World
Cyclo-Cross
Championships
February 4, 1990
avid Baker (centre) struggles to keep
up as he races to 12th in the heat of
Getxo, Spain.
Baker was the British squad’s highest
fi nisher, one place ahead of team-mate Steve
Douce. The course was dry and fast and the
race was eventually won by Henk Baars from
the Netherlands.
It prompted David Taylor, writing in Cycling
Weekly, to ask: “What must we do to improve
standards? The answer must be harder,
faster racing at home with courses laid out
accordingly.” Well, Britain’s current crop of
world-class cross riders and a rapidly growing
domestic scene would seem to indicate Taylor’s
wish has been fulfi lled.
Pictured to the right, just in front of Baker,
is Adri Van der Poel, father of Mathieu Van der
Poel, who has spent this season dominating
World Cup races. It was primarily to soften up
Adri’s rivals for the sprint that eventual winner
Baars had attacked from the front group. Only
when Baars realised no one was willing to
chase him down, least of all his own team-
mate, did he ride for the line with “his face lit
with joy as he threw his arms aloft in triumph”.
28 | February 8, 2018 | Cycling Weekly