Antwerp 2024 CX World Cup: schedules, favorites and how to watch

After a first part of the cyclocross season, marked by the Superprestigio and X2O races as well as the European Championship, the main event arrives with the start of the World Cup, whose first race will take place in Antwerp next Sunday, November 24, with the incentive of the competition being more open than ever, with many cyclists in excellent form aspiring to victory.

Antwerp kicks off the most contested CX World Cup in recent years

After a season start in which we have already enjoyed exciting races, with up to 10 cyclists competing for victory until practically the end of the races, the Cyclocross World Cup arrives at the first date of a calendar that this year has been compressed to allow cyclists to compete in the entire event and will extend until January 26, just one week before the World Championships.

Schedule for the 1st CX World Cup race in Antwerp

Next Sunday, November 24 is the date marked on the calendar for the start of this event with a program that will follow the usual CX World Cup format with the Elite Women's race as a prelude to the main event of the day, the men's race. In addition, the organization has included a couple more races to complete the morning, these are Sub19 category races that, obviously, do not belong to the World Cup but serve to give young Belgian cyclists the opportunity to compete and immerse themselves in the atmosphere of top-level cyclocross competition.

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• 10:00 - Women's Sub19 race
• 12:00 - Men's Sub19 race
• 13:40 - Elite Women's race
• 15:10 - Elite Men's race

Favorites to win the 1st CX World Cup race in Antwerp

An exciting race is expected in the men's category if we take as a reference what has happened throughout the month of November where we have witnessed thrilling competitions with a lot of cyclists who have had the opportunity to claim victory in all of them.

However, the one who seems to be in the best form for the start of the CX World Cup seems to be Laurens Sweeck after winning the last two Superprestigio races. We must also consider a Niels Vandeputte, tough and determined like no other, who also managed to win last weekend, in the X2O race.

However, any of the top 10, given the equality with which the races have been contested, could take the victory in Antwerp. Obviously, we have to consider the references of recent years such as Eli Iserbyt, Michael Vanthourenhout, Lars van der Haar and, of course, even less so with that illustrious surname, the reigning European Champion, Thibau Nys.

But this list of favorites for victory would not be complete without adding one last name: that of Felipe Orts, who has made the leap in quality he needed and, despite not having achieved a major victory yet, is entering the competition in all races, proposing attacks and making podiums, so who knows if we could see him at the top of the podium in Antwerp, making history once again for Spanish cyclocross.

The CX World Cup race in Antwerp also raises the question of how Joris Nieuwenhuis returns to competition, the runner-up after the untouchable Van der Poel in the last World Championships and teammate this new season in the Ridley Racing Team of Felipe Orts. The Dutchman has not yet debuted this season after suffering from shingles a few months ago and a recovery that has taken longer than expected.

In addition to the present riders, it is worth noting the absence of the great dominators of recent times, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Tom Pidcock. None of them have yet shown any signs of announcing their intentions for the current cyclocross season.

Regarding the women's race, the competition seems to promise a duel between the two main dominators of the current season, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Lucinda Brand, joined by a Fem van Empel who has carefully chosen her participations so far this season, although she has not worn a number since her resounding victory in the European Championship.

How to watch the 1st CX World Cup race in Antwerp

As usual, the channel Eurosport along with the Max platform, integrated since last summer, will provide full coverage of this first CX World Cup race, remember, at 13:40 the women's race and at 15:10 the men's race.

However, this first race can only be watched live through the Max platform, so those who access Eurosport 1 and 2 channels through other television operators will not have the possibility to follow the race live and there are no reruns announced on these channels either.