Mathieu van der Poel wins Brussels Universities Cyclocross
Eli Iserbyt second and Corne van Kessel third
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) won the Brussels Universities Cyclocross on Sunday. The world champion soloed to victory ahead of a trio who battled for second place with Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) taking second, Corne van Kessel (Telenet Baloise Lions) in third, and Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen–Bingoal) in fourth.
Iserbyt leads the DVV Verzekeringen Trofee series with just one race to go at the Krawatencross in Lille, France, held on February 8.
Some of the favourites such as Toon Aerts, Laurens Sweeck, Wout van Aert and Quinten Hermans sat out this round of the series in favour of resting ahead of the Belgian Championships next weekend.
Article continues belowVanthourenhout had a strong start and led the opening lap, closely followed by Van der Poel and Van Kessel. By the third lap, Iserbyt and Tim Merlier moved through the field and caught up to the chase group.
Van der Poel made his winning attack midway through the eight-lap race and built his lead out to 30 seconds as he crossed the line with the victory.
Iserbyt, Van Kessel and Vanthourenhout locked into a battle for second place through the final lap. Iserbyt crossed the finish line 30 seconds after Van der Poel and claimed second place. Van Kessel finished eight seconds later in third place and Vanthourenhout finished an additional four seconds back in fourth.
| Pos. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mathieu Van Der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix | 1:01:23 |
| 2 | Eli Iserbyt (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal | 0:00:30 |
| 3 | Corne Van Kessel (Ned) | 0:00:38 |
| 4 | Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal | 0:00:42 |
| 5 | Jens Adams (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal | 0:01:29 |
| 6 | Tom Meeusen (Bel) | 0:01:43 |
| 7 | Tim Merlier (Bel) Creafin – Fristads | 0:01:56 |
| 8 | Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Creafin – Fristads | 0:02:05 |
| 9 | Lars Van Der Haar (Ned) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:02:16 |
| 10 | Vincent Baestaens (Bel) Group Hens - Maes Containers | 0:02:46 |
| 11 | Stephen Hyde (USA) Cannondale Cyclocrossworld | 0:02:57 |
| 12 | Thijs Aerts (Bel) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:03:22 |
| 13 | Jim Aernouts (Bel) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:03:36 |
| 14 | Yannick Peeters (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal | 0:03:54 |
| 15 | Nicolas Cleppe (Bel) Telenet Baloise Lions | 0:04:30 |
| 16 | Sieben Wouters (Ned) | 0:05:31 |
| 17 | Curtis White (USA) Cannondale Cyclocrossworld | 0:06:23 |
| 18 | Thomas Verheyen (Bel) | 0:07:45 |
| 19 | Edwin De Wit (Bel) | |
| 20 | Max Judelson (USA) | |
| 21 | Brannan Fix (USA) | |
| 22 | Julien Roussel (Fra) | |
| 23 | Yelle Leaerts (Bel) | |
| 24 | Gianni Quintelier (Bel) | |
| 25 | Gauthier Heymes (Fra) |
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.
She manages global budgets, racing & events, production scheduling, and contributor commissions, collaborating across content sections and teams in the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia to ensure audience and subscription growth across the brand.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Ronde Van Brugge Men LIVE: A break has yet to form at windy Belgian classic
The new-look mid-week Classic sees the sprinters out in force in Bruges -
The Amazon Big Spring Sale is packed with discounted cycling tech, from computers to action cameras - Here are our top pics
We have selected a range of solid cycling tech deals from action cameras to bike computers and lights -
Volta a Catalunya stage 3 LIVE: The peloton is closing the gap to six man break
A sprint stage in Vila-Seca despite over 2000 metres of climbing -
Do you want to start a cycling YouTube channel like me? Well, I've found the camera bundle you need, and the bundles to avoid, too
The Insta360 Go Ultra is a brilliantly powerful little camera, but the trick is getting the right accessories



