Last Monday morning, just after 5.0, Chris Dawson finally got to catch up on the weekend’s cyclo-cross World Cup coverage. He often watches a recording of the weekend’s racing during his early morning turbo-training sessions at his Belfast home.
It helps him get through the two-hour workouts that he fits in around his job as a marketing manager for Vitus bikes. His garden shed, however, is a long way from Antwerp, where Wout van Aert made his eagerly-awaited return to cyclo-cross as he finished second to an utterly dominant Mathieu van der Poel.
Today, Van Aert and Dawson will stand out in their respective national champions’ jerseys in Abbotstown as they slot into the start grid for the first cyclo-cross World Cup event on Irish soil.
It’ll also be Dawson’s first World Cup cyclo-cross race. The 28-year-old Irish champion is going up against some of the giants of the sport, including the current Belgium champion, who is also a three-time world champion, as well as the current holder of the rainbow jersey, Tom Pidcock.
“It’s awesome to have the opportunity to race with the best in the world, although it’s definitely going to be a shock to the system,” said Dawson, who races for the Spectra Wiggle team. “But from a spectator point of view and a career highlights point of view, it’s going to be something special, especially to be able to race as the national champion in Dublin in a world event.”
Despite his full-time work commitments, Dawson has become one of […]
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