After two straight bronze medals at the last two Worlds, Leonie Bentveld finally found the missing step in Hulst, riding a patient, technically sharp race before turning the screw late to win the women’s under-23 title on home soil.
The decisive phase became a direct Netherlands vs Slovakia shoot-out with Viktória Chladonová once the early favourites had thinned out. Bentveld did not panic when Chladonová opened a gap, reeled her in with two laps to go, then used the steep descents and clean lines to make the difference when it mattered most.
This was the first women’s U23 Worlds in three years without Zoe Bäckstedt in the category, and it widened the door for a new champion. Bentveld still had to go and take it, against a field featuring Chladonová, Célia Gery and Fleur Moors among the riders expected to animate the race.
The opening lap was fast and committed, with Moors quickly showing intent and the front of the race snapping into a select group. Bentveld looked composed from the start, never overreaching on the sections that punished hesitation, but never giving away free metres either.
Key moments that decided the rainbow jersey
Moors’ early forcing helped establish a lead quartet that contained the major names, with Bentveld, Gery and Chladonová all present and correct. That shape of race mattered, because it removed the need for Bentveld to take risks too early, and it ensured the medal fight was already forming while others were still trying to settle.
Chladonová then committed to the first real separation, driving on in the second lap and opening a meaningful gap. Bentveld’s response was measured rather than explosive, keeping the deficit under control and trusting the course to offer chances later.
With roughly two laps remaining, Bentveld closed back in and the race turned into a tense two-up contest. Gery and Moors faded from the front picture, with misfortune and errors taking their toll as the pace stayed relentlessly high.
The final lap was won and lost on the descents. Bentveld carried speed, picked cleaner lines, and took the kind of controlled risks that are only possible when confidence and technique match your legs. Once she hit the front, the advantage grew quickly because every fast exit fed the next section. Chladonová had to respond under pressure, and the gap became decisive before the finish.
What Bentveld said
Bentveld was both elated and slightly stunned in her immediate reaction.
“This is genuinely crazy. It’s still hard to take in,” she said.
She also underlined how mentally draining Hulst was, with so many moments where switching off for a second could cost everything.
“It was a really hard race. On this course it’s mentally tough to stay focused the whole time. You have to keep pushing constantly. I could see her riding all the time, but I wasn’t getting any closer. With two laps to go, I finally managed to get back on.”
Bentveld felt the downhills were the only real way to flip the script.
“I could see I was a bit quicker on the descents,” she explained. “That was the only way to win, all or nothing.”
And with a roaring home crowd in Hulst, she described the noise as a genuine performance factor rather than background theatre.
“The support from the crowd gives you extra motivation. In the last lap I couldn’t even hear my coaches, that’s how loud it was. It’s incredible to experience.”
2026 Cyclo-cross World Championships Women U23 results
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
