Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck) looks set to start his 2025/26 cyclocross campaign with a statement rather than a warm-up, with a provisional debut pencilled in for the Namur World Cup on 14 December.
Alpecin–Deceuninck have released a compact but heavy schedule on social media that tops out at 13 races, including up to eight World Cups, with every outing framed around one goal: arriving at the World Championships in Hulst on 1 February ready to claim an unprecedented eighth elite title and move clear of Erik De Vlaeminck’s long-standing record.
The Namur slot is notable on several fronts. It pulls his start forward compared to last winter, when he opened in Zonhoven on 22 December, and it does so on one of the circuit’s most unforgiving courses. The Citadel’s steep, muddy ramps and long climbs punish any lack of sharpness, making it a litmus test rather than a gentle reintroduction.
Team staff have marked both Namur and Benidorm as provisional, with Antwerp on 20 December waiting in reserve should he decide against that first all-in effort. Yet even floating Namur as the opener sends a clear message that the world champion is not treating cyclocross as a token cameo.
Quality over quantity for Hulst
The pattern is familiar, but amplified: a short, intense block through the Christmas period, heavy on World Cups and X2O rounds, and stripped of non-essential stops. The popular Diegem Superprestige on 30 December is absent, squeezed out between Loenhout and other key targets.
It is a quality-over-quantity approach that has underpinned Van der Poel’s recent winters, when he has turned limited race days into near-total dominance. The difference this time is how early he appears ready to expose himself to the sport’s hardest terrain.
Hovering over the calendar is the inevitable subplot: the first rendezvous with Wout van Aert (Visma–Lease a Bike), whose own programme is expected to begin before Christmas. A duel on the slopes of Namur now seems unlikely, but we will keep our eyes on Van Aert's intentions a week later in Antwerp.
Cover image credit: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com
