We’re all in the mud waiting for our favorite time of year: cyclocross season. Here’s everything you need to know about 2025-2026 cyclocross racing, from race dates, series, and top riders to watch.
What makes cyclocross so special?
As the road racing season draws to a close with the Italian classics and the weather begins to turn chilly, we turn our attention to an unusual place in the cyclocross world: a dirt circuit with stairs, jumps, and obstacles that seem unthinkable to your average Lycra-wearing roadie.
What makes cyclocross season such a joy to watch? Aside from celebrating victories for the many talented pros practicing this subdiscipline, there’s just something special about the sport.
For the uninitiated, cyclocross is a form of bike racing where competitors race off-road on a circuit.
The circuit is marked by obstacles like sand pits, barriers, and other challenging elements that often demand riders to get off their bikes and push or carry their way forward. The result is a high-intensity and exciting battle for the spectators, and many major cyclocross races have a fun festival atmosphere for fans.
While this might sound similar to mountain biking, the sport is actually closer to road cycling than you might think. The bikes used for cyclocross have features similar to road bikes, but include, for example, wider and more knobbly tires to allow their riders to conquer the off-road terrain of the course.
I haven’t always been a cyclocross fan. In fact, the first few races I watched, I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. However, I quickly discovered that what makes cyclocross amazing is how different it is from other cycling disciplines, and now I tune in for most of the series through the season. I can’t wait to see what the 2025-2026 period has in store for us.
Read more: Revisit our guide from last year, How to Watch Cyclocross in 2024-2025.
Interested in watching a race for yourself? There are plenty of opportunities! Let’s take a look at the schedule for this year’s season.
Embed from Getty ImagesFull UCI 2026-2025 Cyclocross Schedule: All Men’s and Women’s Races
As soon as October hits, it’s fair game to start wondering about when the cyclocross season starts.
For fans, there are multiple race series to follow. These series allow riders to collect points based on wins and top finishes throughout the season. Each series concludes by crowning an overall winner. Although this format is a bit different from road cycling, it allows cyclocross organizations to attract sponsors and promote additional competition among the riders.
Here are the primary cyclocross series for elite men and women:
- The UCI World Cup is the most prestigious series and is organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the organization behind pro road racing. The World Cup attracts top talent within the sport, including famous road cyclists who participate in cyclocross like Matheiu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Tom Pidcock.
- The Superprestige is the oldest series in the sport, with the first edition taking place in 1982-1983. Races in this series held primarily in the Netherlands and Belgium. In fact, the Superprestige is organized by the same group that hosts the spring road classics, including the Tour of Flanders.
- X²O Badkamers Trophy is a Belgian series that is very popular among fans. While it lacks some of the prestige of the two previous series discussed, it’s recognizable for its mascot, a big yellow rubber ducky that is often awarded to winners on the podium.
- Exact Cross is a bit different from other series in that it doesn’t award points or a leader’s jersey through the season, and riders don’t compete for an overall ranking. However, the individual races, held in Belgium and the Netherlands, are still exciting for the fans and riders alike.
In addition to these series, the cyclocross World Championship for men and women is also hosted by the UCI. For 2025-2026, it will be held on February 1st in Hulst, Netherlands.
Embed from Getty ImagesUCI World Cup Cyclocross for Elite Men and Women
For 2025-2026, races in the UCI World Cup series will begin in mid-November and run through the end of January. This includes a race on Boxing Day in Gavere. The 12 races of this series will take place on the following dates:
| November 30, 2025 | UCI World Cup Flamanville |
| December 7, 2025 | UCI World Cup Terralba |
| December 14, 2025 | UCI World Cup Namur |
| December 20, 2025 | UCI World Cup Antwerpen |
| December 21, 2025 | UCI World Cup Koksijde |
| December 26, 2025 | UCI World Cup Gavere |
| December 28, 2025 | UCI World Cup Dendermonde |
| January 4, 2026 | UCI World Cup Zonhoven |
| January 18, 2026 | UCI World Cup Benidorm |
| January 24, 2026 | UCI World Cup Maasmechelen |
| January 25, 2026 | UCI World Cup Hoogerheide |
Superprestige Cyclocross for Elite Men and Women
For 2025-2026, races in the Superprestige series will begin in late October and take place through the beginning of February. The eight races in the series occur on the following dates:
| October 26, 2025 | Superprestige Overijse – Vlaamse Druivencross |
| November 11, 2025 | Superprestige Niel – Jaarmarktcross |
| November 15, 2025 | Superprestige Merksplas |
| December 23, 2025 | Superprestige Heusden-Zolder |
| December 30, 2025 | Superprestige Diegem |
| January 3, 2026 | Superprestige Gullegem |
| February 7, 2026 | Superprestige Middlekerke – Noordzeecross |
X²O Badkamers Trophy Cyclocross for Elite Men and Women
During the 2025-2026 season, races in the X²O Badkamers Trophy series will take place through November to mid-February. This series features a race on New Year’s Day in Baal. Here are the dates for the eight races in this series:
| November 2, 2025 | X²O Badkamers Lokeren |
| November 16, 2025 | X²O Badkamers Hamme |
| December 22, 2025 | X²O Badkamers Hofstade |
| December 29, 2025 | X²O Badkamers Loenhout |
| January 1, 2026 | X²O Badkamers Baal |
| February 8, 2026 | X²O Badkamers Lille |
| February 15, 2026 | X²O Badkamers Brussel |
Exact Cross Cyclocross for Elite Men and Women
For 2025-2026, races in the Exact Cross series will take place through early October to Valentine’s Day (February 14th). The seven races in the Exact Cross series are as follows:
| October 18, 2025 | Exact Cross Essen |
| October 25, 2025 | Exact Cross Heerderstrand |
| December 13, 2025 | Exact Cross Kortrijk – Urban Cross |
| January 2, 2026 | Exact Cross Mol – Zilvermeercross |
| February 4, 2026 | Exact Cross Maldegem – Parkcross |
| February 14, 2026 | Exact Cross Sint-Niklaas – Waaslandcross |
I hope these schedules help you keep up with all the cyclocross action through the season!
Embed from Getty ImagesHow do I watch 2025-2026 cyclocross on TV?
Of course, knowing when races take place doesn’t mean much if you can’t find the broadcasts. Let’s go over some of the primary coverage for the sport by country.
United States and Canada
In the U.S., cyclocross is broadcast across two platforms. HBO Max is where you can find coverage of Superprestige, X2O Trofee, and Exact Cross cyclocross events. This platform also covers the Giro d’Italia and various other races in the road cycling season. Meanwhile, FloBikes is likely to broadcast the UCI World Cup and World Championship, although they haven’t made an official announcement for the year. In Canada, FloBikes broadcasts all of the cyclocross series discussed here.
Keep in mind that FloBikes is expensive and doesn’t offer a month-to-month subscription option (only yearly). Because of this, we can only hope that cyclocross coverage in the States will move to a different provider someday in the future. Note that UCI World Cup races are also broadcast on YouTube, but only for countries without other coverage, so viewers in the U.S. or Canada will not be able to access these streams without the use of a VPN.
Europe and the U.K.
Of course, cyclocross is very popular in Belgium and the Netherlands, which broadcast the sport on Sporza and NOS (NPO Start) respectively. In the U.K., cyclocross coverage continues on from the road season on TNT Sports cycling streaming.
For other European countries, it’s best to check the same broadcast or streaming outlets where you can watch road cycling. Since changes to Eurosport and Discovery+ coverage, it’s more difficult to figure out where to watch races, and regional or national information will be the most helpful.
Australia
As in previous years, the TV coverage for cyclocross in Australia is unclear. Check SBS Sports streaming platform closer to time to see whether any listings appear. You can also view the UCI World Cup race series along with the World Championship on YouTube.
Embed from Getty ImagesTop riders to watch for men’s and women’s competition.
As the 2025-2026 season gets started, fans will be looking to the early points and rankings to see who’s doing well and who’s taking a step down from the top. But who are the best riders to watch as the season begins?
On the men’s side:
- Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands): The reigning World Champion and arguably the most dominant rider when he competes is a treat to watch on the cyclocross course. While he typically has a more limited cyclocross schedule because of his road racing schedule, he is the favorite to win virtually every race he enters.
- Wout van Aert (Belgium): Always the runner-up in the current day, van Aert still has an impressive resume in the mud. Similar to Van der Poel, he is a multi-discipline star who performs on the road as well and takes a selective cyclocross calendar each year. Keep an eye out for his wins, especially when van der Poel isn’t at the start line.
- Tom Pidcock (Great Britain): The final member of the “Big Three” is a former world championship and accomplished mountain biker as well. His successes on the road and in other disciplines have translated well to the cyclocross world, but it’s not clear whether he’s taking a step back from the upcoming season.
- Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium), Toon Aerts (Belgium) and Eli Iserbyt (Belgium): Outside of the “Big Three,” these Belgian riders are consistently ranked high and are major forces in almost every race. They especially show off in the larger Belgian races and in the series overall standings; because they race through the entire year, they’re likely to wear the leader’s jerseys of each series through the winter.
- Thibau Nys (Belgium): This exciting young rider has been rapidly climbing the ranks over recent years. He is the son of the Dutch national cycling coach, Sven Nys. This year, he’s expected to be a more major contender, even standing up to the likes of van der Poel and van Aert in most races.
- Niels Vandeputte (Belgium) and Lars van der Haar (Netherlands): These consistent middle-of-the-pack guys round out the cyclocross start line. Van der Haar is later in his career, but still nabs a lot of wins through the season and has a good shot to win the overall ranking in one of the series.
- Pim Ronhaar (Netherlands) and Joran Wyseure (Belgium): These younger riders are breaking into the elite group of contenders and will be challenging for some of their first major wins this season.
The top rankings feature a strong Belgian presence, as the sport is very popular there. However, the “Big Three” of cyclocross (Van der Poel, Van Aert, and Pidcock) are often the favorites in the races they choose to enter, despite often starting their cyclocross season later on the tail end of the road season.
Embed from Getty ImagesOn the women’s side:
- Fem van Empel (Netherlands): This reigning World Champion is the most dominant figure in the sport currently. Like Van der Poel and Van Aert on the men’s side, she is often the pre-race favorite for any race she lines up for and is expected to continue her strong performances this season.
- Puck Pieterse (Netherlands): This younger, dynamic rider excels in both cyclocross and mountain biking. Her fantastic performances so far make her a top contender (and heir apparent to Van Empel) within the Dutch riders.
- Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Netherlands): Another face from the Netherlands, this former World Champion contends across major races. Although she’s taken time off over the years to deal with health issues including a back injury, we’re likely to see her do well in many races this season.
- Zoe Backstedt (Great Britain): This young rider is quickly moving up the ranks. She’s won the U23 European championship in the discipline and has also competed in road racing and track cycling. Her versatility makes her one to watch.
- Marie Schreiber (Luxemburg): As another emerging talent from outside the Netherlands, Schreiber has made an impressive start to her cyclocross career. This will be a year to see whether she takes a step up to compete at the highest level, and a dark horse pick to nab a few wins throughout the season.
In contrast to the men’s, the women’s field is dominated by Dutch riders with a strong track record and history in this discipline. Because women’s and men’s cyclocross races take place on the same day, viewing both categories is often easier than keeping up with two calendars.
Embed from Getty ImagesAre you ready to dive into cyclocross this year? Which races are you looking forward to seeing? Let us know your favorite races and riders, along with your predictions for the year, in the comments or on social media! ★
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