Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has completed the 2025/2026 Kerstperiode with a perfect nine-from-nine record, a run of dominant victories that has once again underlined both his individual brilliance and the growing imbalance at the top of elite cyclocross.
The world champion routinely turned races into long solo efforts, often establishing decisive gaps inside the opening ten minutes. That's mirrored on the women's side, where Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) extended her own winning streak to 11 races, reinforcing a sense that the sport's outcome is increasingly settled early and by the same few names.
The concentration of events over Christmas and New Year, known as the Kerstperiode, doesn't help improve the depth of the field. The 2025/2026 Kerstperiode featured 12 races in 16 days. On 6 January, Flanders Classics chief executive Tomas Van den Spiegel admitted to WielerFlits that the load is unsustainable, calling the schedule "impossible" to complete at full intensity.
That congestion has encouraged selective racing from the few riders capable of challenging Van der Poel, reducing the number of direct confrontations. Only a handful of specialists attempted the full run, and fatigue was visible across the chasing pack by early January.
Our lap time analysis of Zonhoven, below, offers a snapshot of Van der Poel's dominance from start to finish:
Riders have also begun to acknowledge a psychological shift. Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) told WielerFlits that when Van der Poel is present "podium finishes almost become victories". Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens-Maes) has spoken similarly of a peloton that quickly settles into a secondary race for the podium once Van der Poel attacks.
While Pidcock has been absent for several seasons now, a rumoured return from him could enliven the men's cyclocross scene, returning to the Big Three dynamic which drew road cycling fans. "It's definitely possible that Tom will be seen in cyclocross again next season," manager Kurt Bogaerts told Sporza.
For the remainder of this season, though it's hard to imagine any race where Van der Poel starts having any other narrative than where he chooses to make his move.
That dominance, in both the men's and women's fields, has been compounded by key absences. Laurens Sweeck's crash in Loenhout brought an end to his 2025/2026 season, while Fem van Empel made an unexpected retirement announcement in December.
More recently, the untimely retirement of Eli Iserbyt in January 2026 has further reduced the number of riders capable of sustaining pressure across an entire winter.
Crowds remain strong in the Flemish heartland as fans pay to watch Van der Poel's technical display in person, but if the remaining field of competitive riders are discouraged from competition in the fierce Kerstperiode block, a future where Van der Poel chooses not to participate could leave it sapped of all excitement.
Van der Poel has hinted the 2025/2026 winter could be his last in the discipline, targeting a record eighth rainbow jersey before stepping away, as he suggested in recent comments on his cyclocross future.
That departure could be a real reckoning moment for cyclocross as a sport.
Cover image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
