"It's a little more cross and a little less MTB" - the Exact Cross in Beringen will lose its trademark climb

The Exact Cross route in Beringen will look different this year. The now well-known climb on the mine slag heap is no longer part of the circuit, which means we will have a different kind of race.

"It's a little more cross and a little less MTB," course designer Erwin Vervecken explains to WielerFlits.

The decision to adjust the cross-country course in Beringen has everything to do with the Belgian Championship in 2026, which will be organized in the Limburg municipality. "We wanted to upgrade the course towards the Belgian Championships. The federation also preferred it to not be a real climbing cross, so we adjusted it a bit. I don't want to call it a light version, but it is less heavy."

However, Vervecken wants to emphasize that it will not be a pure speed cross in Beringen. "The altitude meters still have a prominent place on the circuit. There are still a number of climbs, but they are just a bit shorter. These are now the typical climbs, pure interval, as we know them in cross-country. It will still be a tough cross."