'I don't have any doubts that I can be there on the right day' – Cameron Mason mounts podium charge at UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup

A change in training focus has seen Britain's Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) in the form of his life as he leads the British charge into this year's "super tactical, wide-open" UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup series.

The Scot is aiming for a first podium placing in an individual round this season, something he came close to at Hulst last year – having since added several kilos of muscle in the gym.

The 12-round series kicks off this weekend at Tábor in Czechia and while it's centred on Belgium, the series ranges Europe-wide over the coming months, with rounds in France, Italy and Spain. It finally finishes on 25 January in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands.

Mason is set to head up the British charge, alongside riders including Thomas Mein, Anna Kay and, further down the line once her wrist has healed, Zoe Bäckstedt. The reigning under-23 world champion broke it in a training crash at the end of October.

Mason has stepped up his training this year and "trained for cross", as he puts it, and his form has responded accordingly.

"I think I probably stalled a little bit last year," he told Cycling Weekly. “I trained like a road rider, with the assumption that being a good road rider would make me a good cross rider. It just didn't work."

This year the 25-year-old – who is also the reigning British champion – has trained his weaknesses, he said, with a particular focus on explosivity, which he has honed in the gym.

"Since March, I've gained five kilos [of muscle] – I went from being 62kg to 67kg," he said. "And my power values in every time frame have increased massively."

Those gains seem to be paying off in races, and he has already had three podiums at the prestigious C1 level.

In terms of the World Cup itself, Mason said he had spied a few early opportunities that would allow him to make hay before the return of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in later in the season.

"Mathieu, and Wout coming back is also a factor… they'll probably be back racing in December," he said. "Even without them the depth of the elite riders is pretty apparent this year [but] I don't have any doubts that I can be there on the right day."

Mason namechecks Thibau Nys, Michael Vanthourenhout and Lars van der Haar as big rivals but added: "There's a good 10 or 15 of us who can podium, race-in, race-out. And that depth is what's making things so interesting."

Other British CX riders to watch

Elite Women

Anna Kay (Essec Cycling)
Reigning British champion Kay has already been notching up some useful results with her new Essec team this season with a National Trophy podium and top-20s at the highest level races, including 20th in the recent European Championships. The Gateshead-born rider will spearhead the British women's World Cup campaign, joined by Zoe Bäckstedt later.

Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)
Last season she did the under-23 World Championships double – a huge achievement. In the elite ranks Bäckstedt is yet to finish on the top step of a World Cup podium, although she has achieved pretty much every other high placing. Last season she took a brace of personal best second places, and two thirds too. Missing half the season is unlikely to be helpful, but it feels as though that elusive victory is not far off.

Elite men

Thomas Mein (Hope Factory Racing)
North-East rider Mein has spent the early part of the season dominating the domestic National Trophy series, winning four out of four rounds. The World Cup is a major step-up of course, but Mein is a former U23 winner. His results as an elite rider have been steadily improving and most recently he was sixth at the Besançon round last December.