Cameron Mason leads the Superprestige by a single point heading into Saturday’s Aardbeiencross. His breakthrough victory at Niel took him to 39 points, one ahead of Joran Wyseure and two ahead of Michael Vanthourenhout. Defending Merksplas winner Joris Nieuwenhuis arrives after another podium, making the fourth round an unusually open contest at the top of the men’s series.
The elite men start on Saturday, 14 November at 14:10 GMT. Merksplas promises a demanding mix of sand, woodland and muddy grass, and the contenders have barely recovered from Wednesday’s rain-soaked race. Thibau Nys, fresh from the European title, is not expected to contest this round, instead planning his first outing in the continental champion’s jersey at Hamme-Zogge on Sunday.
Photo Credit: David Pintens / Belga / AFP via Getty ImagesMason’s Niel breakthrough puts the British champion in charge
Mason’s victory at Niel was hard earned. He recovered from an awkward start, stayed in contention as the mud made every lap more expensive, then imposed himself in the finale. Wyseure finished second and Nieuwenhuis third. That is the immediate form line for Merksplas, but the different arrangement of sand, grass and woodland will test the field in another way.
The Niel men’s race report explains Mason’s final-lap effort. It was his first victory in the Telenet Superprestige and a considerable step towards making himself a genuine threat for the overall standings rather than merely a rider capable of an isolated podium.
The most important number coming out of Niel is 39. That is Mason’s Superprestige total, just one point ahead of Wyseure and two ahead of Vanthourenhout. In a competition that awards 15 points for the win and 14 to second, the lead is little more than a place on the road. One fall, poor start or slow wheel change could undo it.
Merksplas is another opportunity to test Mason’s handling under pressure. The British champion does not need a straightforward course to excel, and he has experience coping with heavy ground. Yet the race will not reward him simply for repeating his Niel power output. He will also need to make the right decisions through sand and short changes in direction.
Wyseure has been the most consistent challenger
Wyseure’s rise this autumn has been one of the strongest stories of the early cyclocross season. He won the Middelkerke Superprestige after a difficult final lap against Vanthourenhout and Kevin Kuhn, then followed with second at Niel. He was also runner-up to Thibau Nys at the European Championships in Zeddam.
At 38 points, Wyseure is almost level with Mason, but his recent results say more than his position in the standings. The Middelkerke winner has demonstrated that he can survive a hard race and still make the decisive move late. At Merksplas he has the opportunity to challenge both Mason’s current momentum and Nieuwenhuis’s experience of winning here.
A rider who consistently makes the final front group has several tactical options. Wyseure can try to wear down rivals across the sand and mud, or he can save something for a late move if the front group remains together. The risk is being drawn into too many accelerations when Mason and Nieuwenhuis both have the form to punish a moment of hesitation.
One point in the standings is not enough to make either Wyseure or Mason ride defensively. The rider who reaches the technical sections in the best position has more chance of controlling the rhythm; following every attack from behind is often the harder way to preserve a championship lead.
Nieuwenhuis knows the Aardbeiencross better than most
Nieuwenhuis took the 2025 Aardbeiencross after recovering from a disrupted beginning, ultimately finishing six seconds ahead of Niels Vandeputte. He had already won here in 2023. A rider who can recover time on a course with technical interruptions deserves to be regarded as more than a sentimental defending champion.
At Niel he showed how quickly a difficult afternoon can change, recovering through the closing phase to take third. The same willingness to keep racing after setbacks proved valuable at Merksplas in 2025, although that should not be taken to mean a poor start is an advantage.
The Aardbeiencross’s sand, grass and woodland demand a combination of repeated accelerations and clean lines. Nieuwenhuis is particularly dangerous when the race becomes selective before the final lap. He can build pressure through sections where rival riders are tempted to slow, and a small gap can prove hard to repair.
The Merksplas past winners and course history provides the longer view. Nieuwenhuis is not merely defending a win on a course he happened to master once; his previous success here suggests that the venue offers a reliable setting for his strengths.
Vanthourenhout, Orts and Vandeputte give the field depth
Michael Vanthourenhout began this Superprestige campaign by winning Overijse and then finishing runner-up at Middelkerke, but he lost the series lead after a more difficult Niel race. He is still only two points behind Mason. That leaves him with an incentive to return to consistent podium form rather than become preoccupied with recovering every point at once.
Kevin Kuhn has also been a regular presence near the front and sits fourth overall with 34 points. His Niel result was affected by a puncture while in contention, demonstrating how rapidly a competitive position can disappear on a technical circuit. If Merksplas is wet, another error or mechanical could be decisive.
Felipe Orts sits fifth in the championship and has repeatedly shown that he can compete in demanding Belgian conditions. Niels Vandeputte, Jente Michels and the young Giel Lejeune add different strengths to the mix. Their value to the preview is not a manufactured prediction of the exact finishing order but the ways they could make the selection harder for the leading three.
Thibau Nys is not expected at Merksplas. The European champion’s planned schedule puts his first race in the blue-and-white jersey at Hamme-Zogge on Sunday. That absence broadens the opportunity for Mason, Wyseure, Nieuwenhuis, Orts and Vanthourenhout, but it would be a mistake to suggest the field lacks serious contenders.
The sand and compact course could be decisive
The Aardbeiencross is staged at Merksplas-Kolonie, combining grassy meadow, sand, wooded tracks, a brief cobbled section and several obstacles. The route was made more compact in 2025 as organisers adjusted the event, but retained a varied technical character. Riders must repeatedly switch between generating speed and maintaining traction.
Earlier rain could leave parts of the circuit softer than they appear on a relatively dry Saturday. In sand, a rider who carries momentum and selects the correct line may save more energy than someone who tries to sprint back onto a rival’s wheel after every turn. On grass, the challenge can become finding grip without losing speed.
Merksplas can reward efficiency more than visible aggression. One clean passage through sand may save only a second, but a rider who repeats that advantage through successive laps can force the chase to make costly accelerations. Conversely, a simple mistake in the wrong place may erase the benefit of several fast laps.
Last year’s winner and the current series leader have distinct opportunities on this circuit. Nieuwenhuis can apply pressure through the rougher sections, while Mason has already demonstrated at Niel that a hard, attritional contest can suit him. Wyseure may be the rider best placed to react if both try to force a selection, provided he is not caught too far behind.
Official men’s start list, timings and viewing details
The official Merksplas men’s start list (PDF) is the reference for the registered riders and their numbers. The final start line remains subject to late changes, so older entries from Niel or incomplete provisional databases should not be treated as a substitute for the organiser’s document.
The men start at 15:10 local time in Belgium, equivalent to 14:10 GMT on Saturday, 14 November in the UK. TNT Sports 2 is scheduled to begin live coverage at 14:00 GMT, with the relevant TNT Sports sport package also available through HBO Max. Our Merksplas men’s TV guide covers the broadcast details.
The Aardbeiencross is the fourth of eight 2026–27 Superprestige rounds. Each winner takes 15 points, and the classification rewards consistency across the winter. Our Superprestige history and rules explainer describes why a third place can sometimes matter as much as an isolated victory.
After Saturday, the next Superprestige race is at Ruddervoorde on 6 December. The full cyclocross calendar keeps those dates in context as the season approaches its important Christmas block.
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Photo Credit: Belga / AFP via Getty Images -
Photo Credit: ProCyclingUK archive (original photographer not recorded)
