2022・2023UCI Cyclocross World Cup winner Lawrence Sweake (Cleland-Corendon) will not travel to Waterloo, Wisconsin, after being injured in a crash in a C2-ranked race in Bellingen, Belgium, last weekend.

The Sweep was 1 of several riders who crashed on a very steep off-camber embankment and did not finish the race.

His team announced on Thursday that they will not be able to race the opening game of the 2023-2024uci Cyclocross World Cup in Waterloo on Sunday because of injuries in its crash.

"Ultrasonography revealed a small muscle tear with internal bleeding in the left calf," the press release states. "On the advice of doctors, the week should rest as much as possible next week.

The 14-round World Cup relies on consistency, and the Sweek took part in all the rounds last year, winning Round 4 at Maas Metheren in Belgium and Round 5 at Beeksbergen. He also took the podium in the other 6 rounds, beating Michael Vandholenhout (Powell Zausen Bingor), who raced in just 12 rounds, by a 76・point margin.

"I would have wanted to be in Waterloo," said Sweep. "But there is clearly an impossible muscle tear. It remains to be seen when I can compete again. Personally, I hope to make it to Overijse [Superprelige Series Opener 10/22]. But it's still too early to say it definitively."

The Elite men's field at Waterloo, along with 2021-2022 series winner Eli Iserbyt and Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal teammate Vananthourenhout, will feature Beringen winner Thibau Nys (Baloise Trek Lions), his team-mate former world champion Lars van der Haar, and early standout Anton van der Haar. Ferdinande (Deschacht-Hens-Maes), American hopeful Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing), Eric Brunner (wtb Pivot) and Andrew Strohmeyer (cxd Trek Bikes).

The women's field was dominated by last year's trio of Dutch giants Fem van Empel (Jumbo-Visma), Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions), as well as former world champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and former junior world champion Zoe Backstedt (Canyon-SRAM), MTB Orin Honsinger (Team S&M Cx) and Canada's maghalie Rochette (canyon collective) swept 6 of the early Uscx races she competed in.