Gianni Vermeersch and Quinten Hermans return to the cyclocross on New Year’s Day

Gianni Vermeersch and Quinten Hermans nowadays only occasionally compete on the cyclocross bike, but on New Year's Day they will dive back into the field. The two Belgians are set to participate in the X2O-cross in Baal. Hermans will also race two days later, in Gullegem.

Vermeersch making an appearance in Baal is no real surprise. That was already clear during the team presentation of his new employer Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. "I don't know exactly when I'll start, but I definitely want to ride the Belgian Championships," he told WielerFlits and others at the time.

"I just don’t know how it will go. It's always tough with Erwin Vervecken, it's always tough in cyclocross (laughs, ed.). Ideally, I’ll do four to five races this winter. Until about mid-January, and so definitely no World Championships."

Two years ago, Vermeersch (33) finished second in both the Kasteelcross in Zonnebeke and the Azencross in Loenhout. His last cyclocross dates from the most recent Belgian Championships. Previously, he focused solely on the cyclocross program in winter, but Vermeersch was never a frequent winner—partly due to the presence of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.

Hermans has also earned his stripes in cyclocross. The 32-year-old rider has even won a World Cup cross race in the past (in Fayetteville, USA) and has also claimed victories in well-known races in Ardooie, Eeklo, Beringen, and Essen. He has also stood on the podium at a Belgian Championship (bronze) and European Championship (silver).

While Vermeersch will show off the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe kit for the first time in Baal, we will not yet see Hermans in the colors of his new team, Pinarello-Q36.5. The Swiss outfit will officially present its new kit only on January 8.