Van der Poel makes his debut this Sunday in the CX Zonhoven World Cup

Change of scenery in the CX World Cup with the arrival of Mathieu van der Poel to the competition who will debut this coming Sunday, December 22 in another iconic race on the cyclocross calendar such as the one in Zonhoven and its spectacular sand pit that always gives us spectacular images.

Schedule and how to watch the Zonhoven CX World Cup

If last weekend we talked about the Namur race as one of the most technical and tough on the calendar, the CX World Cup race taking place this Sunday, December 22 in Zonhoven is no less. It is one of the favorite races for the public, always with a massive attendance and featuring the difficulty of its sand pit that challenges the skills of the cyclocross riders to the maximum.

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A race that will have the following schedule:

• 09:30 - Men's U19 race
• 10:30 - Women's U19 race
• 12:00 - Men's U23 race
• 13:40 - Women's Elite race
• 15:10 - Men's Elite race

As throughout the entire 2024 CX World Cup, although the broadcast is on Eurosport channel, it can only be followed through the Max platform so if you are not subscribers to it, you will have to settle for the race summary usually published the next day by UCI on their YouTube channel, a channel where you can also watch live in countries without a broadcasting rights channel.

Everyone against Mathieu van der Poel in the Zonhoven CX World Cup race

The main question that arises regarding the Zonhoven CX World Cup race is in what form Mathieu van der Poel will present himself at his first cyclocross race of the season. His presence undoubtedly changes the open profile of the races where many cyclists have dared to play their cards, resulting in very open and flashy races so far this season.

However, the presence of Mathieu van der Poel will undoubtedly influence the development of the Zonhoven race with most riders waiting for the moment when the Dutchman starts his engine and decides to seal the race as he usually does. If his mere presence is not enough to give him the maximum favoritism, the Zonhoven race and its sandy terrain offer a ground where Mathieu van der Poel excels.

As the CX World Cup is unfolding, we must hope that an inspired Michael Vanthourenhout can try to confront the power of Alpecin-Deceuninck's rider as well as include in that list of possible victory candidates a rider as tenacious and fighter as Toon Aerts who is having a remarkable campaign.

In a second tier, we would have to include riders like Laurens Sweeck or Pim Ronhaar and we will also include Thibau Nys, who has enough class to be at the front and is a rider who thrives on challenges like facing a legend like Van der Poel. Who we will not include this time among the favorites is Felipe Orts who, despite his notable improvement, loses a lot of ground in sandy terrain like Zonhoven, making it very difficult for him to be at the front.

Regarding the women, the presence of Puck Pieterse, while not as influential as her teammate Van der Poel, does require her to be labeled as the top favorite for victory, obviously with the permission of Lucinda Brand who is managing the races excellently, taking full advantage of her experience.

It is also necessary to include among the possible winners in Zonhoven Fem van Empel and a redeemed Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado who seems to be back on track after the Namur triumph.