2025 Exactcross Loenhout-Azencross (C-1),
Loenhout, Belgium

Monday, December 29, 2025

Azencross-Loenhout podium history | 2024 edition | Course map

Complete results: Men | Women

Weather at Loenhout at 2:40 PM, local time: 4C (40F), cloudy, with the wind from the northwest at 5 km/hr (3 mph). There is just a 2% chance of rain.

Men:

Mathieu van der Poel solos in for the win. Photo: photopressbe

Plato's dialogue Crito is available both in audiobook and Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

The race: Here's a machine-translation of the race organizer's report.

World champion Mathieu Van der Poel has won the Azencross for the sixth time. For a while, it looked like we would witness a long-awaited duel between Van der Poel and Van Aert, but Van Aert suffered two punctures. Niels Vandeputte was the strongest of the chasing group and finished second, Joris Nieuwenhuis secured third place and remains the leader in the X²O Badkamers Trofee.

The course in Loenhout was fast this year. In the first two laps, we saw a large leading group with strong starts from riders such as Wout Janssen, Toon Aerts, and Niels Vandeputte. Wout Van Aert attacked in the third lap and immediately broke away with his rival Mathieu Van der Poel.

The crowd was thrilled by this long-awaited battle, but the excitement of the large number of spectators didn't last long. Van Aert suffered a puncture and lost a lot of time changing bikes. The former cyclocross world champion recovered strongly and rode away from the chasing group again, trying to catch the undefeated and dominant world champion Mathieu Van der Poel.

A second puncture for Van Aert ended his challenge; he ultimately finished tenth, while Van der Poel rode solo to victory. His teammate Niels Vandeputte was clearly the strongest of the chasers and claimed second place. Joris Nieuwenhuis beat Ryan Kamp and Toon Aerts in the sprint for third place, a few seconds ahead of a surprisingly strong Italian, Gioele Bertolini. Nieuwenhuis also strengthens his lead in the X²O Badkamers Trofee.

Laurens Sweeck saw his cyclocross season end prematurely in Loenhout. While turning onto the Brechtseweg, he slipped and suffered a fractured shoulder. The leader in the World Cup standings unfortunately has to end his season prematurely.

Winner Van der Poel, like the cyclocross fans, was disappointed about missing the duel with Van Aert: “I didn't realize so quickly that he had a flat tire. There was so much noise and it wasn't easy to look back. I saw that the gap suddenly became very large, so I knew something had happened. It's a shame for the course of the race. It's always nice to win here, of course. It's a race close to home that I enjoy doing. It went quite fast today, which is also nice for a change.”

Complete results.

1	Mathieu Van Der Poel	Alpecin-Deceuninck	57min 48se4c
2	Niels Vandeputte	Alpecin-Deceuninck	@ 46sec
3	Joris Nieuwenhuis	Ridley Racing Team	0:57
4	Ryan Kamp	Alpecin-Deceuninck Devlopment	s.t.
5	Toon Aerts	Deschacht-Hens CX Team	s.t.
6	Gioele Bertolini	Ale Colnago Team	0:59
7	Anton Ferdinande	Shifting Gears	1:00
8	Cameron Mason	Seven Racing	1:03
9	Yorben Lauryssen	Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw	1:15
10	Wout Van Aert	Visma-Lease a Bike	1:26
11	Wout Janssen	Cyclis-Van den Plas Cycling Team	s.t.
12	Daan Soete	Ridley Racing Team	1:28
13	Toon Vandebosch	Crelan-Corendon	1:30
14	Thomas Mein	Hope Factory Racing	1:48
15	Tom Meeusen	Belgium	1:58
16	Damien Beton	Union Cycliste Pelussin	2:24
17	Tommaso Ferri	FAS Airport Services-Guerciotti	2:53
18	Filippo Agostinacchio	EF Education-Easypost-Oatly	3:06
19	Sander De Vet	Trustup-CC Chevigny	3:07
20	Hijiri Oda	Yowamushi Padel CT	3:15
21	Jenno Berckmoes	Lotto	s.t.
22	Daniel Barnes	Spectra Racing -DAS	3:37
23	Paul François Jutel	Union cycliste Du Mortainais	3:43
24	Maxence Lemardele	VC ST LO	3:45
25	Rune Smits	Cyclis-Van den Plas Cycling Team	3:53
26	Miel Storms	TWC De Kempen	3:56
27	Clément Horny	BH-Wallonie MTB Team	4:04
28	Salvador Alvarado	WV Zeeus Vlaanderen	4:45
29	Rémon Delnoije	TWC De Kempen	s.t.
30	Karl-Erik Rosendahl	Cykling Odense	4:54
31	Florian Gaillard	Issoire Cyclisme	4:56
32	Mike Bronswijk	Difter Continental Team	5:26
33	Ruben Lembrechts	DLS Invigo	6:38
34	Sjoerd Van De Mortel	NTB Club Discovery	s.t.
35	Valentin Remondet	A.S. Bike Crossteam	7:33
36	Jorre Cardijn	GMS Cycling Team Glabbeek	@ 2 laps
37	Simon Maillefer	Velo Club Vevey	@ 2 laps
38	Mickaël Crispin	Bruvo Dukla Bratislava	@ 2 laps
39	Yuta Okayama	Olanda Base/Watersley	@ 2 laps
40	Marcos Gomez Vega	Bierzo Laciano CDC	@ 2 laps
41	Dario Gargantini	Cycling Development	@ 2 laps
42	Tito Vicini	Team La Verde A.S.D.	@ 2 laps
43	Tetsuki Kaji	Olanda Base/Watersley	@ 3 laps
44	Léo Garnier	Team Prof Raiffeisen CCL	@ 3 laps
45	Dylan Vasnier	U.C. Montmeyran Valance	@ 3 laps
46	Dries Bruynseels	Bruvo Dukla Bratislava	@ 4 laps
47	Maurits Oskam	Dutch Food Valley Cycling Team	@ 5 laps
48	William Lezard	Magspeed Racing	@ 5 laps
DNF	Gonzalo Inguanzo Macho	Delikia-Ginestart
DNF	Laurens Sweeck	Crelan-Corendon
DNF	Steyn Van Der Veen	Picnic-PostNL

 

Women:

Lucinda Brand wins her 16th out of 18 races this year.

Plato's dialogue Phaedo is available in both audiobook & Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

The race: Here's a machine-translation of the race organizer's report.

Dutch cyclist Lucinda Brand won the Azencross in Loenhout. The race remained close for a long time on the relatively dry course. In a thrilling final sprint, she was faster than a surprisingly strong Kristyna Zemanova and Manon Bakker.

The ground became treacherous around midday. The top layer was thawing, so caution was important during the women's race. A large leading group formed, including Marion Norbert Riberolle, Manon Bakker, Kristyna Zemanova, Larissa Hartog, Marie Schreiber, and Zoë Backstedt. Annemarie Worst, returning after an injury, also managed to rejoin the leading group in Loenhout.

Marion Norbert Riberolle attacked at the slightest hesitation on the Brechtseweg, but Zemanova reacted quickly. In the penultimate lap, Manon Bakker launched an attack, but top favorite and multiple winner Lucinda Brand didn't let it happen. The three of them entered the final lap: Bakker, Brand, and Riberolle.

Brand continued her winning streak from previous races and finished the job in Loenhout. Manon Bakker quickly had to concede defeat, but in a thrilling final lap, she battled it out with Kristyna Zemanova. Brand won with a few seconds lead over Zemanova, while Bakker secured third place.

Brand claimed her 16th victory out of 18 races this year, and this wasn't the easiest: "It was difficult to make a difference here. I wanted to wait and see, and it was slippery. I switched to a coarser tire tread to be able to apply more power, and I knew I couldn't wait for a sprint. Zemanova eventually broke."

Complete results:

1	Lucinda Brand	Baloise Glowi Lions	48min 34sec
2	Kristyna Zemanová	Brilon Racing Team MB	@ 5sec
3	Manon Bakker	Crelan-Corendon	0:12
4	Zoe Backstedt	Canyon//SAM Racing	0:22
5	Marion Norbert Riberolle	Crelan-Corendon	0:35
6	Annemarie Worst	Seven Racing	0:36
7	Larissa Hartog	Orange Babies Cycling Team	0:37
8	Julie Brouwers	Charles Liégeois Roastery CX	s.t.
9	Marie Schreiber	Team SD Worx-Protime	1:20
10	Rebecca Gariboldi	Ale Colnago Team	1:21
11	Yara Kastelijn	Fenix-Deceuninck	1:22
12	Lauren Molengraaf	Charles Liégeois Roastery CX	1:26
13	Laura Verdonschot	De Ceuster-Bouwpunt	1:31
14	Lucia Bramati	FAS Airport Services-Guerciotti	1:33
15	Sara Sonnemans	WV Schijndel	1:36
16	Bloeme Kalis	Velopro-EGS Group-Alphamotorhomes	1:39
17	Anniek Mos	Bankhuis	1:40
18	Noï Moes	WV Schijndel	1:50
19	Viktória Chladonová	Vimsa | Lease a Bike	2:00
20	Sanne Laurijssen	Crelan-Corendon	2:10
21	Marlene Petitgirard	VC Ornans	2:11
22	Marthe Truyen	Fenix-Deceuninck	s.t.
23	Xaydee Van Sinaey	Crelan-Corendon	2:33
24	Sophie Von Berswordt	Visma | Lease a Bike	2:37
25	Alice Colling	Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team	2:41
26	Xan Crees	OGT Powered by USE	2:52
27	Grace Inglis	Great Britain	2:54
28	Lotte Baele	De Ceuster-Bouwpunt	2:56
29	Freya Whiteside	Nouvelles Cycling X Prendas	3:12
30	Regina Bruchner	Vezpremi Egyetemi Sport Club	3:18
31	Pem Hoefmans	DE Ceuster Acrog	3:26
32	Camille Devigne	O'Shea Racing	3:33
33	Adèle Hurteloup	Velopro-EGS Group-Alphamotorhomes	3:38
34	Femke Lenferink	AWV De Zwaluwen	3:48
35	Sera Gademan	Team Bike Emotions	s.t.
36	Nette Coppens	De Ceuster Acrog	3:51
37	Floor Van Elsacker	Acrog-Tormans	3:54
38	Mille Foldager Nielsen	Willing Able Racing	3:55
39	Ann-Dorthe Lisbygd	Dansk Mountainbike Klub	4:08
40	Julia Van Der Meulen	AWV De Zwaluwen	4:09
41	Hope Inglis	Sprectra Racing-DAS	s.t.
42	Meadow Willems	Olanda Base/Watersley	4:34
43	Lara Defour	Cycling Team Jade-LDL	4:38
44	Kacey Eyeington	Scott Pioneer DJ	4:41
45	Jorja Bond	CXD Trek Bikes	4:47
46	Selena Bas	Acrog-Tormans	4:48
47	Hanka Viková	Team Dukla Praha	4:52
48	Mathilde Tritz	Club de Sports-Chamonix	s.t.
49	Thea Persson	Kvanum IF	5:00
50	Lea Coraboeuf	AC Lanester 56	5:06
51	Alexe De Raedemaeker	Essec Cycling Team	5:09
52	Siobhan Kelly	Black Dog Racing	s.t.
53	Johanna Lavens	Team Corss Techno Concept Urbaloc	5:26
54	Meg De Bruyne	Super Help-Evil Eye	5:28
55	Madeline Cooper	Montezuma's RT	5:31
56	Emily Shields	Ken's Bike Shop	5:32
57	Ana Lopez Burgos	Oscense CC	5:56
58	Tomke Windelband	Harvesthuder RSV V. 1909	6:06
59	Rosalie Denk	RC Arbo Sparkasse Pernitz	6:14
60	Tessa Zwaenepoel	Individual	6:23
61	Diana Steffenhagen	RSV Seeheim 1971	6:55
62	Britt Kooremans	Keukens Redant Cycling Team	7:02
63	Tifenn Yannic	EC Landerneu	7:29
64	Anna Patterson	Ignite	7:34
65	Alana Polfliet	Never Give Up By Jolien Verschueren	s.t.
66	Hilde Huijbregts	WV Breda	7:36
67	Julia-Katharina Pfeil	Harvesthuder RSV V. 1909	s.t.
68	Lucie Adam	Team JMCX	7:38
69	Esme Wiley	London Academy	8:17
70	Florence Lissaman	Uonrt	8:28
71	Carla Jimenez Vera Y Frias	CDF Las Lindes	8:47
72	Yulizh Menant	EC Landerneu	2 laps
DNF	Anne Knijnenburg	Volker Wessels Cycling Team	DNF
DNF	Loes Sels	Velopro-EGS Group-Alphamotorhomes	DNF
DNF	Elisa Ferri	FAS Airport Services-Guerciotti	DNF

 

Course map: