The highly anticipated first duel of the 2025/2026 cyclocross season between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert ended in a decisive victory for the World Champion on the sandy banks of the Scheldt river. The Dutch rider took a decisive win ahead of Crelan-Corendon duo Laurens Sweeck and Emiel Verstrynge.
Elite Men Results
Antwerp - Antwerp • Dec 20
| Pos | Rider | NATNationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Mathieu VAN DER POEL | NED | 1:01:24 |
| 🥈 | Laurens SWEECK | BEL | +0:24 |
| 🥉 | Emiel VERSTRYNGE | BEL | +0:33 |
| 4 | Pim RONHAAR | NED | +0:35 |
| 5 | Niels VANDEPUTTE | BEL | +0:36 |
| 6 | Tibor DEL GROSSO | NED | +0:39 |
| 7 | Wout VAN AERT | BEL | +0:51 |
| 8 | Michael VANTHOURENHOUT | BEL | +1:19 |
| 9 | Mees HENDRIKX | NED | +1:30 |
| 10 | Joran WYSEURE | BEL | +1:44 |
| 11 | Toon AERTS | BEL | +1:52 |
| 12 | Felipe ORTS LLORET | ESP | +1:54 |
| 13 | Ryan KAMP | NED | +1:55 |
| 14 | Witse MEEUSSEN | BEL | +1:55 |
| 15 | Toon VANDEBOSCH | BEL | +2:06 |
| 16 | Joris NIEUWENHUIS | NED | +2:23 |
| 17 | Filippo FONTANA | ITA | +2:34 |
| 18 | Victor VAN DE PUTTE | BEL | +2:42 |
| 19 | Filippo AGOSTINACCHIO | ITA | +2:54 |
| 20 | Michael BOROŠ | CZE | +2:55 |
| 21 | Thomas MEIN | GBR | +3:01 |
| 22 | Nathan BOMMENEL | FRA | +3:04 |
| 23 | Thibau NYS | BEL | +3:23 |
| 24 | Václav JEŽEK | CZE | +3:32 |
| 25 | Martin GROSLAMBERT | FRA | +3:34 |
| 26 | Stan VAN GRIEKEN | BEL | +3:58 |
| 27 | Kevin SUAREZ FERNANDEZ | ESP | +4:05 |
| 28 | Rémi LELANDAIS | FRA | +4:13 |
| 29 | Matyáš FIALA | CZE | +4:21 |
| 30 | Danny VAN LIEROP | NED | +4:26 |
| 31 | Zsombor TAKÁCS | HUN | +4:37 |
| 32 | Nicolas HALTER | SUI | +4:41 |
| 33 | Matéo JOT | FRA | +4:47 |
| 34 | Bailey GROENENDAAL | DEN | +4:52 |
| 35 | Gioele BERTOLINI | ITA | +5:08 |
| 36 | Lars SOMMER | SUI | +5:09 |
| 37 | Tyler CLARK | CAN | +5:09 |
| 38 | Raul MIRA BONASTRE | ESP | +5:09 |
| 39 | Fabian MAES | BEL | +5:18 |
| 40 | Max Heiner OERTZEN | GER | +5:38 |
| 41 | Nicolas BARD | SUI | +5:42 |
| 42 | Remon DELNOIJE | NED | +5:55 |
| 43 | Luca HARTER | GER | +6:09 |
| 44 | Max RIJVERS | NED | +6:14 |
| 45 | Dylan ZAKRAJSEK | USA | +6:26 |
| 46 | Andrew STROHMEYER | USA | +6:50 |
| 47 | Mario JUNQUERA SAN MILLAN | ESP | - |
| 48 | Federico CEOLIN | ITA | - |
| 49 | Lukas HERRMANN | GER | - |
| 50 | Silas KUSCHLA | GER | - |
| 51 | David RISBERG | SWE | - |
| 52 | Nathan DOS REIS GRACA | FRA | - |
| 53 | Jelte JOCHEMS | NED | - |
| 54 | Maximilian KERL | CZE | - |
| 55 | Gonzalo INGUANZO MACHO | ESP | - |
| 56 | Michael GAßNER | GER | - |
| 57 | Noah SHELTON | USA | - |
| 58 | Jonas Posselt GAMBORG | DEN | - |
| 59 | Ryan DRUMMOND | USA | - |
| 60 | Carden KING | USA | - |
| 61 | Loïc BETTENDORFF | LUX | - |
| 62 | Lorenzo DE LONGHI | ITA | - |
| 63 | Florian HAMM | GER | - |
| 64 | Unax GALAN CORTAZAR | ESP | - |
| 65 | Karl-Erik ROSENDAHL | DEN | - |
| 66 | Javier ZAERA GISBERT | ESP | - |
| 67 | Alan ZANOLINI | ITA | - |
| 68 | Liam SARGENT | CAN | - |
| 69 | Cody SCOTT | CAN | - |
| 70 | Lennox PAPI | LUX | - |
| 71 | Finn WESTOVER | USA | - |
| 72 | Rhett BATES | CAN | - |
| 73 | Philipp HEIGL | AUT | - |
| 74 | Vilmar AASTRUP | SWE | - |
| 75 | Remi BRISEBOIS | CAN | - |
| 76 | Artur NICHVOLODOV | UKR | - |
| 77 | Marcos GOMEZ VEGA | ESP | - |
| 78 | Dries BRUYNSEELS | SVK | - |
| 79 | Robin RAUTZENBERG | GER | - |
| 80 | Frederick JUNGE | USA | - |
| 81 | Kosuke ENDO | JPN | - |
| 82 | Yuta OKAYAMA | JPN | - |
| 83 | Tetsuki KAJI | JPN | - |
| 84 | Dovydas LUKŠAS | LTU | - |
Van der Poel lights it up early, survives lap‑seven scare
The "Scheldecross" course, known for its grueling sand sections and technical transitions, was billed as a battle of raw power versus technical finesse. However, the World Champion wasted little time in asserting his dominance. While the opening lap saw a large group tussling for position on the split start straight, Van der Poel quickly moved to the front.
After matching Tibor Del Grosso’s opening 7:39, Van der Poel dropped a 7:29 – the fastest lap of the day – through the first full beach passage and wooden bridge sequence. From there he rode alone, metronomic in the 7:33–7:39 range and stretching the gap beyond 20s by mid‑race.
Only lap seven disturbed the script. A rear wheel puncture in the sand dragged his time out to 8:01, halving his advantage and briefly bringing Sweeck within 15s. Van der Poel reset immediately, putting in a huge lap to win by 24s and stop the clock at 1:01:24.
"It was a fast race," Van der Poel said after the finish. "I felt good from the start and could make my own lines in the sand. It is always nice to win here."
Van Aert’s return: rust, puncture, and promise
Wout van Aert’s season debut was always going to be a form check more than a must‑win. Starting deep on the grid, he rode through traffic into the top ten, then punctured mid-race – his lap time revealed the damage, with a 8:05 lap an outlier in an otherwise competitive set that included 7:34 and repeat 7:37s.
He still finished seventh at +51s. Strip out the flat, and the raw pace is already close – what’s missing is the repeated punch that defines this course.
With Van der Poel disappearing up the road and Van Aert chasing from behind, the battle for the remaining podium spots intensified. Laurens Sweeck, often dubbed the "Sandman" for his prowess on such terrain, proved his nickname was well-earned. He separated himself from the chasing group, riding smoothly through the treacherous sand dunes to secure a clear second place and the overall World Cup lead.
"I had a good day in the end," Sweeck commented after the race finish. "The first lap I was a little bit over the limit, but I had a good second lap and a good rhythm."
Speaking about the overall lead, Sweeck said, "You can see what can happen in one race so I will keep fighting for the jersey,"
Behind him, Emiel Verstrynge produced a standout performance to claim third, holding off a late challenge from the pursuing group. The result marks a significant step forward for the young Belgian rider.
Team strength and what’s next
Van der Poel’s win was backed by Vandeputte in fifth and Del Grosso in sixth, giving the team three in the top six on a day when Baloise Lions relied on isolated brilliance from Ronhaar.
With Sweeck now in the white World Cup leader’s jersey and Van der Poel unbeaten this winter, the next sand rounds become a straight clash between the full‑timer’s consistency and the world champion’s ceiling, with the possibility of a resurgent Van Aert closing fast behind them.
Cover image credit (Van der Poel at UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup: Hoogerheide earlier in 2025): Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
