Cyclocross World Championship 2026: Everything you need to know about the track in Hulst and the favourites around van der Poel
Andreas Kublik
· 24.01.2026
The next cyclocross world champions will be crowned in Hulst in the Netherlands. The competitions will run from 30 January to 1 February 2026. The fortress town of Hulst is located in the south-west of the Netherlands, around 30 kilometres west of Antwerp. The World Championship course is challenging and runs around the star-shaped fortress in Hulst. It offers challenging ups and downs with many twists and turns, and the moat of the fortress is crossed via a pontoon. In appropriate weather conditions, steering skills are required on the sometimes deep ground. The steep sections are quite something - in past World Cup races on a similar course, racers tumbled down the descents or struggled uphill on all fours. Spectacular images are guaranteed. Will it be exciting? Depends on the race.
Will Mathieu van der Poel become record world champion?
There is really only one favourite in the men's elite race: Mathieu van der Poel has been a real favourite this season whenever he has competed in a cyclo-cross race. Eleven starts, eleven victories is his season record in cyclo-cross. It would be a surprise if the 31-year-old Dutchman did not defend his world championship title. If he celebrates at the finish line on 1 February, he will become the sole record world champion with his eighth title in the elite class. So far, he is level with the Belgian Erik de Vlaeminck, who died in 2015. Unless something extraordinary happens, the cross-country-mad Belgians will have to watch as the all-rounder from the neighbouring country rides away, leaving their own countrymen to fight for the remaining medals. Three-time cross world champion Wout van Aert (Belgium) will be missing in Hulst. He broke his ankle at the turn of the year. Former world champion and Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock will not be racing cyclo-cross this winter. He is already preparing for the road season. Eli Iserbyt, who was successful for many years and twice came third in the World Championships, ended his career during the current season due to ongoing health problems.
Who is staying? First and foremost the Belgian champion Thibau Nys, 23-year-old son of two-time world champion Sven Nys, who has already won two World Cup races this season. He can be considered van der Poel's first challenger. Among the medal candidates are also his compatriots, the 32-year-old veteran and two-time European champion Michael Vanthourenhout, the reigning European champion Toon Aerts and Niels Vandeputte. But in the up-and-coming Tibor del Grosso, who is under contract to the same team as van der Poel, another Dutchman could snatch a medal away from the Belgians. He has already won the U23 class on the course at the World Cup race in Hulst. His compatriots Lars van der Haar and Joris Nieuwenhuis are also candidates for a top place. There is hardly a chance for the other nations. The Spaniard Felipe Orts is an insider tip at best. Two Germans will also be competing in the men's elite race. Surprisingly and at short notice, national champion Marcel Meisen is also taking part, accompanying the only German starter, Töging mountain bike specialist Fabian Eder. Both are without a chance of a top placing.
Lucinda Brand - top favourite among the women
There will be no defence of the women's title. The 2025 world champion, Dutchwoman Fem van Empel, has taken a break from cycling. Her return is uncertain. Several other top stars are also missing. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, last year's Tour de France winner and 2015 Olympic mountain bike and cyclo-cross world champion, is already fully focussed on the upcoming road season. Eight-time cross world champion Marianne Vos has also skipped the cross season this winter in order to have more time for her sick father. Vos' compatriot Lucinda Brand, who already won world championship gold in 2021 and has shown good form this winter, is considered the top favourite. The 2020 title winner, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, is on the rise. And Puck Pieterse has set the World Championships as a clear goal for her cross-country season. "I really want to be in top form there," the Dutch U23 world champion from 2022 emphasised to Wielerflits.nl.
Another prominent starter is the Olympic mountain bike champion from Tokyo, Switzerland's Jolanda Neff. In 2019, she finished fifth in the Cross World Championships. German riders will not be at the start.
Route and schedule
The World Cup course has been changed compared to the course at the previous World Cup races in Hulst. The course has been extended by a loop on a meadow with the VIP area (left on the map). This is where the paddock was located in the past. "Climbing, downhill, bends: that's how the Vestingcross used to be - in a nutshell. In the past, if you got off to a good start in Hulst and negotiated this crazy ramp well, that was half the battle. That could change now," says ex-professional and current Dutch national coach Gerben de Knegt. The course has probably become faster. The new section of the course could well be decisive for the race. "This section of land was often quite muddy. If that were the case again, it would be a very difficult section. On the other hand, if it is frozen, it has little influence on the course," estimates de Knegt.
The schedule in detail
Friday, 30 January 2026
13:30: Team relay
Saturday, 31 January 2026
11:00 am: Juniors (U19)
13:00: Men U23
15:00: Women Elite
Sunday, 1 February 2026
11:00 am: Juniors (U19)
13:00: Women U23
15:00: Men Elite
Internal page of the event: https://hulst2026.com/
Andreas Kublik
Editor
