April 21, 2007 (Houffalize, Belgium) — The Nissan UCI XC World Cup Series rolls out of the start box tomorrow with its first event of the season, appropriately located in Belgium, which is arguably the world’s most enthusiastic cycling nation. The town of Houffalize has been basically shut down to traffic and turned into a community comprised of the world’s elite mountain bike racers and their fans. A festival atmosphere surrounds the whole region with many riders staying in outlying towns, as accommodations in Houffalize have been booked up for months.

The expo area has spilled out of its former single hub and now lines the road out of town. Spectators were already out on the course this morning — the day before the big races — cheering and clapping as riders pre-rode the course’s two trickiest descents. Houffalize has hosted a UCI XC World Cup event 14 times since 1990, so the organizers and residents know how it’s done. Over 30,000 spectators are expected to pay the six euro entry fee to watch tomorrow’s races.

The world’s top riders are all here as the UCI points chase for Olympic qualification begins in earnest. Defending men’s and women’s World Cup and World Champions Julien Absalon (FRA, Orbea) and Gunn-Rita Dahle (NOR, Multivan-Merida) are the big favourites, but there is an abundance of chasers looking to dethrone mountain biking’s leading man and woman.

There are 245 men on the start list, including Christoph Sauser (SUI, Specialized), who placed second the last time the event was held here in 2005. Jose Antonio Hermida (ESP, Multivan-Merida), Jean Christophe Peraud (FRA, Lapierre International) and Ralph Naef (SUI, Multivan-Merida) are just a few of the other heavy hitting Euros that will be contesting.

Canada will have four men on the start line: Geoff Kabush (CAN, Maxxis), who is second in the UCI points standings from his win at the PanAm Championships in March, will lead the charge, along with Max Plaxton (CAN, Rocky Mountain-Haywood), Kris Sneddon (CAN, Kona-LesGets) and Seamus McGrath (CAN, Rocky Mountain-Haywood).

The women’s start list is 130 names long and includes all the big contenders: 2003 World Champion Sabine Spitz (GER, Ghost Internationa), who placed second here in 2005 and Irina Kalentieva (RUS, Ergon-Topeak) who was third. Marie-Hélène Prémont (CAN, Rocky Mountain-Haywood) was fifth in 2005 and continues to be Canada’s biggest medal chance. Another North American threat is Mary McConneloug (USA, Kenda-Seven), who was fifth the last time Houffalize hosted the race. Alison Sydor (CAN, Rocky Mountain-Haywood), Kiara Bisaro (CAN, Opus), Wendy Simms (CAN, Kona-LesGets) and Sandra Walter (CAN, X.O-Felt) are the remaining Canadian contingent ready to give the Belgian cycling fans a good show.

The course is a challenging 7.25km loop that twists and turns, continually climbing out of town, then descending back into it, to give spectators a fabulous overview of the race. Contrary to what everyone was thinking when the UCI announced the race was to take place in Belgium in April — a notoriously rainy season in this country — the weather is beautiful, but the air retains a spring chill, especially in the morning. However, temperatures are expected to climb into the low 20s tomorrow.

The course is dry and dusty, which will make the two most demanding descents — the legendary Fosse d’Outh and the brand new l’Arsenal — even more difficult. They have become a series of sketchy chutes that many riders were having problems with during pre-riding. The women are expected to complete one shortened (5km) start loop that takes riders straight up a steep 900-metre paved climb before funneling them into a singletrack descent and then five full laps. They start on the cobbles of downtown Houffalize at 11:00 a.m. local time / 5:00 a.m. EST. The men go at 2:00 p.m. local time / 8:00 a.m. EST and will complete one start loop and likely six or seven full laps.

Canadian riders seen and heard:

– Max Plaxton (CAN, Rocky Mountain-Haywood) feels strong and optimistic about tomorrow’s race, commenting that last week’s Sea Otter was the perfect preparation.

– Kris Sneddon (CAN, Kona-LesGets) is a fan of the course, and says it will be super fast on race day. He says his favourite section is the “retardedly hard” start loop that should do a good job of thinning out the 245-rider pack.

– Kiara Bisaro (CAN, Opus) was cruising around in her new blue and white Opus team kit, wearing her usual bright smile. She likes the course and is looking forward to racing after her strong Sea Otter last weekend.

– Wendy Simms (CAN, Kona-Les Gets) is feeling good and likes the terrain, but “it’s not how I imagined it would be,” she said. Her past Belgian experiences have all been wet, muddy and largely flat, so she was surprised to arrive in a dry, hilly Belgium this time around.

– Sandra Walter (CAN, X.O-Felt) is excited about tomorrow. “I feel great on the course,” she said, “and I can’t wait to see and hear all the cycling fans out there tomorrow. It’s so motivating!”