As Wout Van Aert battles a resurgent Mathieu Van Der Poel, and a retrograde drivetrain on the European circuit, Jeremy Powers’ Book of Cross has entered an equally challenging chapter.

Hard, fast courses and hard, fast competitors might be getting the better of the usually indomitable J Pow but the successes of his team-mate, Ellen Noble, provide an upbeat contrast, not that Powers is one to dwell on difficulties.