Jolanda Neff returns to the Cyclocross World Cup four years later

Jolanda Neff is ready to return to top-level cyclocross. The Swiss rider, who has barely competed in the discipline in recent years and much less in World Cup events, is listed in the provisional start list for Namur, where this Sunday she will face her first World Cup since Iowa 2021. An unexpected return that comes just a few weeks after her brilliant double victory at the North Carolina Cyclo-Cross, where she achieved her first CX victories with Cannondale, as we reported on Brujulabike.

Jolanda Neff returns to the CX World Cup after 4 years

The last time Neff started in a World Cup event was four years ago. Since then, her presence in the mud has been sporadic, almost testimonial, as she focused her winter in the United States, where she resides part of the year with her partner, downhill racer Luca Shaw, and left cyclocross in the background.

However, this 2025 is proving to be different. The Swiss rider made her comeback last month in two U.S. C2 races, the two days of the North Carolina Grand Prix, where she demonstrated that, even without specifically preparing for the discipline, she still has a superior level.

RECOMENDADO

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

7 reasons why a trainer is the best cycling investment

Why does Pogacar always wear lace-up shoes?

Riding a bike makes you happier than earning more money

Cycling tips for the Christmas season

What would you do if you won the lottery? This cyclist bought himself a €20,000 bike

In both events, she surpassed local riders Lizzy Gunsalus and Lauren Zoerner, achieving two victories that marked her first cyclocross wins with Cannondale and her first visit to the top of a muddy podium since 2022.

This performance seems to have been enough to take a further step and return to line up in a World Cup. And she will do so in a special setting: Namur, one of the most technical and demanding races on the calendar, where in the past she finished in the top 5.

Although she is primarily identified with mountain biking, Neff has a remarkable history in cyclocross where she has been the Swiss Champion, 6th in the 2019 World Championship in Bogense, several times top-5 in World Cups, including Namur, and winner of the 2019 Nieuwjaarscross in Baal, her biggest victory in a major category event.

Her presence at the start this Sunday will add an extra incentive to a race that will already feature figures like Mathieu van der Poel and, presumably, Puck Pieterse.