CyclistUCI Cyclocross World Championships 2026 previewThe 2026 UCI Cyclocross World Championships will be held in Hulst in the Netherlands, with a plethora of rainbow jerseys up for grabs from 30th January to 1st February. Proceedings will kick off with a team relay before the junior, U23 and elite races at the weekend.It was Dutch delight last year in France as Fem van Empel and Mathieu van der Poel won their elite races. Van Empel beat compatriots Lucinda Brand and Puck Pieterse with Van der Poel downing Belgian duo Wout van Aert and Thibau Nys. Zoe Bckstedt (Great Britain) and Tibor Del Grosso (Netherlands) won the U23 crowns, while Lise Revol (France) and Mattia Agostinacchio (Italy) claimed junior titles.Van Empel will not be back to defend her title having recently put her career on pause. Brand has been nothing short of dominant this cyclocross season, winning 18 races in her 2025/2026 campaign and podiuming in four others, including second places at the European and National Championships. Missing these titles will no doubt provide extra motivation for a second World Championship to tie her season in a bow. Keep an eye out for the in-form Pieterse and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado too.Like Brand, Van der Poel has been flying this season. The 31-year-old won every race he entered in the UCI Cyclocross World Cup, blowing his competitors out of the water. Across these 12 races, the man to get the closest was Del Grosso, who finished three seconds back at the Maasmechelen World Cup on the weekend. Van der Poel is eyeing history, hoping to surpass Erik de Vlaeminck as the man with most Cyclocross World Championship titles should he win his eighth on Sunday. Van Aert will not be here after he fractured his ankle at Exact Cross Mol.UCI Cyclocross World Championships 2026: Key informationBritish CyclingDates:Friday 30th January to Sunday 1st February 2026Location:Hulst, NetherlandsTV coverage: Discovery+, TNT Sports, FloBikes, EurosportUCI Cyclocross World Championships 2026 race programmeAll timings GMT. The United Kingdom is one hour behind the Netherlands.Day 1: Friday 30th January12:30-13:30: Mixed Team RelayDay 2: Saturday 31st January10:00: Junior Women12:00: U23 Men14:00: Elite WomenDay 3: Sunday 1st February10:00: Junior Men12:00: U23 Women14:00: Elite MenUCI Cyclocross World Championships 2026 course mapThe races will be undertaken on a 3.3km circuit in Hulst. The course is a mix of steep climbs and descents, bridges, pontoons and energy-sapping steps.How to watch the UCI Cyclocross World Championships 2026Billy Ceusters/Getty ImagesThe UCI Cyclocross World Championships will be available to watch in the UK onTV through TNT Sports and on streaming with Discovery+, with Eurosport also providing coverage across Europe. Coverage is free to watch in Belgium and the Netherlands through Sporza and NOS respectively, and in some territories the UCI YouTube channel will broadcast the racing for free.If its not being shown in your country, you may be able to watch coverage using a VPN Virtual Private Network which allows users to mask their IP address and watch geo-blocked content, provided they dont need to pay for a subscription. This is also helpful for watching paid-for coverage while travelling abroad in countries without access. Live TV timingsDay 1: Friday 30th January12:30-13:30, Discovery+/TNT Sports 6: Mixed Team RelayDay 2: Saturday 31st January10:00, Discovery+, TNT Sports 9: Junior Women12:00, Discovery+, TNT Sports 9: U23 Men14:00, Discovery+/TNT Sports 4: Elite WomenDay 3: Sunday 1st February10:00, Discovery+: Junior Men12:00, Discovery+: U23 Women14:00, Discovery+/TNT Sports 4: Elite MenUCI Cyclocross World Championships 2026 favouritesBilly Ceusters/Getty ImagesMathieu van der Poel and Lucinda Brand. Thats it, end of this section. But for alternate predictions, in the womens elite race look towards the Netherlands Puck Pieterse and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. Pieterse closed out 2025 with victory at Diegem before winning her last two races of Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide. Alvarado has racked up six podiums, a run of fine form in January resulting in three consecutive victories including the Netherlands title. Frances Amandine Fouquenet has been strong too, three wins and nine podiums to her name this season.For the mens elite race, keep an eye on Tibor Del Grosso, Thibau Nys, Felipe Orts and Niels Vandeputte to fight for the podium. Del Grosso has three wins to his name this season including the Dutch Championship as Nys also won his national title in Belgium. Orts has typically fared better on home ground this year, victorious in Xativa and Cocentaina before the Spanish National Championship. Vandeputte meanwhile has scooped up 11 podiums and three wins.Cyclistsratings, Elite Women: Lucinda Brand (Netherlands): Puck Pieterse (Netherlands), Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Netherlands): Amandine Fouquenet (France)Cyclistsratings, Elite Men: Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands): Tibor Del Grosso (Netherlands), Thibau Nys (Belgium): Felipe Orts (Spain), Niels Vandeputte (Belgium), Toon Aerts (Belgium)The post UCI Cyclocross World Championships 2026 preview appeared first on Cyclist.