Thibau Nys and Michael Vanthourenhout headline Belgium’s challenge for the elite men’s European Cyclocross Championship in Zeddam on Sunday, 8 November. Nys, the 2024 champion, comes into the race after winning the Koppenbergcross. Vanthourenhout won the continental title in 2022 and 2023 and has the experience to turn a technical championship into a war of attrition.
The race starts at 15:00 local time, or 14:00 GMT. The rebuilt staircase and sand pit should make it difficult for the favourites to wait until the final lap. Belgium has a deep squad, but that does not guarantee a Belgian victory.
Nys brings form and a sharp change of pace
Nys took the European title in 2024 and was runner-up in 2025. His recent Koppenbergcross victory gives him a strong result immediately before the championship, although the Zeddam circuit is different. The challenge is to translate his acceleration into gaps on a course where running and remounting can interrupt even the strongest attack.
A clean first lap would allow Nys to dictate rather than chase. If he is forced to make up places before the stairs, his rivals could make the early selection without him. His position at the technical features may tell us more than his placing after the opening straight.
The Zeddam course
The 2026 championships return to the village that hosted the 2006 World Championships. The organisers have rebuilt the famous staircase, which rises out of the sand pit towards the Gildekoat museum area. A new bridge near the Grafelijke Korenmolen adds another distinctive feature. The official map gives a lap of about 2.97 kilometres, with repeated transitions between riding, running and remounting.
The stairs make position essential. Riders entering behind a slower competitor can lose momentum even if they are physically strong enough to keep pace. After the steps, efficient remounting and the ability to accelerate immediately may be as important as running speed. Wet weather would put a premium on grip and bike changes, but no particular surface condition should be assumed before race day.
Photo Credit: NieuwsbladVanthourenhout and Belgium’s other options
Vanthourenhout is a two-time European champion who can make the race relentlessly hard. Belgium’s selection also includes Laurens Sweeck, Niels Vandeputte, Joran Wyseure, Jente Michels, Witse Meeussen and Gerben Kuypers. Sweeck brings power and speed, while Vandeputte can profit if the front group remains relatively close.
That depth creates choices rather than a simple lead-out for Nys. If Vanthourenhout forces the pace early, another Belgian could conserve enough energy to respond later. Equally, several compatriots watching each other could create an opportunity for a rival from another country.
Toon Aerts is the defending champion but not a confirmed starter
Aerts won the elite men’s title in 2025 ahead of Nys and Wyseure. He is not in Belgian Cycling’s announced eight-man elite selection for Zeddam. It would therefore be misleading to write that he is defending his jersey on the start line. His absence opens the way for a new winner.
The field also includes Czech rider Michael Boroš and French entrants such as Rémi Lelandais. The final official start list remains the authority for late changes. A preview based on national selections must not treat a historical champion as an entrant merely because he won the previous edition.
The tactical problem
The start is likely to be particularly important because the staircase creates a potential bottleneck. A rider who enters the technical sections among the first few has control of the line, while a rider further back may have to stop behind somebody else’s mistake. That is not a prediction that the first lap will decide the title, but it does explain why positioning can matter as much as outright speed.
The course should reward repeatability. A single attack is less valuable if the rider then loses time through an untidy remount. The most convincing contenders will be those who can ride consistently at a high pace and keep their concentration when fatigue makes the technical features harder.
Mason and Mein provide the British interest
Cameron Mason and Thomas Mein appear in the published British elite men’s entries. Both have the ability to stay competitive on a difficult course and have shown useful form in recent racing. Their task is to enter the staircase near the front rather than repeatedly spend energy recovering places.
A strong result would require more than following the Belgian leaders on the open sections. The sand pit, staircase and remounts create opportunities to gain or lose time independently of the pace set at the front. For Mason and Mein, an early position in the leading group would be a meaningful first step.
The pressure of a one-day championship
Unlike a Superprestige round, this race has no series points to protect. A rider who takes a calculated risk can win a European jersey, while a rider who settles for a safe placing may leave without the result he came for. That difference can make the closing laps less predictable than a normal early-season fixture. There is little incentive for the strongest riders to let a rival ride away while waiting for the next weekend.
The championship format also sharpens the contrast between Nys and Vanthourenhout. Nys can exploit a short burst of speed to establish a gap at a critical moment. Vanthourenhout may prefer a prolonged contest in which positioning, running and repeatable efforts expose any weakness. Sweeck and Vandeputte have reasons to resist either scenario. The winner will probably be the rider who makes his preferred race happen, not necessarily the one who arrives with the longest list of victories.
How the elite title could be decided
Nys is a clear candidate to make a decisive acceleration, but Vanthourenhout may prefer to wear down the field over several laps. Sweeck could become dangerous if the race stays fast and relatively compact. A technical mistake by any of them could be enough to change the contest.
The Belgian selection makes it reasonable to look there first for the winner, yet the course gives no immunity from errors. The key question is whether Nys can force the pace on his terms or whether Vanthourenhout and the other contenders can keep the race open until the closing laps.
The championship programme
The junior men start on Sunday, 8 November at 11:00 CET, the under-23 women at 13:00 and the elite men at 15:00. Those are 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00 GMT respectively. Three other titles are contested on Saturday. The UEC reports 299 registered athletes from 25 nations across the whole weekend.
The official UEC entries are nominations, not immutable start lists. The governing body says final start lists are available the day before each race. Any late changes should therefore be checked before the start. For television information see our Zeddam broadcast guide, while our championship history covers the past winners.
