The cyclo-cross season will be more exciting than ever. Without Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock, the battle between Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal and Baloise Trek Lions has been blood-curdling so far, with some very hard-fought victories. At the moment, no cyclist stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Eli Iserbyt, Michael Vanthourenhout, Thibau Nys, Lars van der Haar, Laurens Sweeck… They have all already had their moment in the spotlight this season. But now that the two strongmen Van Aert and Van der Poel are in the ring, they will have to step up their game.
For the ladies, the list of achievements looks familiar, with the Dutch Fem van Empel, Lucinda Brand and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado as the undisputed leaders. Perhaps Puck Pieterse, the mountain bike world champion who has been participating since last Sunday, can still challenge that trio, but there is no doubt that cyclo-cross will turn orange.
Four matches between Van Aert and Van der Poel
Cyclocross fans are looking forward to the first confrontation between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel in Hulst on December 21, in the context of the World Cup. A day later, a skirmish awaits them in the infamous Kuil van Zonhoven. They also meet in Gavere (December 26), Besançon (December 29) and Dendermonde (January 5).
The coming weekend already looks busy with two World Cup stages on the programme, but then the Superprestige will also reopen the debates on December 23 in Mol. On December 30, the sixth round of the regularity criterion awaits us with a night ride in Diegem and four days later the caravan heads to Gullegem (January 4). And the other major competitions are also not standing still. For example, the race will take place in Loenhout (December 27) in the context of the Exact Cross and in Baal (January 1) and the sand of Koksijde (January 4) in the battle for the X2O Bathrooms Trophy.
Follow the cyclocross this year on the Pickx Sports Pop-up and Pickx Showcase channels (in the basic subscription) and on Pickx+ Sports1, available in the Pickx Sports TV option from Proximus. The complete cycling calendar can be found here.
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