After the Superprestige (mid-October) and the X2O Badkamers Trofee (on November 1), the Cyclo-cross World Cup also begins this week. In Tábor, Czech Republic, the men’s and women’s racers start what organizers Flanders Classics and the UCI describe as the most prestigious season-long cyclo-cross competition. We update you on what to expect.
It is a deliberate choice by organizers Flanders Classics and the UCI to postpone the start of this series until late November. With this competition, they want to be active mainly during the period when cyclo-cross is at its peak popularity, namely during December and January. They schedule races every Sunday in this period, with some weekends free of other cyclo-cross events. This should enhance the prestige of the World Cup.
The iconic Duinencross in Koksijde moves from the X2O Badkamers Trofee to the World Cup series, where it was part of the series between 1996 and 2021 – making it an important return. Furthermore, the classic race in Tábor, Czech Republic, which has hosted sixteen World Cup events before, is revived, and the race in Flamanville, France, also makes a comeback.
This comes at the expense of Hulst, which is hosting the World Championships in January 2026, and Dublin, where spectator numbers have steadily declined. The World Cup in Cabras, Sicily, will be held for the first time after last year’s event was canceled at the last minute due to a storm.
Van der Poel also won several races, such as in Gavere – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
With the loss of previous rounds in the United States, Dublin, and Val di Sole, several foreign rounds have disappeared in recent years. For Belgian and Dutch riders, these trips often meant high costs. To accommodate them, the World Cup is now more focused on countries around Belgium and the Netherlands, with the successful round in Benidorm as the biggest exception.
One of the pain points last season was the long trip to Besançon in southern France during the busy Christmas period, but the UCI has addressed that now. In December and early January, six Belgian World Cup races will be held consecutively in Antwerp, Namur, Koksijde, Gavere, Dendermonde, and Zonhoven. This keeps car travel distances limited, and international riders know they only need to be in Belgium during that period.
The series again began with plenty of criticism from outside regarding the busy Christmas schedule, and most top riders couldn’t compete in the entire World Cup. Michael Vanthourenhout did: he made his move early by winning the rounds in Dublin and Namur and kept Toon Aerts and Joran Wyseure at bay in the overall standings. Mathieu van der Poel joined at the sandy race in Zonhoven and contested five more rounds, winning all of them. This earned him fourth place in the overall classification.
In the Netherlands, it is fairly easy to watch via a livestream from NOS or through HBO Max and Eurosport. It is more complicated in Belgium: there, half of the rounds are behind a paywall on Telenet Play Sports and Proximus Pickx. Sporza broadcasts highlights of those races later in the evening. The other half of the rounds are freely available on the open channel via Sporza and Eurosport/HBO Max.
https://www.wielerflits.be/nieuws/veldrijden-op-tv-de-volledige-veldritkalender-2025-2026/
| # | Date | Race |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23-11-202523-11 | |
| 2 | 30-11-202530-11 | |
| 3 | 07-12-202507-12 | |
| 4 | 14-12-202514-12 | |
| 5 | 20-12-202520-12 | |
| 6 | 21-12-202521-12 | |
| 7 | 26-12-202526-12 | |
| 8 | 28-12-202528-12 | |
| 9 | 04-01-202604-01 | |
| 10 | 18-01-202618-01 | |
| 11 | 24-01-202624-01 | |
| 12 | 25-01-202625-01 |
| # | Date | Race |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23-11-202523-11 | |
| 2 | 30-11-202530-11 | |
| 3 | 07-12-202507-12 | |
| 4 | 14-12-202514-12 | |
| 5 | 20-12-202520-12 | |
| 6 | 21-12-202521-12 | |
| 7 | 26-12-202526-12 | |
| 8 | 28-12-202528-12 | |
| 9 | 04-01-202604-01 | |
| 10 | 18-01-202618-01 | |
| 11 | 24-01-202624-01 | |
| 12 | 25-01-202625-01 |
