The elite women’s HG Cross Meulebeke takes place on Saturday 17 October 2026, with the race starting at 12:45 BST (13:45 local time) at Ter Borcht in Belgium. British viewers can follow the race through the TNT Sports cycling offering on HBO Max, with the UK streaming window listed from approximately 12:42 to 13:57 BST. This is the second round of the 2026–27 HG Cross series.
The Berencross is particularly interesting this year because Fem van Empel is expected to make her cyclocross return after a lengthy absence. Lucinda Brand has won both Dendermonde and Ardooie in the last week, while last year’s Meulebeke winner Inge van der Heijden and riders such as Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Denise Betsema and Marie Schreiber will be looking to challenge.
The venue has also changed significantly for 2026. The circuit runs in the opposite direction to earlier years and the large bridge has been removed. The sandpit, steps, banks and washboard section remain, so the first few laps should reveal how quickly the riders can adapt to a rearranged sequence of technical challenges.
What time does the women’s HG Cross Meulebeke start in the UK?
Date: Saturday 17 October 2026. Venue: Sport- en Recreatiecentrum Ter Borcht, Meulebeke / Tielt, West Flanders, Belgium. Elite women’s start: 13:45 CEST or 12:45 BST. UK live stream: TNT Sports via HBO Max, approximately 12:42–13:57 BST. Belgian coverage: Sporza/VRT, with coverage expected to begin before the race.
Belgium is one hour ahead of the UK at this point in October. The local start shown on the organisers’ schedule is 13:45, which translates to 12:45 British Summer Time. The stream is scheduled to begin a few minutes beforehand, giving viewers the opportunity to see the start rather than joining once the riders are already spread across the course.
The race is expected to last approximately 50 minutes, but actual lap times depend on course conditions and the number of laps set by the commissaires. It is sensible to allow viewing time until around 13:45 BST, or slightly later if the broadcast includes the podium and any post-race interviews.
The men’s race follows at 15:00 CEST, or 14:00 BST. The two events have their own streams and start times. Anyone opening a broadcaster’s general cycling menu should select the women’s Berencross / HG Cross Meulebeke session, not the men’s listing or one of the road races taking place elsewhere in Europe.
Where to watch: HBO Max, TNT Sports and Belgian television
For UK viewers, the listed live rights are with TNT Sports and its HBO Max streaming service. The current programme schedule shows a dedicated women’s slot running from 13:42 to 14:57 Central European Summer Time, equivalent to 12:42–13:57 BST. Look for HG Cross Meulebeke Women or Berencross Women under cycling or live sport on HBO Max.
A TNT Sports subscription offering access to HBO Max’s live cycling streams is the practical option for watching the full race in Britain. The presence of TNT Sports in a broadcaster listing does not by itself mean that one of the numbered TNT television channels will show it live. The UK linear schedule may carry a later replay, so check the current guide rather than assuming a live TV channel.
Belgian viewers have coverage through VRT/Sporza. The Belgian programme is scheduled ahead of the elite women’s race, giving viewers a chance to see the build-up and riders on the start grid. Availability of Belgian online streams outside Belgium can be restricted by territorial broadcasting rights, so it should not be presented as a guaranteed free UK alternative.
If the live session does not appear in the main HBO Max carousel, search for Meulebeke, Berencross or HG Cross and check the scheduled start time. The weekend also includes other cyclocross, road and track cycling, so a search by race name is safer than looking at a generic cycling programme.
When should viewers tune in for the decisive laps?
For the complete race, be ready at 12:42 BST, when the advertised stream begins. The opening lap is worth watching because the reversed course direction may cause immediate differences between riders who know the best line and those who lose time in the first traffic bottleneck. A rider pushed back at the sandpit could expend a large amount of energy moving through the group.
If time is limited, joining by about 13:10 BST should give an opportunity to follow the second half of the race under normal conditions. This is an estimate, not a fixed intermediate sprint or scheduled lap. Cyclocross races are run over a set number of laps decided with the expected lap time in mind, and the race can develop much earlier than the final circuit.
Watch the gaps at the same points on successive laps. The sandpit can reveal which riders are carrying the most momentum; the short banks and steps can separate those who are able to remain on the bike from those forced to run. The washboard section adds another chance to make a small but repeated gain.
An attack does not have to look spectacular to be decisive. Several seconds gained at an obstacle can become a much larger gap if the chasers lose momentum trying to remount or accelerate. This is particularly important with a group of contenders who were separated by only a few seconds in the opening race at Dendermonde.
Who is racing? Brand, Van Empel and the Meulebeke specialists
World champion Lucinda Brand is the form rider. She won the season-opening HG Cross Dendermonde by a single second over Alvarado, with Betsema third, then made it two wins from two at Kermiscross Ardooie. Schreiber was second in Ardooie, 17 seconds behind Brand, and Betsema completed the podium again.
Van Empel is the major unknown. The three-time world champion is named in the Meulebeke entries after a lengthy period away from competition and has spoken about the difficulty of stepping back before choosing to return. Previous success shows what she is capable of, but it would be unrealistic to treat her training form as identical to racing form after a long break.
Inge van der Heijden won the previous Meulebeke edition, and Alvarado, Betsema, Schreiber, Aniek van Alphen and Hélène Clauzel are all credible contenders for the leading places. The full women’s preview looks at how the circuit changes affect those riders and why Brand will not necessarily have an easy race.
How this race fits into the weekend
The women’s race comes before the men’s HG Cross at the same venue, giving viewers two opportunities to see the new Ter Borcht circuit. It is the second HG Cross round after Dendermonde, rather than a World Cup event, and the format is a separate one-day race. That distinction is useful when searching for the event, because broadcaster menus may still show older Exact Cross names.
The result will be particularly revealing about Van Empel’s return, but Brand’s two-race winning sequence and the strength of the field are equally important. A few minutes of aggressive riding in the middle of the race could settle the result well before the finish; the 12:42 BST start of live streaming gives viewers the best chance of seeing it.
If coverage times change, the organisers’ start time of 12:45 BST remains the most reliable reference for planning. Check the HBO Max schedule on Saturday morning and select the women’s programme to avoid missing the opening technical sections.
