Brace for impact - the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup heats up!

Mathieu Van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock join the muddy battles while Fem van Empel faces increased competition in the female ranks.

What a weekend in Antwerp!

The eighth round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup on 4 December was of resounding significance. The crowds enjoyed a big party as the Belgian event made its debut in the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, after the cancellation of the 2021 edition due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The spectacular racing displayed in Antwerp is set to shape the rest of the season.

The Antwerp round of the 2022-2023 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup was the first one to host a battle between the reigning Men Elite UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and his predecessors Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck). The latter claimed his second successive victory, while Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Fristads) marginally increased his lead over Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) atop the overall standings (236 points vs 230).

In the Women Elite competition, Fem van Empel (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) bounced back to her fifth UCI World Cup victory of the season after Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions) and Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) got the better of her in Beekse Bergen (the Netherlands), Overijse (Belgium) and Hulst (the Netherlands). Van Empel rules the overall standings with 290 points (Pieterse has 195) but the battle with her direct rivals heats up and the reigning UCI World Champion Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) has fired her first warning shots.

MVDP strikes immediately

How long does it take to jump from one bike to the other, adjust yourself to a different environment and perform at the highest level? Very little time when you are a special talent like Van der Poel. Bronze medallist in the UCI Gravel World Championships at the beginning of October after a strong season on the road, the Dutch star has won his first two UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup races of the season.

In Hulst, he quickly escaped with Pidcock, who was fresh from a 2nd place in Overijse for his first UCI World Cup race of the autumn. The duo impressed at the front until Pidcock suffered a mechanical and had to let Van der Poel fly to a solo victory. Fifteen seconds behind him, Sweeck got the best of Eli Iserbyt (3rd) and thus took the overall lead of the series from his Belgian compatriot.

The intensity rose a couple more notches in Antwerp, with Belgian star Van Aert also getting in the mix. MVDP and WVA, who between them took the seven Men Elite UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion titles from 2015 to 2021, are both determined to claim back the rainbow stripes at the end of the season. Their first battle favoured the Dutchman, winner of the event in Antwerp for the sixth time in his career. Despite a crash in lap 6, Van Aert came 2nd at his first cyclo-cross of the season.

“Wout was immediately fairly strong for his first cross, and he will also improve towards Christmas”, Van der Poel highlighted. “I think there’s going to be a few really nice races in a busy period.”

Van Empel strikes back

With four victories in the first four events, Van Empel had a historic start to the 2022-2023 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. But fellow Dutch rivals Pieterse and Van Anrooij had already shown their intent to put a spanner in the works. They’ve now found success as we get to the core of the season.

In line with her breakthrough performances since the beginning of 2022, in cyclo-cross events as well as on the road, Van Anrooij found her opening in Beekse Bergen to claim her first Elite UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup victory. In Overijse and Hulst, it was Pieterse’s turn to take her first wins at this level. On all three occasions, Van Empel came 2nd.

The young star turned frustration into victory on the sandy circuit of Antwerp, where Pieterse came 2nd and Van Anrooij 3rd. “In November, the focus was on training”, Van Empel said. “We are now in December and I’m very happy to be back in the race for the win.”

On 1st January, she will join Jumbo-Visma, Marianne Vos’ team. The reigning UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion has participated in two UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup races this season, in Maasmechelen, Belgium (6th), and Beekse Bergen (5th). Towards the end of November, she won the X20 Badkamers Trofee Kortrijk and she’s now focused on defending her rainbow stripes on home Dutch soil.

An intense lead-up to the UCI Worlds

The intensity will keep rising towards the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hoogerheide, early in February.

This weekend, the stars of the discipline will discover new territory, with the first UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup ever held in Dublin (Ireland). The next week, they’ll be in Val di Sole (Italy), ahead of more action in Belgium (Gavere, December 26, and Zonhoven, January 8), Spain (Benidorm, January 22) and eventually in France (Besançon, January 29) to wrap up the series.

These events will also allow the young rising stars to display their talent with dedicated Men Under 23, Men Junior and Women Junior races in Zonhoven, Benidorm and Besançon.