Marie Schreiber and Joris Nieuwenhuis win 2026 Nacht van Woerden under the lights

Marie Schreiber and Joris Nieuwenhuis took the elite victories at the 2026 Nacht van Woerden, mastering a wet and increasingly slippery three-kilometre circuit through the centre of Woerden.

Schreiber continued her strong start to the cyclocross season by riding clear of Aniek van Alphen and world champion Lucinda Brand in the women’s race, even surviving a fall on the final lap. Nieuwenhuis then marked his delayed first cross of the winter with victory in the men’s event, attacking away from Niels Vandeputte, defending champion Felipe Orts and Jente Michels.

The standalone UCI C2 remains one of the more distinctive races on the calendar. Held under artificial light on the eve of Woerden’s traditional Koeienmarkt, the circuit links grass, narrow banks, bridges, barriers and repeated changes of direction around the town centre. Tuesday evening’s rain made those normally fast sections considerably more difficult.

Van der Heijden starts quickly as Brand is caught behind

The women’s race began with European champion Inge van der Heijden setting the pace. Lucia Bramati and Schreiber also started strongly, while Brand found herself outside the leading positions and immediately had work to do on a course where moving through traffic was never straightforward.

That was one of the main dangers identified in our Nacht van Woerden women’s preview. The circuit is narrow enough that losing places costs more than the simple time gap, especially once the surface begins to deteriorate.

Brand gradually worked her way back towards the front while Van der Heijden, Van Alphen and Schreiber continued to drive the race. By halfway the world champion was back in touch with the contest for the podium, but Schreiber was beginning to look increasingly comfortable in the worsening conditions.

Schreiber pulls clear in the mud

Schreiber made the difference in the closing laps. The Luxembourg champion accelerated clear and quickly opened a gap over Van Alphen and Brand, turning what had been a close contest into a chase.

Brand briefly lost momentum on one of the steeper sections when she came out of the pedal, while Van Alphen increasingly established herself as Schreiber’s closest challenger. By the bell, Van Alphen had moved into a clear second place, but Schreiber had enough room to control the final lap.

There was still one final complication. Schreiber fell during the last circuit, briefly reducing her advantage, but she was quickly back on the bike and had built enough of a cushion to keep the race under control.

She crossed the line 16 seconds ahead of Van Alphen, with Brand third at 32 seconds and Van der Heijden fourth at 40.

Schreiber backs up Meulebeke victory

The win came only three days after Schreiber beat the same Van Alphen-Brand combination at HG Cross Meulebeke.

Schreiber’s fast starts have long been one of her strengths, but the more interesting development this autumn has been what she is doing once races settle. In both Meulebeke and Woerden she made the decisive difference later in the race rather than spending the closing laps protecting an advantage created at the start.

Woerden also continued her progression at this particular event. She had previously finished second here behind Brand, but this time she was able to ride the world champion off her wheel and retain enough control to survive the late fall.

Nacht van Woerden 2026 women’s result

Photo Credit: Belga/AFP via Getty Images

Nieuwenhuis goes straight to the front on season debut

The men’s race brought a different question. Nieuwenhuis was making his first cyclocross start of the 2026-27 season after illness forced him to postpone his planned return.

He had expected to be racing by Dendermonde or Meulebeke, but illness during the week before Dendermonde delayed that plan. Woerden therefore became his first chance to race in Heizomat-Cube colours this winter.

There was little sign of rust once the race began. Nieuwenhuis was immediately prominent alongside Vandeputte and Ryan Kamp, even after a minor early slip on the treacherous surface.

The race gradually settled around four riders. Nieuwenhuis, Vandeputte and Michels initially opened a small advantage before Orts worked his way back across, restoring a quartet at the front.

That was a strong final group. Vandeputte and Michels had both shown form at Meulebeke, while Orts arrived as defending champion after ending Lars van der Haar’s long winning run at Woerden in 2025.

Nieuwenhuis attacks before the final lap

The decisive move came from Nieuwenhuis in the closing phase. Rather than allowing the race to become a four-way fight on the final lap, the Dutchman accelerated and immediately began opening daylight.

The gap was enough to force Vandeputte, Orts and Michels into a straightforward chase rather than a tactical fight among themselves. They could not bring Nieuwenhuis back.

Michels was the first of the other three to lose contact in the battle for the podium, while Vandeputte managed to distance Orts and establish himself in second. Orts continued to ride strongly through the slippery corners but could not repeat his 2025 victory.

Nieuwenhuis maintained his advantage to the finish, winning his first race of the winter at the first attempt. Vandeputte took second, Orts third and Michels fourth.

A delayed start turns into an immediate win

The result was particularly encouraging given the uncertainty around Nieuwenhuis before the start. His preparation had gone well, but the illness that delayed his return meant Woerden was the first indication of how quickly he could move from training form into racing form.

It also completed a long progression at this event. Nieuwenhuis had finished third in Woerden in 2018 and second in 2019, both during the period when Van der Haar dominated the race. Seven years later, in the first edition since Van der Haar’s retirement, he finally reached the top step.

The historical context is hard to avoid at Woerden. Van der Haar won eight consecutive editions between 2015 and 2024 in the years the race was held, before Orts ended that sequence last autumn. The 2026 men’s race was the first edition without Van der Haar in the field.

Nieuwenhuis had twice stood beside him on the podium during that run. On Tuesday night, after an illness-delayed start to his season, he returned and made the race his own.

Nacht van Woerden 2026 men’s result