


With Mathieu van der Poel participating in Namur, cyclocross already got its first popularity boost last Sunday, but when the world champion goes head-to-head with Wout van Aert for the first time this Saturday in the Antwerp cross, the sport will really explode. The only question is: can we expect a real duel? WielerFlits looks ahead.
We already heard some concerns backstage about the first duel between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel in Antwerp. Would the Big Two, starting from the third row, be able to get to the front on the narrow course of the Scheldecross, which often has a chaotic start? Well, it turns out that organizer Flanders Classics has redesigned the circuit with some changes that favor the Kempen rider.
The first two starting rows in Antwerp are reserved for the top 16 in the provisional standings of the World Cup, but Van der Poel and Van Aert are both not among them. Because they are both in the top 10 of the UCI road ranking, they are given a spot on the third row. Still not ideal, especially for Van Aert, who in recent years—think of the dramatic start at the World Championships in Liévin—has often struggled to fight his way forward from that position.
New start lane
But Van Aert will see a favorable change in the course. "We have moved the start and finish lane to the wide Thonetlaan, where the riders' camper vans used to be parked," explains Chris Mannaerts, Head of Cyclocross at Flanders Classics. "The finish on the Wandeldijk next to the beach had the advantage that it was right after the last sand section, but in terms of crowd flow, that finish caused a lot of problems."
Apparently, many riders were also not fans of that start lane. "The problem was that immediately after the finish, you quickly went onto a small sand section and the well-known hill near the Antwerp City Camping. Tom Pidcock fell there two years ago. He thought that section was unsuitable for riding through a large peloton because you lose the line and the risk of crashes is higher. We listened to that."
"Because the hill followed so quickly after the start, it often turned into a big battle in that first corner after the start. And if someone didn’t make it up the hill, the whole group of riders behind got stuck, and some riders could forget about getting to the front. Of course, we didn’t want that, and it also factored into the decision to move the finish," Mannaerts explains.
That opens up many more opportunities for Van Aert and company. "The new start lane is over six meters wide, and there are many possibilities to advance early on. The start lane is split into two parts, but that asphalt corner will cause little trouble. It will take over 400 meters before the course narrows for the first time to about four meters, at the first descent into the sand. So there is plenty of space to choose position before it gets tricky for the first time," he says.
Longer sand sections
These changes also mean that the sand sections are located differently on the course. "We now have two long sand tracks of almost one hundred meters," says Mannaerts. "The first is now at the start of the race, in reverse direction compared to last year. The second follows halfway through. We are happy to have two long sand tracks now, because in the past Antwerp had a bit of a reputation for too many tight turns in the sand."
"What’s interesting about that second section is that riders have the option to descend along the water’s edge. You can ride fifty meters on hard surface, but then you have a longer climb back up. I suspect for most riders the advantage of descending won’t outweigh the disadvantage, but it does sow doubt. It’s also an extra opportunity to gain positions. So, it will be a very fair fight."
Men
There are three of them: the men who will attract the most attention during the upcoming cyclocross weekend, starting on the banks of the Scheldt in Antwerp. The ruler (Mathieu van der Poel), the young challenger (Thibau Nys), and the question mark (Wout van Aert) all want to take control of the first big confrontation, but how should we assess their relative strengths?
The clear top favorite is Mathieu van der Poel. Although his first cross of the winter – Sunday in Namur – was a close call, the stats don’t bode well for the competition. In the past two seasons, Van der Poel only lost due to bad luck. Still, both saw a vulnerable Van der Poel in Namur, albeit on a very specific climbing course. Quite different from what we see in Antwerp.
That’s why Sporza commentator and former world champion Paul Herygers is quite clear about his expectations. "I’m afraid you’ll have to get up very early to admire him there. It won’t last half the race. I don’t want to be negative towards the competition, but prepare for the worst. Everyone hopes he can be beaten now, but on a course that suits him perfectly, where he can’t be caught, he won’t wait around."
"In principle, his only goal is the World Championships, but I’m not naive: he wants to win them all, and it will be a fight for the rest. On these sorts of courses, he will already be 100 percent," concludes Herygers. It’s an analysis with which we can only agree after seeing the Namur race and considering previous seasons.
In Namur, Thibau Nys came quite close, but again Antwerp is a different ballgame for the young challenger. Nys doesn’t really like sandy races, but he will be extra motivated to defend his World Cup leader’s jersey. Herygers: "I think after next weekend we might speak a little less gloriously about Nys. And I don’t mean that negatively. He has made progress, but he’s not there yet. His time will come and the future smiles on him, but right now, he mostly has to make sure he doesn’t get burned by Mathieu."
Wout van Aert is the big question mark on Saturday. The Kempen rider from Visma | Lease a Bike was only spotted on the cyclocross bike for the first time on Wednesday, but how fit is he now? That seems like the million-dollar question. His team management has already said they can’t draw too many conclusions from last winter’s cyclocross races because he had just returned from injury then. This time Van Aert starts after a perfect preparation with a clean slate, which can be liberating for the three-time world champion.
Herygers also expects a strong Van Aert. "I do think he’s in shape. To race at this level, you need a base. He had a long period to do what he wanted and relax, but after that he certainly didn’t just ride slow rides with hobby cyclists. He must have trained quite hard at the right moments," says the Sporza commentator.
And the rest? In Namur, we also saw Michael Vanthourenhout and Lars van der Haar contend for a long time. They are again among our top favorites for a top 5 finish, along with sand specialists Laurens Sweeck, Joris Nieuwenhuis, and Niels Vandeputte. We also don’t forget Dutch champion Tibor Del Grosso.
Women
But also among the women, the cream of the cyclocross world is starting, except for the unfortunate world champion Fem van Empel. After four rounds, or one-third of the Cyclocross World Cup, Aniek van Alphen surprisingly holds the lead in the most prestigious ranking in cyclocross. She partly owes this to some strategic program choices.
“The World Cup gradually became a goal during the season,” Van Alphen explained to our camera last weekend. “The Superprestige was actually the classification I wanted to aim for this season. But when I took the lead after Flamanville, the team quickly decided I should race in Terralba as well. If I hadn’t been the leader, I would have just stayed in Spain last week. But because I was, we decided I want to race the entire World Cup to see how far I can go. In the end, it worked out well.”
Van Alphen also realizes it won’t be easy to ultimately secure the overall win. Lucinda Brand, who did not start in Flamanville, closed the gap again after a new victory – her third this season in this classification – in Namur, now just one point behind Van Alphen. On every terrain, the 36-year-old Brand currently is better than her rivals.
Or will Puck Pieterse suddenly change that? At her first cross of the winter in Namur, she already showed impressive form, resulting in a promising fourth place. Also, Shirin van Anrooij developed into an excellent level in recent weeks, but she took a week off before the Namur race. Antwerp should suit them both perfectly.
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado is showing fluctuating form due to a mix of knee problems and illness, but she can come back strong. Also, Inge van der Heijden, Amandine Fouquenet, Marie Schreiber, Sara Casasola, Jolanda Neff, and Leonie Bentveld can stand on the podium on a good day. The level in women’s cyclocross is suddenly very broad.
The day promises to have two faces. Saturday in Antwerp will start dry, but in the afternoon a stray rain shower might disrupt spectators and riders. Temperatures will rise to 8 degrees Celsius, with the wind—which can sometimes pick up along the Scheldt—limited to 2 Beaufort coming from the east.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2015 | |
| 2014 | |
| 2013 |
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2015 | |
| 2014 | |
| 2013 |
| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 58:56 | |
| 2 | + 17 | |
| 3 | + 28 | |
| 4 | + 34 | |
| 5 | + 44 | |
| 6 | + 54 | |
| 7 | + 01:11 | |
| 8 | + 01:15 | |
| 9 | + 01:22 | |
| 10 | + 01:29 |
| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50:33 | |
| 2 | + 31 | |
| 3 | + 01:11 | |
| 4 | + 01:27 | |
| 5 | + 01:41 | |
| 6 | + 01:57 | |
| 7 | + 02:10 | |
| 8 | + 02:17 | |
| 9 | + 02:31 | |
| 10 | + 02:40 |

The problematic hill in Antwerp – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos

Van der Poel immediately put the record straight in Namur – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos

What can Wout van Aert do in the sand? – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
| # | Rider | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 80.22% | |
| 2 | 6.54% | |
| 3 | 3.47% | |
| 4 | 1.69% | |
| 5 | 1.37% |

Aniek van Alphen leads the World Cup – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
| # | Rider | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 61.19% | |
| 2 | 11.94% | |
| 3 | 5.15% | |
| 4 | 3.69% | |
| 5 | 3.61% |