Sunday’s taxing fourth round of the 2025-2026 UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Namur, Belgium, heralded the return of world champion Mathieu van der Poel to racing. Van der Poel duly won his 12th consecutive CX contest. Thibau Nys was locked into a fine battle with the Dutchman until a crash on the final lap checked his ambitions. Liam Sargent was top Canadian in 48th.
Earlier in the day, Sagan Goertz was top Canadian in the Junior men’s race at 13th. Grayson Franks was 21st, Fabrice Dufresne 24th and Asher Bensimon 30th.
Preliminaries
Last week Michael Vanthourenhout prevailed in a engaging scrap with Joris Nieuwenhuis and Laurens Sweeck on Sardinia. An absent Thibau Nys kept the series lead by four points over Sweeck and five over Nieuwenhuis. Van der Poel won all eight ‘cross races he took on in 2024-2025, and it looks like this season will be the same length for the seven-time world champion.
Rhett Bates and Liam Sargent made up the Canadian contingent. Both raced Leiecross in Kortrijk in the day before.
Van der Poel started from the third row. His first recorded position was 22nd. Vanthourenhout charged up the hill to grab an early lead. One minute in and van der Poel was 11th. Toon Vandebosche led down the climb. The string stayed long early in the opening lap. The cobbled ascent allowed the world champion to slot into fourth. Nys had a crash at the base of a steep carry section. Vanthourenhout crossed the line first, one second ahead of van der Poel. Sargent was top Canadian in 47th.
Vanthourenhout would relinquish the lead at the start of Lap 2. Nys held fast in third. They made up the vanguard of an octet that had slipped the others. Nys attacked past van der Poel. A ninth rider bridged over before the line. Sargent raced in 48th, Bates in 54th.
The leading group swelled some more before Lars van der Haar seized the reins at the start of Lap 3 of 9. Sweeck wasn’t having a good race. Van der Haar continued to push on a climb and split the group. He had Vanthourenhout, van der Poel and Nys for company. This quartet headed into Lap 4 with a small advantage of Emiel Verstrynge, who toiled to make the junction. Fans at the barriers and at home wondered, when will the world champion take this race by the scruff of the neck?
But a crash put the man in the rainbow jersey momentarily on the back foot.
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