Lots of mud and cyclocross over the weekend as Wout van Aert dominated the racing. The future is here – TOP STORY: AI to help Tadej Pogaćar win the Tour: “Huge breakthrough in cycling.” All the video, reports, results and rider quotes from UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Dendermonde, Telenet Superprestige – Hexia Cyclocross in Gullegem and the X²O Badkamers Trofee – Vlaamse Duinencross in Koksijde.
Rider news:
- Chris Hoy calls for more awareness of prostate cancer
- Mathieu van der Poel also forced to miss Dendermonde
- Remco Evenepoel takes a rehabilitation walk
- Mathieu van der Poel’s early season plans
- Wout van Aert makes a wish for 2025
- Wout van Aert’s victory salute in Gullegem
- Primoz Roglič aims for a record in la Vuelta, but Red Bull has other priorities
- Jhonatan Narváez wants to win in Flanders
- Arnaud De Lie returns to that ‘shitty race’ and rides the Classics
- Victor Campenaerts stressed out due to changes going to Visma | Lease a Bike
- Lennert Van Eetvelt’s varied 2025 race calendar
- Laurence Pithie hopes to make progress with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
- Wout van Aert is looking for a solution to crashes
- Shirin van Anrooij increases her training two months after surgery
- Ben Hermans ends his search for a new team
Team news:
- Lotto’s Stéphane Heulot looks ahead to the new season
- Burgos-BH has a new main sponsor
- Team Polti VisitMalta unveils new GSport kit for the 2025 season
- Wagner-Bazin WB Le maillot 2025!
EUROTRASH coffee time.
TOP STORY: AI to help Tadej Pogaćar Win the Tour: “Huge Breakthrough in Cycling”
AI (artificial intelligence) is being used more and more and now cycling teams apparently do too. UAE Team Emirates is a big fan of a new system based on AI. “This is something that other teams should invest more money in in the coming years,” said Jeroen Swart, performance coordinator of the Emirates team. The team work with a data bot called Ana, Swart explained. “The possibilities of AI are insane. We are reaching phases that are phenomenal. It is transforming. At the moment we have the possibilities to ask the system for insights and it gives us unique answers back.”
“The hardest part now is to figure out what to ask. We get the answers, but we have to be able to ask unique questions. ‘Questions that are not obvious’,” Swart explains. For example: “We made a 3D profile of the stages of the Tour. Then we could ask Ana to show us how the race would unfold using small miniature cyclists. It could give us insights into how the race would go, especially focused on Tadej and the data that Ana has about him. The system could show us what his performance was like and where he had to deliver what performance. That way you get a scenario. Then you have insights that you would not necessarily have picked up elsewhere. And I did all that within a minute, in every language in the world.”
Swart is convinced that the AI system has a huge added value. In fact, he would recommend it to other teams. “This is something that teams should invest more money in the coming years. I think it is an element that everyone should try to invest in.” Dan Lorang, the performance director of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, agrees with Swart. “We have a huge amount of data in cycling. It would be a huge next step if we could bring together all this data, which is collected and stored in different places. That would be a huge breakthrough in cycling. Certainly if we could then bring that data together and extract information and predictions from it,” Lorang continued. “If we could understand how each variable, for example body temperature and sleep, influences and changes each other, that would change our entire approach.”
AI behind Tadej Pogaćar in the Tour:
UCI Cyclocross World Cup – Dendermonde Men 2025
Wout van Aert won the Dendermonde World Cup cross on Sunday. The Visma | Lease a Bike Belgian was considered the favourite before the start and didn’t disappoint. Van Aert dropped Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) in the third lap and soloed to his second victory of the winter. Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) was third.
Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert were meant to battle in Dendermonde, but the World champion couldn’t start the World Cup race as he was still suffered with a rib injury from the Azencross in Loenhout. Now everyone was looking at Wout van Aert, who in his third cyclocross of the season would be up against Toon Aerts, Michael Vanthourenhout, Eli Iserbyt and Thibau Nys. Van Aert was the big favourite, but didn’t have an easy start. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider had to ride in the bunch in the first lap, although he did manage to move up. In the second lap he was with the leaders Pim Ronhaar, Toon Aerts and Emiel Verstrynge. These four started the third lap with a nice lead.
The first chasers: Kevin Kuhn, Joran Wyseure, Corné van Kessel and Mees Hendrickx, were 20 seconds down at this point. A bit further back was Michael Vanthourenhout and Thibau Nys. The leader of the World Cup and the European champion had both punctured, but didn’t give up. This was all behind Wout van Aert, who managed to increase his lead with his running and powerful riding through the mud. Closest pursuer Verstrynge initially managed to limit the difference to 15 seconds, but then lost ground. After five laps, Van Aert’s lead had grown to 50 seconds. The victory looked to be in the bag as Van Aert wasn’t slowing down.
Van Aert rode virtually flawlessly in the final laps, apart from a slip, and had plenty of time to take the victory. Verstrynge held on for second place without any problems. The battle for third place was still completely open with two laps to go. Aerts had the situation under control, but lost his power in the last 15 minutes and was passed by Wyseure. The danger no longer came from the tired Aerts, but from Vanthourenhout, who was fighting for a podium place. Wyseure held his own in the battle for third place. Aerts still came fourth, Vanthourenhout was fifth after a poor last lap. The Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines rider still leads in the World Cup and with three rounds still to go, he has a good chance of taking the final overall.
Race winner, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I think I’m on schedule. We added these races to my program to see how far I was now. It’s going well. I can’t make anything else of it. I’m very satisfied. Physiologically speaking, this is a good test, but a course like Dendermonde is also very far removed from road cycling. In the past races in Gullegem and Loenhout, there was a bit more cycling and more explosiveness. That’s an even better incentive, but there’s also the fun factor. These are the days that made me want to become a cyclocrosser when I was younger. It’s unbelievable that so many people come out on a day like today. It really means something to me to see how many supporters I have. I want to thank everyone. Tomorrow I have another day of rest and then I’ll go to Spain for a training camp with the team. It will be good to be able to cycle in better conditions”
2nd, Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon): “It’s great to be on the podium a week before the Belgian Championship. I’m very proud. I got off to a good start and afterwards I found a good pace. I was able to follow Wout for a while, but I felt that it was just going too fast. It was a very long race, so I had to find my own pace. That was apparently enough to leave the rest behind me. I like doing it, riding at one pace for an hour. But I didn’t necessarily expect this. In a double weekend, the second day is always a bit of a search. I’ve often gone deep in the past period, but it’s nice to feel that it’s possible.”
3rd, Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon): “In the beginning I was still looking for the right feeling, after two tough races. I had a great time. In the beginning my legs felt heavy, but around halfway through the race I was able to find my rhythm. And I also had a good pace in the running sections. I immediately tried to go up and over Toon and create a gap. I am really happy that I was able to achieve third place here. It was really the kind of race for which I started racing when I was eight years old. I would like to have more like this. You could call it epic. You hardly recognise us anymore. You have to keep going for an hour. Eventually the mud started to get so deep that you sometimes make a slip or slide. It is a real spectacle. I really enjoy doing it. I have found the right feeling and have come out of the Christmas period well. But this race is not comparable to what we will experience next week. I think it will be a fast race in Zolder, where a bit more tactical driving will be required. But I am looking forward to it. I have a good feeling and we also have a good team”
UCI Cyclocross World Cup – Dendermonde Men Result:
1. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike in 1:02:49
2. Emiel Verstrynge (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 1:20
3. Joran Wyseure (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 1:41
4. Toon Aerts (Bel) Deschacht-Hens-FSP at 1:52
5. Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines at 2:24
6. Pim Ronhaar (Ned) Baloise Glowi Lions at 2:43
7. Kevin Kuhn (Sui) Charles Liégeois Roastery CX at 2:49
8. Thibau Nys (Bel) Baloise Glowi Lions at 3:14
9. Cameron Mason (GB) Seven Racing at 3:15
10. Mees Hendrikx (Ned) Heizomat RadTeam p/b Hermann at 3:35.
Dendermonde’25:
UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Dendermonde Women 2025
Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) soloed to victory on Sunday in very muddy conditions. In the Dendermonde World Cup, Brand stayed ahead of Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and World champion Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike).
In the women’s race all the top riders were present. World Cup leader Lucinda Brand, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Puck Pieterse and World champion Fem van Empel. Zoe Bäckstedt and Kata Blanka Vas were also in with q chance. Due to the recent rain, the course in Dendermonde had turned into a real mud bath. Leonie Bentveld was the first into the mud. The young Dutch rider was quickly passed by Lucinda Brand. The leader in the World Cup is not known for her fast start, but today she was flying.
The Dutch champion has finished on the podium 31 consecutive times and gave it her all from the line. Brand’s pace was so high that only Puck Pieterse and Zoe Bäckstedt could follow. These three riders started the second lap with a good lead. Behind them, the differences had already increased considerably. World champion Van Empel was already 20 seconds down, while Alvarado was about 30 seconds back. They could all forget the victory after 10 minutes of racing. After 15 minutes, Pieterse felt her moment had come, and this seemed to be a decisive moment in the race. Brand and Bäckstedt were unable to put Pieterse under pressure. They were unable to answer, while Pieterse managed to ride away. But the battle for victory was certainly not over yet. Brand found her second wind in the third lap and nibbled away to close the gap.
At the start of the fourth lap, Brand and Pieterse were involved in a real battle, but could Van Empel also join in the battle for victory? The Visma | Lease a Bike rider was riding better after a poor start and closed the gap to within 17 seconds of the leaders. Brand rode away from Pieterse metre by metre, although the Fenix-Deceuninck rider was struggling with a flat tyre. Pieterse managed to limit the damage, but saw her deficit increase to around 10 seconds after a bike change. This proved to be too much. The tough Brand managed to further increase her lead in the last two laps. Pieterse slowed down and was joined by Van Empel. Brand had no trouble in the finale and soloed to victory. The Dutch champion can look back on a perfect cyclo-cross weekend, after she was the strongest in the Superprestige Gullegem on Saturday. Pieterse finished second in Dendermonde, while Van Empel had to settle for third place, partly due to a puncture in the final.
Race winer, Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions): “I really need to take a break. For the first time I thought: ‘one more lap, really?’ It feels really good to win here. I don’t know what all those people are thinking to come out in this bad weather, but I’m really happy with it. The encouragement really helps. At first I still had a focus point with Puck, but after that it was nice to get so much encouragement. At the end of the penultimate lap the gap was bigger, so I just had to focus on keeping up speed on the toughest parts of the course. The chance that I’ll stay in Spain (for a training camp) is big. It doesn’t fit in at all. If I even mention it, they’re already shocked at home. But I’ve already done so much that isn’t useful, by riding so much. And to be good at a World Championship, I have to start training again at some point. I think I’ll make the decision tomorrow morning, first I’ll have to get some sleep. But it will be with a heavy heart.”
2nd, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck): “In the beginning I enjoyed the mud, but after two laps I didn’t really enjoy it anymore. I had a flat tire halfway through the race. Then Lucinda got a gap. In the last lap I thought I had a flat tire, but then I was already riding towards the asphalt. So it was sprinting from the saddle. But Fem van Empel also got a flat tire, so it was an equal battle in that respect. There were a few holes in the course, so I didn’t ride over them, but then I got a flat tire anyway. There were a lot of spectators, especially on the parts where you had to run, over the hills. This is a course where it’s hard to sprint from corner to corner. It’s all about picking up a pace and hoping you can keep it up for as long as possible”
3rd, Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I don’t know what happened. It was a strange race for me. I still had the holeshot, but I still dived quite far into the field. My body didn’t feel great. However, I didn’t panic and tried to resume my race well. I never got to the leader (Brand). I did join Puck (Pieterse). I took over and then I had a flat tire at the back. The second time it was a flat front tire. That’s a shame”
UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Dendermonde Women Result:
1. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Baloise Glowi Lions in 55:08
2. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 0:30
3. Fem van Empel (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:41
4. Manon Bakker (Ned) Crelan-Corendon at 1:26
5. Zoe Backstedt (GB) Canyon//SRAM at 1:49
6. Inge van der Heijden (Ned) Crelan-Corendon at 2:26
7. Leonie Bentveld (Ned) Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines at 2:36
8. Marion Norbert Riberolle (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 3:09
9. Sanne Cant (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 3:11
10. Denise Betsema (Ned) Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines at 3:13.
Dendermonde’25:
Telenet Superprestige – Hexia Cyclocross Gullegem Men 2025
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) took his first victory since his return to cyclocross. The three-time World cross champion was too strong for Eli Iserbyt in the final lap. His Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines teammate, Michael Vanthourenhout, was third.
Wout van Aert was the big draw in Gullegem on Saturday. In the Superprestige cyclo-cross, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider was up-against Michael Vanthourenhout, Eli Iserbyt, Toon Aerts, Joran Wyseure, Lars van der Haar, Niels Vandeputte and Laurens Sweeck. Sweeck had the best start and took the early lead. Van Aert, who didn’t start in the first row, also had a good start and quickly moved up to second place. Vandeputte had to chase. The leader of the Superprestige, who defended a lead of 5 points over Van der Haar, was only in 15th place after one lap.
At the front, eight riders escaped in the opening lap. In the second of eight laps, it was Vanthourenhout who took the lead. Due to a crash by Van der Haar, a leading group of three formed. Vanthourenhout had Laurens Sweeck and Emiel Verstrynge with him. Van Aert saw the danger and jumped to them. In the third lap, Van der Haar, Wyseure, Iserbyt and Clément Venturini also joined them, a little later a group including Felipe Orts and Vandeputte also came back. There was now a leading group of fourteen riders, led by Sweeck and Vanthourenhout. Van Aert was just behind the two on the front. It took until the fourth lap before the Visma | Lease a Bike rider took the lead and he immediately put the pressure on. Vanthourenhout, Sweeck and Wyseure were able to keep with him, but a gap opened up behind them and the men from Crelan-Corendon were in trouble. Only Vanthourenhout stayed with Van Aert, so there were two leader halfway through the race. Wyseure and Iserbyt were the first chasers at 10 seconds. Van der Haar was now in 14th place, after he had dislocated his shoulder. The Dutchman was able to put it back in place himself, but lost a lot of time.
Vanthourenhout took over at the front and even put Van Aert under pressure for a while, but the Visma | Lease a Bike rider closed the small gap. Iserbyt and Wyseure also joined again. At the start of the sixth lap there were four riders in the lead when Iserbyt chose to attack. The Belgian champion broke away, but Van Aert didn’t let him get far and rode back to his wheel. Just when the other two came back, Van Aert increased the pace. At the start of the penultimate lap, Van Aert and Iserbyt had 7 seconds on Wyseure and Vanthourenhout. Iserbyt held onto Van Aert’s wheel, but had to give it 100%. The Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines rider limited the difference to a few metres and when the bell rang he was still only 1 second behind. Iserbyt came back and attacked. Van Aert pulled him back and took over again. For a short while, as Iserbyt took the lead again, this too was short-lived. Van Aert passed the Belgian champion once more and now mad a bigger gap. Iserbyt made a mistake and the battle was over. Van Aert rode on to his first cross victory since the Benidorm World Cup in January 2024.
Race winner, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “This win came as a surprise to me”, Van Aert responded afterwards. “I didn’t expect I was going to be able to beat these guys on this course. On the technical sections I sometimes struggled to follow the others, but I knew the tricky course would start to weigh on everyone. On the last lap, I increased the pace once more, which ultimately proved to be enough to take victory. I’m very happy with that. It’s always a great feeling to win. I came here with low expectations, so I’m obviously happy with how I’m feeling now. I had to dig deep today, but tomorrow there’s already another tough race in Dendermonde. I’ll give my best there again. I’m looking forward to it.”
2nd, Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines): “I felt tired beforehand, because I had been very deep yesterday, But I felt very good on the technical sections. I think I was slightly better than Wout there. But on the straights and in the running I felt that Wout was definitely the better one. In the beginning it took some getting used to. We were riding together in a very large group. Then it was a matter of finding some confidence on the lap. That worked out well. And by putting that acceleration myself, I gained more and more confidence. So I feel like I rode a super good race.”“In the last half lap I made two mistakes. I then shot next to my pedal again and then I lost the connection. And you know with Wout: if you don’t have the connection on those straights, he can accelerate just that little bit harder. That was the final blow today. If the technical section had been at the end of the race and the running section at the beginning, I might have been able to win the race, because I think I was slightly better on the technical sections. But on the running sections and straights, so the second half of the round, Wout was definitely the better one. So then it would have been difficult for me to win the race. Then I would have had to enter that last phase with five to ten seconds. And I knew that was not possible. Of course. After Baal I did feel that my condition is good. But the Belgian championships is a completely different race, slightly less technical and with many straights. That is not really my peak at the moment. For me it is a shame at the moment that it is slightly less technical.”
3rd, Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines): “I had to go over my limit to follow Wout. I then took over for a while to slow down the pace, but then Eli accelerated and I actually had to let go. I really had to find my own pace for a lap. It was a shame that I could no longer fight for the win, but I am already happy that the disease does not bother me too much towards the next races. Yes, but I think Eli was also very strong. I think it was a nice duel at the front. At the same time I had a duel with Joran (Wyseure) and it was nice that I was able to decide that to my advantage. After that illness, however, I am happy with that third place. Hopefully I can now build up that condition a bit again, so that I can gain a few more percentage points. First try to finish tomorrow (World Cup Dendermonde) well and then do a few hours this week to find those percentage points again. Hopefully that super compensation will start a bit from Thursday towards the World Cup. The last two weeks it was really from match to match, so it is difficult to increase that training load. Now it is a bit of a wait towards next week. After the Belgian Championship everyone will go to Spain to prepare for the last half of the season.”
Telenet Superprestige – Hexia Cyclocross Gullegem Men 2025
1. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike in 1:01:25
2. Eli Iserbyt (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines at 0:10
3. Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines at 0:31
4. Joran Wyseure (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 0:40
5. Niels Vandeputte (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team at 1:03
6. Ryan Kamp (Ned) Fenix at 1:07
7. Felipe Orts Lloret (Spa) Ridley Racing Team
8. Emiel Verstrynge (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 1:08
9. Cameron Mason (GB) Seven Racing at 1:14
10. Lars van der Haar (Ned) Baloise Glowi Lions at 1:34.
Gullegem’25:
Telenet Superprestige – Hexia Cyclocross Gullegem Women 2025
Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) won the Superprestige in Gullegem. The Dutch champion was in fourth place for many laps, but attacked in the final lap. Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM) was second after a battle with Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck). Brand passed Alvarado in the Telenet Superprestige standings.
Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse were missing from the start of the Superprestige Gullegem, but Lucinda Brand and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado were there. A duel between the two Dutch riders was expected, but Zoe Bäckstedt could upset the result.
Bäckstedt had a good start and was the first to go off-road, she was followed by Leonie Bentveld and Alvarado. Brand was a bit further back, but quickly moved up to the top five. Bäckstedt put the pressure on and the Dutch champion dropped back a bit. After one lap, she came through together with Marion Norbert Riberolle and Aniek van Alphen, 8 seconds behind the leading trio of Bentveld, Alvarado and Bäckstedt. In the second of five laps, Brand tried to cross on her own. She managed to join the leaders, but after a bad transition, she lost contact again. At the second time through the finish, Brand came through 10 seconds behind Riberolle. At the front, Alvarado took over from Bäckstedt and immediately pressed hard on the pedals. This led to some gaps among the first three, but after three laps they were back together. Brand remained stuck at about 10 seconds.
Until the fourth lap, then the rider from Baloise Glowi Lions finally got going. She first picked up the dropped Bentveld and then rode to the leading Bäckstedt and Alvarado group. At the start of the final lap, anything was possible. Bentveld also had a chance, as she came through just 3 seconds behind the leaders. Brand’s acceleration just after the bell put Bentveld out of the frame. Bäckstedt was also in trouble. She lost ground to Alvarado, who in turn lost touch with Brand, who built up her lead. The Baloise Glowi Lions rider had come through from the back to take the win. The battle for second place saw Bäckstedt pass Alvarado on the running section, the Dutch rider wasn’t happy with the move and tried to push her away. Once back on the bike, Alvarado tried to overtake the British rider again. She succeeded, but in the sprint Bäckstedt came alongside. The Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto rider was second and Alvarado had to settle for third. Alvarado lost the lead in the Superprestige to Brand, who now has a 1 point lead.
Race winner, Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions): “I actually felt really good in the second lap. I had a good flow on the course, but at the second checkpoint they suddenly stepped on the gas again. They were apparently riding a lot more calmly before that. But I kept trying to find my own lines and suddenly it turned around again. In such a final lap you don’t want to leave anything behind, so you can always do a bit more. I said this morning: ‘If I have the chance to win, I really hope Zoe is among them. She can handle these types of courses really well. Now recover quickly for tomorrow. We have at least practiced running well here. That will probably be the case again tomorrow.”
2nd, Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM): “I knew she would come back at some point. She has so much power, she is super strong. This course is almost made for her. So yeah, I knew she would come back and I had to try and stay with her as long as possible. I didn’t manage that for very long, but after that I just had to fight for second place. I passed her in the last corner of the running lane. It was a fight to the finish. She passed me in the chicane and then it was a sprint to the finish. Luckily I took it.”
3rd, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck): “She passed me and immediately cut it towards me. That made her push against me with her bike. I didn’t like that. She could have done it, but maybe a bit further. I tried to push her back onto her line. That’s what happened. Did that have an effect on the final result? I don’t know. We sprinted to the finish. She was never further than ten seconds behind. At some point you know what time it is. I just couldn’t go any faster than this today. I knew it was going to be a tough story. When she comes back, it’s trying to limit the damage as much as possible, or at least be on her wheel. But it just wasn’t going to happen. I would have liked to keep my lead (in the Telenet Superprestige), but it is what it is. If you’re not at your best today and someone else is, then that’s the way it is. I fought for what I’m worth.”
Telenet Superprestige – Hexia Cyclocross Gullegem Women 2025
1. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Baloise Glowi Lions in 44:22
2. Zoe Backstedt (GB) Canyon//SRAM at 0:06
3. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
4. Leonie Bentveld (Ned) Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines at 0:39
5. Marion Norbert Riberolle (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 1:30
6. Aniek van Alphen (Ned) Seven Racing at 1:47
7. Sanne Cant (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 2:42
8. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 2:54
9. Alicia Franck (Bel) De Ceuster-Bouwpunt at 3:03
10. Puck Langenbarg (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck Development Team at 3:20.
Gullegem’25:
X²O Badkamers Trofee – Vlaamse Duinencross Koksijde Men 2025
Laurens Sweeck was again the ‘sand specialist’ on Friday. The Crelan-Corendon rider dominated the Vlaamse Duinencross in Koksijde, battling a strong Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and eventually took the victory in the penultimate lap. Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens-FSP) was third.
There was a massive crash at the start of the men’s Vlaamse Duinencross, on the first bend from twentieth place. Niels Vandeputte was one of the victims and lost all chance of a good result in Koksijde.
Before the crash, it was Del Grosso who had the best start and quickly built up a gap with Sweeck on Eli Iserbyt, Pim Ronhaar, Joran Wyseure and Toon Vandebosch. Del Grosso and Sweeck worked well together in the first laps and they were unable to pull away from in the first half hour. Ronhaar was the biggest challenger to the leading pair. The Dutchman came within 10 seconds, but then dropped back, to join Wyseure, Aerts and Vandebosch.
In the second half of the race, Sweeck and Del Grosso attacked each other. First it was Del Grosso, then twice Sweeck, but the two fighters always got back together again. It was only in the penultimate lap that Sweeck finally got away from Del Grosso, although the U23 World champion continued to fight until the last metre to stay within sight of Sweeck. With a lead of more than 20 seconds, Sweeck crossed the finish line for his second victory in two races. Toon Aerts was third, at nearly a minute.
Race winner, Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon): “I am happy that this is now on my list of achievements and that I was able to finish it. Today I had a good opponent in Tibor Del Grosso. I tried to keep him as a companion, but especially in the first half we were evenly matched. I was not at all reassured. I just tried to do my own thing and get through the sand sections well, only at the end did I feel really confident. I don’t have the exact recipe for this form, but I have started the year well. With five victories I am doing very well, even though it has not always been that good this year.”
2nd, Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team): “Maybe I should have taken a bit more initiative. To beat someone like Laurens Sweeck, you have to ride perfectly. I made a few too many mistakes, but I certainly tried. A rider like Sweeck simply doesn’t make that many big mistakes. They call him the ‘Sandman’, but he’s simply one of the best cyclo-cross riders in the world. If I had wanted to win today, I shouldn’t have been dropped so far at the end. It’s still really cool to compete for the prizes among the elite, although I still have mixed feelings about this cyclo-cross.”
Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines): “I am a bit sick, but it is not super bad. I have not had a fever. I am mainly struggling with some fatigue. Last weekend we had the World Cup race in France and the day after we did a cross in the evening in Diegem. An important period is coming up, so I better rest now. After Diegem I did nothing for two days, then I picked up the thread again and trained again. So it will probably be okay. That cross is in the back of everyone’s mind. Especially because Wout van Aert is not participating. Since we know that, everyone chooses their route to be at the top at the Belgian Championship. But it is not my route. Faster men like Laurens Sweeck, Niels Vandeputte and Thibau Nys will do better, but the Belgian championship remains a special and strange cross.”
X²O Badkamers Trofee – Vlaamse Duinencross Koksijde Men 2025
1. Laurens Sweeck (Bel) Crelan-Corendon in 1:02:11
2. Tibor Del Grosso (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team at 0:26
3. Toon Aerts (Bel) Deschacht-Hens-FSP at 0:52
4. Pim Ronhaar (Ned) Baloise Glowi Lions at 1:06
5. Joran Wyseure (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 1:25
6. Eli Iserbyt (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines at 1:40
7. Toon Vandebosch (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 2:29
8. Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team at 2:45
9. Corné van Kessel (Ned) Deschacht-Hens-FSP at 2:49
10. Niels Vandeputte (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team at 3:01.
Koksijde’25
X²O Badkamers Trofee – Vlaamse Duinencross Koksijde Women 2025
Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) won in Koksijde on Friday. Pieterse was the strongest through the sand, to beat Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) and World champion Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike).
In the hard cyclocross through the sand in Koksijde, it was Van der Heijden who had the best start. The 25-year-old Crelan-Corendon rider has been in great form in recent weeks and showed again that she can compete with the likes of Brand, Pieterse and Van Empel.
Pieterse was able to go with Van der Heijden in the first lap. Brand and Van Empel were behind due to a mistake in one of the sand strips. At the start of the second lap, the gap between Van Empel and Brand on the leaders had increased to 21 seconds. Pieterse then put Van der Heijden under pressure, while Brand and Van Empel did everything they could in the pursuit to reduce the gap. At the end of the second lap, Van der Heijden was now 10 seconds behind Pieterse, while Brand and Van Empel had not got any closer.
In the following laps, Van der Heijden dropped back to the group of Van Empel and Brand, while Pieterse consolidated her lead. After 25 minutes of racing, her lead was around 30 seconds and it was clear that Pieterse was on her way to a her first victory of the season. In the last two laps, there was a battle for second place. A fast penultimate lap by Brand made it clear that the Dutch champion was the strongest. Brand had taken 10 seconds back on the leader, but Pieterse’s victory was no longer in danger. At the finish she held off Brand by nearly 20 seconds, this was her twelfth second place this season.
Race winner, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck): “I knew she (Lucinda Brand) was getting closer and closer, so I had the same doomsday scenario in my head as in Baal. When I still had a lead of more than fifteen seconds after the second time through the dunes, I knew it would be fine. I am really super happy. I had to wait a long time for it and that was sometimes frustrating, but the team staff saw, just like me, that I was getting closer and closer. That is why it is great that I am now winning such a big race as Koksijde. I am not always that good in the sand, but today it went smoothly. Now it is up to me to keep the momentum.”
2nd, Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions): “I simply messed up the first lap. After that it was just average. I had to tell myself every time that I had to stay focused and I had actually quickly resigned myself to a second place. Only in the last lap did I still have a bit of hope, but to win today it had to be perfect and it wasn’t.”
3rd, Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I wasn’t at my best. That gets into your head, but if you’re not fit it doesn’t matter. I tried to make the best of it and keep fighting. In the end, a third place isn’t bad. I hope I’ll be fit again soon.”
X²O Badkamers Trofee – Vlaamse Duinencross Koksijde Women 2025
1. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck in 46:42
2. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Baloise Glowi Lions at 0:19
3. Fem van Empel (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:39
4. Inge van der Heijden (Ned) Crelan-Corendon at 0:53
5. Sanne Cant (Bel) Crelan-Corendon at 1:43
6. Manon Bakker (Ned) Crelan-Corendon at 1:46
7. Julie Brouwers (Bel) Charles Liégeois Roastery CX at 2:33
8. Marthe Truyen (Bel) Fenix-Deceuninck at 2:36
9. Denise Betsema (Ned) Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines at 3:06
10. Laura Verdonschot (Bel) De Ceuster-Bouwpunt at 3:38.
Koksijde’25
Chris Hoy calls for More Awareness of Prostate Cancer
Chris Hoy made an appearance on television last Friday evening in Britain. The former track cyclist was at the award ceremony of the World Darts Championship, which was won by 17-year-old phenomenon Luke Littler. Hoy, who is terminally ill, wanted to draw extra attention to prostate cancer.
A few months ago, Hoy announced the he has cancer. It turned out to be prostate cancer, which has now spread to his bones. Tumors have been discovered in his shoulder, pelvis, hip, spine and ribs. Hoy has been told by doctors that he has about two to four years to live. This was a particularly serious diagnosis, but Sir Chris Hoy is not giving up. He is still cycling. This year, he is planning to create more awareness about advanced cancer with a bike ride. “What I mainly want to do is convey that there is still hope. I realise that this is not the case for everyone, but look at me,” he told the BBC.
Hoy is committed to raising awareness of prostate cancer, which they also do at the World Darts Championship. For every 180 (the maximum score) or 9-darter (the minimum number of darts you need to throw to win a leg), money was donated to Prostate Cancer UK. At the end of the World Darts Championship, that amount stood at £1,027,000 (€1,237,781).
That amount was achieved by 907 180s and two 9-darters. Hoy said before the final that he wants to continue to be involved in the fight against prostate cancer. He pointed out that it is not only important to raise money, but also to raise awareness. The very successful former track cyclist hopes to help others in the fight against this terrible disease.
Scottish hero Chris Hoy fighting cancer:
Mathieu van der Poel also Forced to Miss Dendermonde
Initially, Mathieu van der Poel planned to make a decision by Saturday, but the call came earlier than expected: the World Champion announced his withdrawal from the World Cup round in Dendermonde.
“There’s no point in waiting any longer,” Van der Poel explained. “I did another test today, and it’s clear that Dendermonde comes too soon. On heavier off-road terrain, I’m still experiencing too much pain in my rib. I have no choice but to remain patient.”
As planned, Mathieu will head to a training camp in Spain after Dendermonde. Later this month, he is set to compete in the World Cup races in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide before making a bid for his seventh World title in Liévin in early February. So for now, the rest of his cyclocross program remains unaffected.
Van der Poel still out with rib injury:
Remco Evenepoel Takes a Rehabilitation Walk
Remco Evenepoel suffered multiple broken bones and injuries in his training crash in December. Evenepoel appeared on television with a brace last week, but is now active again on Strava, but not on a bike. The 24-year-old Belgian managed a nice walk while on holiday in southern Spain with his wife Oumi.
He is working on his rehabilitation in the warmer weather, but Evenepoel also went for a 15 kilometre walk. According to him, there is an additional 1.3 kilometres, due to a GPS error. It was obviously not an easy stroll, as Evenepoel climbed 341 metres.
Evenepoel collided with the opening door of a mail truck during a training ride on December 3. He suffered multiple broken bones and injuries: broken rib, shoulder blade, hand, bruised lungs, a dislocated collarbone and torn ligaments. The ex-World champion will have to recuperate for a long time. He hopes to be able to ride the home trainer again in January, and he may be able to ride outside again in February.
This has been a difficult period. “After a week or two, when everyone left for a training camp and Oumi was studying, and I was just reading books or watching films, I started to eat my money away and I started to have a hard time. I was in pain. I got knocked out by the operation. I doubted myself. Will I make it this year? Will it be okay?” He said last week in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws.
“People don’t see those things. They run into me in the store. They ask how things are going, and then I laugh. I’m positive, but when I get home, I break down. The balance, in terms of morale and energy, is a bit more negative. That is why we are spending this end-of-year period abroad. That is better for me now than the pressure at home, between those four walls. But I trust that it will be fine and that I will be there when I have to be there.”
A start from Remco:
Mathieu van der Poel’s Early Season Plans
Mathieu van der Poel hopes to be World cyclocross champion for the seventh time in early February, but the 29-year-old Dutchman is also looking to the 2025 road season. His road program is still to be officially announced, but Van der Poel seems to have revealed some of his plans in an interview with Sporza.
Van der Poel completed a limited but intensive spring program last year, with seven one-day races, from Milano-Sanremo to Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In 2025, however, he will opt for a different approach. “Unlike last year, I probably won’t continue to Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It will simply be until Paris-Roubaix,” Van der Poel stated.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider is toying with the idea of riding a new race. “New races provide new impulses. That’s why Paris-Nice could be an option instead of Tirreno-Adriatico, which I’ve ridden a few times already.”
In his debut Tour de France in 2021, Van der Poel was particularly successful, but in the last Tours, Van der Poel didn’t come close to a stage win. He was very important as the last man for teammate and sprinter Jasper Philipsen. “It’s a race that I don’t really like,” Van der Poel doesn’t mince his words. “Apart from trying to win stages and wearing the yellow jersey, there’s not much to gain for me in the Tour. I’d rather ride five races in which I’m competing to win than twenty stages in which I’m not competing for the win half the time. But with Jasper there, my goal is always to help him win as many stages as possible. I like that and it also takes the pressure off me.”
Mathieu van der Poel’s early season race schedule:
25.01: UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Maasmechelen
26.01: UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Hoogerheide
02.02: UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships Liévin
22.03: Milano-Sanremo
06.04: Ronde van Vlaanderen
13.04: Paris-Roubaix.
Mathieu van der Poel wants to be cross world champion again and win a Classic…
Wout van Aert Makes a Wish for 2025
Wout van Aert had an eventful 2024. He won a silver medal at the Olympic Games and three stage wins in the Vuelta a España, but he also had some very serious crashes. In an interview with Sporza, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider looked back on his season. And he looked ahead to 2025.
Van Aert crashed several times in 2024, but his crashes in Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Vuelta a España were particularly bad. The crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen caused him to miss the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, then the crash in the Vuelta finished his season. Van Aert suffered a serious knee injury in Spain, which was followed by a difficult rehabilitation.
“I had no desire to start that rehabilitation at all,” said Van Aert. “I didn’t have any energy left to start from scratch again. That was a difficult period. How did I start anyway? (laughs) I didn’t have much choice.”
At the end of 2024, Van Aert was able to race again. He rode the Loenhout cyclocross before Christmas, he finished fourth and showed that he was back. What does he want now for 2025? “That I can just stay on my bike,” Van Aert answered with a grin. “So that I can ride the races that I want to participate in. Because having to watch all the big classics and appointments from the sidelines: I’m fed up with that. I dream of being able to look back on a victory in the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix in a year’s time. That’s at the top of my list. And I also took away from last year that I can be successful if I can ride a Grand Tour in a free way.”
Van Aert sees opportunities in the Tour de France. “I was pleasantly surprised that there are so many punchers and transition stages in the Tour. I did find a lot of small hills, even in the first week. It reminds me a lot of the first Tour week of 2022.” In the 2022 Tour de France, Van Aert won two stages in the first eight days and finished second three times.
Van Aert was back in Loenhout:
Wout van Aert’s Victory Salute in Gullegem
Wout van Aert crossed the finish line as the winner of the Superprestige Gullegem on Saturday. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider made a strange victory salute. He stuck four fingers in the air and then made a ‘funny face’. He explained why after the race.
Both gestures were meant for his son Georges. Son of Van Aert turned four on the 4th of January, so the four fingers were for him. Van Aert also stuck his tongue out. “Whenever Georges has to be photographed, he makes a ‘funny face’, as he calls it himself,” Van Aert explained to Het Nieuwsblad. “That’s why I did it today, to congratulate him on his birthday that way.”
“Of course I had thought about it myself, but I hadn’t said it to him. I think he may not have seen it properly yet, so I hope we can watch it again together.”
Happy birthday Georges:
Primoz Roglič Wants the Record in la Vuelta, but Red Bull has Other Priorities
Primoz Roglič could be the record holder of final overall wins in the Spanish Grand Tour with a fifth victory, but it won’t be in 2025. The Slovenian is riding the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this year, that decision was made by Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, not by Roglič.
“These are the priorities of the sponsors and the team, so this is how it worked out,” explained team manager Patxi Vila to Marca why Roglič is not riding the Vuelta to do a Giro/Tour double. “On his wish list he wants to be the rider with the most overall victories in the Vuelta a España, but this year the team has made the decision for him to do the Giro and Tour.”
The fact that Tadej Pogačar might be at the start of the Vuelta a España was no reason to skip the Spanish tour. “We chose what was best for us,” said Vila. “Before Tadej said he was thinking about the double Tour-Vuelta, we had already decided to do the Giro and Tour with Primoz.”
No Vuelta for Roglič in 2025:
Jhonatan Narváez Wants to Win in Flanders
Jhonatan Narváez moved from INEOS Grenadiers to UAE Team Emirates-XRG this winter. The Ecuadorian wants to win a cobbled classic with his new team and is aiming for a podium place in the Tour of Flanders, he said in an interview with Sporza.
Narváez expects to have ‘more space’ with UAE Team Emirates-XRG than at INEOS Grenadiers. “I also want to achieve more victories and dream of winning a cobbled classic at UAE. Something that didn’t work out at INEOS,” said the 27-year-old. “I actually prepare myself every year with the aim of following Van der Poel and Van Aert in the cobbled classics.”
With UAE, Narváez thinks he has a greater chance of beating the two top riders. “If you can’t beat Van der Poel and Van Aert in a man-to-man fight, it can work as a team. At UAE we have a strong core for the Flemish races. So we can play with different pawns,” he said, of course in the races where leader Tadej Pogačar is not at the start. Tim Wellens, Florian Vermeersch, Antonio Morgado, Mikkel Bjerg and Nils Politt are among those in this Classic core.
Narváez would most like to win the Tour of Flanders. “I won’t say that it’s impossible to win the Tour (of Flanders) one day, but it will be very difficult. I would be very satisfied with a podium finish.”
Jhonnatan Manuel Narvaez’s race schedule:
21.01: Santos Tour Down Under
01.03: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
02.03: Kuurne – Brussels – Kuurne
22.03: Milano-Sanremo
28.03: E3 Saxo Classic
02.04: Dwars door Vlaanderen – A travers la Flandre
06.04: De Ronde van Vlaanderen
20.04: Amstel Gold Race
23.04: La Flèche Wallonne
27.04: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
05.07: Tour de France.
Jhonatan Narváez wants to win on the cobbles:
Arnaud De Lie Returns to That ‘Shitty Race’ and Rides the Classics
Arnaud De Lie has revealed his race program for 2025. The Belgian of the Lotto team is working on an extensive race program in the run-up to his big goals, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
De Lie will start his season this month in the Valencia region with the GP Castellón and GP València, after which he will ride the Etoile de Bessèges and the Tour of the Algarve in early February. Unlike last year, De Lie will miss an altitude training camp in Tenerife for his big goals later in the spring.
De Lie will start the Flemish spring calendar in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, followed by Le Samyn later that week. Last year De Lie crashed in Le Samyn, after which he shouted at the team car: “What am I doing in this shitty race?”
After Le Samyn, Flemish WorldTour races follow, with the E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars Door Vlaanderen and finally De Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. After that the Belgian will prepare for the Tour de France.
Arnaud De Lie’s early season race programme
25.01: Gran Premio Castellón – Ruta de la Cerámica
26.01: Classic Valencian Community 1969 – Gran Premi València
05.02: Etoile de Bessèges – Tour du Gard
19.02: Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta
01.03: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite
28.03: E3 Saxo Classic
30.03: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields
02.04: Dwars door Vlaanderen – A travers la Flandre
06.04: De Ronde van Vlaanderen
13.04: Paris-Roubaix.
Arnaud De Lie to ride the Classics:
Victor Campenaerts Stressed Out Due to Changes Going to Visma | Lease a Bike
Victor Campenaerts will be seen in the yellow kit of Visma | Lease a Bike in 2025. The Belgian has raced for the Dutch team before, but that was a back on 2016/2017. The team has changed completely since then. The change has caused some stress for Campenaerts, who describes himself as a neurotic.
Campenaerts raced for LottoNL-Jumbo in 2016 and 2017. After that he moved to Lotto Soudal, NTT and then back Lotto Soudal, which later changed to Lotto Dstny, where he has been for the past three seasons. With Lotto he rode on an Orbea, now Campenaerts will be astride a Cervélo, which has its problems. “The change of the frame is not that difficult to get used to in itself, but every point of contact between my body and the bike is new: the saddle, the handlebars and the pedals.”
“That adjustment caused me, as a neurotic, a lot of stress in the beginning,” said Campenaerts. A new feature regarding the cleats also provides some adaptability. “The system they use here ensures that your feet come even closer to the axle of the bike, which results in a significant aerodynamic advantage and better pedalling efficiency. But it was no easy task to adjust those cleats correctly.”
Campenaerts sees other changed, such as the guidance regarding nutrition. “At Lotto we could also call on dieticians to determine what and how much we were allowed to eat, but as a rider it still felt like an assignment to weigh the food. Using the app reduces the stress of weighing the food considerably because fewer actions are required. It makes your life easier and more professional, while it is usually a choice between easier or more professional,” the Belgian continued. “I have to admit that I was positively overwhelmed when I started using that app. I notice that I now go to the table with a different mindset.”
All change for Victor Campenaerts in 2025:
Lennert Van Eetvelt’s Varied 2025 Race Calendar
Lennert Van Eetvelt will have a busy 2025. Last season, he won two WorldTour stage races: the UAE Tour and the Tour of Guangxi. Next year, he will be aiming for stage victories in the Tour de France and an overall classification in the Vuelta a España. He will also ride the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Tour of Flanders, although it remains to be seen what ambitions the 23-year-old Belgian will have there. In 2019, he finished sixteenth in the Tour of Flanders for juniors, Van Eetvelt’s experience in Flemish races is limited. The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad at the beginning of March will be his first test for Flanders’ Finest, five weeks later.
It promises to be a busy spring for Van Eetvelt. The young Belgian starts by defending his win of last year in the UAE Tour. Then follows the Omloop, Strade Bianche, the Tour of Catalonia, the Tour of Flanders, Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Romandie. Van Eetvelt then goes on an altitude training camp to prepare for the Tour and the Vuelta. In the Tour he will gain experience and aim for stage victories, in the Vuelta a good final overall classification is his aim.
Lennert Van Eetvelt’s race schedule:
17.02: UAE Tour
01.03: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite
08.03: Strade Bianche
24.03: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
06.04: Ronde van Vlaanderen
23.04: La Flèche Wallonne
27.04: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
29.04: Tour de Romandie
05.07: Tour de France
23.08: Vuelta a España.
A mixed schedule for Van Eetvelt:
Laurence Pithie Hopes to Make Progress with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
Laurence Pithie was revelation in the spring of 2024, but the 22-year-old New Zealander looks back critically on his performances. “I was always there at the decisive moments, but then I ended up in 30th place.” The new rider of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, compares his current and previous teams, in an interview with Cyclingnews.
Pithie was in the winning break in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne with Wout van Aert, he was the rider who could follow Mads Pedersen and Mathieu van der Poel the longest in Gent-Wevelgem and he was in yellow in Paris-Nice. “The team was enthusiastic in all those races, while I was disappointed because I had not won,” Pithie said.
Pithie still enjoys looking back at those highlights. He sees it as a great lesson and hopes to return in 2025 and achieve podium finishes. Although the New Zealander knows that he still has to make some steps with his new team. “I have shown that I have the pure strength when things get tough, but I also have to be able to make those repeated efforts deeper in the race.”
The language barrier with his previous French team and the ‘super professional working environment’ at Ralph Denk’s team made the choice easier for the New Zealander. “Groupama-FDJ was the only team that gave me the chance when I came to Europe, I could never say anything bad about the team.” But the language and cultural barrier between Pithie and his previous team didn’t always make collaboration easy. He noticed this especially when discussing tactics during the race. “The way I wanted to race sometimes conflicted with the team management’s idea and it’s hard to get your point across when I stutter French words. At Groupama-FDJ, most of the sporting directors were older and a bit stuck in their habits, you were pushed aside a bit when you had new ideas.”
At Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, the atmosphere between riders and team management is a bit friendlier, according to the 22-year-old. “A lot of the team managers of my new team have only just stopped racing, I can be more myself here.”
Laurence Pithie’s race programme:
21.01: Santos Tour Down Under
22.03: Milano-Sanremo
06.04: Tour of Flanders
13.04: Paris-Roubaix.
Pithie looking forward to his future with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe:
Wout van Aert is Looking for a Solution to Crashes
In an extensive interview with the NRC, Wout van Aert reflected on the many crashes within his Visma | Lease a Bike in 2024. According to the Belgian, his team is working to ensure that there will not be so many crashes again in 2025.
“I think we were very unlucky last season, but we are working on it, yes. I have crashed more often after the spring and in retrospect, that first crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen may have been the cause. Sometimes crashing has to do with confidence, and it doesn’t help if you have been knocked to the ground at seventy kilometres per hour and then have to cycle back into the peloton among the same lunatics,” he said.
“We are now looking as a team at whether we can do something about that,” Van Aert continues without saying how Visma | Lease a Bike is going to deal with it. “I’d rather not go into that. Otherwise it will become another one of those things.”
Too many Visma crashes:
Shirin van Anrooij Increases her Training Two Months after Surgery
Good news from Shirin van Anrooij. The Lidl-Trek rider’s rehabilitation has taken step up and she is now allowed to increase her training load, she announced on Instagram.
In the autumn of 2024, Van Anrooij underwent surgery for a narrowed pelvic artery. With this typical cycling injury, not enough blood flows to one or both legs because the blood vessel is narrowed. After her surgery, Van Anrooij wrote that it would take ‘about six months’ before she would be able to race again. At the beginning of December, she was allowed to ride outside for the first time, although it was on a mountain bike.
Van Anrooij is now back on her road bike and now she has permission to increase her training. “It is finally January, which means that the surgery was two months ago and I am allowed to increase the hours on the bike.”
Shirin van Anrooij training harder:
Ben Hermans Ends his Search for a New Team
Ben Hermans is hanging up his bike after a professional career of sixteen seasons. The 38-year-old Belgian wasn’t offered a new contract with Cofidis and has not succeeded in finding a new team for 2025.
Hermans had seen this coming for a while, as he said last month in an interview with WielerFlits. “I can accept ending my career now. Last year I really wasn’t done with it, because I had a bad crash and couldn’t really prove myself at the end of the season. Now I have been able to ride my races. If that’s the case, that’s the case. I’m not 33 anymore, then you can already put something like that into perspective.”
Hermans started his professional career in 2009 with Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator. The all-rounder then signed with RadioShack after just one season. Hermans raced with Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Klöden. After four seasons with RadioShack, Hermans rode for BMC (2014-2017), Israel Cycling Academy/Israel Start-Up Nation (2018-2023) and Cofidis (2024). Hermans helped leaders such as the brothers Fränk and Andy Schleck, Cadel Evans, Tejay van Garderen and Greg Van Avermaet, but has also had successes of his own.
His list of achievements includes nineteen professional victories. Hermans took victories in one-day races: Brabantse Pijl (2015) and the Giro dell’Apennino (2021), he was also successful in the Tour of Oman, Tour of Austria (twice), Arctic Race of Norway and Tour of Utah.
After sixteen professional seasons, Hermans is preparing for a change in his life, which will take some getting used too. “I think so too, especially the first few months,” he told Het Belang van Limburg. “I already have some ideas about what I want to do in the future, but those plans are not really concrete yet. I certainly won’t rush into things.”
Ben Hermans to retire:
Lotto’s Stéphane Heulot Looks Ahead to the New Season
With the team presentation in Temse, Lotto Cycling Team has officially kicked off 2025. CEO Stéphane Heulot shares his outlook for the season:
To the sounds of Daft Punk, under red lighting and showcasing the brand-new team kit, Lotto Cycling Team launched its new season this morning in Temse, Belgium, at the team’s new Service Course. During the presentation for sponsors, partners and the press, CEO Stéphane Heulot provided a preview of the upcoming season. “As with every year, the counter is set to zero,” Heulot said. “You must always approach a cycling season with humility. Our group has changed significantly, so we’ll see how things unfold. But we’re determined to continue along the positive path we started on last year.”
That path included highlights such as a Belgian national championship, overall victories in the UAE Tour and the Tour of Guangxi, and a stage win in the Tour de France. “Thanks to all our great performances, we’ve been in the UCI World Ranking top 10 for two years now. The points we’ve accumulated exceeded our expectations. Even with a team that seems less strong on paper, we aim to maintain our position. We’ll try to achieve this by adding more one-day races to our calendar. For example, we won’t compete in the Giro d’Italia, Paris-Nice, or Tirreno Adriatico, as we hope to gather more UCI points in one-day races. Our ultimate goal remains to return to the World Tour in 2026.”
Stéphane Heulot was pleased to welcome everyone to Temse, the new beating heart of the team. “I wouldn’t call this a new beginning, but it is certainly a new chapter for us. The building, our Service Course, is an important step for our development and future growth. It’s not just for our staff—it’s already a place where our people enjoy coming together—but also for our partners. This will serve as a base for Orbea, we have solar panels from MR Solar on the roof, and much more. Of course, we are eager to welcome new partners. It takes time, and these are not the easiest economic times, but we remain confident in the value of our team. It would be great to have news by the Tour de France. In the meantime, we are fortunate to have the continued support of Lotto and our other sponsors.”
The Lotto team for 2025:
Burgos-BH Has a New Main Sponsor
Burpellet, a company specialising in the production of pellets, will become, in addition to the Burgos region and bicycle brand BH, one of the main sponsors of the Burgos-BH cycling team. The Spanish ProTeam will be known as Burgos Burpellet BH in 2025.
The pellet production company Burpellet is taking “a step forward and gaining even more international media attention” by sponsoring a professional cycling team, according to a press release. The company will also have a prominent place on the team’s new shirt, which will be presented soon. Burpellet focuses on the production of wood pellets. These are pressed wood pellets, made from residual flows such as pruning wood, sawdust and wood chips. Wood pellets are often used as a form of solid fuel.
The Spanish team has been strengthen in the transfer market with nine new riders: New Zealander Josh Burnett, Czech Vojtěch Kmínek, Japanese Tomoya Koyama, Eritrean Merhawi Kudus and Spaniards Daniel Cavia, Hugo de la Calle, José Luis Faura, Carlos García Pierna and David Martin. Several riders have left, Victor Langellotti, Sebastián Mora, Jésus Ezquerra and Óscar Pelegri. Jetse Bol has also ended his career, but remains with Burgos Burpellet BH as a team DS.
Jetse Bol to be a DS with Burgos Burpellet BH:
Team Polti VisitMalta unveils new GSport kit for the 2025 season
New name and new kit designed by GSport for Team Polti VisitMalta!
The Italian ProTeam, set to compete in prestigious races on the Italian and international calendar, aims to continue its upward trajectory in both performance and results, at both professional and youth levels, with riders such as Mirco Maestri and Davide Piganzoli leading the charge.
The signature colour is undoubtedly red, which will once again dominate the kit this year. Specifically, the 2025 design places the bold red of title sponsors Polti and VisitMalta on a clean white background, while the sleeves are adorned with Kometa’s green, still a main partner of the team.
Ivan Basso, Team Principal of Polti VisitMalta: “Unveiling the new kit is always a special moment and feeling because it fully represents our identity to fans and stakeholders. We’ve made some adjustments to reflect our sponsors’ colours and we’re thrilled to see our red-and-white ‘block’ racing united, honouring the team’s identity and all who represent and support us.”
Francesca Polti, CEO of Polti Spa: “A new year, a new kit, and the same deep emotion. As Polti and Solo Caffè Monorigine, we feel represented by this kit and are honoured to embark on this new chapter alongside VisitMalta and other new sponsors. Together, they’ve blended their colours with ours in a harmonious, clean and captivating design. How could we not fall in love with it immediately?”
Carlo Micallef, CEO of VisitMalta, expressed it: “We are thrilled about the collaboration with Team Polti VisitMalta as co-title sponsor for the upcoming season. This partnership represents our shared passion for excellence, teamwork and pushing boundaries. Cycling embodies the spirit of determination and innovation that defines VisitMalta in the tourism world, and we look forward to supporting the team in achieving new milestones both on and off the road. Together, we aim to inspire communities and champion the values of resilience and sustainability.”
Wagner-Bazin WB Le maillot 2025!
The Wagner-Bazin WB team is raising its colours for the 2025 season. Its jersey features a variation of green and touches of yellow, superimposed lines like so many bridges between the two merged teams. The 2025 campaign will be colourful, rich in emotions and audacity, faithful to the taste for performance!
This new jersey, presented by our neo-professional Michiel Lambrecht, is the result of an excellent collaboration with our partner Veloplus. It was designed to be seen in the peloton and to promote our partners.
New name and new kit:
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