Van der Poel returns on the 1st in Baal

Although the ski jumps celebrated in Garmisch-Partenkirchen take the spotlight every January 1st, for cyclocross enthusiasts, the must-attend event is in Belgium, in the town of Baal, where since the year 2000 this event has been held, the GP Sven Nys, undoubtedly one of the most iconic events on the calendar, and as has been the case in recent seasons, it is part of the X2O Trophy, where Mathieu van der Poel will try to continue extending his dominance.

X2O Trophy Schedule – GP Sven Nys-Baal

January 1, 2026

• 11:00 – Junior Men
• 12:10 – U23 Men
• 13:45 – Elite Women
• 15:00 – Elite Men

The year 2026 kicks off with the best competing in the GP Sven Nys-Baal cyclocross

Good participation, as is usually the case despite being a date often spent with family, which also means significant absences such as Felipe Orts, Michael Vanthourenhout, and Tibor del Grosso, in addition to Laurens Sweeck, who is recovering from a fall a couple of days ago in Loenhout that has forced him to end his season prematurely.

Of course, the name of Mathieu van der Poel shines brightly. A Mathieu van der Poel who has triumphed in the Baal event 5 times and, given the tyrannical campaign he has been developing, anything other than considering him the undisputed favorite would be a fallacy.

RECOMENDADO

Puck Pieterse takes advantage of Lucinda Brand's absence and wins the Superprestige of Diegem

The yellow continues to lead: this is the new 2026 kit of Visma Lease a Bike

How much money is Van der Poel earning this cyclocross season?

From skiing to MTB: we explain the categories of the Snow Bike World Championship that will be held again in 2026

All set for the start of the 2026 UCI WorldTour: complete calendar and key dates

A flat tire leaves Wout van Aert unable to challenge Van der Poel in Loenhout

Opposing him will be Thibau Nys, who is racing at home and will surely want to avenge the painful defeat he suffered on the 30th in the night race in Diegem, where a fall in the final moments of the race left him without a chance to compete for victory. Nevertheless, the Belgian has been raising his level throughout the Christmas campaign, and at this moment, if anyone could surprise and beat Van der Poel, it would likely be him.

With the aforementioned absences, we have a second tier of cyclists who will be there, but we can hardly imagine them putting the Dutchman in trouble. We are talking about men like Nieuwenhuis, Aerts, Vestrynge, or Cameron Mason.

In the women's category, the situation is quite similar. Lucinda Brand's season has been so dominant that it is hard not to consider her the favorite, and after her performance in the Diegem race, Puck Pieterse has gained a lot of ground and seems to be finding that form that makes her a formidable rival, so it wouldn't be surprising to see a duel between the two of them.

All of this is with the permission of another cyclist like Zoe Backstedt, who will be making only her third race of the season, although she has already shown she can compete with the best. Surely women like Marion Norbert Riberolle, Manon Bakker, or a Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, who has not been performing at the level of previous seasons due to back pain, will also try to put up a fight.

X2O Trophy Circuit – GP Sven Nys-Baal

The Baal circuit is a peculiar place. Not only because it is a race named after the cyclocross legend and father of Thibau, the great Sven Nys, but also because it is located next to the Sven Nys Cycling Center, a kind of high-performance center dedicated to developing the future stars of the mud discipline.

A circuit that remains set up year-round for the use of the Cycling Center and can boast of being 85% natural. With a clayey terrain, the mud usually becomes a determining factor in this race, although, unfortunately, the lack of rain that Belgium has experienced throughout the Christmas season will likely lead to a fast race.

How to watch the X2O Trophy – GP Sven Nys-Baal

Although January 1st is usually a date marked by winter sports, Eurosport has reserved its Eurosport 2 channel so that many more can enjoy this always spectacular race and not just subscribers to the online platform HBO-Max where the channel is integrated.