Our cycling news roundup, beginning with dreams of a Remco-Tadej showdown in Flanders — prompted by a single, simple sighting on a couple of Flandrien climbs. Plus cyclocross coverage, extremely unsurprising UCI rankings — and a call for slowed “medicalization” in cycling.
On Christmas eTrashMike shared his holiday wish list. Now he’s asking: What are you hoping for in the new year — for the cycling world, that is? Share your what’s-cool-in-road-cycling dreams, hopes, aspirations and prayers by sending them to [email protected]. Include your first name and city of residence if you’d like to see them featured in a future EuroTrash!
TOP STORY:
Evenepoel Taking on Pogačar’s Dominance in 2026?
RACE NEWS
Men’s Cyclocross: Van der Poel Reigns, Nys Rallies
Women’s Cyclocross: Brand’s Domination Continues
RIDER AND TEAM NEWS
Pogačar, Vollering Top UCI Rankings
NSN Cycling Team Unveils 2026 Identity at Barcelona Launch
Neilson Powless extends with EF Education-EasyPost
MPCC: Stop “Escalating Medicalization” Now
Evenepoel Taking on Pogačar’s Dominance in 2026?
Say what you will about Remco Evenepoel: He’s not one to back down from a challenge.
His recent results would suggest that his surest plan would be to confirm his position as the world’s top time trialist: Train for a fourth-straight world championship, and a repeat win at the European Championships; take on the Giro, with its long time trial and slightly diminished vertical profile.
After all, the Belgian has won just one Grand Tour, a watered-down 2022 Vuelta, where he beat out not Pogačar or Vingegaard, but Mas and a very young Ayuso. Meanwhile, his 2025 Tour de France was a bust, lasting just 14 stages.
Instead, Evenepoel announced a race schedule that omitted the Giro, and that included the Tour de France as the only Grand Tour. More than ever, the 2026 Tour is stacking up to be a clash of the titans, with virtually every top contender committing to the Grande Boucle — including the supreme titan himself, Tadej Pogačar.
And now — having recently declared that the Tour of Flanders would not be on his 2026 program — Evenepoel has been spotted training on two of the Ronde’s iconic climbs, the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg. Further adding to fans’ speculation, he was sporting a “stealthy” black kit; perhaps Evenepoel would put his wheel on the start line in Antwerp after all? Doing so really would be going into the lion’s den — as Pogačar has emerged as a new Lion of Flanders.
Likely this new sighting means little: the famed climbs may well just serve as a favorable training site; riding in Belgium over the holidays is convenient (and the weather has been unseasonably pleasant); and the black kit is simply transitional, as Evenepoel’s Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe contract doesn’t formalize until January 1.
Still: a fan(boy) can dream, can’t he?
RACE NEWS
Men’s Cyclocross: Van der Poel Reigns, Nys Rallies
Mathieu van der Poel claimed his sixth victory in Gavere with a measured and decisive performance, maintaining his perfect season record at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup on Boxing Day. The Dutch world champion engaged in a prolonged duel with Belgian champion Thibau Nys before making his winning move. When Nys made a small but costly error on the long, rutted ascent, briefly slipping out of his pedal, van der Poel reacted instantly, opening a gap that grew to over 20 seconds as he cruised to another commanding victory.
Two days later in Dendermonde, with van der Poel sitting out, Nys claimed a hard-fought victory, converting relentless pressure and sharp positioning into a decisive sprint win on the fast, frozen course. The Belgian champion outpaced Tibor del Grosso and overall leader World Cup Laurens Sweeck in a thrilling finale, securing his fifth victory of the season.
Nys seemed especially fired up about this win.
Notwithstanding Mike’s holiday wish for Wout van Aert, the Belgian’s return to the ‘cross course continued to prove disappointing, as he finished sixth at Dendermonde after an aggressive but ultimately unrewarded ride. The three-time Dendermonde winner struggled with the dry, criterium-like conditions that replaced the typical muddy battleground. Van Aert admitted the feeling wasn’t great, struggling with explosive efforts and lacking aggression. His sixth-place finish, eight seconds behind winner Nys, marked another winless outing in a frustrating cyclocross season.
Women’s Cyclocross: Brand’s Domination Continues
Time to consult the thesaurus for synonyms of the word “domination,” because I find myself using it in virtually every women’s ‘cross race report — thanks to Lucinda Brand.
Brand underlined her status as the — um…dominant force of this cyclocross winter by winning back-to-back UCI World Cup rounds in Gavere and Dendermonde. Both victories showcased her blend of power, race intelligence, and calm in chaotic conditions.
On Gavere’s unusually fast course, Brand rode a measured opening before moving to the front as rivals faltered on the slick descents. When Puck Pieterse crashed after an attack, Brand seized the moment, opening a decisive gap she steadily increased each lap. She finished alone, around 15 seconds clear of French champion Amandine Fouquenet, with Pieterse salvaging third after a hard chase.
Two days later in Dendermonde, Brand repeated the script, converting World Cup round 8 into another showcase of consistency and composure. On a heavy Belgian circuit traditionally defined by mud and ruts, she again distanced Puck Pieterse, who had to settle for the runner-up spot, while the rest of the field fought for the final podium place. The win further tightened Brand’s grip on the World Cup leader’s jersey and reinforced the sense that, for now, the rest of the women’s peloton is racing for second place.
RIDER AND TEAM NEWS
Pogačar, Vollering Top UCI Rankings
Topping our list of the least surprising news of the year: Tadej Pogačar finished 2025 atop the UCI’s World Rankings.
The women’s season was slightly more competitive, and their rankings accordingly held a bit more suspense: Dutch star Demi Vollering reclaimed first position among female rider.
Pogačar’s and Vollering’s respective UAE Team Emirates and FDJ-Suez squads also finished top the men’s and women’s team world rankings.
Pogačar reaffirmed his status as an icon with an exceptional season. After a historic 2024, he pushed his own limits by claiming twenty additional victories, including the rainbow jersey for the road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali (Rwanda) and a fourth Tour de France title. With a record-breaking total of 11,680 points, he retains the top spot in the men’s UCI World Ranking for the fifth consecutive year. “Every season is a new challenge. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together,” said the Slovenian champion. His individual dominance was matched by collective triumph: UAE Team Emirates XRG crushed the competition with 95 victories – an all-time score shattering the previous record of 85 victories held by the Columbia-HTC team since 2009 – and a total of 40,637.65 points, securing first place in the UCI World Ranking for teams for the third year in a row. Two teammates also shone in the global top five: Isaac Del Toro (MEX) in third and João Almeida (POR) in fifth.
On the Women’s side, Demi Vollering reclaimed the top of the women’s UCI World Ranking with 4,642.57 points, thanks to a stellar season highlighted by victories at Strade Bianche Donne, La Vuelta España Femenina by Carrefour.es, Itzulia Women, Volta Catalunya Femenina, and the UEC Road European Championship. Her new team, FDJ-Suez, dethroned Team SD Worx-Protime to claim first place in the UCI World Ranking for teams for the very first time. Alongside her, Lorena Wiebes dazzled with 25 wins, confirming Dutch supremacy as the Netherlands lead the UCI World Ranking for nations with 14,422.99 points.
The different trophies will be presented to the winners by UCI President David Lappartient at the first events of the 2026 season.
The full list of the UCI World Rankings is available on the UCI website.
NSN Cycling Team Unveils 2026 Identity at Barcelona Launch
NSN Cycling Team officially launched its 2026 season in Barcelona, attended by co-founder Andrés Iniesta, co-founder Joel Borràs, Stoneweg CEO Jaume Sabater, and General Manager Kjell Carlström, alongside riders including Biniam Girmay.
The team’s new jersey design, created by Stijn Dossche, draws inspiration from Barcelona’s contemporary architecture and incorporates elements of Rwanda’s Imigongo artform, reflecting the team’s Racing for Change initiative and international composition of 15 nationalities.
The WorldTour squad formed through a strategic partnership between NSN and Swiss investment platform Stoneweg. While racing under a Swiss license, the team maintains strong Barcelona connections, with a base planned in nearby Girona.
General Manager Carlström emphasized an opportunistic racing approach for 2026, targeting sprint races, stage hunts in Grand Tours, and diverse results across the season. The addition of sprinter Girmay highlights the team’s ambitions as Barcelona prepares to host the Tour de France Grand Départ.
Neilson Powless extends with EF Education-EasyPost
Neilson Powless will race on in EF Education-EasyPost colors through 2029.
The American is focused on the classics after his big win at Dwars door Vlaanderen last spring: “I don’t think I ever would have realized that I could be a classics rider until I joined this team,” Neilson says. “This team is famous for its outside-of-the-box tactics. Letting me go to the classics, or the way Ben raced into the yellow jersey at the Tour, or just the way we race the Tour every year, shows that.”
EF Pro Cycling founder and CEO Jonathan Vaughters spoke glowingly about the progress that Powless has made with the team. “When Neilson started out in the pro peloton, he wanted to be a grand tour climber, propelled up the highest mountains by his powerful natural motor. His first ride on the cobbles at the 2022 Tour de France convinced him to try his luck at the Ronde van Vlaanderen the next spring. He’d already won the Clásica de San Sebastián, but really fell in love with the no-holds-barred, hyper-tactical nature of one-day racing there when he finished fifth. Neilson is now focused on turning himself from a contender in the biggest races into a winner.”
“The classics embody cycling at its purest,” Neilson says. “You are just all in on that one day…For people who really understand cycling, I think the tactics at the classics are just the most exciting.”
MPCC: Stop “Escalating Medicalization” Now
The Mouvement Pour un Cyclisme Crédible (Movement for a Credible Cycling), or MPCC, is calling on the UCI to establish stricter regulations against the sport’s escalating medicalization. The organization warns of an expanding “grey area” involving substances not yet banned by WADA but raising ethical concerns when used by healthy athletes.
The MPCC criticizes lengthy anti-doping processes that allow questionable substances to remain in use during investigations. Ketones exemplify this problem—debated since 2017, they remain only “not recommended” rather than formally banned despite credibility concerns.
New worries include “finishing bottles” containing borderline substance mixtures and medications like Tapendatol, ten times stronger than now-banned Tramadol. The MPCC questions why athletes’ health remains at risk during prolonged analyses while crashes increase.
The organization points to carbon monoxide’s swift prohibition after the 2024 Tour de France as proof authorities can act decisively. The MPCC urges similar urgency to protect both cycling’s integrity and riders’ wellbeing before athletes feel compelled to use questionable products competitively.
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