The women’s Koppenbergcross starts at 12:45 GMT on Sunday, 1 November 2026, with Lucinda Brand returning to the climb where she won a year ago. The organisers list a 13:45 start in Oudenaarde, Belgium. For UK viewers, current television schedules point to TNT Sports 3 and HBO Max, with the women’s contest preceding the men’s race by 75 minutes. The race is the first women’s round of the 2026–27 X²O Badkamers Trophy, and the steep cobbled climb is likely to expose differences in form immediately.
The Koppenbergcross is a race where a single mistake on a climb can reshape the afternoon. Fem van Empel won three editions in succession between 2022 and 2024 before Brand took the 2025 victory. The climb rewards sustained power, but winning also requires keeping traction on the grass and making sound decisions on the approach to the cobbles. A rider who gets stuck behind a crash or runs at the wrong moment can lose more than the few seconds suggested by the length of the hill.
Women’s race start time and Sunday timetable
The women’s elite race begins at 13:45 CET on Sunday, 1 November, which is 12:45 GMT in the UK. The men’s elite race follows at 15:00 CET, or 14:00 GMT. Earlier events include the junior races at 11:00 Belgian time and the men’s under-23 race at 12:10. Those are official race start times, not promises that every category will appear on a UK television channel.
The time conversion is straightforward, but it is worth checking: Belgium is one hour ahead of the UK on race day. A UK schedule that labels its times BST after the clock change can be misleading. Use 12:45 GMT as the women’s start and check the live broadcaster’s guide for when the transmission actually begins. The organisers can still amend the timetable, especially if weather or operational conditions require it.
How to watch Koppenbergcross women on TNT Sports and HBO Max
UK listings currently show the elite women’s Koppenbergcross on TNT Sports 3 and HBO Max. The event is sometimes described under the X²O Badkamers Trophy or Oudenaarde rather than simply Koppenbergcross, so try those search terms if the race does not appear immediately. Select the women’s event: the same afternoon also contains a separate men’s programme, and an automated search may surface the later race first.
HBO Max is now the UK streaming destination for TNT Sports cycling coverage. The move from discovery+ took place in March 2026, after Eurosport’s UK television service had already closed in 2025. A package that includes TNT Sports is needed to watch the relevant live sports content; a basic HBO Max entertainment plan should not be treated as equivalent. Viewers using a television provider should check whether TNT Sports 3 is part of their package.
There are Belgian and Dutch television listings for the Koppenbergcross, including VRT coverage in Belgium and Eurosport/HBO Max listings in the Netherlands. They are useful cross-checks for the live production but do not mean a free Belgian stream is accessible in Britain. For UK viewers, the TNT Sports and HBO Max listings remain the sensible place to check on race morning. If a stream is absent or a channel changes close to the start, look for an event tile under cyclocross rather than assuming the race has been cancelled.
Why the women’s Koppenbergcross matters
The Koppenbergcross is the opening event of the women’s X²O Trophy, an eight-round series decided by accumulated time rather than a conventional points tally. The first race cannot determine the overall winner, but a large gap on the Koppenberg creates an immediate deficit that a rival must recover over subsequent rounds. Bonuses and series rules also affect the classification, which is why the race result and the overall standings are not interchangeable.
The series continues through venues including Hamme-Zogge, Beringen, Hofstade, Loenhout, Baal, Lille and Brussels. Some courses favour power, others place more weight on sand, cornering or repeated accelerations. A rider who excels on the Koppenberg may not have the same advantage everywhere. The X²O Trophy explainer sets out the classification and calendar, including why every second can matter.
Brand, Van Empel and the riders to watch
Brand’s victory in 2025 gives her a useful reference point for the demands of this particular course. She is comfortable forcing a hard tempo and often gains time by maintaining speed through difficult sections, rather than relying on one spectacular acceleration. Her form in the opening weeks of the 2026–27 season makes her a natural contender, although that does not remove the risk of a mechanical issue or a bad start on a technical course.
Van Empel’s three consecutive wins from 2022 to 2024 show how thoroughly a rider can dominate the Koppenberg when the climbing and bike handling come together. That history is not a guarantee that she will start in 2026. Sara Casasola is another rider to watch as she returns to cyclocross competition. Confirm the final entry list before making assumptions about who will be on the grid. Our women’s Koppenbergcross preview examines the likely match-ups in more detail.
What to watch once the race begins
The opening climb will show who has arrived with good legs. It will not necessarily show who has the best race plan. A strong rider may choose to remain in a small group rather than spend energy opening a gap immediately. Others will try to put rivals under pressure before the cobbles, where overtaking becomes difficult. If the ground is wet, the ability to remount smoothly and accelerate out of turns may prove as valuable as raw climbing power.
Watch whether the leaders can ride the steepest stretches every lap or switch to running as the surface deteriorates. Tyre choice and pressure are also important because the best setup for grip on grass may feel less efficient on hard ground. The cyclocross tyre and tread guide explains those trade-offs. The Koppenbergcross history gives context to the past winners and the role of the climb.
Following the women’s result
At the finish, there are two questions: who has won the Koppenbergcross, and what has happened to the gaps in the X²O standings? The series standings may incorporate adjustments, so use the official classification rather than calculating an overall table from finish gaps alone. There is also the men’s race at 14:00 GMT, which gives viewers a second look at how the course changes through the afternoon.
For the rest of the season, the UK cyclocross viewing guide covers the current streaming arrangements, while the 2026–27 calendar tracks the major series and championship weekends. Check the broadcaster’s listing again on Sunday morning, particularly if you are relying on a specific channel number rather than the HBO Max event page.
