UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships 2022

Tom Pidcock adds rainbow jersey to Olympic gold at Cyclo-cross World Championships

Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) rode solo for five laps to win the elite men’s race of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Sunday. Lars van der Haar (Netherlands) finished 30 seconds back for the silver medal, while World Cup champion Eli Iserbyt (Belgium) trailed two seconds later for bronze.

The Briton, who earned a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games in mountain biking, took his third rainbow stripes jersey in cyclo-cross at just 22 years of age by adding the elite title to his junior and U23 titles. 

Iserbyt made a move after the final big descent of The 39 Climb to pass Van der Haar in a quest for the silver medal, but the Dutchman won the sprint on the pavement to secure second place.

Vos holds off Brand for eighth title at Cyclo-cross World Championships

Marianne Vos (Netherlands) sprinted to her eighth career cyclo-cross rainbow jersey on Saturday winning a head-to-head sprint against teammate Lucinda Brand in the women's elite race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 

Silvia Persico of Italy passed Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Netherlands) in the final lap to earn the bronze. When Alvarado tumbled to the ground in one of the final corners, Persico charged to the pavement and took third place uncontested. 

Thirty women competed on the fast, dry course at Centennial Park, but after two laps the world championship came down to tactics and a final sprint between the Dutch teammates. 

Wyseure leads Belgian sweep of U23 podium at 'cross Worlds

Joran Wyseure (Belgium) won the men's U23 race on Saturday at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. Wyseure rode solo for the majority of the race for the victory. Making it a Belgian sweep of the podium was Emiel Verstrynge in second and Thibau Nys in third. 

Mees Hendrikx (Netherlands) and Cameron Mason (Great Britain) traded punches with Nys on the final lap to break up the Belgian party, but would finish fourth and fifth, respectively.

The fast, flowy course kept the speeds high, as Wyseure extended his lead with each lap. With two laps to go, Verstrynge took an opportunity to push away from the chasers in power sections to secure his silver-medal finish.

Pieterse wins Dutch showdown for U23 women's world cyclo-cross title

Puck Pieterse claimed the rainbow jersey for U23 women at the Cyclo-cross World Championships. She won a two-up sprint against her Dutch teammate, Shirin van Anrooij, who finished half a wheel back for the silver medal. Fem van Empel crossed the line 12 seconds later for the bronze. Fourth place was taken by Line Burquier of France, the 2021 women’s Junior mountain bike cross-country world champion. 

While Pieterse had eight podiums this season, the world title on Saturday was her first 'cross victory for the 2021-2022 campaign. 

On the final lap, Pieterse's pedal clipped the top of a short, sharp climb to slow her momentum at the crest of the berm, and behind it caused Van Empel and Van Anrooij to touch wheels and slow to avoid a crash. However, Van Empel then dropped her chain, which put her out of any chances to catch her teammates to contest the overall victory.

Christen wins sprint for junior men's title at Cyclo-cross World Championships

The junior men's title at the UCI Cylco-cross World Championships went to Jan Christen of Switzerland. He won a three-up sprint to claim the first Swiss junior men's victory in 24 years.

Aaron Dockx (Belgium) finished second and Nathan Smith (Great Britain) in third, only a half a wheel separating the duo from Christen and the silver decided in a photo finish.

The junior men were the first race on Sunday, with sunny skies melting parts of the course at Centennial Park that had frozen in overnight cold temperatures and offered slippery sections in the hairpin turns. Hitting one of these ruts on the second lap was race favourite David Haverdings (Netherlands), who hit the ground and fell out of the lead group. He would finish ninth.

Zoe Backstedt wins junior women UCI cyclo-cross world title

Race favourite Zoe Backstedt (Great Britain) rode away on the first lap to win the junior women's title in Fayetteville at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. She charged to the front from the start of the race and never looked back.

Dutch riders Leonie Bentveld and Lauren Molengraaf rounded out the podium for silver and bronze, respectively. 

The race was the first cyclo-cross Worlds for all of the juniors after the 2021 race was limited to only the elite and under-23 fields.

News and features

• Grid positions grind the gears of Pidcock and cyclo-cross Worlds podium mates
• Pidcock to switch straight into road mode after cyclo-cross world title
• Nystrom: From the streets of Costa Rica to making cyclo-cross Worlds history
• The future is orange: Dutch dominate U23 women's cyclo-cross World Championship
• Chasing rainbows: Marianne Vos and the World Championships
• Sanne Cant: I still look up to Marianne Vos
• Persico the revelation of the Cyclo-cross Worlds
• 'Hectic, brutal, amazing' – Junior women racers react to Cyclo-cross Worlds
• Europeans travelling to Cyclo-cross Worlds get 'sticker shock' that Americans find familiar
• Mechanics of a podium sweep: How Belgium unraveled their Dutch rivals
• Marianne Vos and Lucinda Brand: A rivalry for the ages
• 2022 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships: The contenders
• Tom Pidcock's Pinarello Crossista F cyclo-cross bike ahead of Fayetteville worlds
• Eric Brunner: I’m a big fan of the course for cyclo-cross Worlds
• Honsinger: A home cyclo-cross Worlds title is achievable
• Pidcock: No Van Aert or Van der Poel a blessing and a curse at Cyclo-cross Worlds
• Betsema and Worst miss out on Cyclo-cross Worlds due to fever and COVID-19
• Anna Kay out of 'cross Worlds with concussion
• Half of Italian team out of cyclo-cross Worlds due to COVID-19
• Hermans 'powerless' as pre-Worlds COVID-19 test comes back positive
• Tom Pidcock: My condition will be good for Worlds
• Home cyclo-cross Worlds a step toward the future for US riders
• Clouse upped endurance training for fast, open Cyclo-cross Worlds
• Europeans surprised by permissive COVID guidelines for UCI Cyclo-cross Worlds
• Honsinger leads 38-rider US team for Cyclo-cross Worlds
• Rochette leads 26-rider Canadian team for cyclo-cross Worlds
• Switzerland sending small team, no women to cyclo-cross Worlds
• Belgium, the Netherlands sending reduced teams to Fayetteville Worlds
• Baestaens giddy to make elite cyclo-cross Worlds debut in the USA at 32
• Wout van Aert rules out riding cyclo-cross World Championships in Fayetteville
• Mathieu van der Poel to miss cyclo-cross world championships due to back injury
• Van der Poel's cyclo-cross season in doubt as back injury resurfaces

2022 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships schedule

Friday, January 28
12:30 p.m. - Team Relay

Saturday, January 29
11:00 a.m. - UCI Women Junior
1:00 p.m. - UCI Men Under-23
2:30 p.m. - UCI Women Elite

Sunday, January 30
11:00 a.m. - UCI Men Junior
1:00 p.m. - UCI Women Under-23
2:30 p.m. - UCI Men Elite

All times listed are CST