The cyclocross season in Europe is winding down. The three major series, the World Cup, Superprestige and X2O Badkamers Trofee, are won (well, barring disaster for Eli Iserbyt in Sunday’s last round of the X2O Trofee). The national and world title jerseys are claimed. The Canadians have gone home. Let’s take a look at 10 highlights of the season in chronological order.
October 27-November 11: Nys has a hell of a fortnight There were some fine streaks this season, and Thibau Nys posted the first one. Illness complicated his early campaign, but a week after winning the Superprestige’s second round, he took the European crown and then, clad in his new duds, he picked off the X2O Trofee race in Lokeren. He would go on to earn the Belgian championship, a World Cup race and bronze at the Worlds.
December 1-December 15: Vanthourenhout’s red hot early December The next rider on a roll was Michael Vanthourenhout, currently the UCI’s number one-ranked elite male. He racked up four wins on the season and three of them were in the first half of December, claiming the Dublin and Namur World Cups and a round of the X2O Trofee. The Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines fellow would go on to win his first World Cup overall title.
December 22: MvdP wrecks ’em in his first race The CX world was anticipating the season debuts of Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock, the latter one not on the cards. MvdP started the Zonhoven World Cup in the third row and 30 seconds later was solo off the front, romping to an easy win. It was something the elite men’s field got used to, as the Dutchman went eight for eight.
January 3: Puck’s pride in Koksijde All the major players in the elite women’s field already had victory notches on their handlebars by the time Puck Pieterse got her season underway on December 15. After four third places and a fifth in World Cups and a X2O Trofee round, the Dutch ginger finally got her triumph at the sandy Vlaamse Duinencross X2O in Koksijde. She only entered 11 races in 2024-2025 but registed two wins, Koksijde and Dutch national championship. Not too shabby.
January 4: Van Aert garners glory at Gullegem A rib injury suffered in his win at the Loenhout Exact Cross forced van der Poel off the race track for almost a month, but into the gap stepped Wout van Aert. He was top man on two consecutive days, January 4’s Superprestige race and the…
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