Winter is firmly here in the northern hemisphere, and therefore the 2025-26 cyclocross season is already up and running. We're well into the season now, with the UCI World Cup, Superprestige and X2O Trofee all underway.
Riders such as Lucinda Brand and Michael Vanthourenhout have enjoyed hot starts to the campaign, and world champion Fem van Empel and European champion Thibau Nys have also added their names to the early honour rolls.
But, as has often been the case in recent seasons, a big question and anticipation hangs over the men's campaign. The biggest stars of men's cyclocross, the riders who have shared the last 11 world titles, are yet to put tyre to dirt this season.
Around this time every year, attention starts to turn to one thing: when will Mathieu van der Poel, the reigning world champion and Wout van Aert start their cyclocross seasons? And when will they face each other?
The 'Big Two' have now confirmed their limited but intense calendar, with five Van der Poel vs Van Aert clashes on the cards, whilst their one-time third member Tom Pidcock is set to skip cyclocross altogether once again. But we still have five big battles to look forward to.
Their first clash is slated for the UCI World Cup in Antwerp on December 20, with four more dates over the festive period and into January.
At the moment, we sadly aren't set to see the pair face off at the World Championships – perhaps not so sadly if you're Van der Poel, chasing a record-breaking title – but Visma-Lease a Bike haven't fully closed the door on Van Aert lining up in Hulst, so there is a small possibility it could happen.
Want to know where you'll see Van der Poel vs Van Aert this year? Find the full list of clashes just below, and scroll down for their individual programmes. Need to know how to tune in? Check out our guide to how to watch cyclocross on TV and streaming.
Mathieu van der Poel vs Wout van Aert CX schedule 2025/26
Here are the five cyclocross rounds where Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are set to race each other this season.
December 20 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Antwerp
December 22 – X2O Trofee, Hofstade
December 29 – X2O Trofee, Loenhout
January 2 – Exact Cross, Mol
January 4 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Zonhoven
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Mathieu van der Poel rode a limited campaign starting in mid-December last year (Image credit: Getty Images)
Last season, Mathieu van der Poel rode a limited campaign of just eight races, including five rounds of the UCI World Cup and the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Liévin, France. He won every race, but didn't start his season until the World Cup round in Zonhoven on December 12.
This year, he's starting around the same time, but set for a slightly longer campaign, including a maximum of 13 races, concluding with the World Championships where he's chasing a record-breaking eighth rainbow jersey.
He'll make his debut at the World Cup in either Namur (Dec 14) or Antwerp (Dec 20), depending on whether he is race-ready in time for Namur. In either case, Antwerp will see him line up alongside Van Aert.
One other race is provisional on Van der Poel's calendar, the World Cup in Benidorm in January, which will depend on how it fits with his Alpecin-Deceuninck team camp.
Mathieu van der Poel's full cyclocross programme 2025/26
December 14 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Namur (TBC)
December 20 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Antwerp
December 21 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Koksijde
December 22 – X2O Trofee, Hofstade
December 26 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Gavere
December 29 – X2O Trofee, Loenhout
January 1 – X2O Trofee, Baal
January 2 – Exact Cross, Mol
January 4 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Zonhoven
January 18 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Benidorm (TBC)
January 24 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Maasmechelen
January 25 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Hoogerheide
February 1 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, Hulst
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Wout van Aert only took on six cyclocross races last season (Image credit: Getty Images)
Van der Poel's eternal rival, Wout van Aert has taken a similar tack to the Dutchman in recent seasons, limiting his cyclocross outings to nine and six, respectively, in the past two seasons, as well as waiting until December to get going.
This year, he'll start in Antwerp on December 20 and race only eight events, five fewer than Van der Poel.
Though he's a former CX world champion, Van Aert and his team have said that CX will mainly be for off-season training and with a focus on preparation for the Spring Classics, after his previous winter was disrupted by a late-season knee injury and then too much focus on 'cross.
"The main sporting goal is in April, that's clear. The goal of the cyclocross campaign is primarily to have fun – and to give something back to the fans. It's still Wout's great passion," his coach recently told WielerFlits.
December 28 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Dendermonde
December 29 – X2O Trofee, Loenhout
January 2 – Exact Cross, Mol
January 4 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Zonhoven
January 11 – Belgian National Championships, Beringen
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5)
Tom Pidcock hasn't raced cyclocross since January 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)
2022 cyclocross world champion Tom Pidcock didn't race 'cross at all last season, and it seems to be the same story again this winter for the Briton.
Since ending his road season with a sixth place at Il Lombardia last month, Pidcock hit the gravel. He took sixth place at the UCI Gravel World Championships the next day before heading on holiday and then returning to the gravel bike at the end of October for the week-long South African stage race, Gravel Burn, where he won a stage.
He hasn't publicly stated that he won't race, but with no murmurs of a schedule at this stage, it seems almost certain that he won't be making an appearance in the CX field this winter.
"There is very little chance that Tom will race this winter, but it cannot be ruled out," his coach Kurt Bogaerts told Sporza in October.
"We just have to make sure Tom has enough rest and build-up periods. Because Tom wants to compete and win wherever he starts, and good preparation is crucial for that," he added, referring to the 2026 road season, where Pidcock will take aim at the spring Classics and Grand Tours.
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor, later being hired full-time. Her favourite races include Strade Bianche, the Tour de France Femmes, Paris-Roubaix, and Tro-Bro Léon.
