Or as I like to call it Another Sunday in Hell
Sven Njis is the favorite, but not prohibitively so, for two reasons: a) If the course is super muddy, he's not the best runner. That designation goes to Bart Wellens and Erwin Vervecken. 2) He doesn't have that great a record in WCs, only 1 Elite title to his credit. Wellens has 4 to his credit (two U23, two Elite). Still in all, if the course isn't a complete marathon and he doesn't crash out like last year, the smart money is on Njis. Jonathan Page is looking for a top 7, which is entirely possible if he's peaked correctly, and Ryan Trebon is after a top 10, also possible if he's recovered fully from being sick over Christmas and New Years.
Danny Summerhill is a dark horse candidate for the podium in the Juniors. He podiumed twice during Christmas week and had a good top 20 result in last week's world cup tune-up after getting off a plane earlier in the weekend. He's got miles of confidence and is not in the least bit intimidated by the European riders. He's the best US chance at a medal.
Katie Compton should finish top 10 and with a bit of luck, top 5. If she spent her whole season over there like Jonathan Page does, she'd have a shot at the podium. But she'll still give a great showing amongst the ladies.