The thrills came in the earlier Elite Women’s race, which saw a multitude of slips, slides, spills, and crashes, and ended when a final slip and slide led to the end of Lucinda Brand’s winning streak at unlucky 13 and a major victory for Ceylin Del Alvarado, who won at Zonhoven for the second year in a row.
Van der Poel beats the snow and ice
Van der Poel had the best start, attacking immediately, and was closely followed by Aerts, who was able to stay with him for no more than half a lap before being dropped, and the race was effectively over. Van der Poel’s lead was 11 seconds after lap 1 of 8, 30 seconds over a group of five riders after lap 2, and 43 seconds over the same group – which included budding superstars Thibau Nys (Baloise Verzekeringen–Het Poetsbureau Lions) and Tibor del Grosso (Alpecin–Premier Tech) – after the third lap.
On the dramatic fourth lap, van der Poel had a rear-wheel puncture and lost some 20 seconds of his lead, as Nys took up the chase and seemed on the point of leaving his group behind. But he slid on some ice, lost his balance and crashed into the side barrier, snapping his handlebars. He then had to alternately carry and very cautiously ride the bike for some distance, finally finishing 19th, 3:22 behind the winner.
As van der Poel continued riding unchallenged and undaunted by the conditions towards his 20th consecutive victory, del Grosso – his 22-year-old teammate – was leaving his fellow travellers behind and demonstrated again that he will be a worthy successor to his mentor, finishing second at 45 seconds. The constantly improving Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) finished third, 1:03 adrift.
“It was not the plan, but I just had a really good start,” van der Poel said after the race. “I wanted to do one hour of my own thing, especially in these circumstances. Before going back to Spain [for training], it was nice to go one hour full gas.” Asked about his flat tyre, he explained: “I already had a big advantage. I was in a good flow and a good rhythm, and it broke my rhythm a little bit, and I lost some time. It hurt the legs because it was a long stretch to ride on a flat tyre, but I never panicked because I felt I had a good day today.” The unflappable Dutchman now leads the World Cup series by 200 points to 190 over Nys.
It looks very much as if van der Poel will ride virtually unchallenged to his record-breaking eighth Elite Men’s cyclo-cross world championship on February 1, especially since the unlucky Wout van Aert (Visma–Lease a Bike), who seemed to be approaching his great rival’s level, crashed in the snow of the Exact Cross race at Mol on January 2 and broke his ankle.
“Of course, I am very disappointed to have to end my cyclo-cross season like this,” van Aert said at the time. “I was feeling better and better, including today in Mol. I was really looking forward to the race in Zonhoven and the Belgian championships. But my focus will now be on recovery and, later on, the preparation for the road season.” The question is how much the layoff and recovery will affect his preparation for the spring Classics races, which van Aert is targeting.
A late slip costs Brand
Slips, spills, crashes, and other errors in the snow determined the winner of the Elite Women’s race, whose name for a change was not Lucinda Brand (Baloise Verzekeringen–Het Poetsbureau Lions). It was defending Zonhoven champion Ceylin Del Alvarado (Fenix–Premier Tech), who made the fewest mistakes, especially in the final two laps, when it counted.
Brand had a mediocre start but quickly made her way to the front, and a determined Puck Pieterse (Fenix–Premier Tech), who was fastest off the start line, soon opened a gap. But she made an error, which allowed Brand to surge to the front. And Brand looked to be heading for a 14th consecutive victory when she lost control on a frozen rut on the final lap and slid into the side barrier. Alvarado rode past her, quickly opened a gap of 11 seconds and was never threatened again as Brand had run out of bullets to fire after making up lots of ground lost due to earlier mishaps.
“I felt really strong, even after the hard crash [on lap 1],” Brand said. “But too many mistakes. I could come back every time and could even take the initiative every time, but if you make mistakes and someone else doesn’t…”
Alvarado agreed that errors in the snow determined the outcome of the race. “Along the way, I made many mistakes,” she said. “I think I was riding too long on the wrong tyres, so it was really slippery for me. But I never gave up and, like I said earlier, the mistakes today were crucial.”
Not long after the start of the race, the lead group of Pieterse, Brand, and Alvarado – in other words, the eventual podium – all crashed on the same sand-pit descent. After that mishap, Pieterse opened a gap again and seemed to be the rider to beat at the end of lap 1, with a lead of 9 seconds over Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen–Altez Industriebouw), 13 seconds over Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing), and 14 and 18 seconds respectively over Alvarado and Brand. The lead was 11 seconds over Brand and Alvarado after lap 2.
But Brand came back on Pieterse’s wheel, with Alvarado not far behind, on lap 3. Pieterse then crashed on an icy corner near the end of the lap, which forced her to change her bike. As a result, she lost more ground and was never in the fight for the win again. That battle would be contested by Brand and Alvarado, which ended in disappointment for the former, who had said before the race that winning at Zonhoven for the first time was one of her goals of the season.
Pieterse reflected on that early crash: “It was quite funny. I caught a wrong rut, so I went OTB [over the bars]. I thought I made a mistake again and everyone will pass me. First, I saw Lucinda crash and I am like, okay, I am not the only one. Then Ceylin crashes. I had to laugh, actually, that all three of us fell, but I think it shows how hectic a start like this can be… It was just super tricky to ride, especially when your heart rate is so high.”
French champion Amandine Fouquenet – who, after months of uncertainty, was signed in late December by Pauwels Sauzen–Altez Industriebouw – had an uncharacteristically slow start and had to work her way back into top 10 contention on a course where opportunities for passing were few and far between. That she eventually finished fourth, at 1:27, was an excellent result on a course that did not suit her.
Top 5 Elite Men – Zonhoven CX World Cup 2026
1. Mathieu van der Poel, Alpecin–Premier Tech 59:36
2. Tibor del Grosso, Alpecin–Premier Tech +0:45
3. Emiel Verstrynge, Crelan-Corendon +1:03
4. Niels Vandeputte, Alpecin–Premier Tech +1:18
5. Toon Aerts, Charles Liégeois–Deschacht “
Top 5 Elite Women – Zonhoven CX World Cup 2026
1. Ceylin Del Alvarado, Fenix–Premier Tech 51:33
2. Lucinda Brand, Baloise Verzekeringen–Het Poetsbureau Lions +0:23
3. Puck Pieterse, Fenix–Premier Tech +0:49
4. Amandine Fouquenet, Pauwels Sauzen–Altez Industriebouw +1:27
5. Shirin van Anrooij, Baloise Verzekeringen–Het Poetsbureau Lions +1:39
