2026 Cyclocross World Championships Hulst preview - Mathieu van der Poel on the cusp of history

The 2026 UCI Cyclocross World Championships will take place over three days from Friday, 30 January to Sunday, 1 February. Here is the schedule for seven events.

Friday, 30 January

• Team relay - 13:35 

Saturday, 31 January

• Junior Women - 11:05
• Under-23 Men - 13:10
• Elite Women - 15:10

Sunday, 1 February

• Junior Men - 11:05
• Under-23 Women - 13:10
• Elite Men - 15:10

(All times CET)

Here is a look at who won what during the 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Liévin, France:

• Junior Women - Lise Revol (France)
• Junior Men - Mattia Agostinacchio (Italy)
• Under-23 Women - Zoe Bäckstedt (Great Britain)
• Under-23 Men - Tibor Del Grosso (Netherlands)
• Elite Women  - Fem van Empel (Netherlands)
• Elite Men - Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands)

For the first time, the city of Hulst will host the UCI Cyclocross World Championships, marking the tenth time that the Netherlands will have hosted the event and the third time in the last decade.

Hulst has become a very well-known location among cyclocross fans over the past decade, with the Vestingcross first taking place in 2017, then as part of the Ethias Cross series. However, such was the success and popularity of the race that Hulst became a round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup for the 2020/21 season, and has since been one of the most hotly contested races on the calendar.

Mathieu van der Poel has won six out of the nine editions of the men’s elite race in Hulst, with his Alpecin Premier-Tech teammate Niels Vandeputte winning the most recent edition in a mud-fest of a race due to rainy conditions. Marie Schreiber won the women’s elite race, which was also shaped by the difficult weather conditions, significantly impacting the course. It was the first UCI World Cup-level victories for both Schreiber and Vandeputte at the elite level.

Curious about how to watch the 2026 Cyclocross World Championships Hulst? Discover it in our complete how to watch guide, featuring a full overview of all broadcasters and streaming options.

The course in Hulst has become well distinguished over the previous editions, but there will be some changes for the World Championships. In total, the course is 3,240 metres in length with 40 metres of positive elevation per lap and two pit areas. 71% of the lap’s surface is grass, with 17% made up by platforms, 10% on road, and 3% gravel.

The main new feature is the introduction of five pontoons, which take the riders over the city's moat. Usually, the moat serves as a setting for the riders along a spectacularly designed course, but for the Worlds, the riders will actually ride over the moat via the pontoon bridges, which gives the race organisers more flexibility in terms of adapting the course. 

The course features two main climbs, two key descents, and seven bridges alongside the new pontoons, and the recognisable Stadsmolen (mill) still serves as a visual anchor of the circuit.

Race organiser Bram De Brauwer discussed with AD about the changes to the course, stating, “One of the bridges is a viaduct at two different heights, which is unique. We've never built anything like that before.” 

Here's a look at some of the contenders for the rainbow jersey heading into each race

Last year’s junior women's race saw a shootout for the rainbow jersey between two riders, Barbora Bukovská (Czechia) and Lise Revol (France). The Czech rider mistakenly started to celebrate one lap early, and Revol would eventually go on to win with Bukovská taking silver. Twelve months later, and it’s looking likely that these riders will be two of the main contenders for victory in Hulst. 

Revol has enjoyed a prolific year as world champion with seven victories, including three rounds of the World Cup, which also secured the overall standings of the series. Bukovská has five victories this season, including her home World Cup round in Tábor and the European championships in Middelkerke.

Giorgia Pellizzotti (Italy), daughter of former professional Franco, had her race impacted by a crash at the start twelve months ago in Liévin. The Italian is also a big contender and arguably the most in-form, with recent World Cup wins in Zonhoven and Benidorm.

In the men’s race, Italy stands out as the strongest nation based on the current season, and also going off recent years of the junior race at the Worlds, with Italian victories for Stefano Viezzi and Mattia Agostinacchio in the previous two editions. 

Patrik Pezzo Rosola (Italy) and Filippo Grigolini (Italy) will have plenty of eyes drawn on them after excellent seasons so far, which have seen them finish first and third in the World Cup standings. The duo are two of the heavy favourites for the rainbow jersey, though junior races always like to throw up surprises here or there.

Belgium will be aiming to win back the title they last had in 2020 with Thibau Nys in Dübendorf, Switzerland. Giel Lejeune (Belgium) is a rider who could accomplish this as he has been consistently strong this season, winning his first five races of the season before adding more recent victories such as in Koksijde, Hofstade and Diegem. Lejeune had to settle for runner-up at the Belgian championships behind Jari Van Lee (Belgium), who is another Belgian to watch.

French champion Soren Bruyère Joumard (France) was runner-up twelve months ago on home soil, and this year has won two rounds of the World Cup in Tábor and, most recently, in Hoogerheide. These results helped the Frenchman finish runner-up in the overall standings, and he is one of the in-form riders heading to Hulst.

Benjamín Noval Suarez (Spain), who has already signed a contract to join the WorldTour with Ineos Grenadiers on the road from 2027, is also one to watch for the Spanish national team.

The men's field is stacked with talent, with many riders who will believe that they could be the world champion at the end of the weekend. Two riders who stand out are David Haverdings (Netherlands) and Aubin Sparfel (France) have duked it out over many great battles this season, finishing first and second in the World Cup standings, respectively. Haverdings has the slight edge over Sparfel in the head-to-head record, finishing ahead of the Frenchman in seven out of thirteen races. 

The last few weeks looked particularly good for the Dutchman, winning in Koksijde, Dendermonde and Benidorm, but it was Sparfel who came out on top in the final encounter before the big battle in Hulst by winning in Hoogerheide. Whilst these two riders are big contenders for victory in Hulst, there will be plenty of others also in the hunt for victory or at least the podium.

The Belgians will be up for the fight and travelling across the border in numbers, with Yordi Corsus (Belgium) spearheading the team. The rest of the squad, featuring Arthur Van den Boer (Belgium), last year's runner-up Kay De Bruyckere (Belgium), Viktor Vandenberghe (Belgium), Sil De Brauwere (Belgium), Mats Vanden Eynde (Belgium), and Aaron Dockx (Belgium), could all deliver a big performance if Belgium can play the team card. The Dutch also field a strong team alongside Haverdings, with the likes of Guus van den Eijnden (Netherlands) and Michiel Mouris (Netherlands).

Stefano Viezzi (Italy), the former junior World Champion, will have the weight of Italian hopes solely on his shoulders, with Mattia Agostinacchio ending his cross-season early due to illness. Viezzi narrowly missed out on the podium twelve months ago, finishing fourth, and he is in good form after finishing third in Hoogerheide. Fellow former junior champion Léo Bisiaux (France), as well as Romain Debord (France) are two more riders to watch for a strong performance.

The women's race will also see a new world champion in the under-23 category, with many suitors for the rainbow jersey. Célia Gery (France) is building an impressive collection of rainbow jerseys as the under-23 road world champion and former junior cyclocross world champion. 

The elite French champion has been competitive at the pointy end of multiple elite races this winter, finishing second at the Koppenbercross, fourth in Benidorm and sixth at Gavere, for example. Gery is typically a fast starter, and if able to get out of the blocks quickly, could be a difficult rider to stop.

Leonie Bentveld (Netherlands) was the highest place finisher of those on the start list in Liévin, finishing with the bronze medal, a position the Dutch rider has occupied for two years running. Bentveld is the European champion in this category and will be looking to add the rainbow jersey next week for the first time. Viktória Chladonová’s (Slovakia) recent sixth-place finish in the elite race in Hoogerheide bodes very well for the talented multidisciplined Slovakian, with a podium finish a potential prospect.

Fleur Moors (Belgium) has entered 2026 in good form with a seventh-place finish at Benidorm and eleventh in Hoogerheide in the Elites, indicating that a medal could be on the cards. Amandine Muller (France) and Lidia Cusack (United States) are other riders to watch out for a strong performance.

Following Fem van Empel's decision to step away from cycling indefinitely, there will be a different winner of the Elite Women’s race for the first time since Marianne Vos outsprinted Lucinda Brand in Fayetteville, United States, in 2022. 

Whilst Vos hasn’t ridden a cyclocross race this season, Brand has done so plenty, and been a dominant figure for the majority of the campaign with 18 victories to her name.

Based on the season as a whole, there should be one clear favourite in Brand (Netherlands) to win in Hulst. However, recent weeks indicate that the battle for the rainbow jersey could be a lot closer than first anticipated. 

With a tenth-place finish in Maasmechelen last Saturday, Brand’s impressive streak of 63 consecutive podium finishes came to an end. With the World Cup already secured, Brand didn’t participate last Sunday in Hoogerheide and will have had a week to put behind her lowest finish since January 2024.

One race doesn’t make a season, certainly when you look at the exploits of the Dutch rider this season, and as Brand said herself post race in Maasmechelen, there’s “no reason to panic,” as she has the blueprint for 18 victories this season that she can look to use in Hulst to claim the rainbow jersey for the second time in her career.

The biggest challenges for Brand should come from her fellow Dutch riders. It took a while for her first victory of the season in Diegem at the end of December, but Puck Pieterse (Netherlands) is well and truly rocking ahead of the Worlds. Pieterse has since unlocked the winning formula again with back-to-back victories in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide, cementing previous signs that the 23-year-old’s form was on the rise. 

The very recent form books indicate that Pieterse could well be the rider to beat in Hulst, and this case is supported by the fact that the Dutch rider has a good track record in Hulst as an elite with two wins previously in 2022 and 2023.

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Netherlands) claimed all three of her seasons’ victories consecutively earlier this month, including the Dutch championships. Alvarado ended second in her final two races of the World Cup in Benidorm and Maasmechelen, narrowly missing out on victory on both occasions. 

Shirin van Anrooij (Netherlands), European champion Inge van der Heijden (Netherlands) and Superprestige series leader Aniek van Alphen (Netherlands) are outsiders from the Dutch team to finish on the podium.

Outside of the Dutch super team, Amandine Fouquenet (France), who has enjoyed the best season of her career, will lead the French team and has a genuine shot at a podium finish.

Including two victories in the Superprestige at Heusden-Zolder and Gullegem and eleven season podiums, the 24-year-old's performances earned her a move to Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw for 2026. After finishing third in the final three rounds of the World Cup, if Fouquenet can replicate a similar performance and reach the podium, it will significantly eclipse tenth place from twelve months ago.

Other riders who will be in the mix for a medal or top-five finish include the in-form Kristýna Zemanová (Czechia), Zoe Bäckstedt (Great Britain), Blanka Vas (Hungary), Marie Schreiber (Luxembourg), Sara Casasola (Italy), and Marion Norbert Riberolle (Belgium).

There's no sugarcoating that Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) is the overwhelming favourite to win a record-breaking eighth elite men’s world title, and anything other than a victory for the Dutchman would be a seismic shock in the world of cyclocross.

Van der Poel’s victory in Maasmechelen was a prime example of how imperious the world champion is in the cross field currently. Two punctures, including a very untimely front wheel flat, shortly after the pit zone, leaving Van der Poel to ride a long way before retrieving a new bike wasn’t able to stop the Dutchman from winning a record-equalling 50 World Cup victories alongside Sven Nys. 

A dominant victory the following day in Hoogerheide saw Van der Poel stand clear in that statistic, sealed the World Cup overall and marked the Dutchman’s 23rd consecutive cross win.

The fact that Van der Poel won by 1:20 in Hoogerheide, whilst second to fifteenth were only separated by 0:22, illustrates that the Dutchman is operating in his own stratosphere, and barring incident or accident, everyone else should be racing for silver in Hulst behind one of the greatest to ever do it.

Van der Poel’s Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate and fellow Dutchman Tibor Del Grosso (Netherlands) is the current under-23 world champion, but will be in the hunt for a medal in his first elite Worlds. 

The 22-year-old and current Dutch champion has been ever-present towards the front of races this season, finishing no lower than fourth in his last ten races, with three victories, including on faster courses like Heusden-Zolder and Diegem.

Del Grosso has shown that he likes a fast start and also fancies his chances in a sprint finish, finishing 2nd at both Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide in such style, leaving the Dutchman with a number of cards to play and as one of the favourites for a medal at his home championships.

There was no 100% confirmation whether Wout van Aert would ride or not in Hulst when the Belgian last lined up for a cross race in early January, but an ankle fracture suffered in a crash in snowy conditions in Mol made the decision for the former three-time elite world champion, who has now turned his attention to preparing for the road season.

Instead, Belgium's hopes of a first elite men's title since 2018, which is the longest spell without victory since 1965, will be carried on the shoulders of Thibau Nys (Belgium). After earning the bronze medal in Liévin last year, Nys has made another step up during this cyclocross season with five victories and second overall in the World Cup. 

The 23-year-old missed out on the podium in the final two rounds of the World Cup, finishing narrowly behind Del Grosso and fellow Belgian Niels Vandeputte (Belgium) as Alpecin-Premier Tech swept both podiums. However, Nys will be hungry for revenge, and the trio are currently looking the most likely to fight it out for the medals behind Van der Poel based on recent results.

Vandeputte, trade teammate of Dutch duo Van der Poel and Del Grosso, and compatriot of Nys, is one of the most consistent riders going. The 25-year-old has finished in the top five in fourteen out of his last sixteen starts. The aforementioned two podium finishes last week, both third, indicate that Vandeputte will be hunting a medal in Hulst, which would be a step-up on his current best result, which is seventh in Hoogerheide in 2023.

Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium) and Toon Aerts (Belgium) both have multiple medals at elite world championships and can’t be written off to replicate the feat, but neither currently holds the same level of form as the riders previously mentioned. Jente Michels (Belgium), Toon Vandebosch (Belgium), Gerben Kuypers (Belgium) and Joran Wyseure (Belgium), who suffered a nasty crash in Maasmechelen, are on the provisional start list for the Belgian squad.

Meanwhile, a similar narrative to Vanthourenhout and Aerts can be portrayed for Joris Nieuwenhuis (Netherlands), who finished fourth twelve months ago for the Dutch. It will also be a special occasion for fellow Dutchman Lars van der Haar (Netherlands), who will make his final appearance at Worlds before his retirement at the end of the season. 

This will be Van der Haar's nineteenth consecutive appearance at the World Championships, dating back to 2008. Mees Hendrikx (Netherlands) has been enjoying the best season of his elite career, whilst Pim Ronhaar (Netherlands), Ryan Kamp (Netherlands), and Danny van Lierop (Netherlands) round out the Dutch squad.

Beyond the two main nations, Felipe Orts (Spain), Kevin Kuhn (Switzerland), Filippo Fontana (Italy) and Cameron Mason (Great Britain) have also been very competitive in recent races, but lack the team strength that the Belgians and Dutch can use. Don't rule out a top 10 finish for any of these riders, and Orts in particular, who could be pushing towards the top five based on the Spanish riders' most recent performances.

Here's the full provisional start list for each race.