With the Stars and Stripes jersey in his bag and six weeks of training to go in one race, American Eric Brunner (Blue Competition Cycles) will be making his first appearance in the elite men's contest of the UCI Cyclocross World Championships today as he heads from Colorado to Arkansas for 800 miles and thinks the fast, dry course will be good for him and his teammates.

Brunner has won four UCI cyclocross races as an elite rider this year, including the Pan American Championships, but all were in the U.S. with a smaller European-based field, in three World Cup races held in the Midwest in October, His best finish was 21st in Fayetteville. The last time he raced in Europe was two seasons ago at the World Championships in Switzerland, where he was the top U23 U.S. men's racer and finished 13th.

He may not be listed as a major contender for the rainbow jersey, but in a race without two of the biggest names in the elite men's field, Wout Van Aert (Belgium) and Mathieu Van Der Pol (Netherlands), who have won the last seven world titles, home field advantage could determine the winner.

"In theory, the field of players is quite thin. I think Tom Pidcock (England) is on everyone's radar. Pidcock is probably my pick, then the two Dutch guys, (Cornet) Van Kessel and (Lars) Van der Haar, and probably all the Belgians in the top 10. Belgium has the most depth among the elite men's teams."

"For me, I think top 20 is pretty realistic. And I think top 10 is possible on a really, really good day. I think a top 10 is possible on a really, really good day," Brunner told Cycling News before heading to Fayetteville.

"I'm looking forward to my first elite world championships. It will be nice to go into the race with more confidence than I have had in previous World Championships. This is my first year racing elite and it feels a little weird. It's my first World Championships and there are a lot of opportunities at the World Championships.

Don't get me wrong Brunner. He has won five of the last six races, including his first win in the elite category at the Continental and US Championships.

"It's only in the last few weeks that I'm really starting to feel it. At first it was really exciting and I was really happy to achieve my goal. It was something I knew going into the season that I could do. But to have such a good result so late in the season is really a dream come true," the 23-year-old told Cycling News.

"At the All-Japan Championships, I was pretty confident because I had just won a race the week before with the same riders. It's a big difference from the World Championships."

"I was very confident in my riding," he said.

While most of his competitors had to make the long ride from overseas to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to pass the COVID-19 test, Brunner was eager to ride the groomed trails of Centennial Park for the second time this season.

"If the Worlds were in Europe, I would have likely spent a longer period of time over there before the race. But if there was ever a year to have the Worlds nearby, it would only be this year. It would be nice to have COVID out of control again and not have to worry about travel. Besides, not to mention the other pains associated with traveling across six to eight time zones.

"I'm a big fan of that track. I like to race in dry conditions. I try not to think about it too much."

"I think it's one of the faster tracks I've raced on. The average speed is very fast. Of course, we raced in the mud in October, but the day before that, before it rained, it was just dry grass and we were running on packed dirt. The course is much improved and very smooth."

Brunner was expecting twists, turns, and off-camber sections to be added to the course for the World Championships, but he did not know the organizers' exact plans. What he was sure of was the conditioning. With race dates limited by cancellations due to the coronavirus, he had spent the past two years trying to ride consistently in exchange for race fitness.

"Anyway, I increased my practice time and said, 'Okay, let's make this a training year. In a way, it was a better opportunity than a race year because there was no distraction of moving," said the Colorado native

. [That's why this year I was ready to go hard the whole race, and I didn't worry about what the other guys were up to; I like to go into major UCI races with that style, and I think that's what I've been doing this year, and I've been doing it for a long time. In the races I won this year, I rarely attacked. I try to ride fast, hard, smooth, and not make mistakes. When other racers make little mistakes or don't get through a section as fast as they should, I take advantage of that."

At the US Nationals in Wheaton, Illinois, Brunner rode flawlessly in dry, sunny conditions. When defending elite champion Gage Hecht had equipment problems, Brunner kept his hand in the air and kept going to extend his lead and take the win. Hecht finished third behind second-place finisher Curtis White.

"Gage is a good friend. He lives about an hour away from me, so we don't see each other very often unless we are at a local race together. Gage was always faster than me when I was younger. I rarely beat him. It was like, 'I'm getting better and better, but I can't beat him. It's kind of funny that I chased him all the way up to the top [elite]," Brunner laughed.

"It wasn't for nothing that I kept losing to him when I was 12. This year I finally caught up to him. We pushed each other and it was cool getting to know each other for so long."

White and Hecht are part of a seven-member U.S. men's team competing in the World Championships, along with Brunner, Lance Heide, Scott McGill, Caleb Swartz, and Kelly Warner. Along with Blue Competition Cycles teammate Scott Funston (U23 men), the team relay on Friday will include U.S. Women's Elite Champion Clara Honsinger, U.S. Women's U23 Champion Katie Kruse, and two junior riders will participate.

The Blue Competition Cycles team, owned by Brunner and directed by his coach Grant Holicky, will also compete during the cross calendar, with Sunny Gilbert subbing for the US Women's Elite team.