The second day of the 2025 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships brought exhilarating individual action in Liévin, France, with three titles awarded the day after the mixed team relay.
First up, French spectators were able to celebrate Lise Revol’s triumph in the Women Junior race. This was followed by victory for the Netherlands’ Tibor Del Grosso, untouchable among the Men Under 23. His countrywoman Fem van Empel capped off the day with a historic triumph after an outstanding battle with another Dutch star, Lucinda Brand.
Women Elite: Van Empel wins the battle of the Dutch
It was a historic victory for Van Empel, whose third successive Women Elite UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion title sees her join the Netherlands’ Marianne Vos and Belgium’s Sanne Cant as the only riders to have dominated the category over such a period of time (Cant won three consecutive years, from 2017 to 2019, while Vos celebrated six victoies between 2009 and 2014).
The Oranje riders quickly led the action, with Fem van Empel, Lucinda Brand and Puck Pieterse setting the pace from the start. Hungary’s Blanka Vas tried to get in the mix, but was distanced on the second lap. The same fate befell Pieterse a couple of laps further into the race. Brand put the hammer down with two laps to go but Van Empel managed to get back inside the final lap and eventually claim victory after a thrilling battle.
“I really had to go deep for it,” Van Empel explained. “It was a tough battle and mentally it was quite hard. This is quite emotional. Lucinda was a great competitor today. I have lots of respect for her and I’m happy for her as well with the podium, and also for Puck coming in third place. We did a really good job.”
Pieterse resisted the return of another Dutch rider, Inge van der Heijden, to take the bronze medal and thus replicate last year’s podium, in the same order. The same three stars had already dominated the 2023 race, when Pieterse took the silver medal ahead of Brand.
Men Under 23: Del Grosso means class
From the 2024-2025 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup to the UCI Cyclo-cross Worlds Championships, Tibor Del Grosso (the Netherlands) remained a class above his rivals, gracing the Val de Souchez circuit with a one-man masterclass that granted him the rainbow jersey for the second year in a row in the Men Under 23 ranks. Just like in 2024, he got the better of two Belgian riders; this time it was Kay De Bruyckere - who claimed silver in his first participation in the UCI Cyclo-cross Worlds - and Jente Michels, who had already taken the bronze medal last year.
“It feels great, just as good as the first one,” Del Grosso said after brining it home. “I really enjoyed it today. On this course, the best cyclo-cross rider takes the win. I just rode my own pace from the start and that worked. It was tricky in the first lap to see how it dried up or got muddier compared to the recon but I found my lines quite quickly and I could do my job.”
Del Grosso enjoyed himself so much he delivered some spectacular tricks for the fans. And he expects his countryman and inspiration Mathieu Van der Poel to bring the thrills on Sunday as well in the Men Elite race: “It’s a good course for Mathieu.”
Women Junior: Revol delights the French
Saturday’s action began with a first battle filled with twists and thrills that finally gave local fans a total delight. It was no surprise to see Lise Revol get off to a flying start in front of her home crowds - the French rising star has been a dominant force in the 2024-2025 Women Junior UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, with two victories, in Besançon (France) and Benidorm (Spain).
But Czechia’s Barbora Bukovská came back and distanced Revol halfway through the race. “I couldn’t keep up with her because she was really strong on the flat,” the French youngster explained. “But on the side of the circuit, they told me I was much stronger in the technical sections. I didn’t believe I could make it but I saw I was coming back rapidly in the last two laps so I figured I could do it. And I could hear the crowds behind me. It hurt my ears, but they really pushed me, it was incredible.”
Revol eventually bridged the gap to Bukovská on the final lap and went on to claim victory with an advantage of 11 seconds. She succeeds her countrywoman Célia Gery, crowned in the same category in 2024. Canada’s Rafaelle Carrier (winner of the overall standings of the 2024-2025 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup ahead of Revol) rounded out the podium, claiming the bronze medal, 1’43’’ behind the winner.