Herentals cyclocross hosts star-studded field with Mathieu van der Poel, Tom Pidcock, Fem van Empel and Lucinda Brand
Cyclocross
This weekend features two of the toughest crosses of the season, but the first one will not suffer from that. The X2O Badkamers Trofee round in Herentals sees the return of Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock to cyclocross, but many other stars will be present.
Pidcock initially opted to begin his season in Wout van Aert's hometown, and Mathieu van der Poel recently changed his calendar to also be present in the field this Saturday. They will face tough and seasoned competition however they will face tough competition. Lars van der Haar, Eli Iserbyt and Cameron Mason currently fight for the cup lead and will fight for every second. The likes of Michael Vanthourenhout and Laurens Sweeck will also be present, whilst Alpecin-Deceuninck's Quinten Hermans and Gianni Vermeersch also return to racing.
In the women's field we have no less of a competitive field. Whilst Fem van Empel comfortably leads the cup, she will not start this race with the same comfort as Lucinda Brand is also eager to resume racing after the brilliant results of late.
Despite the tough race, many big figures still opted to race Herentals and then make the drive over to Namur for Sunday's World Cup round. This will be an important race for the cup's classification, and will serve as the first big measuring of form of the two specialists coming in.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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