Up next in 10
Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert will continue their long standing pro cycling rivalry in the 2025/2026 cyclocross season. CX racing is one of the best forms of cycling to watch and here's everything you need to know about the 25/26 CX season including cyclocross favourites, how to watch and races that can't be missed.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Tunaerts just won the European Cyclocross Championships on a road bike
0:05
Yep, this is him using his Orbea Orca OMX frame, a road bike
0:10
to win one of the most coveted titles in cyclocross. It's just another example of the fact that anything can happen in cyclocross
0:17
so if you're getting post-road race season blues, or can't wait until next spring to watch the likes of Wout Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel
0:24
be battling it out once again, then don't fear, the 2025-2026 Cycled Cross season is here
0:31
Here's everything you need to know about cycling's muddiest category, how to watch this year's Cycled Cross season, who to watch
0:38
when the big three are planning on starting their campaigns, and some surprising information about Tom Pidcock
0:44
Let's get into it. Cycled Cross rarely gets as much airtime as road cycling
0:49
which is a shame because not only is it absolutely brilliant racing, it's usually pretty condensed
0:54
so you get all the thrills in a short space of time. Oh, and it's on during winter
1:00
which for us in the Northern Hemisphere means we're less likely to be out sunning ourselves
1:03
on our own bikes and we can watch it whilst doing some indoor training. The 2025-2026 season looks set to be a cracker
1:11
with a whole host of talent who might just be able to take it
1:15
to the likes of Van der Poel and Wout van Aert like they haven been able to in previous seasons The biggest race on the calendar will undoubtedly be the UCI World Championships which takes place in Hulst in the Netherlands from January 30th to February 1st early next year
1:33
Before that though, there's four big competitions that you need to know about
1:37
with the Belgium and the Netherlands-based Super Prestige, X2O Trophy and Xact Cross Series joined by the UCI World Cup
1:46
This season, the good news is that there are plenty of free streams
1:50
such as on the UCI YouTube channel, Sporza, VRT Max and RTBF
1:56
In the US, you can watch on Flow Bikes and HBO Max
2:00
and in the UK, there'll be paid streams on both TNT Sports and Discovery+
2:05
The bad news is that many of those free streams are geo-restricted
2:09
and are only available in countries where a TV deal hasn't been struck
2:14
For example, in the UK and Ireland, you will always be blocked from the feed
2:18
given that Eurosport and Discovery Plus show all the World Cup and World Championship races
2:24
unlike in Belgium and the Netherlands, where you can basically always watch Sight Across for free
2:29
If you're away from home, though, don't forget you can still access your usual streams by using a VPN
2:35
More on that in a minute. So, who to watch? Well if you new to Sight Across then some riders to keep an eye on are Sight Across stalwarts such as Michael van Torenhout Tunaerts and Lars van der Haar in the men and Fem van Empel and Lucinda Brand in the women
2:53
Of course, the real excitement for most fans is when Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert collide
2:59
and renew their epic rivalry. This year, van Aert's CX season will start on the 23rd of December in Moll
3:06
but he doesn't expect to be in top form until the end of January in Benidorm after an early season training camp
3:14
Van der Poel, meanwhile, is expected to copy his past few seasons and begin his campaign in mid-December
3:21
Last year, he raced eight races and he won every single one of them
3:25
If he's in similar form, then not many would expect him to be unsuccessful in his bid for a record-beating eighth world title at the end of January
3:34
If you are outside of your home region and need access to your live streaming services to watch the action
3:40
you may find your access to be geo-restricted. But that doesn't mean you can't watch the races
3:46
It's here that a VPN will come in handy, a virtual private network to give it its full name
3:51
What it does is it allows your computer to pretend it's in a different country
3:56
letting you log into your streaming accounts to capture all of the racing action
4:00
Our friends at TechRadar recommend using a VPN for streaming as well as enhanced cyber security And they know a thing or two about VPNs And right now they rate NordVPN as the best VPN on the market There currently up to 77 off and three months extra free
4:17
using NordVPN's Black Friday deal that will pop in the description below
4:22
And it's compatible with just about any streaming device out there. Unfortunately, it looks like it will be another year
4:29
without 2022 SiteCross World Champion Tom Pickcock. After a long season of road racing, he's been keeping himself pretty busy
4:37
coming 6th at Lombardia, 6th at Gravel World Champs, and then winning the Gravel Burn Stage Race in South Africa
4:44
So, he probably deserves some well-earned time off. Throw in that his coach, Kurt Bogert, said
4:49
there is very little chance that Tom will race this winter, but it cannot be ruled out
4:55
Last month, it looks like we'll have to wait at least another year for Tom to show off his off-road capabilities once again
5:02
Why? Well, he said, we just have to make sure Tom has enough rest and build up periods
5:07
because Tom wants to compete and win wherever he starts. And good preparation is crucial for that
5:13
He did also refer to the 2026 road season where Pickcock will aim to take on the Spring Classics and Grand Tours
5:20
So let us know if you'll be watching the Sightcross this season as well as your favourite races down in the comments below
5:27
Like, hype and subscribe and we'll see you next time
#sports
#Sports
#Cycling