Jolanda Neff explains why she is returning to cyclocross and reveals her upcoming races leading up to the World Championships

After four years away from the top level of cyclocross, Jolanda Neff makes her comeback this Sunday at the World Cup in Namur. The Swiss athlete, Olympic and world champion in MTB, thus begins a very intense winter block that will see her compete in up to eight events in Belgium in just three weeks, with the possibility of also participating in the 2026 World Championship in Hulst.

Jolanda Neff breaks her absence in cyclocross

Neff had been limiting her presence in cyclocross for years, especially in top-level events. Her last participation in a World Cup dates back to 2019, but her return coincides with a weekend featuring big names: Mathieu van der Poel, Tibor Del Grosso, and Puck Pieterse will also be in Namur.

As she explained in statements collected by Het Nieuwsblad, the Swiss athlete acknowledges that she felt the need to experience the discipline from within again: “Maybe because it has been so long... The last time I came to Belgium to race was in the winter of 2018-2019. I am very eager to return. Belgium is the heart of cyclocross.”

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Neff is particularly motivated by the unique atmosphere of Belgian cyclocross, a factor that, according to her, is not found in any other country. “It’s in your culture. There’s nothing like it: the atmosphere, the passion, the enthusiasm of the crowd. People come as if they are on vacation; it’s always fun. I come for the experience... but the beer is for my dad,” she joked in the same interview.

The reason for her return is not coincidental. Her team and coach were looking for a different stimulus in their preparation for the year. Neff explains that during the planning, they realized they needed a change:

“My coach wanted a new motivation. Something different, not to always repeat the same path towards summer. Since the first MTB World Cup isn’t until May, returning to cyclocross seemed like the perfect challenge.”

The Swiss athlete's plan includes eight Belgian events between Namur and Gullegem (January 3). She has not yet detailed which ones they will be, although she has indicated that she knows some circuits, like Baal, where she achieved her only victory in Belgium in 2019, and others she will discover along the way.

After Gullegem, she will travel to Switzerland to compete in the National Championship, and from there she will decide whether to participate in the World Championship in Hulst, which she currently considers a real possibility.