The 2024-2025 edition of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup is about to take fans and riders into a new season of thrills, to follow on from the exhilarating battles witnessed in the last years.
Seasoned specialists, famed versatile talents and young stars in the making are gearing for the first of 12 rounds this Sunday (24 November) in Antwerpen (Belgium).
Twelve rounds for intense battles
A reshuffled calendar will see the stars of cyclo-cross visit six countries (Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain), along with a new venue to the schedule: Cabras in Sardinia (Italy), close to the city of Oristano.
2024-2025 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup calendar
Round 1: Sunday 24 November 2024, in Antwerpen (Belgium)
Round 2: Sunday 1 December 2024, in Dublin (Ireland)
Round 3: Sunday 8 December 2024, Cabras - Sardinia (Italy)
Round 4: Sunday 15 December 2024, in Namur (Belgium)
Round 5: Saturday 21 December 2024, in Hulst (Netherlands)
Round 6: Sunday 22 December 2024, in Zonhoven (Belgium)
Round 7: Thursday 26 December 2024, in Gavere (Belgium)
Round 8: Sunday 29 December 2024, Besançon (France)
Round 9: Sunday 5 January 2025, in Dendermonde (Belgium)
Round 10: Sunday 19 January 2025, in Benidorm - Costa Blanca (Spain)
Round 11: Saturday 25 January 2025, Maasmechelen (Belgium)
Round 12: Sunday 26 January 2025, Hoogerheide – Noord-Brabant (Netherlands).
It all promises intense action with rounds every week, except for the weekend of the National Championships on 11-12 January. The end of year will be intense, with four rounds in the last ten days of 2024. Riders will then face a thrilling final rush in January, including a much-anticipated double header in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide to close the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup.
The season will culminate with the 2025 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, in Liévin, France (31 January - 2 February).
The rounds held in Dublin, Cabras, Hulst and Besançon have been granted "protected event" status, as part of a series of new measures aimed at promoting balanced participation in the events on the UCI Cyclo-cross International Calendar.
Races for the youth categories - Men Under 23, Women Junior and Men Junior - will be held in the Dublin, Hulst, Zonhoven, Besançon, Benidorm and Hoogerheide rounds.
Bäckstedt to challenge the Dutch?
The 2023-2024 campaign was marked by a first success in the Elite rankings for Ceylin Alvarado, after she dominated the UCI U23 Cyclo-cross World Cup in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, while Eli Iserbyt claimed his second overall Elite victory in three years. Both took the lead of the standings after round 3 and kept it all the way to the final round in Hoogerheide, thanks to their dominant and consistent performances.
The first battles of this autumn have highlighted Alvarado’s impressive form to start the season but she was beaten by Fem van Empel in the European Championships, held in Pontevedra (Spain) at the beginning of November.
Already crowned in 2022 and 2023, Van Empel is also the reigning Women Elite UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion. She won the 2023 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup and five rounds of the 2023-2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup.
Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike) are expected to battle at the front with their Dutch countrywomen, who filled the rest of the top 7 in the overall standings of the last UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, as well as exciting youngsters such as Great Britain’s Zoe Bäckstedt (Under 23 UCI World Champion) and France’s Célia Gery (Under 23 European Champion).
New stars align
The Men Elite race of the European Championships crowned Belgium’s Thibau Nys (Baloise Trek Lions), who won the first round of the 2023-2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, his first victory in the series as an Elite rider after ruling the Under 23 competition the previous season.
In Pontevedra, Nys got the better of in-form Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team), with Iserbyt rounding out the podium. Iserbyt aims to be the first rider since his countryman Toon Aerts (2018-2019 and 2019-2020) to win the Men Elite ranking of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup two seasons in a row.
Last year, he resisted the Dutch assaults of Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing Team), set to return to competition this weekend in Antwerp, and Pam Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions).
Dutch talent was also on display in last year’s UCI Under 23 Cyclo-cross World Cup, with Tibor Del Grosso’s dominant performances, while France’s Célia Gery ruled the Women Junior competition and Italy’s Stefano Viezzi won in the Men Junior ranks.