The Koppenbergcross in Oudenaarde is one of the most legendary cyclocross races of the season. Its epic status is entirely thanks to the Koppenberg, the hill of Melden. Every year, an exciting battle is fought on a unique course. Cyclingflash takes you through the history.
It was in September 1988 that cyclocross was held in Oudenaarde for the first time. Not yet on the Koppenberg in Melden, but at ‘Den Doorn’ in Eine, another district of the Adriaan Brouwer city. The first two editions were won by Rudy Thielemans. It was only for the third edition that the race moved to the Koppenberg. On the slopes of Flanders’ most notorious climb, a circuit with international stature and a Swiss feel was available.
However, due to a number of deaths in the organizing committee, the Sint-Pietersvrienden took a break in the early '90s. The race was not on the calendar in the ’93-’94 and ’94-’95 seasons. At the beginning of January 1996, the event reappeared. Initially very modest and with a modestly sized participants’ field (B-racer Mario Lammens won the 1996 edition), but soon the Koppenbergcross made great strides forward and grew into a true classic.
The familiar sight, the pack on the Koppenberg - photo: Cor Vos
After four consecutive editions in early January, the race moved in 1999 to All Saints’ Day and for the last twenty years, November 1st has been the fixed date in Melden. Peter Van den Abeele, record-holder in the ’90s with three wins, was overshadowed in the first decade of this century by Sven Nys, who crowned himself the King of the Koppenberg with no less than nine victories in eleven years. Nys still holds that title.
Sven Nys’ dominance also meant that top riders like Niels Albert, Zdeněk Štybar, and Lars Boom never ended up taking the coveted cobblestone home. In 2002, the French rider Laurence Leboucher was the very first woman on the honor roll. The women’s race has likewise been on the calendar for over twenty years. The British rider Helen Wyman holds the record with four victories.
Sven Nys is the one and only King of the Koppenberg - photo: Cor Vos
What else should you know? That in 2017 the Sint-Pietersvrienden sold the race to SportIDee, the umbrella organizer of the Ethias Cross, which in turn was taken over by Golazo, also responsible for organizing the X2O Trophy.
The Koppenbergcross has been part of the Gazet van Antwerpen Trophy since 2002, which after multiple name changes has been known since 2020 as the X2O Badkamers Trophy. Just like in recent years, it is the opening round of this season’s points classification.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 |  Thibau Nys |
| 2024 |  Lars van der Haar |
| 2023 | Thibau Nys |
| 2022 | Lars van der Haar |
| 2021 | Eli Iserbyt |
| 2020 | Eli Iserbyt |
| 2019 | Eli Iserbyt |
| 2018 | Toon Aerts |
| 2017 | Mathieu van der Poel |
| 2016 | Wout van Aert |
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Lucinda Brand |
| 2024 | Fem van Empel |
| 2023 | Fem van Empel |
| 2022 | Fem van Empel |
| 2021 |  Clara Honsinger |
| 2020 | Annemarie Worst |
| 2019 | Yara Kastelijn |
| 2018 | Kim Van De Steene |
| 2017 |  Helen Wyman |
| 2016 | Jolien Verschueren |
