Although the cyclocross season in North America and Europe has been underway since September, the first of the three most prestigious European series got underway on Sunday in Ruddervoorde, Belgium with Round 1 of the Superprestige. The outcome of the elite women’s race was a surprise as Marion Norbert Riberolle prevailed in closely-fought battle that saw 13 seconds separate the first seven riders and the Dutch denied the podium. In the men’s race, Michael Vanthourenhout snapped up his second victory of the season.
Last year’s series champions
World Cup: Vanthourenhout (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen), Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Baloise Glowi Lions)
X20 Badkamers Trofee: Eli Iserbyt (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen), Brand by a big chunk
Superprestige: Niels Vandeputte (Belgium/Alpecin-Deceuninck), Brand
Brand was deadly last season.
Last season Joran Wyseure and absent Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado won the Ruddervoorde round. Lucinda Brand, who swept the Big Three series title last season, skipped Ruddervoorde after winning Exact Cross Essen on Saturday. The UCI’s third-ranked elite male racer Eli Iserbyt will miss the early part of the season after undergoing two iliac artery surgeries. He’ll be back sometime in November.
In the elite women’s race Fem van Empel kept trying to get free from a small group that also included Leonie Bentveld, Inge van der Heijden and Sara Casasola. However, it was Belgian Marion Norbert Riberolle who flew the coop and took the day’s flowers, France’s Amandine Fouquenet in pursuit alongside Casasola. Ultimately, Fouquenet was third, but it was still a fine result for the Arkea B&B Hotels rider.
2025-2026 Superprestige, Round 1, Ruddervoorde, Elite Women
1) Marion Norbert Riberolle (Belgium/Crelan-Corendon) 51:25
2) Sara Casasola (Italy/Crelan-Corendon) +0:05
3) Amandine Fouquenet (France/Arkea B&B Hotels) +0:05
Riberolle had no Big Three series wins last season.
Vandeputte grabbed the hole shot in the elite men’s race and then pushed clear of a group of eight. On Lap 2 Toon Aerts, celebrating his 32nd birthday, took over the lead before Kevin Kuhn made a bid for the win. Last year’s World Cup champion Vanthourenhout went to the front on Lap 3 with Wyseure on his six.
The carousel of leaders continued on Lap 5 as Joris Nieuwenhuis, who didn’t contest a race in the 2024-2025 season until January, pushed to the front. Toon Vandebosch, Saturday’s Essen Cross victor, was his closest pursuer. Nieuwenhuis was run down by a chase group before he skipped away again. On the penultimate lap, Kuhn and Vanthourenhout found his wheel. Vanthourenhout lit out for glory just before he heard the bell. Again he was brought to heel.
In the tightly-contested finale, Aerts crashed. Vanthourenhout outsprinted Nieuwenhuis and Vandeputte jumped on the podium.
2025-2026 Superprestige, Round 1, Ruddervoorde, Elite Men
1) Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen) 1:01:51
2) Joris Nieuwenhuis (The Netherlands/Ridley) s.t.
3) Niels Vandeputte (Belgium/Alpecin-Deceuninck) +0:02
The next round of the Superprestige is next Sunday in Overijse, Belgium. The X2O Badkamers Trofee series starts on November 1 and the World Cup doesn’t kick off until November 23.