{"id":55272,"title":"Cyclocross news and rumours","description":"What's happening in the professional cyclocross world? We do our best to keep you up to date with all the latest professional cyclocross news and rumours from its heartland.","content":"<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/use-of-cookies-and-disclaimer\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>How we use cookies on the Rijden website<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p><strong>Published in<\/strong><span style=\"font-family:Roboto, sans-serif;\">: <\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/cyclocross-stories\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CYCLOCROSS<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p>Are you missing your weekly fix of televised cyclocross action? We\u2019ll do our best to help you, though the months until October, by keeping you up to date with all the latest professional cyclocross news and rumours from its heartland.<\/p><h2 style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/hhv5fftcunklefg26yach2mfcp6mwpsveed794zatmcnwvpu.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"Cyclocross riders lining up for the start of a race\" title=\"Cyclocross riders lining up for the start of a race\" \/>14 April 2026<\/h2><p>Annmarie Worst has signed for the team of Sven Nys, Baloise verzekeringen - Het Poetsbureau Lions for the 2026-27 cyclocross season. Annmarie, possibly the most unlucky female cyclocross rider, left the Roodhoofts' Seven Racing team in February.<\/p><p>For the upcoming road season, the Dutch star will perform for the amateur Carbonbike Giordana Sofre team of former Tarteletto-Isorex professional <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/julien-van-den-brande\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Julien van den Brande<\/strong><\/a> and his partner Fien de Paepe.<\/p><p>Although an amateur outfit, Carbonbike Giordana Sofre is run on professional lines and is often seen on TV riding against professional teams.<\/p><p>The team includes prolific sprint winner Dina Scavone and Finnish cyclist and Belgian postie <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/laura-vainionpaa\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Laura Vainionp\u00e4\u00e4<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p><p>Annmarie is expected to make her debut for Carbonbike Giordana Sofre mid-May, with her first UCI race for the team in June.<\/p><h2 style=\"text-align:center;\">3 April 2026<\/h2><p>Lars van der Haar will become a rider agent now that he's retired from professional cyclocross. The ex-Dutch Champion will work for Zeloo Sports, which is the company of Rik van Dongen and Orlando van Den Bosch.<\/p><p>Zeloo Sports, which manages around thirty athletes, was Lars\u2019 agent until he retired. Van der Haar wished to remain involved in cycling, but didn't want to spend long periods away from his young family. Lars and Lucy van der Haar recently became parents for the second time.<\/p><h2 style=\"text-align:center;\">28 March 2026<\/h2><p>Jari Van Lee, the Belgian junior cyclocross Champion has signed with Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw until the end of 2028. The seventeen year old also triumphed at Namur and finished sixth overall in the UCI World Cup.<\/p><p><\/p><h2 style=\"text-align:center;\">15 March 2026<\/h2><p>Due to an impending knee operation, cyclocross wonder kid Thibau Nys will miss all of the Spring Classics and the Giro d'Italia.<\/p><h2 style=\"text-align:center;\">8 March 2026<\/h2><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Anna Kay<\/h3><p>Anna Kay will ride as a sponsored independent athlete for the 2026-27 season. Anna rode for the Essec team of Suzanne Verhoeven last year.<\/p><h2 style=\"text-align:center;\">7 March 2026<\/h2><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Sven\u2019s loss is Roodhooft gain<\/h3><p>It's been confirmed that Dutch rider David Haverdings will join the Roodhooft brothers\u2019 team with immediate effect are leaving the Sven Nys outfit.<\/p><p>David will ride with the Alpecin Premier Tech development team. He was winner of the U23 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in 2025-26 after winning four rounds<\/p><p>His best road racing result in 2025 was sixth at the Dears door het Hageland where he finished sixth against a quality field. Does the loss of Haverdings increase the likelihood of popular Felipe Orts joining the Baloise Verzekeringen - Het Poetsbureau Lions squad?<\/p><h2 style=\"text-align:center;\">5 March 2026<\/h2><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Cyclocross stars in Spring<\/h3><p>Several cyclocross riders, in addition to Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, will be in action this Spring. Tibor del Grosso, Emiel Verstrynge and Puck Pieterse have revealed where we can see them in action.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Tibor del Grosso<\/h3><ul><li><p>Strade Bianche<\/p><\/li><li><p>Tirreno-Adriatico<\/p><\/li><li><p>Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut<\/p><\/li><li><p>E3 Saxo Classic<\/p><\/li><li><p>Dwars door Vlaanderen<\/p><\/li><li><p>NXT Classic<\/p><\/li><li><p>Tour of Limburg<\/p><\/li><li><p>De Brabantse Pijl<\/p><\/li><li><p>Amstel Gold Race<\/p><p><\/p><\/li><\/ul><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Emiel Verstrynge<\/h3><ul><li><p>Strade Bianche<\/p><\/li><li><p>Tirreno-Adriatico<\/p><\/li><li><p>Milano-Sanremo<\/p><\/li><li><p>Itzulia Basque Country<\/p><\/li><li><p>Amstel Gold Race<\/p><\/li><li><p>Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge<\/p><p><\/p><\/li><\/ul><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Puck Pieterse<\/h3><ul><li><p>Strade Bianche Donne<\/p><\/li><li><p>Trofeo Oro in Euro - Women's Bike Race<\/p><\/li><li><p>Milano-Sanremo Donne<\/p><\/li><li><p>Dwars door Vlaanderen<\/p><\/li><li><p>Ronde van Vlaanderen<\/p><\/li><li><p>Paris-Roubaix Femmes<\/p><\/li><li><p>Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition<\/p><\/li><li><p>La Fl\u00e8che Wallonne F\u00e9minine<\/p><\/li><li><p>Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge Femmes<\/p><p><\/p><\/li><\/ul><hr \/><p><strong>READ MORE:<\/strong> <em>Do you want to improve at cyclocross, race in Belgium, or watch cyclocross on TV? Check out our <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/cyclocross-stories\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>cyclocross guides<\/em><\/strong><\/a><em>, articles and interviews.<\/em><\/p><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/cyclocross-stories\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u><img src=\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/qdo5exk02l4nu8biesdrnylxvuulypahtksckakuzbn4p2kb.png.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"Read all of Rijden's cyclocross guides and articles.\" title=\"Read all of Rijden's cyclocross guides and articles.\" \/><\/u><\/a><\/p><hr \/><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\"><strong>Strade Bianche beckons<\/strong><\/h3><h2 style=\"text-align:center;\">4 March 2026<\/h2><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">UCI World Cup coming to the UK<\/h3><p>In news that brought a smile to the face of cyclocross fans in Scotland and the rest of the UK, it was announced that UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup action is coming to Glasgow in 2026.<\/p><p>Round three of the UCI World Cup will take place on Sunday, 13 December, in the Scottish city's Kelvingrove Park. It will be twelve years since the last and only time the UK hosted a round since the 2014 event at Milton Keynes.<\/p><p>The winners on that occasion were Kevin Pauwels and Sanne Cant, both of whom were crowned the series winners at the end of the season. Of the competitors who participated back then, only a few are likely to be riding this year.<\/p><p>Only Laurens Sweeck, Toon Aerts and Michael Boris, who were all under 23 at the time, are likely to be on the start line in Glasgow. The UK\u2019s best placed riders in Milton Keynes were <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/ian-field-part-one\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Ian Field<\/strong><\/a> in twelfth and Nikki Brammeier, who was third.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Team Bomba Join<\/h3><p>The name of <strong>Mees Hendrikx<\/strong> and <strong>Ryan Kamp\u2019s <\/strong>new team has been revealed as <strong>Team Bomba Join. <\/strong>The<strong> <\/strong>backers are Laurens ten Dam and Stefan Bolt, who operate the cycling media platform Live Slow Ride Fast.<\/p><p>No other riders have yet been named.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Gerben Kuypers<\/h3><p>Gerben Kuypers, who only joined Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw on 1 January 2026, has been extended until the end of the 2028 season.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Annemarie Worst<\/h3><p>Another female cyclocross rider is leaving the Roodhooft brothers\u2019 stable. Annmarie Worst, who has ridden for them for the last nine seasons, announced that she is leaving. We understand that her contract was not renewed with Seven Racing.<\/p><p>Where she\u2019s going next is unknown. As revealed below, Manon Bakker has left the brothers\u2019 Crelan-Corendon team. Is this just a coincidence, or are the Roodhoofts\u2019 interests in cyclocross being scaled back? If it's the latter, it could have a profound impact on a discipline in which they were operating five teams.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Kiona Crabb\u00e9<\/h3><p>Kiona Crabb\u00e9 has not had her contract renewed with her Lotto X-Oats team. The bronze medallist at the Belgian National Championships has signed for the Velopro-EGS Group for the road season.<\/p><p>Velopro - EGS Group - Alphamotorhomes were registered as a UCI Cyclo-cross team for the last season.<\/p><hr \/><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/gift-ideas-for-cyclists\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u><img src=\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/jjw5fh4exhxvd8chxrt6rjdhc9rca2p7lyygkgatafzh3wgi.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"Gifts for fans of cyclocross\" title=\"Gifts for fans of cyclocross\" \/><\/u><\/a><\/p><hr \/><h2 style=\"text-align:center;\">27 February 2026<\/h2><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Mees Hendrikx &amp; Ryan Kamp<\/h3><p>Following on from our story last week, details of a new Dutch team led by former professional rider Laurens ten Dam are starting to emerge. <strong>Mees Hendrikx<\/strong> and <strong>Ryan Kamp<\/strong> are on the books with more signings possible. Sponsors and the team name have yet to be announced.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Manon Bakker<\/h3><p>If it's to become a UCI-registered team, they will need at least one female. Dutch rider <strong>Manon Bakker<\/strong> is on the market, and assuming her operation for her iliac artery problems goes well, would be a worthy addition.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Lars van der Haar<\/h3><p>Retired <strong>Lars van der Haar<\/strong> has been tight-lipped about his new job in cycling. Am I putting two and two together and making five?<\/p><hr \/><h2 style=\"text-align:center;\">20 February 2026<\/h2><p>As the cyclocross season draws to a close, the usual rider merry-go-round starts in earnest. What do we know so far?<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">Ridley Race Team is folding<\/h3><p>The <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/email.mail.rijden.uk\/c\/eJxEkMEO2yAMhp8m3FyBIYEcOOyS15jANi1dGqqETurbT1m17vpb-r5PpvR4pnrdflJjiX1_w9Y69AZFZIXeGhyJgd60NtrbcUA9QDau2xVQ4wQaAbX6UipHM7vZKI6jTV5JNN6bcfKIQd1iRiRG8r6Q5Yxp1InCnLUWS8X7omocGbObEOepOBQjox-FLaNN4mniPDj9SHW97PXOsl1ev9Qab70_j8H-GHAZcPleBlzy2q5_J17lDXuiM7xLegy4qJNzFlttTBid8Z_l9aockzEl2BAguyzg2BYIefJgkUzyhLkEo557uwv1-DECwmTQebVHaltP1Aen_2f22EVOAfz7lvod8U8AAAD__51OeZ0\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Ridley Race Team<\/strong><\/a> is closing down, although no official announcement has yet been made. <strong>Joris Nieuwenhuis<\/strong> is off to <strong>Heizomat-Cube<\/strong>. <strong>Lore Sas<\/strong>, the team's sole registered female, has not been seen since the start of the 2024-25 season.<\/p><p><strong>Daan Soete<\/strong> is more focused on gravel and will probably join a gravel team. All of the team's gravel riders who weren't registered for cyclocross have already been offloaded.<\/p><p>That just leaves <strong>Felipe Orts<\/strong>, who I half-jokingly proposed was off to Sven's team, following the tow Sven's son gave him at Benidorm. Apparently, Thibau Nys and Felipe get on very well. Sporza suggested that Sven has strongly hinted that Felipe is under serious consideration.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">New Dutch team<\/h3><p><strong>Mees Hendrikx<\/strong> and <strong>Ryan Kamp<\/strong> are rumoured to be heading to a Dutch team. Which one is unknown. There aren't any Dutch UCI-registered cyclocross teams, so it's either a new team or one that's not registered for cyclocross.<\/p><h3 style=\"text-align:center;\">The end for the Babies<\/h3><p>One Dutch team they won't be heading to is <strong>Parkhotel-ZZPZR.nl-Orange Babies Cycling<\/strong>, which, after twenty years, is closing due to a lack of sponsorship. Current riders include <strong>Danny van Lierop<\/strong> and <strong>Larissa Hartog<\/strong>.<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>All images and text are the copyright of Rijden unless stated otherwise.<\/em><\/p><hr \/><h2 style=\"text-align:center;\"><strong>NEVER MISS OUT<\/strong><\/h2><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/keep-in-touch\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>SUBSCRIBE<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<em>to get all our latest stories and news. We won't bombard you with special offers. We don't want to send you junk, and you don't want to receive it.<\/em><\/p><p><em>We run occasional free competitions for newsletter subscribers.<\/em><\/p><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/keep-in-touch\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u><img src=\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ivoqn1upeudhne2o4lgurhpub80wzfp3loky6rzhaymgtahg.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"Subscribe to Rijden's free email newsletter\" title=\"Subscribe to Rijden's free email newsletter\" \/><\/u><\/a><\/p><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/cyclocross-stories\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>#cyclocross<\/strong><\/a><\/p>","urlTitle":"cyclocross-news-and-rumours","url":"\/blog\/cyclocross-news-and-rumours\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/cyclocross-news-and-rumours\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/blog\/cyclocross-news-and-rumours\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1772646708,"updatedAt":1776503156,"publishedAt":1776503155,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":61205,"name":"Rijden_2"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/zkhtls3ybzd6wx4kwyucfdrq6pw3hxzeyh0x0qh2lm8ggnyw.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/zkhtls3ybzd6wx4kwyucfdrq6pw3hxzeyh0x0qh2lm8ggnyw.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/zkhtls3ybzd6wx4kwyucfdrq6pw3hxzeyh0x0qh2lm8ggnyw.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"Cyclocross news and rumours | Rijden","metaDescription":"What's happening in the professional cyclocross world? We do our best to keep you up to date with all the latest professional cyclocross news and rumours.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":43351,"title":"Guide: Cyclocross teams and riders 2025-26","url":"\/blog\/guide-cyclocross-teams-and-riders\/","urlTitle":"guide-cyclocross-teams-and-riders","division":61205,"description":"Rijden\u2019s guide to the cyclocross riders and teams you can expect to watch on TV during the 2025-26 cyclocross season. From the dedicated professional cyclocross teams through to those individual riders that we anticipate appearing regularly on the start line of an Exact Cross, X\u00b2O Badkamers or Superprestige race.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/87vbim5pyum3m8aetadjcsko4p0efqyjgfiipp27soq1vwp8.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/87vbim5pyum3m8aetadjcsko4p0efqyjgfiipp27soq1vwp8.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":33581,"title":"Cyclocross master - Dave McMullen","url":"\/blog\/cyclocross-master-dave-mc-mullen\/","urlTitle":"cyclocross-master-dave-mc-mullen","division":61205,"description":"Dave McMullen has scored seven victories at the Masters\u2019 World Cyclocross Championships, has won his age category at the UK\u2019s National cyclocross and gravel championships and raced against cycling and cyclocross legends Sean Kelly and Roland Liboton.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/hclaggtbhb5m3jzpd1bsnpkxgolgqm4bgymzymptpybaclde.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/hclaggtbhb5m3jzpd1bsnpkxgolgqm4bgymzymptpybaclde.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":55338,"title":"Top Spring Classics Rider 2026","url":"\/blog\/top-spring-classics-rider-2026\/","urlTitle":"top-spring-classics-rider-2026","division":61205,"description":"Who will be Rijden's top rider of the 2026 Spring Classics? Last year, it was Tadej Poga\u010dar ahead of Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen. The top teams were UAE Team Emirates - XRG, Lidl - Trek and Alpecin - Deceuninck. \n\nUno-X Mobility was the best Pro Continental team, with the plucky triers from St Michel - Preference Home - Auber93 the best UCI Continental team. Worst-placed World Tour team Ark\u00e9a - B&amp;B Hotels folded at the end of the season.\n\nWe\u2019ll be updating our league tables as the season progresses until after Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and we\u2019ll announce the final winners - and losers.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wulgmbnlttfgesacocyy7wsx4bn0mdn4z491agbplzh067nu.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wulgmbnlttfgesacocyy7wsx4bn0mdn4z491agbplzh067nu.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}