Great success at the World Championship in Hulst

With only a couple of races left in this cyclocross season, it was time for the big highlight. The World Championship of 2026 took place in Hulst. It's a Dutch settlement town characterised by a parcours with a series of little kickers and descents. In a stacked field, Joris Nieuwenhuis and Felipe Orts lined up for our team.

Credits: Photonews

Before the race, everyone agreed: Mathieu van der Poel was going to win his eighth world title in Hulst. He won every cyclocross race he attended this season and in the last races, no one was able to come even close. His biggest challengers were Del Grosso and Nys, but Joris and Felipe were keen to give it a shot at a medal as well.

Straight after the start, Van der Poel started pushing and it became clear that the three main favourites were the strongest on the day. Mathieu went solo, with Del Grosso and Nys chasing. Joris and Felipe looked strong in the second chasing group with about 8 other riders.

In the end, Joris had a close sprint for fourth place and he was able to edge out Fontana. Felipe, from his side, reached a personal best 7th place at the World Championship. In the last couple of weeks of the season, we have one big goal: defend Joris' leader position in the X2O Badkamers trophy. Next weekend, the second to last race takes place in Lille. One week later, he can claim the overall win in Brussels.