


In the cyclocross world, the Koppenbergcross is still considered the true start of the season. For many riders, that is no longer the case, but for European champion Thibau Nys, it certainly is. On Saturday, All Saints' Day, he will immediately have to prove himself on a very challenging course. World champion Fem van Empel will also be competing. WielerFlits looks ahead.
The Koppenbergcross course is a blueprint of last season. Before the 2016 edition, the circuit in Melden was last thoroughly adjusted. Because the meadow on the left side of the Koppenberg was no longer allowed to be used due to financial reasons, a brand-new course was drawn on the right side of the hill. Also new was the finish at the cobbled summit of the climb, instead of the finish on the flat asphalt road below.
Since 2023, a small adjustment has been made again. The long loop (bottom left on the map) was removed and instead more emphasis was placed on the descents and thus also on technical skills.
The start is, by now customary, given at the foot of the Koppenberg and only after the first passage past the finish do the riders turn right and enter the field – after the first double pit stop passage – to climb an extra stretch up to the top of the Koppenberg.
Then the descent begins, of course interrupted a few times. As in previous editions, the Koppenberg itself will again be the ultimate test. On the Koppenbergcross website, a nice summary of the course is provided. “Challenging climbs and spectacular descents follow each other in quick succession, with some sections for recovery here and there.”
“Clear for the spectators and a guarantee for an impressive race flow. The showpiece of the Koppenbergcross remains, of course, the cobbled climb towards the finish, atop the steepest section of the infamous Bult van Melden.”
We get a big name added to the cyclocross scene on Saturday. Precisely on the Koppenberg, where two years ago he took one of his first major victories – and where his father Sven holds the record with nine wins – Thibau Nys kicks off his cyclocross winter. And the 22-year-old European champion does so, as always, with a good dose of ambition.
Nys came out somewhat drained from the road season but then took two weeks off. "That is not only physically very important after such a tough summer but also mentally," father Sven tells our camera. "After those two weeks of rest, you could see the hunger return and the eagerness to dive in and to be dominant in this discipline as well. I have seen that grow every week, up until now when the Koppenbergcross is coming. I am convinced he will be immediately strong," he says confidently.
In the cyclocross world, there is a fear that Nys, who now has the Tour in his legs, will be even stronger than last winter. “We won’t see that Tour form immediately,” Sven soothes. “It won’t so much be in extra bursts of speed. I think it will more be expressed in extra stability. Completing a Tour de France the way he did will pay off anyway. That has been the case for everyone, but Thibau still had a bit of a surplus and the feeling that he wasn’t completely drained.”
In any case, the rest is warned. Especially Michael Vanthourenhout, who won the first two classification cross races of the winter. In those races, Vanthourenhout was not only physically but also tactically the strongest. Letting the young guns wear themselves out first, to then go solo in the last quarter of the race for the win. This gave his new sponsor Altez Industriebouw a perfect start.
In the last three races, Pim Ronhaar has been emerging strongly. Before that, we had hardly noticed him, but suddenly there he was, with three consecutive second places. Ronhaar races sometimes recklessly, but that is also his great strength, he believes. The leader of the Baloise Glowi Lions certainly makes the races more enjoyable to watch and sooner or later that will pay off.
We are also curious about Joris Nieuwenhuis at the Koppenberg. Not because of his current form, because Nieuwenhuis – who narrowly missed winning in Ruddervoorde by a tire width and celebrated in Heerderstrand – is doing quite well. But because it has been since 2018 (!) that the experienced cyclocross rider last started on the Bult van Melden. Countless factors prevented it year after year, but now the climber Nieuwenhuis should perform nonetheless. He certainly has it in him.
Furthermore, former winner Lars van der Haar will also start in Oudenaarde, but given his current form, it is questionable whether Van der Haar will still be competing for the prizes. Laurens Sweeck is absent, but Crelan-Corendon does send two strong climbers: Emiel Verstrynge and Toon Vandebosch. Especially Verstrynge, third in the Druivencross, can surpass himself on a good day.
Women
It is a bit uncertain in what condition Fem van Empel will start on Saturday. The Dutch world champion had found her best form again last week and was becoming increasingly dominant with wins in both the Nacht van Woerden and the Exact Cross in Heerderstrand. But then bad news came out on the morning of Overijse.

Van Empel is building up to her best form - photo: Cor Vos
“Unfortunately, Fem will not start today in the Superprestige cross in Overijse because she does not feel fully fit. Get well soon, Fem!” her team suddenly announced. It is uncertain whether Van Empel actually got sick or if it was simply the fatigue from two races in one week that got the better of her. In the latter case, Van Empel should be able to get ready again for the Koppenberg.
Especially since Van Empel herself has already said several times that the Koppenberg is her favorite race of the entire season, we expect a strong world champion at the start. But the competition has not been standing still either. Lucinda Brand, for example, is selecting her races more cleverly this season where she wants to perform well, after struggling last winter. That should produce an even better Brand in the races she competes in at age 36.
In Overijse, Brand gave a strong impression, but a crash in the penultimate lap allowed the Italian Sara Casasola to ride alone to victory. Last season she was already third on the Koppenberg, but this summer the Italian worked even more on her weaknesses, making it seem she has taken the step to the top. Climbing courses suit her, and so the Crelan-Corendon rider will compete for the podium.
Within her team, Belgian champion Marion Norbert Riberolle, the strong winner of Ruddervoorde, Inge van der Heijden, and Manon Bakker are podium candidates. Furthermore, keep an eye on Hungarian Blanka Vas, who only rode her first cross of the winter in Overijse, as well as the French Amandine Fouquenet and Hélène Clauzel.
We will most likely get an extremely tough Koppenbergcross on Saturday. According to Meteovista, a total of 6mm of precipitation will fall, mainly in the morning. It will definitely be slippery on the slopes of the Bult van Melden. Temperatures up to 15 degrees Celsius are pleasant, but the wind up to 4 Beaufort is less pleasant.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2021 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2019 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2016 |
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2021 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2019 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2016 |
| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01:00:34 | |
| 2 | + 34 | |
| 3 | + 54 | |
| 4 | + 01:30 | |
| 5 | + 01:32 | |
| 6 | + 01:48 | |
| 7 | + 02:07 | |
| 8 | + 02:16 | |
| 9 | + 02:38 | |
| 10 | + 02:55 |
| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 39:51 | |
| 2 | + 31 | |
| 3 | + 01:35 | |
| 4 | + 02:00 | |
| 5 | + 02:05 | |
| 6 | + 03:55 | |
| 7 | + 04:57 | |
| 8 | + 05:06 | |
| 9 | + 05:11 | |
| 10 | + 05:33 |
| # | Rider | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21.43% | |
| 2 | 21.33% | |
| 3 | 13.93% | |
| 4 | 12.50% | |
| 5 | 7.38% |
| # | Rider | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 66.81% | |
| 2 | 12.03% | |
| 3 | 9.28% | |
| 4 | 3.68% | |
| 5 | 3.00% |


