As Mathieu van der Poel stormed over the ramparts of Hulst with a physical force that more than once detached his bike from the ground, among the roars of a euphoric Dutch fanbase, cyclocross has never seemed more exciting or mainstream.
Step back from the exceptional history-making record shattered by Van der Poel, though, and the picture for cyclocross is a little more complex.
First and foremost, Van der Poel’s retirement from the discipline has been heavily foreshadowed over the last few months. Adri van der Poel has spoken repeatedly about his son’s struggles with the cyclocross season against an increasingly competitive road calendar. Van der Poel himself has remained philosophical but non-committal about continuing in cyclocross after beating the all-time World Championship title record.
In his post-race interview in Hulst, the question of chasing a tenth world title was raised.
“Ten is a really nice number," Van der Poel said. In an acknowledgement to the prospect of retirement he added: "But I’m already happy with eight. We will see in the future how many I will participate in.”
While Van der Poel has been the centre of cyclocross’ narrative, it’s a discipline that deserves more credit within the sport.
Cycling’s spectator paradise
Photo credit: Mathew Wells/SWpix.com
Every few years road racing has an internal reckoning, trying to decide how to change the format to engage fans more directly. A decade ago the Hammer Series was a would-be solution, more recently perhaps it was One Cycling. The perennial problem is that for roadside spectators, their interaction with pro cycling can be brief and underwhelming. A large Grand Tour road race may see nearly 200 riders dash by in less than 20 seconds. At the same time, cycling has an issue with monetising on-the-ground spectatorship.
Cyclocross, by comparison, has fixed both those issues. Hordes of fans can enjoy course-adjacent access for lap after lap – securing close access to their favourite riders and a clear view of how the race’s tactics unfold.
That model has leant itself to monetisation too, as cyclocross has long-since charged spectators for entry to elite events, and attendance is a true experience. Beyond the pure racing, you can expect beer, chips, and Euro party tent vibes.
The Big Three narrative of recent seasons – centred on Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock – briefly pushed cyclocross into the wider cycling consciousness, it has otherwise struggled to break through a strong national following. That’s a pity given the drama offered in each race.
However, a perfect spectator model relies on a compelling script, and recently, the script has become predictable.
Single rider stories
Photo credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Watching generational talents dominate their fields is one of sport’s major draws. In cyclocross right now, two players have totally overshadowed the remaining riders – Van der Poel and Lucinda Brand.
On the men’s side, Mathieu van der Poel is verging on mythic status. In 2025–26 he has been entirely unbeatable in the World Cup series (and indeed all other races) and recently clinched his eighth Elite World Championship, extending an extraordinary streak of victories that has run across multiple seasons. This sustained dominance places immense pressure on his rivals – and dramatically concentrates the season’s narrative into a single figure.
The women’s field has been shaped by a major departure. Fem van Empel, one of the most brilliant talents of recent years, has stepped back from cyclocross indefinitely, prioritising her mental wellbeing over racing. Her absence left an opening at the front of the women’s scene.
Into that opening has stepped newly crowned World Champion Lucinda Brand, whose 2025–26 campaign has been among the most successful of her career. Brand secured the overall World Cup title, enjoying a 13-race winning streak before being unseated in Zonhoven, and followed it with a commanding World Championship win in Hulst.
Meanwhile, injury also thinned the depth of field for both men and women.
World Cup leader Laurens “Sandman” Sweeck was wiped out of contention in Loenhout, Wout van Aert’s crash at Exact Cross Mol meant that Van der Poel’s strongest competitor would not be threatening his dominance. On the women’s side both Puck Pieterse and Lucinda Brand had to shake off crashes which put their season in jeopardy.
For those not hampered by injury, Brand and Van der Poel’s presence may also have acted as a deterrent to many would-be competitors, with Del Grosso claiming gold is effectively impossible in any race against Van der Poel.
In that sense, a temporary or permanent departure from Van der Poel could open the door to a more competitive landscape, with all signs pointing to Del Grosso and Thibau Nys trading blows from the 2026-2027 season – perhaps with the occasional cameo from Van Aert or Pidcock.
Life after Van der Poel
Photo credit: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com
With or without Van der Poel, I can’t help thinking that cyclocross deserves the sort of public attention of the Spring Classics. While it may enjoy that attention among dedicated cycling fans and cycling media, it has never been able to break into the wider cycling audience to the same scale.
Consider the recent consumer trend for gravel and all-road bikes and the argument becomes even stronger. Riders hoping to take on a multi-day off-road adventure or off-road sportive may take more inspiration from a cyclocross race than a Grand Tour stage.
The dramatic shifts in race narrative, the proximity to fans, the neat monetisation model and iconic, mud-splattered imagery born of cyclocross really give me hope for a more engaging future for cycling as a spectator sport and spectacle.
We can only hope that the sport’s popularity doesn’t rest on the shoulders of a single rider with nothing left to gain from the discipline, and instead gives way to a new generation of competitors and spectators.
Cover image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
