Two former champions unite to lead Belgium's hunt for another European title on home course
CyclocrossThursday, 30 October 2025 at 03:00
The cyclocross season has barely started yet, but the 2025 European Championships are already around the corner and a topic of the day for all the specialists. Belgium as a men's cyclocross powerhouse are the ones that are expected to dictate the pace and not a single thing about that changes in the absence of their biggest stars Thibau Nys and Wout Van Aert.
This year's championship will be extra important for the home riders, as the event returns to Belgium following a three-year break. With two former european champions in their ranks, the Belgian national team will aim for at least one gold medal in the main events of the next weekend in Middelkerke.
The eyes will be on former the duo of european champions Toon Aerts (2016) and Michael Vanthourenhout (2022 and 2023) with the latter as the latest winner of the race at the start in absence of compatriot Thibau Nys whose winter will start later compared to previous season. Aerts is coming into this winter fresh after a great road campaign this summer with Lotto and will hope to rise to his best version.
Another Belgian ex-European champion from 2020, Eli Iserbyt, will be absent as was already the case in the first rounds of this winter. The 28-year-old is still recovering from a surgery that should solve his persistent problems from the second half of last season.
In the elite women's race, Belgian champion Marion Norbert Riberolle will carry the hopes of home crowds against the strong fleet of Dutch cycling. On Saturday, November 8, she will attempt unlikely to succeed Sanne Cant, Belgium's last female European champion from 2017.
As two-time european champion Jente Michels graduated from the under-23 category at the end of last winter, we will find a new champion in the category for young riders. Although not an overwhelming favorite, 4th man from last year Yordi Corsus will attempt to follow in his upperclassman's footsteps on the course in Middelkerke.
Jente Michels celebrating his second European title
Belgian elite men for European cyclocross Championships:
- Toon Aerts
- Michael Vanthourenhout
- Emiel Verstrynge
- Jente Michels
- Laurens Sweeck
- Niels Vandeputte
- Joran Wyseure
Belgian elite women for European cyclocross Championships:
- Marion Norbert Riberolle
- Julie Brouwers
- Kiona Crabbé
- Jinse Peeters
- Laura Verdonschot
Belgian under-23 men for European cyclocross Championships:
- Yordi Corsus
- Kay De Bruyckere
- Kenay De Moyer
- Fabian Maes
- Viktor Vandenberghe
- Arthur Van Den Boer
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- What, like Milan-San Remo??? The easiest race to win once and most difficult to win repeatedly? Go take some geography lessons man.Jumpyjohn10-11-2025
- Ah, that’s nice, rare here :-)Jumpyjohn10-11-2025
- Yes, you can do it again, but special conditions must be met, as happened the two times you won. -In 2022, a so young, so impulsive Tadej with a weak team (these conditions no more) -In 2023 a Tadej with improvised and inefficient prior preparation because injury/surgery: he was able to ride a normal bicycle two weeks before the start of the Tour and was unable to learn the TT. TT where you destroyed him in time and psychologically. Maybe next year Tadej starts his natural decline but I doubt it, he still has junior legs, more likely to improve than to decline. We will see. You fight fiercely, don't give up! and welcome to the Giro! (if it's in Piemonte -my home- better).
maria2024202410-11-2025 - This would destroy cycling, and that's why it will never happen. Good luck telling the drunk germans they can't stand next to the road to watch the bike race haha.awp10-11-2025
- Tadej isn't making these claims, it's us fans that are making them. Everyone has a right to their opinion, even the people whose opinions are wrong.awp10-11-2025
- This sounds like news that could have been announced on April 1st.
santiagobenites10-11-2025 - Please stop putting Tom Pidcock at the same level as Van der Poul and Van Aert. He is a special Mountain Bike Rider, but as a CX rider he is around the same level as the best of the rest. When he won the World CX it was on a course in USA which was more of a Mountain Bike course than a CX course, and the top riders were not there. He is a contender, but it should be top 2 not top 3.Katla10-11-2025
- What is there is people going for the win are even more conservative in their attacks than those trying for seconds. Half hearted attacks and chasing down any attacks with the whole thing ending in a sprint won by whoever conserved the mostabstractengineer10-11-2025
- That could have been a fabulous title for a novel by C.S. Lewis or Tolkien. For a bike race? C'monBM10-11-2025
- all i can say that there are a lot of idiots hired to come up with new namesabstractengineer10-11-2025
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