Woerden turns its town centre into a floodlit cyclocross circuit on Tuesday 20 October, with the elite women starting at 19:40 CEST (18:40 BST). Instead of a rural mud bath, the Foodera Nacht van Woerden sends riders across two bridges, along grassy canal banks and around the tight corners of the Exercitieveld. The lap is about three kilometres, but the repeated braking and accelerations make it demanding.
Lucinda Brand heads the provisional entry list after winning HG Cross Dendermonde and Kermiscross Ardooie in the first week of the 2026–27 season. She also knows how to win in Woerden, having beaten Marie Schreiber here in 2024. The world champion’s strength on slippery grass and ability to raise the pace over several laps should make her the rider the others are looking to contain.
Schreiber, Aniek van Alphen and Inge van der Heijden are all expected to start. Van Alphen was just four seconds behind Fem van Empel at last year’s race, with Van der Heijden third, while Schreiber pushed Brand closest in 2024. They have recent evidence that Woerden suits them rather than merely a reputation built on results at other venues.
The provisional line-up is not the same as a confirmed starting grid. Woerden falls three days after Meulebeke and towards the beginning of a busy run of autumn races, so final participation and the form riders show over the weekend may alter the balance. Van Empel, who won here in 2023 and 2025, was not listed for Woerden when this preview was prepared.
Previous winners at Nacht van Woerden
Recent editions have produced two different sorts of race. Van Empel rode away to win by almost a minute in 2023, but in 2025 she needed a final-lap effort to beat Van Alphen by four seconds. Between those victories, Brand prevailed by five seconds over Schreiber in 2024. A familiar name on the top step has not meant the racing always developed in the same way.
| Year | Winner | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Fem van Empel | Aniek van Alphen | Inge van der Heijden |
| 2024 | Lucinda Brand | Marie Schreiber | Fem van Empel |
| 2023 | Fem van Empel | Manon Bakker | Zoe Bäckstedt |
The 2024 and 2025 results are especially relevant to this year’s field: Brand, Schreiber, Van Alphen and Van der Heijden have all been near the front on this precise circuit. It is a stronger basis for judging the contenders than assuming a rider’s form will transfer unchanged from a very different muddy Belgian course.
Last year’s win marked Van Empel’s return to winning form after a break from competition. She is not on the current provisional Woerden entry list, so her two previous wins are part of the race’s history, not a reason to describe her as defending the title in 2026. The women’s race will have a different shape if Brand and Schreiber set the early pace.
Course: bridges, banks and repeated changes of direction
The lap begins on Oostlaan and finishes on Plantsoen. Riders cross the Exercitieveld, run along the grass beside Oostsingel and cross the Parijsebrug before reaching the long strip beside H.G. van Kempensingel. The double equipment pit is positioned here, where mechanics can provide a clean bike if mud begins clogging tyres and frames.
The lap then crosses the Singel on a temporary pontoon bridge and turns around the water tower, through Torenwal and Hoge Wal towards the finish street. The return takes the other side of the water tower and the same crossings before the field heads back onto the Exercitieveld. It leaves very little time to settle into an even rhythm: each bridge approach and tighter turn asks the rider to brake, choose a line and accelerate again.
Two barriers on the Exercitieveld add another point where the leading group can split. Most riders dismount and remount; a successful bunny-hop, where permitted, can save a small amount of time but carries its own risk. Getting held up behind a rider who misjudges the obstacle can be more costly than losing a second on a grassy straight.
The lighting is part of Woerden’s technical challenge. Riders move between brighter paved sections and grass where the surface is harder to read, particularly if moisture forms later in the evening. Van Empel even used an additional handlebar light during her dominant 2023 victory, an indication of how different a night race can feel to competitors used to afternoon starts.
The forecast still matters. If the grass is dry, carrying speed through the corners and onto the asphalt may be more valuable than repeated bicycle changes. Rain could make the bridge approaches and off-camber turns more selective. The organiser’s fixed course features are confirmed; the exact grip on Tuesday night is not, so it would be misleading to predict a mud race this far ahead.
The contenders: Brand, Schreiber, Van Alphen and Van der Heijden
Brand has been the most convincing early-season rider on the entry list. Her wins at Dendermonde and Ardooie came on different courses, with the latter showing how well she can manage repeated efforts before making the separation. At Woerden she will not need to attack at every opportunity, but a sustained increase in pace through the more open grass sections could force rivals into mistakes at the next set of turns.
Schreiber’s fast starts make her a credible challenger on a circuit where overtaking becomes difficult after the opening corners. She was within five seconds of Brand at the finish in 2024, so the issue is not whether she can handle Woerden. She needs to maintain that speed throughout the race and avoid giving Brand a free gap when the group becomes strung out around the bridges.
Van Alphen arguably has the strongest Woerden-specific argument after Brand. Four seconds separated her from Van Empel last year, and she went on to win the 2025–26 Superprestige overall on a tie-break with Amandine Fouquenet. Her consistency is a reason to expect a controlled ride even if the race is too fast for an early solo break.
Van der Heijden was part of the decisive three-rider move in 2025 before finishing third. She has the ability to stay in contact if the pace builds steadily, but leaving herself repeated gaps to close on a technical city circuit would be costly. Her best chance may be to take the front before the narrowest sections and make Brand do the passing instead.
Lucia Bramati, Anna Kay, Nette Coppens and Meg De Bruyne are also on the provisional start list. Their presence matters if Brand and Schreiber spend the opening laps marking one another. A larger front group gives riders more opportunities to attack immediately after a bridge or barrier, while a small break that forms early could be difficult to bring back through the twisting sections.
How the women’s race could be decided
The start is an obvious place for Brand and Schreiber to seek an advantage, although a quick launch is no guarantee of a decisive lead. The danger for anyone further back is reaching the bridge approaches in a queue, where even a rider with the same speed as the leaders might lose time waiting for a gap.
Once the field settles, the important comparison will be where each contender is gaining time. Brand may favour longer accelerations on the grass, while Schreiber can press the pace out of the sharper turns. Van Alphen and Van der Heijden have both shown they can ride this course effectively, but they must avoid burning too much energy closing little gaps that open after each technical section.
If the grass becomes muddy, the double pit will give teams the option to exchange bikes. The entry and exit are on the same technical part of the course that already makes positioning important, so a clean handover matters. In dry conditions the leaders may scarcely use it; then tyre pressure, cornering lines and where to accelerate are likely to have a greater influence.
Van Empel’s four-second margin in 2025 shows there is room for a late change of lead. It does not mean every edition will be close: she won by 56 seconds in 2023. The contrast is worth keeping in mind if Brand opens a gap early, because the condition of the circuit and the size of the leading group will determine whether a pursuit is realistic.
Start time, spectators and UK viewing
Women: Tuesday 20 October, 19:40 CEST / 18:40 BST, with the finish expected around 20:30 local time. The men’s elite race follows at 20:40 CEST (19:40 BST). Both are part of the same floodlit programme, and the organiser lists free admission for spectators.
Spectators can watch for free around the town centre and Exercitieveld. The organiser uses Kalsbeek College for registration and changing facilities. The course crosses busy routes through Woerden, so anyone attending should check the latest access and parking advice rather than expecting to drive straight into the centre after the roads have been closed.
A UK live broadcast has not yet been independently confirmed for this standalone UCI C2 race. TNT Sports coverage of the World Cup or Superprestige does not automatically include Woerden; check the organiser’s announcements and the broadcaster’s updated listings before race night.
For recent form, the Dendermonde women’s report and Ardooie women’s report cover Brand’s opening victories. The 2025 Woerden report covers Van Empel’s close win over Van Alphen, while the beginner’s guide explains the rules and the purpose of the pits.
