This Sunday will mark Round Six of the World Cup in Kalmthout, Belgium. It will also mark the beginning of the annual “American Invasion” of the European cross circuit. Every year, following a full season of racing in the US, dozens of American cross racers head over to Europe for a few weeks of racing. Most of the riders are part of the Euro ‘Cross Camp, that provides housing and support for a bevy of (mostly) young American riders. This weekend is usually the toughest for the riders as they travel to Europe for the first time and try to get settled in. We will have a lot more on the “American Invasion” over the next couple of weeks, but for now, we’ll provide a preview of this weekends action.

I should first note that getting all the required information on who’s racing, and who’s not, is often a pain in Europe. Unlike this country, with the exception of World Cup races, there aren’t any detailed registration lists that are easily accessible. Some are better then others, but this weekend appears to be a bit difficult. There is a race in Lichtervelde on Saturday, but I cannot find a legitimate start list. The odds are that the younger Americans will be there to get an initial crack at European racing. There’s also U23 and Elite categories, but most of the Elite riders will be focused on Sunday’s World Cup race.

Sunday’s World Cup race is a unique in that there’s only World Cup points for Elite Women and Men. Thus, the Junior and U23 races are more of a side event. The race organizers have published a tentative start list for all the categories and the Americans are missing from the Junior and U23 lists. I’m sure a few Americans will show up, but who actually does remains to be seen. As far as the Elite men go, there are five riders slated to start in Kalmthout.

Jonathan Page will return to Europe after a disappointing third place finish at the National Championships. The weekend before, he had his best European result of the season with an eighth place in Spain at the World Cup race there. That result, combined with a steady stream of top-twenty places over the past two months have launched Page into the top-fifteen of the UCI Points standings. He’s still well behind in the World Cup standings, but that could all change with another top-ten result.

This weekend, Jamie Driscoll will make his return to Europe, but for the first time will race with the big boys. Driscoll has been the most consistent rider in the US this year, but has never really shined. The learning curve is a little less for Driscoll since he has a few seasons of U23 European racing under his belt. Nonetheless, a mid-pack finish would surprise me, but he definitely won’t get lapped. All in all, I expect Driscoll to continue his consistent riding, it’s just a matter of where he’ll finish.

At last years World Championships, Brian Matter ended up 49th, proving that the transition to European racing takes time. He also raced in one round of the World Cup, finishing 46th. This year, Matter returns to Europe with the hopes of racing a bit more and gaining more experience. With that should come better results.

Troy Wells also returns to Europe this year, hoping for the right combination of races and results that will earn him a spot on the World Championship squad. Wells finished a respectable 35th last year at World Cup #7, but failed to really produce beyond that. He has an outside chance at a Worlds spot this year, but needs some fantastic results.

Making his European debut is Justin Lindine. The odds of a Worlds spot for Lindine is slim to none, at best. However, as a member of the Euro ‘Cross Camp, this is Lindine’s chance to learn about Europe and European cross racing. The transition is often very hard at first, but Lindine should adjust rather quickly and his results will improve. Regardless, this is a huge opportunity and great experience, one that will pay off over the next few years.