00:00Thunerts just won the European Cyclocross Championships on a road bike.
00:05Yep, this is him using his Orbea Orca OMX frame, a road bike,
00:10to win one of the most coveted titles in Cyclocross.
00:14It's just another example of the fact that anything can happen in Cyclocross,
00:17so if you're getting post-road race season blues,
00:20or can't wait until next spring to watch the likes of Wout Van Aert and Matthew Van der Poel
00:25be battling it out once again,
00:26then don't fear, the 2025-2026 Cyclocross season is here.
00:31Here's everything you need to know about cycling's muddiest category,
00:35how to watch this year's Cyclocross season, who to watch,
00:38when the big three are planning on starting their campaigns,
00:41and some surprising information about Tom Pitchcock.
00:44Let's get into it.
00:46Cyclocross rarely gets as much airtime as road cycling,
00:50which is a shame because not only is it absolutely brilliant racing,
00:53it's usually pretty condensed,
00:55so you get all the thrills in a short space of time.
00:58Oh, and it's on during winter,
01:00which for us in the northern hemisphere means we're less likely to be out sunning ourselves
01:04on our own bikes,
01:05and we can watch it whilst doing some indoor training.
01:07The 2025-2026 season looks set to be a cracker,
01:11with a whole host of talent,
01:13who might just be able to take it to the likes of Van der Poel and Wout Van Aert,
01:17like they haven't been able to in previous seasons.
01:20The biggest race on the calendar will undoubtedly be the UCI World Championships,
01:26which takes place in Hulst in the Netherlands from January 30th to February 1st early next year.
01:33Before that, though, there's four big competitions that you need to know about,
01:38with the Belgium and the Netherlands-based Super Prestige,
01:41X20 Trophy and Xact Cross Series joined by the UCI World Cup.
01:47This season, the good news is that there are plenty of free streams,
01:50such as on the UCI YouTube channel,
01:53Sporza, VRT Max and RTBF.
01:56In the US, you can watch on Flow Bikes and HBO Max,
02:00and in the UK, there will be paid streams on both TNT Sports and Discovery+.
02:05The bad news is that many of those free streams are geo-restricted,
02:10and are only available in countries where a TV deal hasn't been struck.
02:14For example, in the UK and Ireland,
02:16you will always be blocked from the feed,
02:18given that Eurosport and Discovery+,
02:20show all the World Cup and World Championship races,
02:24unlike in Belgium and the Netherlands,
02:26where you can basically always watch Cyclocross for free.
02:29If you're away from home, though,
02:31don't forget you can still access your usual streams,
02:34by using a VPN.
02:35More on that in a minute.
02:37So, who to watch?
02:39Well, if you're new to Cyclocross,
02:40then some riders to keep an eye on are Cyclocross stalwarts,
02:43such as Michael Van Torenhout,
02:45Van Torenhout,
02:48Two Nerts and Lars van der Haar in the men's,
02:50and Fem van Empel and Lucinda Brand in the women's.
02:53Of course, the real excitement for most fans
02:56is when Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert collide
02:59and renew their epic rivalry.
03:01This year, van Aert's CX season will start on the 23rd of December in Moll,
03:07but he doesn't expect to be in top form until the end of January in Benidorm
03:12after an early season training camp.
03:14Van der Poel, meanwhile, is expected to copy his past few seasons
03:18and begin his campaign in mid-December.
03:21Last year, he raced eight races,
03:23and he won every single one of them.
03:25If he's in similar form,
03:27then not many would expect him to be unsuccessful
03:29in his bid for a record-beating 8th world title at the end of January.
03:34If you are outside of your home region
03:36and need access to your live streaming services to watch the action,
03:40you may find your access to be geo-restricted.
03:43But that doesn't mean you can't watch the races.
03:46It's here that a VPN will come in handy.
03:49A virtual private network, to give it its full name.
03:52What it does is it allows your computer to pretend it's in a different country,
03:56letting you log into your streaming accounts to catch all of the racing action.
04:00Our friends at TechRadar recommend using a VPN for streaming
04:03as well as enhanced cyber security.
04:06And they know a thing or two about VPNs.
04:09And right now, they rate NordVPN as the best VPN on the market.
04:14There's currently up to 77% off and three months extra free
04:17using NordVPN's Black Friday deal that will pop in the description below.
04:23And it's compatible with just about any streaming device out there.
04:26Unfortunately, it looks like it will be another year
04:29without 2022 Sightcross World Champion Tom Pidcock.
04:33After a long season of road racing,
04:35he's been keeping himself pretty busy,
04:37coming 6th at Lombardia, 6th at Gravel World Champs,
04:40and then winning the Gravel Burn Stage Race in South Africa.
04:44So he probably deserves some well-earned time off.
04:47Throw in that his coach, Kurt Bogert, said
04:50there is very little chance that Tom will race this winter,
04:53but it cannot be ruled out.
04:55Last month, it looks like we'll have to wait at least another year
04:58for Tom to show off his off-road capabilities once again.
05:02Why?
05:02Well, he said we just have to make sure Tom has enough rest and build-up periods
05:07because Tom wants to compete and win wherever he starts.
05:12And good preparation is crucial for that.
05:14He did also refer to the 2026 road season
05:16where Pidcock will aim to take on the Spring Classics and Grand Tours.
05:20So, let us know if you'll be watching the Sight Cross this season
05:24as well as your favourite races down in the comments below.
05:28Like, hype and subscribe and we'll see you next time.
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