Now that we have the Koppenbergcross and the European Cyclocross Championships in Middelkerke behind us—the first major events of the 2025-2026 cyclocross season—it’s time for a first tentative look back at the opening eight races of the winter. Based on that, the editorial team of WielerFlits has drawn five conclusions.
Last year, we confidently crowned Thibau Nys as the 'man of the preseason' in this column. That was already with some hesitation, given the many different winners. This season, the field seems even more fragmented. Joris Nieuwenhuis and Michael Vanthourenhout are the only riders with more than one win in a TV-broadcasted cross, but both came up clearly short at the European Championships in the sandy Middelkerke—the biggest event of that opening month of cyclocross.
Take into account that Thibau Nys has not been riding very dominantly so far either, and you have to admit that this time truly no one stands out in the elite category. Toon Aerts did win the European title but was not always on the mark elsewhere. The most consistent name might be Dutchman Pim Ronhaar, who always races attractively and hardly ever disappoints. The only thing missing so far is a standout victory.
In the build-up to this cyclocross season, we heard all over that we should prepare for a ‘new style’ Toon Aerts. For the first time in his long career, the 32-year-old rider had the chance to do an extensive road campaign with the Lotto team. As is often the case, this has significantly strengthened Aerts’ engine. Racing against stronger riders on the WorldTour level and being in a hyper-professional environment enabled him to take an extra step forward.
Aerts completed a full road program – photo: Cor Vos
Aerts also naturally has a better starting position than before, but finishing a sprint like he did at the European Championship—that was something we hadn’t seen much from him yet. "Thanks to Lotto team director Nikolas Maes, who taught me a lot," Aerts confirmed to Het Nieuwsblad. "That way of working motivated me immensely, and Lotto has brought out a Toon Aerts who maybe wasn’t there before. It’s incredible how much support I get from them."
We wrote about this last week following a pointed column by Niels Albert: even though we see lots of exciting finishes in cyclocross these days, the sport sometimes lacks a true star in the field. Thibau Nys seems to be in pole position to fill that role, with his attractive racing style and smooth talk. But in terms of results, Nys still lacks a bit of consistency.
In recent years, you could count on Eli Iserbyt for those qualities, often being the big name in the opening months. However, Iserbyt is still struggling with an injury to his femoral artery. At this point, it’s not unrealistic to think his season—and possibly even his career—could be at risk, which is a real shame for the West Flanders native. But also for cyclocross itself, which clearly misses such a colorful figure as Iserbyt right now.
There’s always something unpredictable about the international women's championships. Time and again, we confidently predicted that Lucinda Brand would easily take the European title, but the outcome was very different. A poor start allowed Inge van der Heijden to break away, and behind her it turned into a tactical battle where team and national tactics got in each other's way.
A surprising podium in Middelkerke – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
This gave us Inge van der Heijden as a surprising but no less deserved winner. The Crelan-Corendon rider had claimed her first stage race victory in Middelkerke earlier this year and now adds her first pro title in cyclocross. It just goes to show you can still break through in cyclocross at 26.
Without wanting to diminish the European titles of Aerts and Van der Heijden, we must honestly admit that some names were missing at the European Championships. After illness at the end of October, world champion Fem van Empel has had to put cyclocross aside for a while. Also, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Annemarie Worst have not yet returned from injuries. Later in the winter, Puck Pieterse, Shirin van Anrooij, and Marianne Vos are expected back.
It's the same with the men. Wout van Aert has repeatedly stated he wants to start his cyclocross season earlier than in recent years when he only began in mid-December. And eight-time world champion Mathieu van der Poel is also aiming for a full cyclocross program again. This means riders who want to score points need to do so primarily in this phase of the season. The competition will only intensify in December.
