The 2025 highway racing season is over and carried out with, and the 2025-26 cyclocross season is already up and working. The highest degree of ‚cross racing in Europe launched in current weeks with the Precise Cross, Superprestige, and X2O Trofee collection all getting underway.
Riders equivalent to Lucinda Model and Michael Vanthourenhout have loved sizzling begins to the marketing campaign, and world champion Fem van Empel and European champion Thibau Nys have additionally added their names to the early honour rolls.
However, as has usually been the case in current seasons, a shadow – nicely, a trio of shadows – hangs over the scene. The largest stars of males’s cyclocross, the riders who’ve shared the final 11 world titles, are but to place tyre to grime this season.
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Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Final season, Mathieu van der Poel rode a restricted marketing campaign of simply eight races, together with 5 rounds of the UCI World Cup and the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Liévin, France. He gained each race, however did not begin his season till the World Cup spherical in Zonhoven on December 12.
The Dutchman is at present in Spain coaching alongside his frequent coaching accomplice Freddy Ovett, and so it would not appear like he’ll be hitting the mud of Northern Europe fairly but.
We’ll have to attend till the disclosing of the ‚cross Worlds route on the finish of this month for his crew to disclose when he’ll be again in motion.
Taking that timing into consideration, and provided that his earlier two seasons have began in mid-December, an informed guess would say comparable this time round, too.
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Van der Poel’s everlasting rival, Wout van Aert, has taken an identical tack to the Dutchman in current seasons, limiting his cyclocross outings to 9 and 6, respectively, up to now two seasons, in addition to ready till December to get going.
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There are hints that the Belgian will get underway earlier than Van der Poel, nonetheless. Maybe a 2025-26 season debut at the beginning of December is on the playing cards.
„I wish to wait just a few weeks of coaching first to see when it is sensible to renew. There’s additionally a protracted highway season forward, so we have to plan correctly,“ Van Aert informed WielerFlits final week at Tim Declercq’s farewell criterium.
Van Aert took a post-season vacation along with his household earlier than he resumed some coaching on the finish of October. He then took a sponsor journey to California which wrapped up November 7.
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5)
2022 cyclocross world champion Tom Pidcock did not race ‚cross in any respect final season, and indications are that it might be the identical story once more this winter for the Briton.
Since ending his highway season with a sixth place at Il Lombardia final month, Pidcock hit the gravel. He took sixth place on the UCI Gravel World Championships the following day earlier than heading on vacation after which returning to the gravel bike on the finish of October for the week-long South African stage race, Gravel Burn, the place he gained a stage.
Up to now, there have been no public pronouncements on this 12 months’s cyclocross season from Pidcock, however it appears unlikely.
„There’s little or no probability that Tom will race this winter, however it can’t be dominated out,“ his coach Kurt Bogaerts informed Sporza final month.
„We simply have to ensure Tom has sufficient relaxation and build-up durations. As a result of Tom needs to compete and win wherever he begins, and good preparation is essential for that,“ he added, referring to the 2026 highway season, the place Pidcock will take purpose on the spring Classics and Grand Excursions.
