The build-up to the 2026 Cyclo-cross World Championships is underway, with the culmination of the 'cross season coming up next weekend.
Dutch racers Lucinda Brand and Mathieu van der Poel will be heading into the Worlds as the top favourites to take home the rainbow jerseys, the pair having racked up 28 wins between them across 32 races.
The duo will be racing on home tracks, with the event held in Hulst between January 30 and February 1. The Dutch crowds should be out in force, but race organiser Bram De Brauwer has said he doesn't expect it to be a sell-out.
The absence of Wout van Aert, who might've led Belgium but for an ankle fracture sustained at Zilvermeercross on January 1, is a key reason for that, De Brauwer told WielerFlits.
"In principle, we can safely accommodate 55,000 spectators on the course. We're not there yet. We sold 35,000 tickets for Sunday afternoon in advance. We won't reach 50,000 or 55,000, but that wasn't a goal in itself," he said.
"Due to his injury, Wout van Aert had to withdraw. We shouldn't be dismissive about his non-participation being a blow. We even specifically added a section to the course that could have developed into a running section, perfectly suited to his needs.
"National coach Angelo De Clercq already confirmed that it was a perfect circuit where he could have put Mathieu van der Poel to the test.
"Now that the race isn't happening, many people might think if Wout doesn't participate, there won't be any excitement anyway. Wout also has a lot of fans in Flanders. These factors will partly explain why we won't be reaching maximum capacity."
The event is still on track to sell plenty of tickets, even if Van der Poel will be without his eternal rival as he sets out to win a record eighth world title.
Van Aert may have missed the latter part of his planned cyclo-cross campaign, but he's on track for his first goal of the road season, the spring Classics. He's already training back on his bike and looks set not to miss any time on the road.
As for the Cyclo-cross Worlds, while this year's event won't hit the record crowd numbers of the past, De Brouwer is still confident that the fans who are in town will witness a great set of races.
"We won't be able to reach the 65,000 people we had in Koksijde 2012, nor the 55,000 people we had in Hoogerheide 2009. But we can't accommodate them here either," he said.
"We don't want the most spectators, but we do want to deliver a World Cup that people will talk about for a long time.
"We've always said we want to host the best and most beautiful World Championships. We're more than ready for that."
