Inge van der Heijden claimed the first TV cross race of the 2025-2026 season. The Crelan-Corendon rider beat Aniek van Alphen in the Exact Cross Meulebeke. Alicia Franck finished third.
The absolute elite of women's cyclo-cross did not start in Meulebeke, but the organizers could count on the participation of Denise Betsema, Aniek van Alphen, Inge van der Heijden, Laura Verdonschot, and Belgian champion Marian Norbert Riberolle, among others. The best start was by Van der Heijden, who entered the course first. She pushed hard and came through the first of seven laps alone. However, the gap with Norbert Riberolle, Van Alphen, and Alicia Franck was still limited.
Three-way battle in the finale
In the second lap, the chasers remained five to six seconds behind, but in the third lap, they closed the gap. At least, for a short moment. Van Alphen soon had to lose ground again to Van der Heijden, who quickly extended her lead to ten seconds. In lap four, however, she lost that advantage just as fast. Franck, Van Alphen, and Norbert Riberolle caught up, but in the fifth lap, the latter suffered mechanical trouble. This left three riders entering the penultimate lap.
In the sixth lap, no one could make a difference, so it all had to be decided in the final lap. Van Alphen attacked on a short climb from behind, but her rivals reacted quickly. Van der Heijden then took over and put Van Alphen and Franck under pressure. After the sandy section, Franck dropped off, but Van Alphen was still on her wheel, took the lead and launched the sprint first. Van der Heijden, however, had a bit more left in her legs. She passed Van Alphen in the last few meters to secure the victory.
Van der Heijden: "Immediately in the flow"
Van der Heijden was naturally delighted after her win. "It’s always nice to start the season with a victory," she said afterwards to Sporza. "Then you’re immediately in the flow. I tried to drop Van Alphen right after the sand pit. I gave everything, but she was still on my wheel. In the sprint, it was enough after all."
Van Alphen described it as a 'tough race' after the finish. "For a moment, I thought I was going to make it, but I knew Inge was very strong," she said. "I also wasted a lot of energy closing the gap in the beginning. I wanted to win, but I knew from training that Inge would come."
Exact Cross - Meulebeke| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 49:24 | |
| 2 | + 01 | |
| 3 | + 08 | |
| 4 | + 47 | |
| 5 | + 01:39 | |
| 6 | + 02:00 | |
| 7 | + 02:27 | |
| 8 | + 02:37 | |
| 9 | + 02:39 | |
| 10 | + 03:02 |
