State of play: the top 'crossers of the season so far

All images: Tonke Berg

Heading into the first round of the UCI World Cup in Antwerpen next weekend, if you’re just hopping on board the good ship cyclocross ahead of a busy winter period, you might be wondering where we’re at thus far, in terms of form and results.

While some of the expected names have picked up where they left off in February, there is more to the results sheet than meets the eye, and once again, the early season is throwing up some surprises, both in terms of the winners, and those coming through the ranks who will look to be challenging as the season heads towards its crescendo in December and January.

Treat this as an early season review, or as a preview for what’s to come, it’s up to you – either way, it will hopefully serve as a quick guide as to who is where, and what to expect, come Saturday and beyond.

THE WOMEN

The women’s season has been characterised by close battles, mostly between the same four riders (or a selection thereof). The best of the rest have shown flashes of brilliance, but the early season has been about these four women, primarily.

On a hot streak

1. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado

With six wins so far this season and on a run of form that should hopefully propel her into the winter period brimming with confidence, there's no doubt that the rider of the early season has been Alvarado. The former world champion has fought fierce battles with her countrywomen, duelling with Lucinda Brand week in week out and even getting the better of the reigning world champion Fem van Empel in Ruddervoorde, and pushing her all the way to the line at the European championships in Pontevedra.

Alvarado is a fierce competitor and a strong all-rounder, and has firmly established herself as a versatile contender who will hope to maintain her top billing even after the likes of van Empel and Pieterse return to the field.

2. Lucinda Brand

A wizened competitor, there’s not much Lucinda Brand doesn’t know about cyclocross and with the grit and determination to match, she’s been able to use her tactical nous and her physical toughness to clock up three victories so far this season, with remarkable consistency – in ten races, Brand has not once finished outside of the podium places.

Having beaten both Alvarado and van Empel, it’s fair to say Brand fears no-one, and she will attack the winter period of racing with her usual blend of skill and guts, and will leave no stone unturned on her quest to continue her position at the top end of women’s cross.

3. Fem van Empel

There’s no denying that on her day – which is pretty much 'any day she's on a bike' – the reigning world champion, Visma-Lease A Bike’s Fem van Empel, is still the best women’s cyclocross rider out there. And let’s not forget, she’s still just 22 years old. In a season of close encounters, there have only been two races won by a margin of more than 30 seconds, and van Empel was the perpetrator in both cases.

Yet while her wins tend to be solo dominations, van Empel hasn’t had things all her own way this season, with both Alvarado and Brand managing to find their way around her, once apiece. She has missed the past block of racing, heading away from the field to train and regroup, with her focus fully set on the World Cup series, and it will be fascinating to see whether her approach has improved her form, by comparison to the two warriors who have stayed sharp in the field for the past couple of weeks.

4. Sara Casasola

The Italian champion has made a major breakthrough in 2024 and like her compatriot Silvia Persico did in 2022-3, she offers a viable alternative to the Dutch dominance at the top of the women’s cross scene. Though she is without a win so far, she has made the podium five times so far this season, and has come fourth three times, underscoring her consistency and the fact that she firmly occupies the middle ground between Van Empel, Alvarado and Brand, and the rest. More than that, she has pushed them hard and with growing confidence, was a serious threat this past weekend in Hamme.

Warming up

With just a handful races under their belts, here are three young riders to keep your eyes open for this winter, who have started strongly…

BLANKA VAS – with two fourth places and a fifth place so far in the trio of races she has contested, the 23-year-old Hungarian star’s season is yet young. She proved last season she was capable of pushing the top riders all the way, and will always be one to watch when she graces the start line with her presence.

MARIE SCHREIBER – the 21-year-old Luxembourg champion chose to begin her season in France, taking a pair of wins in the Coupe de France, and she came second in the U23 category at the European championships before turning her attention to Belgium. Schreiber is famed for her fast starts, and was on fire off of the line at Merksplas this past weekend. Where in the past she hasn’t been able to stay the course and push all the way to the line, she showed her progression by finishing that race off in third place.

ZOE BACKSTEDT – though her first two races ended with the 20-year-old from Britain in seventh place, Backstedt showed she was on the march back to form with an excellent fourth place in last weekend’s thriller at Hamme, and she might have been even closer had she not made an error towards the end of the race. Steady progress for the Canyon//SRAM rider.

Honourable mentions… A solid start for Laura Verdonschot, who has managed two podium places, a win for Marion Norbert Riberolle and two top tens for 19-year-old Fleur Moors, have also stood out so far this season.

THE MEN

Whereas the women's field offers up an obvious selection of top contenders, it's more difficult to pin down a ranking of the best riders of the men’s early season given the nature of the racing thus far. Like last season, before the arrival of a certain multi-talented Dutchman, the battles have been close and intense, and moreover, contested by a wide range of riders. Even more names have stepped up to the plate this season, leaving many races going down to the wire, and producing a truly unpredictable season of action already. Who has come out on top, thus far?*

*It can be tricky to pin down exactly which results should ‘count’ when it comes to cyclocross, so for the purposes of gleaning some statistical data, I’ve focused on the main low countries series – Exact Cross, Superprestige, and X2O Trofee**

**Though for all intents and purposes, a lot of this has been based on ‘vibes’

On a hot streak

1. Niels Vandeputte

With only one victory in the series mentioned above (though he also won early on at the Brumath Bike Festival), it may seem strange that the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider has come out on top of my list. Statistically speaking though, he has the highest score in terms of overall results, proving to be Mr Consistency, and never to be underestimated.

With three second places, two thirds and three fourth places, the big win was always on the cards, and Vandeputte finally raised his arms last Sunday in Hamme, proving himself the in-form rider and giving everyone else something to think about, as the World Cup kicks off this weekend. His style is solid and unshakeable, he rarely makes an error and rides with patience, biding his time while the teams with greater numbers fire off attacks around him. It will be interesting to see the kind of role he plays, once his teammate Mathieu van der Poel is back in the fold.

2. Lars van der Haar

Van der Haar is the elder statesmen of the current crop of ‘crossers, but you wouldn’t know it, watching him race this season. Slow to start, his competitors should know by now never to write off van der Haar, as he works his way through the field and blazes hot at the end of races. Taking his second victory at the iconic Koppenbergcross ten years after his first, the Baloise Trek Lions stalwart has very much proven himself to be in amongst it so far this season, and with three victories and two podiums so far this season, he’s in great shape heading into the weekend.

3. Thibau Nys

I can openly admit that my stats go out of the window here, and vibes come heavily into play, as Nys has been consistently inconsistent so far this season. Let me explain.

He started slow, finishing outside the top ten in his first couple of races. Coming off the back of a highly successful first full season on the road, and still at the age of just 22, it’s fair enough that it took Nys some time to get up to speed.

When he did, he was unstoppable. Of his next five races he won three and came fourth in two, winning his first senior European title in the process, and he would have finished higher than his eventual 14^th in Hamme this past weekend, if it hadn’t been for a nasty collision with the barriers on the final lap.

When he's good, he's REALLY good. Nys races on instinct, his bike handling is supreme and he pushes the limits of what is possible on a cyclocross bike, which means he’s usually poetry in motion, but is not immune to making the odd mistake. Hopefully he can recover fully in time to take on the World Cup at the weekend.

4. Eli Iserbyt

Currently sitting second in terms of the stats, Iserbyt has only won one race so far this season, a number which may have been higher if it wasn’t for his temperament, which saw him disqualified from the Exact Cross in Beringen for ‘that’ stamp on Ryan Kamp’s bike and subsequently suspended for two races. He took his revenge by winning his first race back at Heerderstrand, though not in the deepest of fields, and since then he’s been consistent, with three second places, but hasn’t been able to find his way past the plethora of in-form riders that are popping up around him like belligerent whack-a-moles. Which to be fair, is usually the role that Iserbyt likes to play.

The feisty Belgian champion loves a challenge though, and he will likely be at his best come the World Cup races, and will want to be ready for the arrival of the big guns later in the season. If he can keep his temperament in check (though he probably doesn't care to), he could still be up and challenging with the best.

5. Laurens Sweeck

It feels instinctively wrong having Sweeck so low on this list, given that he’s the in-form rider, winning two of the last three races, the Superprestige fixtures in Niel and Merksplas.

The Crelan-Corendon rider is very much all-or-nothing though, and along with his three wins, he’s also posted 15^th, 16^th and 19^th, which makes it tricky to rank him any higher in a statistical sense. That being said, it’s also perhaps testament to good decision-making, as Sweeck picks and chooses when to commit and when to take a back seat, and moreover, he knows his own strengths – the Belgian thrives in the sand, and is powerful enough to be able to rely on his speed in sprints and around flatter courses, so depending on the day, he’s always one to look out for.

6. Felipe Orts Lloret

How could I write a list of early season form riders without a nod to the Spanish champion? While his results haven’t all been spectacular, and his sole victory came outside of the series mentioned above, in Rupchen, Orts has gone from a rider who you would expect to see in the lower half of the top ten, to a bona fide contender, and it's been a delight to witness.

His breakthrough came on home soil at the UEC European Championships in Pontevedra where, buoyed by a partisan crowd, he pushed Belgian wonder kid Thibau Nys all the way, finishing second in a career-best performance. Since then, he’s recorded two more second place finishes and a third place alongside his victory in Rupchen, and he has shown he absolutely belongs in the top echelon of the men’s sport in 2024.

Honourable mentions

In cyclocross, while there are plenty of riders who are pretty consistent, others may have one good day and then disappear into obscurity for a few races, or may just perform with less predictability than others. Joran Wyseure is a young rider who has made consistent progress over the past few seasons, and he has the potential to shine on a good day, as he proved in Ruddervoorde where he took a well-deserved victory.

Another young rider proving himself alongside the more established names is Jente Michels. Winning the U23 race at the European championships, Michels followed up with a podium finish in Lokeren, and has notched up a solid seven top ten finishes so far.

Finally, Toon Aerts is beginning to find his rhythm again following his two year suspension. It’s been a long road but over the past couple of weekends we’ve begun to see signs of the old Toon Aerts, and he finished on the podium at the Koppenbergcross, and came second last weekend at Merksplas, proving that he is back where he needs to be ahead of the biggest challenges. As for Michael Vantourenhout, the Pauwels-Sauzen team rider is always there or thereabouts, but his form just hasn't been there so far this season. He's a big occasion rider though, so despite his lacklustre season so far, don't be surprised to see him flourish when the bigger races begin.

Warming up…

PIM RONHAAR – the Baloise Trek Lions rider had a break-out year in 2023-4, leaving us hoping for big tings come this season. But after suffering with Lyme disease over the summer, Ronhaar began his season late, and has thus far not shown his best form, and clearly needs a bit longer to come good. Fans will wish him well as Ronhaar was a pivotal figure last season, pushing the very best riders and playing a major role in the revival of Sven Nys’ team. Here’s hoping he can make it back.

CAMERON MASON – fan favourite Cam Mason has struggled in the early part of the season to find his form, and after a difficult opening to the season took some weeks away to regroup. He’s back and finally this past weekend put together the kind of performance that we had come to expect from him after a strong opening to the season in 2023, finishing 7^th in Hamme, and it’s one that will hopefully give him confidence in the weeks to come.

In case you forgot... there are a few names missing from the lists, and that's because as is characteristic of them, their seasons have started late. Yes, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock and Puck Pieterse all have yet to return to field, and unlike in recent seasons, we don't even have much of a sense of when they will begin racing. Van Aert's arrival is dependent on his recovery from the knee injury he sustained at La Vuelta, Pieterse is understandably arriving late after a full-on summer combining road racing and mountain-biking, and as for van der Poel and Pidcock, both are mercurial in their movements and it's truly anybody's guess as to when they'll be back, or how many races they will ride.

Joris Nieuwenhuis will begin his season at the weekend in Antwerp after suffering with shingles and being forced to miss the early season - he will hope to continue the good progress he made last season. Sadly missing this year, Shirin van Anrooij will not return to take up her role as foil to the van Empel v Pieterse duels that we've enjoyed in recent seasons due to being on the road to recovery from surgery on her iliac artery. As for the GOAT herself, Marianne Vos also hasn't indicated whether she plans to take part in any crosses this winter - but we live in hope. She recently indicated that she hadn't made plans yet, and needed to sit down with the team (Visma-Lease A Bike) to work out her schedule - and with her eyes very much set on the 2025 Classics, it could well be another Vos-less winter for cross fans.

All in all, we are in for a thrilling season ahead - so if you've not already done so, grab yourselves a hot beverage and settle down on the sofa this weekend to enjoy some intense battles, as the winter of cyclocross continues in earnest.