Good news for \u2018cross fans! Mathieu van der Poel will kick off his cyclocross winter sooner than previously expected. The world champion has now confirmed that he\u2019ll line up at the Namur World Cup on Dec. 14.<\/p>\n
That turns what had been a \u201cmaybe, we\u2019ll see\u201d on his calendar into a firm commitment. After weeks of uncertainty around his winter debut, it\u2019s suddenly just a matter of days before he\u2019s back in the mud. As far as the Dutchman, the team said Van der Poel\u2019s most recent training block removed any hesitation. \u201cHe felt ready after the latest sessions, and that cleared the final doubt in last week\u2019s provisional plan,\u201d the squad explained.<\/p>\n Team manager Christoph Roodhooft said, \u201cHe\u2019s in good shape. The restart was a bit harder than usual because he took a longer rest, but now everything is falling into place. He feels the training is paying off and knows he\u2019s ready to race again,\u201d Roodhooft said.<\/p>\n Van der Poel had kept both Namur and Benidorm marked with question marks as he balanced his prep for the spring Classics. Namur is now confirmed, though the team hasn\u2019t ruled out adjusting the rest of his \u2019cross schedule if they need to protect his road build-up. One thing is almost certain though\u2013he will be lining up for the world championships in Hulst, The Netherlands. He is tied for the all-time win record (7) with Erik De Vlaeminck, and could make history with another rainbow jersey.<\/p>\n Van der Poel\u2019s rival, Wout van Aert has also announced his \u2018cross season. Similar to last year, he\u2019s doing a shortened campaign\u2013but hasn\u2019t ruled out racing the worlds again in 2026. In 2025 he decided at the eleventh hour to compete, where he finished second.<\/p>\n
Alpecin\u2013Deceuninck announced it at press event announcing some big news: Canadian company Premier Tech is coming onboard as a cosponsor.<\/a> Other CanCon includes Hugo Houle making the switch from N2N (the team formerly known as Israel \u2013 Premier Tech) to Alpecin \u2013 Premier Tech in 2026.<\/p>\n