operated HY/RD hydraulic calipers(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Stef Wyman showed us this prototype Challenge tubular with more aggressive side knobs from the Limus mud tyre, and a central strip that is a little narrower than the Chicane, with a larger, grippier file tread. It's said to roll quickly, and at usual low 'cross pressures still grip well in a straight line due to the taller side knobs. There's no name for the tyre yet, but expect to see it on sale before next season.(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
In spite of SRAM's hydraulic brake recall, this Swiss rider still raced with three hydraulic disc-equipped Bergamont bikes(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Hitting the mud for the first time was the last time any rider was ahead of the dominant Marianne Vos(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Vos took the title by over a minute, and the Netherlands went wild(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Just one of the special Belgian supporter's outfits(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
The inevitable pile-up on the first passage through the deep rutted mud after the start of the under 23 event(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Wout Van Aert showed his class and simply rode away from the field(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Van Aert beat his compatriot Michael Vanthourenhout by 50 seconds, allowing him plenty of time to celebrate(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
The Dutch brought along a brass band(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Within sight of the border, the Belgian fans were extremely visible(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
These fans had warmed up properly for the main event(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
France's Francis Mourey led the men's race into the first drop-off after the road start(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
The start of the Zdenek Stybar and Sven Nys battle that everyone had come to see with Mourey getting distanced(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
New Zealand's Alexander Revell may have only finished 52nd, but his moustache gained him some of the most enthusiastic support of the race(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
The Nys-Stybar battle continued to entertain the huge crowd(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Nys enjoyed the majority of the crowd's support…(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Wyman's disc brake-equipped bikes use different TRP calipers; this one had the Spyre(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Great Britain 'cross champion Helen Wyman's Kona fitted with Easton's EC90 Aero 55 tubular wheelset and Challenge Limus tubs(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Lars van der Haar during practice. The so far unnamed Shimano disc wheels he's been riding all season seem to have gained C35 decals, although they could be unofficial additions(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
The USA's Elle Anderson tops the run-up with her green Specialized CruX fitted with SRAM CX1(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Anderson's SRAM CX1 single front ring(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
There was an early crash in the junior men's race. At the foot of the carnage were one Dutch and two French riders, who suffered two rolled tubulars and two broken chains!(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
The junior race saw a Belgian clean sweep(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
The juniors competed in some of the muddiest conditions all weekend(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Australia are another relative newcomer to cyclo-cross(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
The Aussies brought this unusual 'cross bike from Apollo. The longer seat stays and unusual, kinked top tube supposedly provide more compliance(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Perennial top French performer Francis Mourey's Lapierre bikes - one set up for the road, and one for practice(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Mourey chooses the one-piece PRO Stealth Evo carbon combo(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Lapierre's only top-end 'cross bike is designed to run either cantilevers or discs, with universal cable routing(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
A custom, mechanic-made front cable hanger bolts onto the underside of the stem, and also mounts the Di2 control box. Note the Di2 satellite shifter(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
The Lapierre's unused rear disc mount(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Front view of the SRAM CX1 rear deraileur, which uses a straight parallelogram instead of the standard slant parallelogram (Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
The SRAM CX1 rear derailleur is matched to this single chain ring with obvious wide-narrow teeth and no form of chain guide(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
This American team tool kit includes everything an on-the-road mechanic needs: compact case, trusted tools, electric inflator, lube, water... and Nutella!(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
…but a mistake in the last half lap allowed Stybar to escape for his third world title(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
At the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships earlier this month, riders and mechanics hauled a smorgasbord of gear to Hoogerheide in the Netherlands. BikeRadar's Robin Wilmott was there with his camera to capture it all.
Click through the photo gallery for close-up shots of SRAM's not-yet-released CX1 drivetrain parts, interesting ways to route Shimano Di2 cabling, the particular tool-and-Nutella arrangements of a mechanic in the pits, and much, much more.
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