World Cup cyclocross racing returns to the iconic sand dunes of Koksijde this weekend. It’s a big weekend in cyclocross, with the Superprestige Merksplas on Saturday and the UCI Cyclocross World Cup Koksijde on Sunday.
The Cyclocross UCI World Cup Koksijde has a rich history. The first UCI World Cup Koksijde was held in 1996 won by Adrie van der Poel, father of cyclocross superstar Mathieu.
It wasn’t until 1999 when the legend, Sven Nys, won his first UCI World Cup Koksijde and went on to win six more. Our first reported UCI World Cup Koksijde Elite Men was in 2008 and the winner was Erwin Vervecken.
It’s a welcomed return for the sandy spectacle. The 2020 Cyclocross UCI World Cup Koksijde was canceled due to Covid-19. The previous time it was canceled was in 2016 when there were strong winds.
Here is a course preview from 2018:
2021 Cyclocross UCI World Cup Koksijde Elite Men
Fresh off 2021 Cyclocross UCI World Cup Tabor, a lot of big-name racers are continuing their World Cup Series: Eli Iserbyt, Toon Aerts, Michael Vanthourenhout, Quinten Hermans, and Lars Van der Haar.
Unfortunately, Cyclocross World Champion Mathieu Van Der Poel and fellow rival Wout Van Aert will not be attending the race. Let’s hope we see them next season.
Here are the current standings in the World Cup.
UCI World Cup Elite Men Standing
| # | Rider | Points | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ISERBYT Eli | 205 | 40 | 30 | 40 | 25 | 40 | 30 |
| 2 | VAN DER HAAR Lars | 154 | 22 | 12 | 30 | 30 | 20 | 40 |
| 3 | HERMANS Quinten | 153 | 25 | 40 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 25 |
| 4 | AERTS Toon | 151 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 40 | 25 | 22 |
| 5 | VANTHOURENHOUT Michael | 151 | 30 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 30 | 21 |
Only 1 Canadian will be attending the 2021 Cyclocross UCI World Cup Koksijde:
No U.S racers will be attending the 2021 Cyclocross UCI World Cup Koksijde.
See the preliminary start list below in pdf form. The women’s start list for the 2021 Cyclocross UCI World Cup Koksijde is here.
2021 Cyclocross UCI World Cup Koksijde Elite Men Start List
