The 2020-2021 cyclo-cross season has been reduced and put behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, with organisers urging spectators to watch the races from the safety of their homes.
The best way to watch the action while staying clear of COVID-19 is to follow it online or on television, and what better place than right here on Cyclingnews?
We'll bring you full coverage of all the major races, with reports, results, and news throughout the winter.
Read on to find out how to watch the 2020-2021 cyclo-cross season via live stream, no matter your location, with ExpressVPN.
The UCI Cyclo-cross calendar has been slashed by cancellations across North America and peppered across Europe, but there is still a hearty calendar of racing throughout the winter to entertain us on the weekends.
Five of the World Cup rounds, the Telenet Superprestige, the X2O Trophy series and the World Championships are going ahead over the course of 10 weeks under strict protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Superprestige
The Superprestige got under way in Gieten in October, with Toon Aerts (Telenet Baloise) and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Fenix) taking the early leads.
While Alvarado then nabbed a second victory in Ruddervoorde, Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen) beat Aerts and then moved into the series lead by one point by taking second behind teammate Laurens Sweeck in Niel. After two podium placings, Lucinda Brand (Telenet Baloise) got the better of Alvarado in Niel.
Round 4, last weekend, took place on a new course in Merksplas. The former Hoogstraten round was to debut 10km down the road in Merksplas last February, but the race was cancelled due to a severe winter storm.
The men's race saw Michael Vanthourenhout come out on top, ahead of teammates Eli Iserbyt and Laurens Sweeck, making it a Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal clean sweep of the podium, with Iserbyt doing enough to retain his overall lead.
In the women's race at Merksplas, it was again Lucinda Brand (Telenet Baloise Lions) who took the win, ahead of Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Fenix), with Alvarado now holding just a one-point lead over Brand overall, midway through the series.
X2O Trophy
The Koppenbergcross was the first round of the time-based X2O Trophy, where Iserbyt used his climbing prowess to take a commanding victory, beating Lars van der Haar (Telenet Baloise) by nearly a minute. Annemarie Worst (777) claimed a narrow win over Brand and Yara Kastelijn (Credishop-Fristads).
The series continues this Saturday in Kortrijk, Belgium, with Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) set to return to racing there in the men's event, which begins at 15:00 CET, which is preceded by the women's race at 13:45 CET.
UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup
The first round of the 2020-2021 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup takes place on Sunday in Tabor, in the Czech Republic, with the series having increased importance due to the UCI's revised rules for the season. The World Championships starting order will be largely determined by the rankings at the end of the World Cup rounds.
The women's race will start at 13:10 CET, followed by the men's race at 14:30 CET.
Live streams
Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for alerts on important stories and action during the cyclo-cross season. Meanwhile, ExpressVPN can help you watch the races, no matter your location.
The races are being aired live in Dutch on various channels: Sporza, VTM, Proximus and Telenet Play Sports in Belgium, and Eurosport and NOS in the Netherlands. Check below for a full list of races and broadcasters airing them.
Outside of Belgium, many of the races will be live streamed on GCN Racing, while the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup and World Championships are normally broadcast on the UCI Youtube channel.
The opening round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Tabor will be hosted on FloBikes in the USA and Canada.
If you live outside a broadcast zone or are on holiday outside your country and find that the live streams to be geo-restricted, you can get around this by getting access to them by simulating being back in your home country via a 'virtual private network', or VPN, for your laptop, tablet or mobile.
TechRadar tested hundreds of VPNs and recommends the number-one VPN currently available as Express VPN. With ExpressVPN, you can watch on many devices at once including Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, PC, Mac, iPhone, Android phone, iPads, tablets, etc.
Cyclo-cross schedule & broadcasters
| Date | Race | Belgium | Netherlands | Outside Belgium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/28/20 | X2O Trophy Kortrijk | Sporza | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 11/29/20 | UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Tabor | Telenet, Proximus (non-restricted) | Eurosport, NOS | GCN Racing, FloBikes (USA/CAN) |
| December | ||||
| 12/5/20 | Telenet Superprestige - Boom | Telenet, Proximus (non-restricted) | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 12/12/20 | X2O Trophy Scheldecross | Sporza | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 12/19/20 | Telenet Superprestige - Gavere | Sporza, Proximus | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 12/20/20 | UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Namur | Telenet, Proximus | Eurosport, NOS | GCN Racing |
| 12/22/20 | Ethias Cross Essen | VTM | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 12/23/20 | X2O Trophy Cyclocross Herentals | Sporza | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 12/26/20 | Telenet Superprestige - Zolder | Telenet, Proximus (non-restricted) | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 12/27/20 | UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Dendermonde | Sporza, Proximus | Eurosport, NOS | GCN Racing |
| 12/30/20 | Ethias Sylvestercross | VTM | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| January | ||||
| 1/1/21 | X2O Trophy GP Sven Nys | Sporza | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 1/2/21 | Gullegemcross | Telenet Play Sports | GCN Racing | |
| 1/9/21 | Belgian Championships | Sporza | ||
| 1/9/21 | Dutch Championships | |||
| 1/16/21 | Zilvermeercross Mol | Telenet Play Sports | ||
| 1/17/21 | International Cyclocross Rucphen | Telenet Play Sports | Eurosport | |
| 1/23/21 | X2O Trophy Flandriencross | Sporza | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 1/24/21 | UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Overijse | Telenet, Proximus | Eurosport, NOS | GCN Racing |
| 1/30-1/31/2021 | UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, Oostende | Sporza | Eurosport, NOS | GCN Racing |
| February | ||||
| 2/3/21 | Ethias Parkcross | VTM | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 2/6/21 | Telenet Superprestige - Middelkerke | Telenet, Proximus (non-restricted) | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 2/7/21 | X2O Trophy Krawatencross | Sporza | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 2/13/21 | Ethias Meetjescross | VTM | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 2/14/21 | X2O Trophy Brussels Universities Cyclocross | Sporza | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
| 2/20/21 | Waaslandcross | Sporza | Eurosport | GCN Racing |
We will continue to update this page as information becomes available.
Today's best Black Friday deals
Today's cycling-related highlights from the Black Friday sales. For even more, view our guide to the best Black Friday bike deals where you'll find on all things cycling, including bikes, helmets, clothing and more.
Today's best deals: USA
- Rei: 28% off Tacx Neo 2T Smart
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$299.99| $149.99 - Jenson USA: 44% off Castelli Pro rain jacket
$249.99| $139.99 - Rapha: 50% off Women's Souplesse Race Cape |
$295.00| $147.50 - Competitive Cyclist: 29% off Shimano S-Phyre thermal gloves
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$3,300.00| $2,804.73 | 15% off - Oakley: 30% off new Sutro Lite sunglasses | $176.00 | $123.20
- Chain Reaction Cycles: LifeLine 18-piece tool kit
$73.99| $49.99 | 32% off - ProBikeKit: Continental GP5000 road tyre
$79.49| $39.00 | 51% off - Wiggle: Fizik R4B Road Shoes
$200.00| $114.00 | 43% off
Today's best deals: UK
- Amazon: 23% off Garmin Forerunner 35 |
£129.99| £99.99 - Argos: GoPro Hero7 White for £99.99
- Wiggle: 35% off Prime carbon wheels, tyres and tubeless sealant at £499.99
- Oakley: 20% off new Sutro Lite sunglasses |
£143.00| £114.40 - ProBikeKit: 300-lumen rear Lezyne light for under £35.00
- Tredz: 10% off Blackburn Mag 5 turbo trainer |
£139.99| £125.99 - Wiggle: Muc-Off Cleaning kit | 40% off at just £17.99
- Chain Reaction Cycles: 50% off Mobi V-15 bike pressure washer | £49.99
Today's best Black Friday deals
Today's cycling-related highlights from the Black Friday sales. For even more, view our guide to the best Black Friday bike deals where you'll find on all things cycling, including bikes, helmets, clothing and more.
Today's best deals: USA
- Rei: 28% off Tacx Neo 2T Smart
$1400.00| $999.99 - Amazon: 50% off Garmin Instinct smartwatch |
$299.99| $149.99 - Jenson USA: 44% off Castelli Pro rain jacket
$249.99| $139.99 - Rapha: 50% off Women's Souplesse Race Cape |
$295.00| $147.50 - Competitive Cyclist: 29% off Shimano S-Phyre thermal gloves
$90.00| $64.95 - Rei: Cannondale Topstone Ultegra RX 2
$3,300.00| $2,804.73 | 15% off - Oakley: 30% off new Sutro Lite sunglasses | $176.00 | $123.20
- Chain Reaction Cycles: LifeLine 18-piece tool kit
$73.99| $49.99 | 32% off - ProBikeKit: Continental GP5000 road tyre
$79.49| $39.00 | 51% off - Wiggle: Fizik R4B Road Shoes
$200.00| $114.00 | 43% off
Today's best deals: UK
- Amazon: 23% off Garmin Forerunner 35 |
£129.99| £99.99 - Argos: GoPro Hero7 White for £99.99
- Wiggle: 35% off Prime carbon wheels, tyres and tubeless sealant at £499.99
- Oakley: 20% off new Sutro Lite sunglasses |
£143.00| £114.40 - ProBikeKit: 300-lumen rear Lezyne light for under £35.00
- Tredz: 10% off Blackburn Mag 5 turbo trainer |
£139.99| £125.99 - Wiggle: Muc-Off Cleaning kit | 40% off at just £17.99
- Chain Reaction Cycles: 50% off Mobi V-15 bike pressure washer | £49.99