Melissa Anset about competing at the 2014 Cyclo Cross World Championships
Roeland Suys
Melissa Anset - no stranger to mud..
Melissa Anset is a well know name in Australian mountain biking but now she’s put the mountain bike aside for a few weeks and has a crack at the 2014 Cyclo Cross World Championships in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands. After watching her friends compete during the 2011 and 2012 Dirty Deeds CX Series in Melbourne, she went along to the 2012 series prologue and had an absolute blast. Melissa: ‘”I was definitely up for more of this cyclo cross racing shenanigans!”
When asked about what she expected coming into racing internationally compared to racing at the Australian cyclo cross scene, this is what Melissa had to say.
“I’m expecting a huge difference in the international scene, different in every way. I was expecting freezing temperatures, mud, snow and ice. So far the weather has been kind, it had been cold, but not totally freezing. The mud has been crazy, we just don’t race in mud like this in Australia. Running in sloppy mud with a bike covered in heavy sloppy mud is hard work, but that’s racing over here.
I think the world champs competition will be really tough, like nothing I have experienced. These are experienced super fit World Cup riders with mad skills. I will just have to sprint off the start line and try to keep up without blowing up! Then just get into a rhythm, do my best and ride smooth. It will be a crazy experience and I hope to get as many laps in as possible.
Preparation has been quite hard. The Australian cross season ended months ago, so we haven’t raced cross for some time. It has also been quite hot in Australia, I was training on fire roads and smiths gully single track in the heat. No mud available. I went down to the local park in my skinsuit to practice skills like jumping over logs and cornering. I might have looked a little strange. “
Melissa Anset training ride on the cyclo cross bike. Photo: Roeland Suys
When Mel arrived in Amsterdam a week and a half before the worlds, it was a pretty amazing experience for her, even more so because it’s also her first time ever in Europe. She’s loving the picturesque towns and friendly locals but finds the busy motorways and the traffic in the Netherlands terrifying. With safe bike paths everywhere, she finds it pretty cool to see so many people getting around by bike. She struggled finding good coffee around where she’s staying but luckily Kiwi bike mechanic Paul Larkin had that covered and brought some beans with him.
Melissa isn’t the only Aussie racing at Hoogerheide this year, she’s joined by five more riders. She reckons the atmosphere in the team has been pretty relaxed so far. Mel: “But I’m sure we will all start to get pretty nervous as the day draws closer. It’s been an easy fun time so far, the team are pretty excited to be over here representing Australia at the cx worlds. What an opportunity. It’s just an amazing experience!”
Melissa’s pick for the men’s race is Sven Nys but she reckons the women’s race will be the one to watch with an ultra battle between current World Champion Marianne Vos and World Cup overall winner Katie Compton.
MarathonMTB.com wishes Melissa Anset all the best at the World Championship on Saturday afternoon and hopes to see her back racing Down Under at the Subaru National MTB Series at Mt Buller the weekend after CX Worlds. Melissa: “Cheers! I could be a little jet lagged and I haven’t ridden the mountain bike for a while, but I’ll give it a go!”
The Women Elite World Championship can be watched live on the UCI Youtube channel on Saturday 1st of Feb at 3pm Central European Time or Sunday 1am Eastern Standard Time.
Melissa Anset racing cyclo cross in Belgium. Photo: Frank Suys
