Preview World Cup Namur 2024 | A full house for the women... on a truly brutal course!

Big names in Namur! Excitement is building for the legendary cyclo-cross race in Namur, Belgium. Set against the backdrop of Namur’s iconic Citadel, this mid-December race promises another epic showdown. Here’s what to expect!

Namur hasn’t been on the cyclo-cross calendar for that long, but it’s already become one of the most prestigious events. Why? First off, the Citadel provides a dramatic backdrop, but above all else, the course is one of the toughest in the sport and definitely the toughest on the Walloon cyclo-cross calendar. Winning here is a true badge of honor.

The list of past winners proves this. Mathieu van der Poel has claimed multiple victories here, while Michael Vanthourenhout managed to win both a World Cup and the 2022 European Championships here. When it comes to the ladies, Lucinda Brand has dominated the race for years, with four consecutive wins from 2018 to 2021, followed by recent victories from Fem van Empel (European Championships) and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado.

Latest winners World Cup Namur 2024

2023 Tom Pidcock / Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado
2022 (European Championships) Michael Vanthourenhout / Fem van Empel
2021 Michael Vanthourenhout / Lucinda Brand
2020 Mathieu van der Poel / Lucinda Brand
2019 Mathieu van der Poel / Lucinda Brand
2018 Mathieu van der Poel / Lucinda Brand
2017 Wout van Aert / Evie Richards
2016 Mathieu van der Poel / Katerina Nash
2015 Mathieu van der Poel / Nikki Brammeier
2014 Kevin Pauwels / Katerina Nash
2013 Francis Mourey / Katie Compton

Course, weather and times World Cup Namur 2024

The Tour of Namur takes place around Namur’s iconic Citadel, one of Wallonia’s most popular attractions. Riders start off on the cobbled Route Merveilleuse, from where they will climb towards the highest point of the course, the Citadel Castle.

Once they've reached the top, they’ll pass the pit zone and tackle several descents before reaching the Route des Canons, where the second cobbled climb begins. This climb leads directly into the infamous off-camber section, which has been made a few meters steeper for the 2024 edition. Two new climbs near the finish add to the course’s difficulty. In short, this is a brutal cyclo-cross course — exactly what Namur is known for!

Weather
The weather conditions on Sunday are looking favorable, with dry weather expected and temperatures around 6°C (43°F) in Wallonia.

Times
Start women: 1:40 PM locally (7:40 AM EST)
Finish women: 2:30 PM locally (8:30 AM EST)
Start men: 3:10 PM locally (9:10 AM EST)
Finish men: 4:10 PM locally (10:10 AM EST)

Favorites women's World Cup Namur 2024

For the first time this season, the 'Big Four' will compete in the same race! Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike), Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions), and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) are regulars this season, but Namur also marks the long-awaited cyclo-cross debut of Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck). She will return to the field after a summer of road racing, mountain biking, and even gravel events.

It’s unclear exactly where Pieterse stands in terms of her form, especially since this is the latest she’s ever entered the season. What is certain, however, is that Namur is the course that is probably closest to mountain biking, so it should suit her well.

Pieterse will have to compete against three ladies who have all won in Namur before, so it looks like we are set for an exciting battle. And that’s not even counting other strong riders like Sara Casasola (Crelan-Corendon), Marie Schreiber, and Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime), who could all handle this course as well.

Anyone else that we should mention? Yes! The field is stacked with talent, including Annemarie Worst, Aniek van Alphen (Cyclocross Reds), Sanne Cant, Inge van der Heijden, Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), Marion Norbert-Riberolle (Crelan-Corendon), and Laura Verdonschot (De Ceuster-Bouwpunt). And then there are a number of young stars like Zoe Backstedt (Canyon/SRAM) and Cat Ferguson (Movistar).

Top favorite: Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Outsiders: Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck)
Long shots: Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Sara Casasola (Crelan-Corendon), Marie Schreiber and Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime)

Favorites men's World Cup Namur 2024

While the women’s race promises a true battle of titans, the men’s field is missing some big names. Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert remain absent, as do last year’s number one (Tom Pidcock) and number three (Joris Nieuwenhuis). Still, there’s no shortage of excitement this season, and Namur looks set to continue the trend.

The top favorite, in our opinion, is Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), who has been in excellent form for several weeks and has proven success on this course on several occasions. His teammate Eli Iserbyt is also a strong contender but has less of a track record in Namur.

The competition includes familiar faces from Dublin, where Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions), Felipe Orts (Ridley), and Toon Aerts (Deschacht - Hens - FSP) all fought hard until the final lap.

The Baloise Trek Lions squad will feature Lars van der Haar and Thibau Nys, which means that team tactics are likely to play a role. Strong contenders from the Roodhooft stable include Laurens Sweeck, Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon), Jente Michels, Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck), and Tibor Del Grosso, who, like Pieterse, will make his cyclo-cross debut this season and could be a surprise contender.

Top favorite: Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal)
Outsiders: Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) and Toon Aerts (Deschacht - Hens - FSP)
Long shots: Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels-Sauzen-Bingoal), Felipe Orts (Ridley), Lars van der Haar and Thibau Nys (Baloise Trek Lions)

TV broadcast World Cup Namur 2024

One day after the X2O Trophy race in Herentals, the riders head to the French-speaking part of Belgium for the ever-popular race around the Namur Citadel. Coverage begins at 1:30 PM local time (7:30 AM EST) on Eurosport 1 and HBO Max. Telenet Play Sports (Belgium) and NOS.nl (Netherlands) will also broadcast the event.

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