Wout van Aert has won the World Cup race in Dendermonde after an impressive solo The 30-year-old Belgian proved too strong for the competition on the tough course It was Van Aert's second win in as many days The day after his victory in Gullegem, Van Aert lined up for the World Cup race in Dendermonde. On the muddy course, a sharp Van Aert, who had won this race twice before, immediately managed to move up a few positions in the opening phase.   In the third of eight laps, the Belgian took control at the front. Van Aert increased the tempo halfway through the race. Quickly he extended his lead to more than a minute. Fellow Belgians Emiel Verstrynge and Joran Wyseure joined him on the podium.   “I didn't expect I could achieve this”, Van Aert said. “It means a lot that I managed to win twice this weekend. I surprised myself. It's already a huge boost towards the upcoming road season. In terms of feeling, I'm right on track.”   “At the finish line I had a big lead, but it wasn't easy. After the start I decided not to take any unnecessary risks. On this course, you have time to pass others. The key was to find my rhythm as quickly as possible and avoid making mistakes. It got tough in the final laps, but the gap was enough in the end. I am very grateful for the many fans along the course. The atmosphere was incredible. The support from the fans really means a lot to me.”   Van Aert will now head to Spain, where the team training camp will take place. The next cyclocross race for the Belgian will be the World Cup race in Benidorm on 19 January.  Dit bericht op Instagram bekijken Een bericht gedeeld door Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@teamvisma_leaseabike) Subscribe yourself for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike newsletter and receive previews for races Emiel Verstrynge takes career-best elite result in second as Joran Wyseure nets third in Belgium Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) strong-armed the mud and the field to win the Cyclocross World Cup in Dendermonde with a solo effort on Sunday minced his way through heavy mud and a slow start in the opening two laps to ride away for the second victory of his abbreviated 'cross season Emile Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) held on for second place A seismic battle for World Cup points ensued well behind Van Aert between series leader Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines) and second-placed Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens-FSP) Aerts was able to distance the series leader late in the race and finished fourth overall while Vanthourenhout rode across the line in solo fifth place Van Aert went straight to the broadcast area for a post-race interview not stopping to wipe the mud from his face having gone back-to-back with victories on the weekend and saying he was happy not to have any injuries across the Superprestige Gullegem and then Dendermonde I'm ahead of the schedule I had in my mind so it's a confidence boost to keep working to the road season." Aerts led from the start of the eight-lap contest dismounting to run on the series of rollers caked with heavy mud while Ryan Kamp (Fenix) was one of the few riders able to remain seated his pedal strokes putting him in second place.  with Kamp losing precious spots when he fell amid the chaos Van Aert moved to ninth position once back on the course Van Aert picked his way from sixth to second place on the muddy track with pools of standing water as the riders took fresh bikes at the pits before the flyover Van Aert assumed the lead position with Verstrynge tagging along Ronhaar and Aerts riding five seconds behind and another 20 seconds to a group with Mees Hendrikx Kamp had dropped to ninth and Eli Iserbyt 11th Unleashing powerful moves through the slippery sludge Van Aert moved away from Verstrynge on lap 4 moved into fifth place but was still well back of the Ronhaar and Aerts duo chasing a podium spot Van Aert extended his lead over Verstrynge to 48 seconds Vanthourenhout and Nys began another pass of the circuit another 20-30 seconds back the battle with the heavy mud wearing down their abilities to make any significant moves Nys stumbled into the mud and was slow to remount his bike after a testing day the top five had been sealed by the vicious pace set by Van Aert and the viscous condition of the course "It's a hard race and I knew I had to find a good pace It was enough to finish second today," the 22-year-old Verstrynge said "It's nice to finish on the podium just one week before [Belgian Nationals] Verstrynge improved one spot from his third place at World Cup Namur in mid-December earned his seventh top 10 in eight World Cup starts Results powered by FirstCycling a sports marketing and public relations agency which managed projects for Tour de Georgia a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast) Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France) Be one of the first to try our new activity feed Former world champion Van Aert dominates men’s race as his condition builds Wout van Aert’s return to form continued to gain pace Sunday, with the three-time world champion showing copious class in a mud-packed cyclocross World Cup race in Dendermonde The Visma-Lease a Bike rider started back on the fourth row and was about 25th or 30th early on during lap one However he sliced his way through the field and hit the front at the end of lap two He hammered through the gloop, slipping and sliding his way to finish a very sizeable 1:20 ahead of Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon). The latter’s teammate Joran Wyseure was third Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens-FSP) and Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels-Sauzen-Bingoal) completed an all-Belgian top-5 “I had a lot of fun,” a mud-caked Van Aert said “These are the cyclocross races you remember although while doing it sometimes you question why It is so difficult to stay concentrated and to pull it off Dendermonde was much more dominant and he is clearly well on the way back after his injury at the Vuelta a España I’m ahead of the schedule I had in my mind It is a real confidence boost to keep working towards the road season “I put this race on the calendar to see where I am at It took time for Van Aert to make his way past those who started in front of him but he and Verstrynge were united at the front starting lap three His superior power saw him able to ride the mud-logged washboard section a series of rolling banks which almost every other rider had to run Verstrynge had to dig very deep to get back up to him but cracked showing the same sort of dominance as the absent Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) had done in other races He was 31 seconds clear of Verstrynge finishing lap four and despite a moment of drama towards the end of lap six when he slid out on a bend and crashed with Verstrynge a full 1:20 back at the finish It was the best-ever World Cup result for the former European under 23 champ who took a lot of satisfaction from the outcome “I am very happy with this perfect place,” he said I tried to follow Wout but I knew it would be difficult for me “I just had to find my own pace in the end Vanthourenhout continues to lead the World Cup overall with three races to go His fifth place sees him now on 210 points Van Aert hasn’t ridden any other World Cup races and so isn’t in contention for the overall series That isn’t an issue; he was in Dendermonde on Sunday to check his form He will go away from that race highly satisfied with the result Results powered by FirstCycling.com Women’s World Cup leader Lucinda Brand further padded her advantage with a brilliant win Sunday leaving her rivals for dust in the same muddy conditions The Baloise Glowi Lions rider was on a flier throughout the race using her road strength and good bike handling to plough through a gloopy course She moved into the lead early on lap one. While Puck Pieterse clawed her way back up to her and remained with her for some time Brand pushed on ahead again and ended the race half a minute clear So I knew I just had to focus on the very tough parts to keep enough speed there World champion Fem van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike) was a long way back early on only to lose her chance of second place when she suffered a rear wheel puncture on the final lap her front wheel went flat after she changed her bike This made it even more tricky to stay upright Pieterse revealed after the race that she too had a front wheel puncture at the end her white teeth contrasting utterly with a mud-covered face “I don’t know why everyone was coming here to Dendermonde “Of course I am very happy with all the fans being out there It was very nice to have that many people on the course.” Results powered by FirstCycling.com What’s it like to be an American cyclist living in France Watch to get professional road cyclist Joe Dombrowski’s view Wout van Aert has made a powerful comeback to cyclocross after a four-month recovery from a brutal crash at the Vuelta a España the Belgian cyclist delivered back-to-back victories including a commanding solo win at the World Cup in Dendermonde Van Aert’s performance in Dendermonde was a masterclass in resilience and skill finishing over a minute clear of the field.  so it's a confidence boost as I keep working toward the road season." This return to form has set high expectations for Van Aert’s 2025 road season where he is targeting victories at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix Van Aert has made it clear these iconic races are his top priorities.  "I dream of looking back in a year with a victory at the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix on my palmarès," he said recently His dominant cyclocross display comes as rivals Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock are absent from the scene—Van der Poel is recovering from a rib injury while Pidcock has opted out of cyclocross this winter Van Aert is seizing the opportunity to fine-tune his fitness and build momentum for the Classics season including a high-speed crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen "This is a great confidence boost for the road season."  The question now is whether 2025 will finally be the year Van Aert conquers Flanders and Roubaix Get the most important Cycling stories delivered straight to your inbox Wout van Aert filled his weekend with winning races on consecutive days. The Belgian dominated Sunday’s ninth round of the 2024-2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup on a filthy course in Dendermonde, Belgium. Instead of Saturday’s small winning margin at Superprestige Gullegem van Aert dominated Dendermonde’s ooze Series leader Michael Vanthourenhout defended gamely against Toon Aerts’ designs on the throne Mathieu Van der Poel might have romped to victory in the last three rounds but Vanthourenhout was 25 points clear of muck-enthusiast Aerts at the top of the table after earning two of the eight rounds Superprestige series leader Niels Vandeputte was in fourth place one point behind Joran Wyseure Out of the gate Aerts flew to the front before the slop began and lingered at 12th for nearly a kilometre Crelan-Coredon pair Wyseure and Emiel Verstrynge were prominent at the front Ronhaar hove into view and towed the string with a Thibau Nys exchange causing Ryan Kamp to go down The string was still long heading into Lap 2 with a four-second gap to fourth place van Aert Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout were having a tough ride Van Aert was the only fellow fully riding the rollers van Aert and Verstrynge had a few seconds over Aerts and Ronhaar Van Aert set the pace in the muck but couldn’t distance Verstrynge on the rollers The Visma-LAB rider finally wore down his partner and kept up his raid on Lap 4 Verstrynge now in a podium fight with Aerts and Ronhaar Vanthourenhout defended against Aerts by slowly plucking off riders Vandeputte lost contact with Wyseure in the overall standings As van Aert continued his campaign against the sludge Wyseure found Aerts just before the penultimate lap Worse for Aerts was the sight of Vanthourenhout slipping past the podium spots assured to the Crelan-Coredon boys drawing a single point closer to his rival Van Aert’s winning margin was 1:20. It was Verstrynge’s third major podium of the season after third in both the World Cup in Namur and X2O Trofee in Baal The next round is in two weeks at Benidorm Get the digital edition of Canadian Cycling Magazine Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Puck Pieterse and world champion Fem van Empel take second and third in tough conditions Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) triumphed solo in brutally tough muddy and wet conditions at the Dendermonde World Cup for her seventh win of the cyclocross season extending her lead in the overall series at the same time Former world champion Brand took an early lead on the opening lap and only ceded it momentarily to Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) on lap 2 before gradually chasing her down and riding solo to the finish after 55 minutes of dominance Pieterse held on to second despite suffering two untimely flat tyres partway through the race with the current world champion Fem van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike) fighting back after a slow start to take third place at the line.  who donned the jersey of the World Cup leader in the mud entered the day with a huge 46-point lead from Van Empel but will now head into the final three rounds with a 61-point advantage thanks to her second World Cup win of the 2024-25 season.  but also I think it's the first time I thought 'oh another lap my gap increased so I knew I just had to focus on the very tough parts The riders knew what was in store as the rain continued to fall on the muddy field that awaited them in Dendermonde with Van Empel getting the best start alongside Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines) and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) Brand came to the front proving why she's in the World Cup leader's jersey She immediately found a lead and showed off her power in the heavy mud.  Pieterse and Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM) were the next best in the brutal conditions with the former moving into second and hanging onto Brand's wheel best in the early stages.  The second lap saw Pieterse take the lead after Brand headed into the pits for a new bike and made a small error when she got her front wheel stuck and had to dismount over her handlebars With Pieterse knowing that Brand's diesel engine would see her finish quickest she tried to build a big enough lead to hold off any late charge the current Dutch champion was soon back on her wheel by the end of lap 3 with Van Empel joining up after her slower-than-normal start and Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon) also putting in a strong ride to make it a trio.  Pieterse lost ground to Brand due to an untimely flat tyre but as the Dutch champion accelerated through the pits and away from her compatriot but this extended by the end of lap 5 to 27 seconds and was even larger at the end of the race at 30 seconds She looked in danger of losing third to Van Empel until she too suffered a flat and had to settle for third Results powered by FirstCycling during which time he also wrote for Eurosport Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby Fem van Empel finished third in the Dendermonde World Cup race The 22-year-old world champion of Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women was battling for second place but two punctures in the final got in the way The fierce weather conditions in Dendermonde made for a real battle of attrition in the mud the Dutch rider gradually made her way to the top three who was riding in second place at the time Van Empel and Pieterse then seemed set to battle for second place It's a pity that I punctured just as I made the connection with Pieterse but I don't know if there was much more in it for me today.” the 9th round of the UCI CX World Cup takes place in Dendermonde Although it was slated to be a throwdown between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel the latter is a DNS due to a nagging injury sustained in Loenhout This is the third race in a row from which he’s had to withdraw red-hot Emilien Belzile will vie for another big result He recently took a strong finish at the Exact Cross his first Euro result was a 38th place finish at the UCI World Cup in Besançon on Dec followed by a 32nd place in Zonhoven and a 26th place in Hulst when he took fifth at the X2O Trofee Baal – GP Sven Nys Junior Émilien Belzile on the shock of first Euro ‘cross races world champion Fem van Empel will once again square off against Lucinda Brand and Puck Pieterse The Canadian athletes racing are Nico Knoll In the men’s, Michael Vanthourenhout and Eli Iserbyt will try to usurp Wout van Aert who took his first win of the year at Saturday’s Superprestige Mathieu van der Poel on picking lines during ‘cross You can catch all the action for free on the UCI YouTube Channel World champion’s perfect winter season hit by injury and schedule disruption with Sunday's Dendermonde World Cup the latest race affected With one month to go to the defence of his world title, Mathieu van der Poel has been forced to cancel another two races as a result of injury The in-form but now-hampered Dutchman dominated his first five events including the Exact Cross Loenhout on December 27 He hit a wooden post during the course of that race and while he won that plus the Besançon World Cup two days later Alpecin-Deceuninck gave an update via social media on Thursday “Mathieu van der Poel’s rib problems persist he will not participate in tomorrow’s X20 Trofee in Koksijde Regarding his participation in Dendermonde World Cup (Sunday) Mathieu and the team will make a decision on Saturday.” Van der Poel also commented in the same Instagram post “This is really disappointing because Koksijde is one of my favorite races,” he said However he announced on Friday that the World Cup would also be struck off his schedule “There’s no point in waiting any longer,” he explained in a team social media post and it’s clear that Dendermonde comes too soon I’m still experiencing too much pain in my rib This means Sunday’s much-anticipated faceoff against Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) won’t happen What will be most frustrating for Van der Poel is that the injury initially did not appear serious Team boss Christoph Roodhooft explained the situation this week to Wielerflits “Medical check-ups are not necessary,” he told that website plus others before Wednesday’s race in Baal but Mathieu didn’t necessarily say anything about it afterwards.” He said that he “experienced relatively little trouble in Besançon,” but that he had more symptoms the following day The second day is of course always the most difficult for these kinds of incidents At the time he said that medical check-ups were unnecessary. On Friday, he sounded a little more serious in a further update with Wielerflits “He is still suffering a lot from that crash,” he explained After the cross in Loenhout it was a simple crash but a little later it turned out to be more serious We had hoped that he would be able to start here Van der Poel and the team planned to make a decision on Saturday and means it will be more than three weeks before he will compete again Mathieu will head to a training camp in Spain after Dendermonde,” his team said on social media he is set to compete in the World Cup races in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide before making a bid for his seventh world title in Liévin in early February the rest of his cyclocross program remains unaffected.” Van der Poel’s top target of his cyclocross season is the world championships in Liévin on February 2 He is going for a record-equaling seventh win there and while he has a month to go and time to recover the incident in Loenhout shows that even the best and arguably most skillful cross rider in the world can suffer setbacks Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike wins Superprestige Gullegem and makes a funny face to salute his son's birthday  Belgian celebrates first cyclocross victory of the season with salute for son's fourth birthday In his second start of the 2024-2025 cyclocross season Van Aert delivered an unexpected victory on Saturday going clear of second-placed Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines) on the final lap.  by raising four fingers as he crossed the finish line He also raised his arms to glide to a stop and stuck his tongue out of his mud-covered mouth as part of the birthday celebration "Whenever Georges has to be photographed, he pulls a 'funny face', as he calls it. That's why I did it today, to congratulate him on his birthday that way," he told Het Nieuwsblad after the victory.  Van Aert started on the third row in the 2025 edition and quickly vaulted into the lead group with favourites Iserbyt Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines) and Superprestige series leader Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) he began a steady acceleration to claim the race lead A final attack on the sixth of eight laps left Iserbyt as the only rider to match Van Aert It came down to the final circuit when Iserbyt slipped in a muddy corner and then had to dismount and run on a small punchy climb that followed allowing Van Aert to sail away for the solo win I didn't expect I was going to be able to beat these guys on this course," Van Aert said in the post-race broadcast interview But now 2025 has started and that feels really good.  "On the technical sections I sometimes struggled to follow the others but I knew the tricky course would start to weigh on everyone which ultimately proved to be enough to take victory Van Aert's abbreviated 'cross season took a hit at the end of December when he missed a planned opener at Superprestige Mol due to illness and made his debut four days later at Exact Cross Loenhout which was his first competition since crashing out of the Vuelta a España with a knee injury in September There are now only a trio of World Cup rounds remaining on Van Aert's winter calendar which includes Sunday's Dendermonde contest He was due to face off with long-term rival Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) there but the Dutchman had to pull out due to a persisting rib injury Van Aert said he did not have big expectations for the remaining winter campaign but would "enjoy myself" at the World Cup contest on Sunday but tomorrow there’s already another tough race in Dendermonde The Belgian said he would not participate in the UCI Cyclocross World Championships as he plans to focus on the road and conquests in the spring Classics.  he'll head to Visma-Lease a Bike's January training camp in Spain before racing at the World Cup in Benidorm He'll then close out his 2024-25 'cross campaign at the World Cup in Maasmechelen where he and Van der Poel should share their second and final duel of the winter.  Cyclocross world champion Mathieu van der Poel has withdrawn from the third race in a row announcing he would miss Sunday's UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Dendermonde The reigning world champion opted out of racing the sandy X2O Trophy in Koksijde on Friday and the GP Sven Nys on January 1 due to the rib injury he sustained after Christmas The withdrawals have cut into a planned 11-race calendar and leaves him only two more races - the World Cups in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide before he defends his world title in Lièvin on February 2 Van der Poel expected to make a decision on Saturday about racing in Dendermonde and it's clear that Dendermonde comes too soon I'm still experiencing too much pain in my rib He will head to Spain for a training camp before returning to racing on January 25 in Maasmechelen Van der Poel sustained the injury during his solo win at the Exact Cross Loenhout when he clipped a wooden post while executing a turn in the closing laps Despite holding onto that win and triumphing at the World Cup in Besançon two days later Alpecin-Deceuninck announced he would miss Koksijde on Thursday afternoon but are yet to confirm whether or not he'll skip the Dendermonde World Cup on Sunday "Mathieu van der Poel's rib problems persist, causing significant discomfort, particularly on heavier terrain," read an Instagram post from the team.  he will not participate in Koksijde tomorrow Regarding his participation in Dendermonde Mathieu and the team will make a decision on Saturday." Van der Poel has won all five of his appearances convincingly in the 2024-25 cyclocross season so far and was gutted to miss out on one of the best-attended and most exciting courses on the calendar He won his first CX rainbow jersey there as a junior in 2012, ahead of long-term rival Wout van Aert and has won the men's senior race there four times "This is really disappointing because Koksijde is one of my favourite races," said Van der Poel.  "It’s where I won my first world title If Van der Poel is also forced to miss Dendermonde he will only have two races left before he defends his world title in Lièvin France and takes aim at a seventh senior men's rainbow jersey Victory on February 2 would put him on the equal most alongside the 60s and 70s star Erik De Vlaeminck Belgian enjoys 'slogging' in muddy conditions with pair of powerful victories on weekend "It means a lot that I managed to win twice this weekend It's already a huge boost towards the upcoming road season “It means a lot to me that’s for sure,” he added “I’m ahead of the schedule that I had in my mind." Fans had eagerly anticipated a second meeting of the season between Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) the two last squaring off at Azencross in Loenhout where the Dutchman won his fourth race in six days and Van Aert settled for fourth After a fifth consecutive victory at World Cup Besançon Van der Poel removed scheduled races in Baal Koksijde and Dendermonde due to a rib injury I’m still experiencing too much pain in my rib I have no choice but to remain patient,” Van der Poel said about missing another World Cup round The wet and muddy ground of Dendermonde has become a favourite for the raw power of Van Aert He has now won three of the four events on the Belgium course but ahead of the event wondered aloud if his rival had made a wise decision to skip the harsh race conditions making a cheeky message for his absent cyclocross rival “When I looked out of the window this morning if only I had a small rib injury.’ It's funny "These aren't the nicest conditions to come down here Van Aert was correct to be in a confident mood as he charged to the front from his mid-field gridding and then powered to a clear victory The Belgian had time to pose for pictures before 22-year-old youngster Emiel Verstrynge finished runner-up and his Crelan-Corendon teammate Joran Wyseure placed third “These are the cyclocross races you remember,” said a mud-covered Van Aert But it’s so difficult to stay concentrated and pull it off These are the days I used to want to be a 'cross racer for.” The Visma-Lease a Bike rider also had a message for the adoring home crowd who braved the wet conditions to watch his performance seeing so many people coming outside and feeling that I have so many supporters After the start I decided not to take any unnecessary risks The key was to find my rhythm as quickly as possible and avoid making mistakes Van Aert and Van der Poel will now both travel to road training camps with their respective teams and miss their respective national cyclocross championships next weekend Van Aert plans to be at the World Cup round in Benidorm before completing his cyclocross campaign for the winter with a meeting against Van der Poel at Maasmechelen After crashing out of the Vuelta a España at the start of September Van Aert only returned to competitive action at Loenhout on December 27 he crashed on the last lap while competing for a podium spot After winning in Gullegem and Dendermonde this weekend the 30-year-old feels he is on target for his road goals later this year "It’s a real confidence boost to keep working towards the road season," he said “The kind of course today [in Dendermonde] is something that is very far from the road “We added this 'cross to my program to see where I was sitting Ben raced as an amateur cyclist in the UK from a young age into the senior ranks on the road and has spent over 10 years as a news and sports journalist Ben has been covering cyclocross for media outlets since 2021 and has been on the ground reporting at World Championships in Zolder Away from cycling as a freelance sports journalist Ben regularly reports on a range of sports including football he is happiest whilst reporting on-site at cyclocross races in Belgium and the Netherlands Please note that this is an automated translation and it will not be perfect All articles have been written in English and if anything appears to not make sense Brand and Van Aert double up in Dendermonde Lucinda Brand padded her World Cup lead by winning Sunday’s ninth round of the 2024-2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup in rainy, muddy Dendermonde Brand didn’t wallow in mire in taking her seventh victory of the season and second World Cup triumph At 33rd Nico Knoll was top Canadian in the slop Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado was last season’s Dendermonde champion The Canadian contingent consisted of Nico Knoll prominent at the start of Saturday’s Superprestige race Immediately the pack hit mud and Brand cut to the front Van Empel and Alvarado didn’t have great starts Brand and Puck toiled through the slop with Zoe Backstedt and Manon Bakker in pursuit Brand led Pieterse and Backstedt over the line Pieterse didn’t pit when Brand and Backstedt did at the beginning of Lap 2 and assumed the lead A mistake from Brand that put her over the handlebars gave Backstedt opportunity to move past the series leader Their gap back to Bakker and van Empel was small Brand shed Backstedt and lit out after Pieterse The rollers were proving too heavy to ride Van Empel linked up with Bakker and Backstedt The leading duo held a half-minute advantage over the chasing trio at the line Brand and Pieterse came shoulder to shoulder trying to claim a line Brand then shed Pieterse and quickly had eight seconds Gaps opened up between the three Podium Aspirants and both mounted fresh machines to carry on the fight Van Empel had a big problem when she heard the bell: a flat rear tire far from the pits The world champion managed to save her podium from the threat of Bakker Six laps of the slop was very taxing and Brand looked exhausted in celebration Watch all the action from the UCI World Cup The 2024-25 cyclocross season continues this weekend with the big one: the 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Championships Read on for all the information on how to watch cyclocross live streams wherever you are in the world with the Belgium- and Netherlands-based Superprestige X2O Trofee and Exact Cross series joined by the UCI World Cup after the conclusion of the World Cup series last weekend it's time for rainbow jerseys and world titles to be handed out at the Cyclocross Worlds in Liévin who are once again competing for the rainbow jersey at Worlds.  Here's our guide on how to watch cyclocross online RaceDateUK StreamUS StreamFree streamUCI Cyclocross World Championships January 31 – February 2Discovery+FlobikesSporza NPO StartThis week in cyclocross it's all about the World Championships Taking place from January 31 to February 2 in Liévin Cyclocross Worlds will see seven rainbow jerseys handed out for seven world titles over three days of racing.  Six-time world champ Mathieu van der Poel is in action while Fem van Empel is seeking a special hattrick in the women's race.  ► How to watch Cyclocross World Championships 2025: Live streams, TV broadcasts, Schedule Good news for cycling fans: you can watch cyclocross for free The sport's governing body, the UCI, hosts free streams for the UCI World Cup series and UCI World Championships on its own UCI YouTube channel and is only available in countries where a TV deal hasn't been struck with an external broadcaster.  but fans in the UK and Ireland will always be blocked from the feed given Eurosport and Discovery+ show all World Cup and World Championship races over the border the Dutch public broadcaster NOS often has free live streams on its platform but we'll keep you up to date throughout the cyclocross season with our dedicated How To Watch pages for all the big races If you are outside of your home region and need to access your live streaming services to watch the action you may find your access to be geo-restricted But that doesn't mean you can't watch the races.  A Virtual Private Network – to give it its full name – allows your computer to pretend it's in a different country letting you log into your streaming accounts to catch all of the racing action Our expert colleagues at TechRadar recommend using a VPN for streaming as well as enhanced cyber-security – they know a thing or two about VPNs and right now they rate NordVPN as the best VPN on the market.  There's no better VPN for unblocking streaming services It offers super-fast connections to over 5,000 servers across 60 countries and it's compatible with just about any streaming device out there You get a money-back guarantee and it's currently available for more than 70% off Cyclocross coverage in the US is a little patchy with coverage split between Flobikes and Max.  its schedule does not cover the entire series so it's worth keeping an eye on what they have coming up A subscription to Flobikes will set you back $149.99  for the year or $29.99 on a monthly basis.  is the US-based streaming platform owned by Warner Bros which started adding cycling rights in 2024 That includes some cyclocross coverage across the Superprestige but does not include the UCI World Cup series or the UCI World Championships Max subscriptions start from $10 a month but you'll need the B/R Sports add-on That said, you could find the top-level action for free, with the UCI YouTube cyclocross World Cup free live stream not always geo-restricted in the US.  Some UCI World Cup events will also be aired in Canada for free on the UCI Youtube page You can watch all the UCI World Cup rounds while Discovery+ is the online streaming platform where you'll find all the cyclocross racing more consistently available.  which is all you need to get Eurosport's cycling coverage will set you back £6.99 / €4.99 per month or £59.99 / €49.99 per year.  It's the World Cup that attracts the biggest range of international broadcasters and you'll find most races on RAI in Italy For a full list of international broadcasters for the World Cup events, the UCI publishes a list each round on the UCI website DateSeriesLocationJanuary 3X2O TrofeeKoksijdeJanuary 4SuperprestigeGullegemJanuary 5UCI World CupDendermondeJanuary 12National ChampsBel SpaJanuary 19UCI World CupBenidormJanuary 25UCI World CupMaasmechelenJanuary 26UCI World CupHoogerheideFebruary 2UCI World ChampsLiévinFebruary 5Exact CrossMaldegemFebruary 8SuperprestigeMiddelkerkeFebruary 9X2O TrofeeLilleFebruary 15Exact CrossSint-NiklaasFebruary 16X2O TrofeeBrusselsDisclaimerWe test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service) Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing Dani has reported from the world's top races She has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars and her favourite races are the Giro d'Italia Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has been forced to miss the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Dendermonde this weekend as his crash injury has ruled him out It is the third race he will miss of what was an already shortened cyclocross season Van der Poel had been due to compete in GP Sven Nys Baal on New Year’s Day and Vlaamse Duinencross Koksijde (C1) today but had to withdraw from both races Even though he hoped to be sufficiently recovered to compete today And he has now been forced out of Dendermonde on Sunday when fans hoped for a competitive clash between the Dutch rider and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) On his way to victory at Azencross-Loenhout (C1) last Friday Van der Poel hit a pole and suffered an injury to his ribs Though he was able to race at UCI World Cup Besançon on Sunday the rib injury has caused lingering pain and he has now confirmed he will not race this weekend “There’s no point in waiting any longer,” Van der Poel said in a statement confirming he would not ride His team added the world cyclocross champion will go to a training camp in Spain after Dendermonde Later this month he would then compete at the World Cup races in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide he will try for his seventh world title in Liévin in early February as the team believes “for now the rest of his cyclocross program remains unaffected” We’re determined to make stickybottle.com much better for your enjoyment So become a ‘Stickybottle Supporter’ now from just €5 per month We’ve grown our audience significantly in recent years but the advertising market has become harder and harder each year In order to survive and grow – and create much better content – we need to develop an income from our readers By signing up to become a ‘Stickybottle Supporter’ you’ll be helping to secure independent coverage of Irish cycling for years to come Every cent collected from readers will be used to directly fund content Sign Up   Wout Van Aert in the mud on his way to winning the men's 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup at Dendermonde, Belgium - Click for high resolution - more 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup at Dendermonde, Belgium - Elite Men race photos - photo Copyright © 2021 Cor Vos/cyclingfans.com - You can also find us on Bluesky here - Need a VPN to access a geo-restricted feed? Try ExpressVPN - For more cyclocross live coverage, various series and events, see Cyclocross LIVE - Videos: Cyclocross Videos - Photos: 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde, Belgium - Elite Men Race Photos - Photos: 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde, Belgium - Elite Women Race Photos - Photos: 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Namur, Belgium - Elite Women Race Photos - Photos: 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Rucphen, Netherlands - Elite Women Race Photos - Photos: 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Val di Sole, Italy - Elite Men Race Photos - Photos: 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Besancon, France - Elite Women Race Photos - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - Live streams will be posted before the races start - Photos: 2019 UCI Cyclocross World Cup at Heusden-Zolder, Belgium - Elite Women Race Photos - Photos: 2019 UCI Cyclocross World Cup at Namur, Belgium - Elite Women Race Photos - Photos: UCI Cyclocross World Cup at Koksijde, Belgium - Elite Men Race Photos - Photos: UCI Cyclocross World Cup at Koksijde, Belgium - Elite Women Race Photos - Photos: UCI Cyclocross World Cup at Tabor, Czech Republic - Elite Men Race Photos - Photos: UCI Cyclocross World Cup at Tabor, Czech Republic - Elite Women Race Photos - 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide 9:10am ET ---------------------------------- - 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide, Netherlands Start Lists: All events here - The 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide, Netherlands is being held Sunday, January 26.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists - Photos: Cyclocross Photos NOTE:  If you believe you may not be seeing the latest content on this page try clearing your browser's cache (or try a different browser) Live streaming video: 1:30pm CET (7:30am U.S LIVE video LIVE video (--) - Need a VPN to access a geo-restricted feed? Try ExpressVPN Time format for races in Europe: Live streaming video: 2:45pm CET (8:45am U.S Time format for races in USA CDT time zone: Live streaming video: 1:30pm CDT (2:30pm U.S etc: Live streaming video: 12:30pm Dublin time (1:30pm CET) (7:30am U.S Lucinda Brand climbs on her way to winning the women's 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup at Namur, Belgium. - Click for high resolution - more 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Namur, Belgium - Elite Women race photos - photo Copyright © 2021 Cor Vos/cyclingfans.com Wout Van Aert competes in the snow at the men's 2021 UCI CX World Cup in Val di Sole, Italy, which he won. - Click for high resolution - more 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Val di Sole, Italy - Elite Men race photos - photo Copyright © 2021 Cor Vos/cyclingfans.com Notes from the 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Maasmechelen - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Maasmechelen 7:40am ET Elite Men at 15:10 CET 9:10am ET ---------------------------------- - 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Maasmechelen, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Maasmechelen, Belgium is being held Saturday, January 25.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Benidorm - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Benidorm, Spain Start Lists: All events here - The 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Benidorm, Spain is being held Sunday, January 19.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde - 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde, Belgium is being held Sunday, January 5.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Besançon - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Besançon - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Besançon, France Start Lists: All events here - The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Besançon, France is being held Sunday, December 29.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Gavere - Expected LIVE video here - Need a VPN to access a geo-restricted feed? Try ExpressVPN - Expected LIVE video here - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Gavere, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Gavere, Belgium is being held Thursday, December 26.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Zonhoven - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Zonhoven, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Zonhoven, Belgium is being held Sunday, December 22.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst, Netherlands Start Lists: All events here - The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst, Netherlands is being held Saturday, December 21.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Namur - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Namur, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Namur, Belgium is being held Sunday, December 15.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Sardinia - UPDATE: Due to heavy winds, the World Cup in Cabras has been cancelled. Details here - Sporza ticker LIVE here. (auto-translated) (women's race) - Sporza ticker LIVE here. (auto-translated) (men's race) - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Sardinia, Italy Start Lists: All events here - The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Sardinia, Italy is being held Sunday, December 8.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dublin - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here 8:10am ET Elite Men at 14:40 local 9:40am ET ---------------------------------- - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dublin, Ireland Start Lists: All events here - The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dublin, Ireland is being held Sunday, December 1.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Antwerpen - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here November 24 Elite Women at 13:40 CET - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Antwerpen, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Antwerpen, Belgium is being held Sunday, November 24.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide January 28 Elite Women at 13:40 CET - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide, Netherlands Start Lists: All events here - UCI Cyclocross World Cup television/TV broadcasters and streamers for LIVE and/or On Demand coverage include the UCI Channel - The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide, Netherlands is being held Sunday, January 28.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Benidorm - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here January 21 Elite Women at 13:40 CET - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Benidorm, Spain Start Lists: All events here - The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Benidorm, Spain is being held Sunday, January 21.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists - Sporza ticker LIVE here. (auto-translated) (men's race) - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here January 7 Elite Women at 13:40 CET - 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Zonhoven, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Zonhoven, Belgium is being held Sunday, January 7.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here December 30 Elite Women at 13:40 CET - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst, Netherlands Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst, Netherlands is being held Saturday, December 30.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Gavere - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here December 26 Elite Women at 13:40 CET - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Gavere, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Gavere, Belgium is being held Tuesday, December 26.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Antwerpen - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here December 23 Elite Women at 13:40 CET - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Antwerpen, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Antwerpen, Belgium is being held Saturday, December 23.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Namur - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here December 17 Elite Women at 13:40 CET - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Namur, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Namur, Belgium is being held Sunday, December 17.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Val Di Sole Trentino - Sporza ticker LIVE here. (auto-translated) (women's race) - Sporza ticker LIVE here. (auto-translated) (men's race) - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Val Di Sole Trentino December 10 Elite Women at 13:10 CET 7:10am ET Elite Men at 14:40 CET 8:40am ET ---------------------------------- - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Val Di Sole Trentino, Italy Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Val Di Sole Trentino, Italy is being held Sunday, December 10.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Flamanville - Sporza ticker LIVE here. (auto-translated) (women's race) - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Flamanville December 3 Elite Women at 13:40 CET - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Flamanville, France Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Flamanville, France is being held Sunday, December 3.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dublin - Sporza ticker LIVE here. (auto-translated) (women's race) - Sporza ticker LIVE here. (auto-translated) (men's race) - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here November 26 Elite Women at 13:10 local - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dublin, Ireland Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dublin, Ireland is being held Sunday, November 26.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Troyes - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here November 19 Elite Women at 13:40 CET 9:10am ET ---------------------------------- - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Troyes, France Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Troyes, France is being held Sunday, November 19.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde November 12 Elite Women at 13:40 CET - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde, Belgium is being held Sunday, November 12.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Maasmechelen - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Maasmechelen October 29 Elite Women at 13:40 CET 8:40am ET Elite Men at 15:10 CET 10:10am ET ---------------------------------- * Daylight saving time ends Europe on Sunday 5 hours behind CET - US Eastern - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Maasmechelen, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Maasmechelen, Belgium is being held Sunday, October 29.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Waterloo - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here October 15 - UCI World Cup Elite Women at 12:40pm local 1:40pm ET Elite Men at 2:10pm local - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Waterloo, WI, USA Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Waterloo, WI, USA is being held Sunday, October 15.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Besançon - Elite Women at 1:30pm CET (7:30am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here - Elite Men at 3:00pm CET (9:00am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Besançon (France): Eastern Elite Men at 15:10 CET - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Besançon, France Start Lists: All events here - UCI Cyclocross World Cup television/TV broadcasters and streamers for LIVE and/or On Demand coverage include the UCI Channel - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Besançon, France is being held Sunday, January 29.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Benidorm Costa Blanca - Expected LIVE video here - Need a VPN to access a geo-restricted feed? Try ExpressVPN - Expected LIVE video here - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Benidorm Costa Blanca (Spain): - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Benidorm Costa Blanca, Spain Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Benidorm Costa Blanca, Spain is being held Sunday, January 22.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Zonhoven - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Zonhoven (Belgium): - 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Zonhoven, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Zonhoven, Belgium is being held Sunday, January 8.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Gavere - Elite Women at 1:40pm CET (7:40am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here - Elite Men at 3:10pm CET (9:10am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Gavere, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Gavere, Belgium is being held Monday, December 26.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Val Di Sole Trentino - Elite Women at 1:00pm CET (7:00am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here - Elite Men at 2:30pm CET (8:30am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Val Di Sole Trentino Eastern Elite Men at 14:30 CET - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Val Di Sole Trentino, Italy Start Lists: All events here - The 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Val Di Sole Trentino, Italy is being held Saturday, December 17.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dublin - Elite Women at 12:40pm local (7:40am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here - Elite Men at 2:10pm local (9:10am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here 7:40am ET Elite Men at 14:10 local - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dublin, Ireland Start Lists: All events here - The 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dublin, Ireland is being held Sunday, December 11.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Antwerpen - Elite Women at 12:30pm CET (6:30am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here - Elite Men at 2:00pm CET (8:00am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here 6:30am ET Elite Men at 14:00 CET - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Antwerpen, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Antwerpen, Belgium is being held Sunday, December 4.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst - Elite Women at 11:00am CET (5:00am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here - Need a VPN to access a geo-restricted feed? Try ExpressVPN - Elite Men at 12:15pm CET (6:15am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here 5:00am ET Elite Men at 12:15 CET - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst, Netherlands Start Lists: All events here - The 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst, Netherlands is being held Sunday, November 27.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Overijse - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Overijse, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Overijse, Belgium is being held Sunday, November 20.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Beekse Bergen - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Beekse Bergen - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Beekse Bergen, Netherlands Start Lists: All events here - The 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Beekse Bergen, Netherlands is being held Sunday, November 13.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide - Elite Men at 2:55pm CET (8:55am US Eastern) - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide Eastern Elite Men at 15:05 CET - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide, Netherlands Start Lists: All events here - The 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide, Netherlands is being held Sunday, January 23.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Flamanville - Need a VPN to access a geo-restricted feed? Try ExpressVPN - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Flamanville - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Flamanville, France Start Lists: All events here - The 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Flamanville, France is being held Sunday, January 16.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists (Elite women and men races) - Details below - Sporza ticker LIVE here. (auto-translated) (men's race) - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst, Netherlands Start Lists: All events here - The 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst, Netherlands is being held Sunday, January 2.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Notes from the 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde - On Monday, December 27, 2021: Superprestige Cyclocross Heusden-Zolder, Belgium LIVE December 26: UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde - Expected LIVE video here - Expected LIVE video here - Elite women's race: riders expected on the start line include Lucinda Brand - 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde - 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde, Belgium Start Lists: All events here - The 2021 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde, Belgium is being held Sunday, December 26.  There will be live streams for the elite women and men races.  - Cyclocross Start Lists Twitter Dutch national champion takes back-to-back wins in Gullegem and Dendermonde to continue stunning run of form Lucinda Brand is yet to finish off the podium of a cyclocross race this season – a run of 24 top-three finishes on the bounce With two more victories in consecutive days this weekend the 35-year-old cemented her title as the most consistent rider in the elite women’s field Brand's run of consecutive podiums extends even beyond this season having finished in the top three of her final eight races last season, making it 32 podiums in a row. Only Puck Pieterse (35 races) and Marianne Vos (51 races) have had longer podium streaks among active women's riders in cyclocross The Baloise Glowi Lions rider leads the women’s World Cup standings by 61 points with three rounds remaining and could seal the overall series at the next round in Benidorm later this month Brand also leads both the prestigious Superprestige and X20 Badkamers Trofee series as she bids to complete a clean sweep of titles She led from start to finish to win her second World Cup round of the season in Dendermonde on Sunday ahead of rivals Pieterse in second and world champion Fem Van Empel in third of course," said Brand after clinching victory by 30 seconds "But also I think it's the first time I thought 'Oh another lap my gap increased so I just had to focus on the very tough parts and to keep enough speed there it's super nice to have so much encouragement [from the crowd]." it's absurd and the training logic is not there "But the training logic does say that you have to prepare for the World Cup." Brand said that a 'fantastic' road season with Lidl Trek has contributed towards her cyclo-cross success After last season’s cyclocross campaign Brand competed in the spring Classics before winning the 1.1 ranked Elmos Dwars door het Hageland in June and a stage of the Internationale LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour Brand finished the Giro d'Italia Women before placing eighth overall in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift after a stunning ride on the final day up Alpe d'Huez which also saw her teammate Gaia Realini take fifth overall She posted on Instagram after taking victory at Gullegem and the Superprestige lead So many people ask me how I manage to show up fresh and ready for every single race," Brand said "After a tough few years of bad luck and injuries and health everything is finally going according to plan "Thanks to a fantastic road season with Lidl Trek I’ve built up an incredible foundation it’s all about fine-tuning every little detail and surrounding myself with the right people— this is where the real gains are made I’ve built an incredible support team: a dedicated masseur Brand is the defending Dutch women’s national cyclo-cross champion but might opt out of a title defence in favour of a training camp alongside the road squad With the World Cup round in Benidorm arriving in just two weeks’ time Brand is amongst the riders who may elect to skip the national championships and stay in Spain for Lidl-Trek's training camp in Denia “I'm going to Spain anyway,” Brand added but it's certainly possible that I just stay there.” 150 inmates at Dendermonde Prison in East Flanders were evacuated to the jail’s exercise yard after a fire broke out inside the prison building on Monday evening The Prison Service spokeswoman Kathleen Van De Vijver says that the fire probably started while work was being carried a washing machine in the prison laundry The fire broke out in the laundry room in which several washing machines and tumble dryers are housed One of washing machines was being serviced and initial indications are that the fire was caused by a technical issue and not by criminal intent 150 inimates were taken to the exercise yard and staff were also evacuated suffered poisoning caused by smoke inhalation Ms Van De Vijver said that the emergency services were at the scene quickly and the fire was soon under control didn’t arrive in Dendermonde this past weekend aiming to win The former U23 Cyclocross World Champion has been biding his time within a competitive men’s field improving every week as he builds himself into a regular contender sometimes you just have to see where they can take you And Ronhaar rode his to a dominant performance in the mud winning his first career elite World Cup race by 16 seconds over Baloise Trek teammate Lars van der Haar — the third shared podium by Lions riders this season Three different Baloise Trek riders — Ronhaar Van der Haar and Thibau Nys — have now won World Cup races this season took second at Saturday’s Superprestige race in Niel and finished fourth at World Cup Waterloo Pim Ronhaar celebrating his first ever elite World Cup victory | BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS “It feels good to be in such a good team,” Ronhaar said after the race “We have four men’s riders who can win races Ronhaar stayed patient during Sunday’s race even as Belgain rider Toon Vandebosch stayed off the front for three laps leaving Ronhaar to battle Laurens Sweeck for the lead taking an eight-second gap with three laps to go The third double Baloise Trek men's podium of the season | BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS With his teammate putting on a show of force Van der Haar could ride intelligently behind picking off riders after Ronhaar had established his move Van der Haar moved into second place on the course while Sweeck was stopping the pits “I have a really good bond with Lars,” Ronhaar said So becoming first and second like this is very nice for the team and for us.” Van der Haar extended his lead in the World Cup leader’s jersey choosing to sit out Sunday’s race and Eli Iserbyt and strengthened his grasp on the World Cup leader's jersey | BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS “It wasn’t a Van der Haar parcours Maybe I am turning into a mud devil after all,” Van der Haar said after the race Pim kept his lead alive perfectly and I was able to control it in the back.” Lucinda Brand put an exclamation point on what was yet another brilliant team weekend for Baloise Trek The 2021 Cyclocross World Champion made her return to racing following a crash in the Simac Ladies Tour last September She is working her way back to peak racing form but she still managed to take second on Sunday behind Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado Pim Ronhaar is the third Baloise Trek men's rider to win an elite World Cup race this season | BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS Brand set the pace at the front of the pack on the first lap maintaining her lead despite a bike change in the pits She didn’t have the legs to maintain her gap ahead of a flying Alvarado but Brand gave a diesel effort to hold off everyone else staying well ahead of third-place Zoe Backstedt Watching all the races from the couch really made me hungry to join especially because most of the races have been so muddy already,” Brand said after the race “Of course I was super nervous about how it would go because training is so different from racing After half a lap I felt the lactate already [laughs] But that I could find my rhythm and have a steady race made me very satisfied regardless of the result Lucinda Brand in first racing action since September | BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS Baloise Trek only seems to be getting stronger as the cyclocross season goes on The team has an impressively deep roster of riders all of whom are willing to work for one another depending on the circumstances Every weekend the squad gives us a brand new reason to watch You won’t want to miss what happens next Trek Factory Racing DH raced at the limit in 2023 and we had cameras capture every ounce of action Organisers forced to modify course due to storm Dendermonde's debut as a UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup venue was not as smooth as it could have been after winter storm Bella whipped the course into a thick "I knew in advance that this course is really something for Wout van Aert," Van der Poel said while shivering uncontrollably in the post-race interview but I thought this was a bit unworthy of World Cup That doesn't take away from Wout's performance Heavy rain and high winds forced organisers to modify the route after several of the women got stuck in a knee-deep mud bog Organiser Jurgen Mettepenningen responded to Van der Poel's criticism on Twitter suggesting the world champion could give race organisation a try "All week and especially today flooding and today survived a storm but together with my many volunteers I chose the hardest way," Mettepenningen wrote The round was originally to be in Wachtebeke but construction at the venue forced Mettepenningen to find a new location in July They settled on Dendermonde only to have storm Bella flood the venue this week The organisation met on Sunday morning to assess the conditions and had to shorten the route but much of the course was still unrideable.  Van Aert had a different assessment than Van der Poel after his victory saying "It was one of the craziest crosses I ever rode Each lap it got worse and the running sections got longer After the women raced just 10 kilometres in 45 minutes Lucinda Brand joked that she could have run the race faster "I have already run 10 kilometers faster once Maybe next time I should leave my bike at home." Former US champion Katie Compton's partner Mark Legg was also critical of the organisation complaining of broken power washers and the lack of parking for national teams "I've been to a lot of World Cup races and that might be the bottom of the barrel I feel for all the course workers stuck in the rain and gusting wind all day," Legg wrote "I've attended World Cup races for over ten years Dendermonde has no business being a World Cup event." Compton was one of the riders who got caught up in the deep mud and lost time attempting to free her foot and bike before finishing in 25th place four minutes behind women's winner Lucinda Brand The video clip of Compton's ordeal led several outlets to label it '2020 in one video' 2020 in 1 video #dendermonde #CXWorldCup #cyclocross pic.twitter.com/nlSzy4eKu8December 27, 2020 World champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) finished a distant second with Toon Aerts (Telenet-Baloise) in third. Winter storm Bella had lashed Europe with heavy rain and high winds, forcing organisers to remove the flyover bridge from the course and, after the women sank knee-deep into a mud bog, further modified the course to remove the worst section. There was still ample muck, cold rain and misery ahead for the riders over the hour-long race, however, with riders crashing through icy cold mud puddles and being forced to run more of the course than usual. "It was really difficult cross," Van Aert said after winning by almost three minutes. "It didn't make much sense to use tactics, just keep up the pace. Apparently mine was much higher than the rest." The gaps were the biggest of the season on such a heavy course, and Van Aert explained it was due to the uselessness of any race tactics. "In Zolder we raced very tactically, while here everyone gave everything. That has to do with the course and not that I am so much better than the rest. But this is a confirmation that I am doing well." Van der Poel took the hole shot but was overtaken in the melee by Quinten Hermans (Tormans). Van Aert moved quickly into third but had to overcome a first-lap clash with Corne van Kessel (Tormans) that lost him several positions. Van Aert steadily worked his way back through the traffic and onto Van der Poel's wheel before coming to the front on the second lap and pulling his rival clear. If bad luck cost the Dutchman in Herentals and Van Aert in Zolder, the Dendermonde course was strictly in Van Aert's favour. By the third lap it was clear that Van Aert had the better handle on the challenging course conditions and he began to forge an unassailable gap over Van der Poel. Behind, the fight for the final podium position changed constantly, with Tom Pidcock (Trinity) losing ground after riding with the front group on the opening lap and eventually dropping out. Aerts worked his way up through the chasers to move into third on the fourth lap. By lap six, World Cup leader Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) emerged from the chasing group to challenge Aerts for the podium but couldn't quite get on terms. Meanwhile, with the race one lap longer than humanly possible, darkness falling in the dismal weather, and only the bright yellow helmets of the Tormans riders visible in the mist, Van Aert had opened up a gap of 2:14 over Van der Poel as the bell rang for another miserable slog around the course. Aerts, trying desperately to get some feeling back in his fingers, came across 18 seconds behind the world champion with a 16 second lead on Vanthourenhout. There was no ground to be made up on the last lap, and Van Aert ended the day with 2:49 on Van Aert with Aerts third at 3:06. Vanthourenhout held on for fourth ahead of Laurens Sweeck (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal). The victory earned Van Aert the white and red jersey of overall World Cup leader. 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Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999 and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling The cyclocross kerstperiode is well underway for 2020 just as the major stars have returned to the sport in the men’s and women’s ranks the World Cup is headed to a new venue on Sunday in Dendermonde As the holiday racing ramps up, you can follow it all from Canada on Flobikes On the men’s side, Mathieu van der Poel has traded wins with Wout van Aert and Thomas Pidock. While the Dutch phenom continues to rack up wins, the injection of new names has challenged van der Poel’s dominance of years past, making for one of the most exciting seasons in recent years. For Canadian fans, Michael van den Ham is in Europe and picking up momentum of his own. The Canadian national champion made a late transatlantic trip to make the holiday racing, and will be looking for solid results. A post shared by Ruby West (@ruby__west) While racers will face an entirely fresh course on Sunday there are some hints at what they can expect which should make for thick mud and heavy attrition over the course of the race or maybe running if the mud gets too thick The other main feature is a six metre tall just in case heavy legs weren’t tested enough by the persistent muck at ground level On Sunday, Dec. 27, Flobikes will start broadcasting the Dendermonde World Cup races at 7:20 a.m Toon Aerts takes third in eerily-quiet cyclo-cross race without spectators Van der Poel started quickly sprinting through the field to join Toon Aerts at the front. However Belgium Champion Van Aert powered across to the early leaders in the muddy conditions before attacking only for Van der Poel to respond.  Van Aert eventually broke his rivals after 40 minutes of racing riding away to a fourth cyclo-cross victory of the season the Belgian extended his gap to an unassailable lead of 49 seconds ahead of Van der Poel in second Van Aert was disappointed that he couldn’t enjoy his victory with fans at Dendermonde due to Covid-19 restrictions.  “It’s a beautiful victory in a World Cup on the highest level,” said Van Aert. “Unfortunately it’s without the public but the week of Christmas is the most beautiful week to ride cyclo-cross races.  “I’m happy to start like this and hopefully I can continue like that It’s a big difference (riding without fans) especially on a course like this which is perfect for big crowds and a nice atmosphere. It’s such as shame as I don’t understand at all why it’s not possible to have the public here I don’t think it’s dangerous for anyone.  I’m happy to do my job and try to be motivated and focused on my own race.”  Van der Poel was satisfied with second place in his first cyclo-cross race of the season and hoped to improve on the second half of his race in future weeks.  “It was quite OK,” added Van der Poel “It was along with my expectations today The first half was quite good and in the second half my shape let me down a little bit. I hope that will come soon with the races that I’m doing.”  World Cup leader Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) finished in ninth one place behind rival Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers). Iserbyt leads the World Cup by 85 points with three rounds remaining The next World Cup round is in Hulst on January 2.  Dendermonde hosted the cyclo-cross World Cup for the first time last season when Van Aert ran clear of Mathieu van der Poel to take victory. With Van der Poel making his first cyclo-cross start of the season the pair were to meet for the first time alongside Pidcock.  The course featured less heavy mud than last season but was still gruelling with the addition of a downhill sand section to test riders’ abilities.  With the top eight overall in the World Cup on the front row of the starting grid Van Aert and Pidcock were on the second row while Van der Poel had a third-row start.  Despite being gridded further back an opening straight sprint by Van der Poel catapulted him up the field while Toon Aerts led the early charge. Pidcock and Van Aert also had strong start with all three of the World Tour riders inside the top 10 positions.  In a bid to take the challenge to his rivals Aerts pulled out a lead at the front while Van der Poel took over the opening lap chasing.  Choosing not to change his bike Van der Poel powered over the mud to bridge to leader Aerts after the opening lap with Van Aert leading the chasers seven seconds back. Undeterred by the presence of Van der Poel a determined Aerts continued his pressure and gapped his Dutch counterpart before riding the difficult pump track section to good effect.  Van Aert pulled back Van der Poel with Aerts having a leading gap of six seconds. Misfortune had cost Aerts in last week’s World Cup round at Namur when he suffered a puncture whist part of the leading group and he was looking for a fourth win of the season.  with two laps raced he was joined at the front by Van Aert and Van der Poel to leave a trio 14 seconds ahead of Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal) and Quinten Hermans (Tormans - Circus Cyclo Cross Team).  Belgium Champion Van Aert sensed a weakness in his rivals and after 20 minutes of racing he forced a gap over his fellow leaders. However the World Champion hit the front again showing he was equal to the effort.  After winning his opening three races of the cyclo-cross season Van Aert continued to show his power pulling a gap on Van der Poel again while Aerts was losing contact with the leading duo. With almost 40 minutes of racing gone Van Aert started to increase his margin over Van der Poel pulling out a lead of over 10 seconds for the first time.  Vanthourenhout had won the World Cup in Namur the previous week but was left chasing alone in fourth while Pidcock was sitting in eighth.  After a fluent lap at the front Van Aert had increased his lead to 24 seconds while Van der Poel was slowing and Aerts sat just 13 seconds further back. Van Aert looked in firm control of the race on the bell lap with a margin of 41 seconds over Van der Poel with Aerts sitting at 55 seconds.  Van Aert was faultless in his pursuit of victory finishing 49 seconds ahead of Van der Poel while a determined effort by Aerts was rewarded with third 1:18 back.  Wout van Aert has won the very tough World Cup race in Dendermonde today with an impressive display of power For Van Aert it is the second victory of the cyclocross season after his victory in Herentals the expectant father also took the lead in the World Cup classification Van Aert had to settle for second place in the Super Prestige in Zolder after a puncture early in the race Today he was able to get to the front right from the start It seemed to become another duel with world champion Mathieu van der Poel but Van Aert quickly managed to create a gap to his rival He managed to expand his lead and plodded on the muddy course to a rare difference of almost three minutes when he crossed the finish line It didn’t make much sense to apply tactics You just had to find a maintainable pace and apparently mine was higher than the rest it quickly became bigger and that was certainly good for my morale The differences on such a course automatically become significant Here everyone is constantly giving everything It’s not that I’m suddenly that much better than the rest although this is of course a confirmation that I am in good shape” the Belgian cyclist and Sportsman of the Year will ride his next cross in Baal followed by the World Cup in Hulst on Sunday