Joris Nieuwenhuis started off the 2025–2026 cyclo-cross season strong, winning three races and taking the lead in the X2O Badkamers Trofee series. But a crash at round five of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Antwerp may have derailed his season. On that day, only for the second time this season, the Ridley Racing rider finished outside the top ten, placing 16th. Although he managed a sixth-place finish at X2O Trofee Hofstade two days later, he was forced to abandon both Superprestige Heusden-Zolder and the World Cup in Gavere.
“I haven't been feeling very fit the last few days. My DNFs are quite rare and I had hoped to keep it that way. But since my fall in Antwerp I don't feel the same way on the bike. My knee was hit hard and I can still feel it with everything I do,” Nieuwenhuis shared on his Instagram feed.
