History, once again, rewritten.
Mathieu van der Poel has been crowned UCI Cyclocross World Champion 2026 (Elite Men), securing an eighth rainbow jersey and further cementing his status as the most dominant cyclocross rider of the modern era.
From the opening laps, the race delivered exactly what fans hoped for: intensity, tactics, and a fierce battle among the new generation, until Van der Poel did what Van der Poel does best.
Lap 1: Race over before it began
As the lights went out, Van der Poel went straight to the front and accelerated brutally. No probing, no testing, just full commitment. By the end of the opening lap, the elastic had already snapped.
Behind him, chaos.
A chase group formed featuring:
- Thibau Nys
- Tibor Del Grosso
But the damage was done early. Van der Poel’s gap was real, stable, and growing.
A three-man showdown… until it wasn’t
For much of the race, the front group was locked into a tense chess match between:
- Thibau Nys, aggressive and fearless, clearly intent on testing the champion
- Tibor Del Grosso, riding with maturity beyond his years
- Van der Poel, calm, controlled, and never pressured
Nys and Del Grosso matched each other lap for lap, pushing the pace and forcing selections on the most technical sections of the course. Their duel was tight, tactical, and explosive, until the decisive moment arrived.
The moment Nys got dropped
Mid-race, Van der Poel applied one sustained acceleration—not a sprint, not a gamble, but a calculated increase in pressure.
That was enough.
Thibau Nys, who had been riding on the edge to stay in contention, finally cracked and was dropped from second place, leaving Del Grosso briefly alone with the defending king. Within moments, the outcome felt inevitable.
Once Van der Poel had daylight, the race was effectively over.
Pure dominance, refined
From there, it was a masterclass:
- flawless line choices
- relentless power on the straights and short climbs
- unmatched composure under pressure
Van der Poel rode the final laps with authority, extending his advantage and crossing the line solo to claim World Title #8, a number that places him in a category of his own in cyclocross history.
What this means
- 8× World Champion: a benchmark that may stand for decades
- Thibau Nys: confirms his role as the future of elite cyclocross
- Tibor Del Grosso: proves he belongs at the very top level
The torch isn’t fully passed yet, but it’s clearly being contested.
Triforge take:
This wasn’t about patience or timing—it was about raw superiority. Van der Poel didn’t wait to see who was strong.
He decided the race himself.
On lap one.