Changing weather could lead to unpredictable racing in France
A training session ahead of the cyclocross World Championship in Lievin, France(Image credit: Getty Images)
An international field has arrived in Liévin to compete at the 2025 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships (January 31-February 2), the Team Relay taking place on Friday and racing continuing with the men's and women's junior, under-23 and elite divisions throughout the weekend.
On Thursday morning, however, parts of the course were closed due to heavy rainfall, which disrupted some of the riders' plans to preview the circuit ahead of the event.
“Due to heavy rainfall until early afternoon, some grassy sections of the course are closed to cyclo-cross. Parallel sections or shortcuts have been created," the UCI said in a Wielerflits report.
Riders could still preview parts of the course, but the organisers closed areas of the route that pass over grass. But the rainy weather is expected to clear before the racing begins on Friday, with the temperatures dropping to below freezing overnight before climbing back to 6°Celsius during the day, making way for what could be muddy conditions.
“It will be cloudy with occasional light rain,” Sporza's Bram Verbruggenreports on the weekend weather forecast.
“The freezing cold will also return on Saturday and Sunday morning. The weekend will start grey, after noon we will gradually get clear spells at 5 degrees. Sunday will also see a cold start to the day with low clouds, but clearings will follow quite quickly and in the afternoon it will be quite sunny with 5 degrees.”
The organizer and course builder at the Liévin Worlds, Mickaël Lemardele, told Wielerflits that the changing weather conditions could lead to several outcomes, from a tough battle through the thick mud to dry and faster conditions.
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"If it is muddy, then you will have to walk parts," he said. "Then it is just a tough cross. But if it is just in between, then you get a very nice cross with really nice power sections."
Picture shows an empty track before a training session ahead of the Cyclo-cross World Championship in Liévin (Image credit: Getty Images)
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
