Joris Nieuwenhuis delivers the most impressive performance in Benidorm, building optimism for the World Championships

Joris Nieuwenhuis finished eighth in Sunday’s World Cup race in Benidorm, Spain. "Decent result, but nothing special," you might think. However, under the surface, it’s a much more remarkable achievement when you consider what the Ridley rider went through during the hour of cyclo-cross on the Costa Blanca. He shared his story with IDLProCycling.com after the race.

Like Wout van Aert, Nieuwenhuis hasn’t raced much this winter, partly due to lingering effects from a shingles infection. In 'regular' cyclo-cross races, that’s not a huge problem, but in the World Cup, it means starting several rows back. A significant disadvantage, especially on a fast city and park course like Benidorm. Van Aert himself needed several laps to fight his way to the front, and Nieuwenhuis faced a similar challenge.

Nieuwenhuis started off well. "Moving up to the front went well initially, but at one point, my chain came off. I ended up dead last, with a huge gap," he recounted. "At that point, I had to reset. But I was having a really good day and somehow fought my way back to the front." Indeed, just a few laps before the end, the Dutchman’s green-and-white jersey was visible in the leading group.

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Nieuwenhuis remains cautiously optimistic

By then, his energy was nearly spent — makes sense, given his earlier efforts. Still, Nieuwenhuis was pleased with his performance, especially his recovery from last place. "That’s a big positive, and I’ll gladly take that with me. It was definitely a surprise that I rode so well here. I’ve been training really hard in Spain this past week, preparing for the World Championships."

"It was a bit of an open-ended question how things would go here, especially since I’ve never had great results in Benidorm," Nieuwenhuis continued. "That allowed me to race with a very open mindset. That’s how I felt when I was all the way at the back — I thought, ‘Well, I’m here now, so I might as well make it a good training session.’ And then you find yourself back at the front... but by then, my tank was pretty empty," the bearded rider said with a smile.

So, let’s summarize two weeks of Joris Nieuwenhuis back in the field. First, a second-place finish at the Dutch National Championships, followed by a remarkable ride from last place to the front on a tough course in Benidorm. Can we say the runner-up of the most recent World Championships is fully back in the game? "You can say that, but I prefer to stay cautious. Things can turn around quickly. But I’m very satisfied with how the past weeks have gone, after working for months to get here. It’s great to finally see confirmation of that in races," Nieuwenhuis said.

His big goal is, of course, the World Championships in Liévin, France. Leading up to that event, Nieuwenhuis plans to race a doubleheader next week in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide.

Want to know when and where the most exciting races of 2025 will take place? Check out our updated 2025 cycling calendars for the men's and women's peloton!

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