World CX Championship in Liévin: Van der Poel wants the record and Van Aert to surprise

The great cyclocross event of the season will take place this weekend in Liévin, a town in northern France hosting a World Championship for the first time. The last-minute call-up of Wout van Aert to the Belgian team, not included in his race schedule announced last December, adds interest to a competition where, however, Mathieu van der Poel will start as the main and almost sole favorite. The Dutch cyclist will aim to match the seven rainbow jerseys of the historic Eric de Vlaeminck.

How and where to watch the 2025 Cyclocross World Championship in Liévin

Eurosport will cover live the major cyclocross event of the season. The sports channel will broadcast both elite races over the weekend, both through its second channel. The women's race will take place on Saturday, while the men's race will close the extensive race program in Liévin on Sunday at noon. As with all its programming, this Cyclocross World Championship can also be enjoyed live and ad-free through the MAX sports extension.

The most adventurous fans can take a plane and witness live the races of this World Championship in the French region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. A long journey to which the tickets to access the circuit would have to be added. Options range from €40 for the ticket for Saturday and Sunday to €15 for the pass for Saturday only and €30 for Sunday.

Schedule of the 2025 Cyclocross World Championship in Liévin

Saturday, February 1

• Women's elite race: 15:00

Sunday, February 2

• Men's elite race: 15:00

Van der Poel will seek a clean sweep of victories

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Marked as the main and almost only truly important goal in the select list of races this winter for Van der Poel, the World Championship appears as all or nothing for the Alpecin-Deceuninck man, who will aim to become the cyclist with the most rainbow jerseys in the discipline alongside De Vlaeminck in Liévin.

What was expected to be a walk in the park, given his enormous superiority in other competitions, has increased in interest with the confirmation of Van Aert's presence. It is true that the Dutchman clearly defeated the man from Visma | Lease a Bike last weekend in Hoogerheide, but also that only he seems capable of challenging the great specialist. Now, the duel will serve to close the cyclocross season for both.

Many candidates for the medal

Beyond the two main favorites to share the gold and silver, a wide range of cyclists will start in Liévin with the aim of reaching the podium. Once again, Belgium and the Netherlands stand out, with the majority of favorites for the medals. Alongside Van Aert, the Belgians will have a strong team featuring Thibau Nys, Eli Iserbyt, Joran Wyseure, Toon Aerts, Laurens Sweeck, and the recent winner of the World Cup, Michael Vanthourenhout. The Dutch team, led by Van der Poel, also includes Lars van der Haar, Pim Ronhaar, and Joris Nieuwenhuis.

In the women's category, Dutch cyclists are the top candidates to retain a rainbow jersey that has been theirs uninterrupted since 2020. During this time, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Lucinda Brand, Marianne Vos, and Fem van Empel have shared the five titles available. Without Vos, the other three and Puck Pieterse will be the top favorites, with Hungarian Blanka Vas, British Zoe Backstedt, and Belgian Sanne Cant as outsiders.