After the Koppenbergcross, we thought we had the top favorite for the European Cyclo-cross Championships pinpointed, but in Lokeren, Thibau Nys showed that he also has his weaknesses. This means we are heading towards an open European cyclo-cross championship for men, where Nys is still the top favorite, but nearly ten riders in total could become champion. WielerFlits looks ahead.
Thibau Nys became European champion last year - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Sand specialists, take note! This coming weekend on the beach of Middelkerke, they get a unique chance to claim the European cyclo-cross title. The pros have raced on that course only once before, so Erwin Vervecken from organizer Golazo provides us with some insight.
Only once? Middelkerke has been hosting the Noordzeecross since the 1950s, and since 2011 it’s also the finale of the Superprestige series? That’s true, but that race always takes place in Sportpark De Krokodil. When Middelkerke hosted the Belgian cyclo-cross championships in 2022, organizer Golazo moved the event to the military domain of the district Lombardsijde.
Ex-pro Bjorn Rondelez, once winner of the Kermiscross in Ardooie and the Belgian Elite-2 Championships, worked at the barracks at that time and designed the circuit. That was a treat for Wout van Aert, who, in the midst of the corona period and on a spectator-less circuit in fairly chilly conditions, outpaced Laurens Sweeck and Quinten Hermans. Among the women, Sanne Cant took the victory. “We have made some minor adjustments, but we will use that circuit again for 99%,” Vervecken tells us.
Organizing an event on a military domain is not an easy task. “Everyone who enters the domain in the lead-up and preparation for the race must submit their number plate and ID card in advance. It’s somewhat similar to the Duinencross in Koksijde. It makes preparations a bit more complicated. Fortunately, on the day of the event itself, security is sufficiently ensured and everyone is welcome.”
All on the beach
The circuit itself has one major highlight: the passage over the beach of the coastal city Middelkerke. “That is also the section where you can make a difference. For a short moment, we leave the military domain to reach the waterline via a descending sandy section. Think of it a bit like the World Championships in Ostend, where riders came onto the beach at high speed and could seek out the firm sand at the waterline.”
“Especially for the men’s elite riders, that won’t be a big challenge yet. They ride when the tide is furthest out and therefore have plenty of space on the beach. The hardest part comes when the riders have to push through the loose sand on their way back and then climb through the dunes into the military domain. That’s when strength and running capacity come through,” says Vervecken.
According to the three-time world champion, you can therefore characterize the Middelkerke race as a true sand cross. “If you look at the course now, the sand section theoretically isn’t that hard. But when hundreds of riders train on the course and the youth categories race, the sand gets churned up, creating deep ruts. Then it all becomes a lot more difficult.”
Rabbits
Does that mean there are no other obstacles on the course? Certainly not, but they are simply less impactful. Not far after the start, on the main road in the middle of the military domain, there is a small hill that riders have to zigzag over a few times. “The complexity is that it has been eaten away by rabbits that live there and have dug their burrows. There are a lot of holes and bumps, which made it difficult to design a smooth track over it.”
“Immediately after comes a higher dune, where it will be touch and go whether riders can get over it. Also, a cobbled section colors this first part before reaching the beach,” Vervecken adds. At the end of the circuit lies a second, relatively easy hill. “Besides that, after the beach section, you mostly get asphalt roads, where you will quickly reach the finish through the buildings.”
It has been a long time since a major cyclo-cross championship has been this open as this European Championship. Especially the Belgian selection boasts numerous contenders. For each rider, you can list pros and cons, and that’s exactly what we did for our star ranking. Despite all doubts, we keep coming back to Thibau Nys rightly so.
It was a much-discussed comeback to cyclo-cross that the young defending champion made this weekend. Despite his explosive power on the Koppenberg, a bad day in Lokeren made it a weekend with two faces. Nys didn’t feature there, partly due to bad luck. This resulted in a fierce Nys, who spoke quickly afterward about mixed feelings. Not the way you want to enter the week before a championship.
Nys also fears the sand passages in Middelkerke. “You can safely describe it as a kind of love-hate relationship,” he said. “I have really struggled and sworn at it. I really don’t know why it’s so difficult for me. Mind you, I have been Belgian sand champion three times in the youth categories: in Koksijde, Ostend, and Antwerp. But in the elites, I’ve rarely had a good sand race.”
Nevertheless, Nys has his status as a championship rider fully backing him. On such a day, he dares to transcend himself. But he’s not the only one with that potential within the Belgian team. There are riders who have perfectly managed to hold back and then suddenly show their best version on the day of the European Championships in Middelkerke.
“The best example is Laurens Sweeck,” national coach Angelo De Clercq told us earlier this week. “He will completely revive. Laurens didn’t have his best start to the season, but he is someone who makes most of his season out of the European Championships. That's where his season is made or broken.” Sweeck loves sand and will undoubtedly take advantage of that, although his results in recent weeks were not top-notch.
You can also safely put Joran Wyseure and Niels Vandeputte, two riders who rely largely on their technique, in that group. And then within the strong Belgian squad, there is also Michael Vanthourenhout, winner of the first two classification races of the season. Sand is certainly not his specialty, but being in top form gets you far.
Moreover, Vanthourenhout is a specialist in this championship. After Mathieu van der Poel, the West Flemish rider has the most European titles (two) to his name. Toon Aerts once took the title, in 2018, against Van der Poel and Wout van Aert in Pontchâteau, France. Aerts is not necessarily a true sand specialist either, but after his strong start to the season, he should not be underestimated.
According to the Belgian national coach, his riders only have to fear a duo of Dutchmen. De Clercq refers to Joris Nieuwenhuis and Pim Ronhaar. The former has already won a sand race in Heerde and proved in Lokeren that he can also wear down the rest on hilly terrain with his big engine. That makes him a particularly dangerous contender because Middelkerke comes down to that engine.
Ronhaar stood out with his attacking style but has finished on the podium's edge three times. However, Ronhaar has good memories of the beach. A few kilometers away, in Ostend, he won the Under-23 World Title four years ago. Ronhaar deserves a new triumph after his strong races, but everything will have to go right because the Belgians will be in the majority.
Are there no riders of other nationalities expected? Then you quickly come to Cameron Mason. The Brit was runner-up at the European Championships two years ago and recently repeated that at the Koppenberg. Spaniard Felipe Orts showed himself last year as a challenger to Nys on home soil. The question is whether they can replicate that in the sand. Swiss Kevin Kuhn probably has the most potential in that regard.
It looks like reasonably good cyclo-cross weather on Sunday in Middelkerke. It will remain almost dry (with a precipitation chance of about 15% in the early afternoon hours) and the temperature will hover around thirteen degrees Celsius. A light to moderate wind is blowing from the south.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 |  Toon Aerts |
| 2024 | Thibau Nys |
| 2023 | Michael Vanthourenhout |
| 2022 | Michael Vanthourenhout |
| 2021 |  Lars van der Haar |
| 2020 | Eli Iserbyt |
| 2019 | Mathieu van der Poel |
| 2018 | Mathieu van der Poel |
| 2017 | Mathieu van der Poel |
| 2016 | Toon Aerts |
UEC Cyclo-cross European Championships| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 57:46 | |
| 2 | + 03 | |
| 3 | + 09 | |
| 4 | + 15 | |
| 5 | + 24 | |
| 6 | + 32 | |
| 7 | + 34 | |
| 8 | " | |
| 9 | + 50 | |
| 10 | + 01:01 |
Through the dunes, the riders return to the domain - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
At the Koppenberg, Nys was immediately dominant - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Laurens Sweeck played hide-and-seek - photo: Cor Vos
Nieuwenhuis at work early in the season - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
| # | Rider | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24.02% | |
| 2 | 18.04% | |
| 3 | 11.19% | |
| 4 | 5.73% | |
| 5 | 5.11% |
UEC Cyclo-cross European Championships
