Sunday’s taxing fourth round of the 2025-2026 UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Namur, Belgium, heralded the return of world champion Mathieu van der Poel to racing. Van der Poel duly won his 12th consecutive CX contest. Thibau Nys was locked into a fine battle with the Dutchman until a crash on the final lap checked his ambitions. Liam Sargent was top Canadian in 48th.

Earlier in the day, Sagan Goertz was top Canadian in the Junior men’s race at 13th. Grayson Franks was 21st, Fabrice Dufresne 24th and Asher Bensimon 30th.

Preliminaries

Last week Michael Vanthourenhout prevailed in a engaging scrap with Joris Nieuwenhuis and Laurens Sweeck on Sardinia. An absent Thibau Nys kept the series lead by four points over Sweeck and five over Nieuwenhuis. Van der Poel won all eight ‘cross races he took on in 2024-2025, and it looks like this season will be the same length for the seven-time world champion.

MvdP went eight for eight last season.

Rhett Bates and Liam Sargent made up the Canadian contingent. Both raced Leiecross in Kortrijk in the day before.

Van der Poel started from the third row. His first recorded position was 22nd. Vanthourenhout charged up the hill to grab an early lead. One minute in and van der Poel was 11th. Toon Vandebosche led down the climb. The string stayed long early in the opening lap. The cobbled ascent allowed the world champion to slot into fourth. Nys had a crash at the base of a steep carry section. Vanthourenhout crossed the line first, one second ahead of van der Poel. Sargent was top Canadian in 47th.

Van der Poel on Sunday.

Vanthourenhout would relinquish the lead at the start of Lap 2. Nys held fast in third. They made up the vanguard of an octet that had slipped the others. Nys attacked past van der Poel. A ninth rider bridged over before the line. Sargent raced in 48th, Bates in 54th.

The Show

The leading group swelled some more before Lars van der Haar seized the reins at the start of Lap 3 of 9. Sweeck wasn’t having a good race. Van der Haar continued to push on a climb and split the group. He had Vanthourenhout, van der Poel and Nys for company. This quartet headed into Lap 4 with a small advantage of Emiel Verstrynge, who toiled to make the junction. Fans at the barriers and at home wondered, when will the world champion take this race by the scruff of the neck?

But a crash put the man in the rainbow jersey momentarily on the back foot.

The world champion goes to collect his machine after a crash.

However, it didn’t take long for the Dutchman to reunite with Nys, Vanthourenhout and van der Haar. At the beginning of Lap 5, Nys was the short train’s locomotive. The series leader then hit the gas, taking Vanthourenhout with him. MvdP made it over. A lapped rider pulled up lame and delayed Nys, but the little Netherlands-Belgium collective crossed the line intact.

The crowd roared on Nys at the front on Lap 6. Van der Haar was Tailgunner Charlie and finally lost contact. For the first time, van der Poel was in Position 1 on Lap 7. But van der Haar returned and whipped up the pace for teammate Nys’s chances. Van der Poel attacked on the cobbled climb and Nys parried his strike. Vanthourenhout, six seconds in arrears, scrambled to get back on even terms.

On the penultimate lap, Nys kept up the pressure. With the crowd chanting, “Thibau! Thibau! Thibau!”, the Fab Four reunited before the bell lap.

What a scrap between these two.

At the start of the bell lap, Nys was at the front but crashed. Van der Haar laboured to bring him back. Van der Poel gunned it and used the cobbled climb to bid adieu to the others.

Nys keeps the World Cup lead, now 17 points over Vanthourenhout.

The next rounds are next Saturday and Sunday in Antwerp, where Wout van Aert will make his season debut, and Koksijde.
2025-2026 UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Round 4, Namur
1) Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Deceuninck) 58:29
2) Thibau Nys (Belgium/Baloise Glowi Lions) +0:09
3) Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen) +0:11
48) Liam Sargent (Canada)
50) Rhett Bates (Canada)