Preview: X2O Trophy Koksijde 2024 – The final Van der Poel-Van Aert duel of the Christmas period

Niels Bastians •
Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 2:00 p.m

Wout van Aert will conclude the first part of the winter season on Thursday in Koksijde, but there he will also have to deal with Mathieu van der Poel. In the dunes, is it likely that the value ratios will be respected, or will Van Art suddenly take action? Cycling Looking forward to the battle for men and women.

date

Latest winners in Coxygdy
men
2023: Woot Fan Art
2022: No version of Duinencross
2021: Elie Esserbet
2020: Canceled due to COVID-19
2019: Matthew van der Poel
2018: Matthew van der Poel
2018: Woot Fan Art (BK)
2017: Matthew van der Poel
2016: Canceled due to inclement weather
2015: Sven Ness
2014: Woot Fan Art

slim
2023: Shereen van Anerweg
2021: Anne Marie is worse
2020: Canceled due to COVID-19
2019: Celine del Carmen Alvarado
2018: Dennis Betsema
2018: Sunny Cant (BK)
2017: Maud Capthens
2016: Canceled due to inclement weather
2015: Sunny was
2014: Sunny was

last year

Hammamet Cup X2O 2022-2023
hasty Coxsack, guys
1. Woot Fan Art (Jumbo Visma)
2. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin Desoninck) in 1 minute and 38 seconds
3. Lawrence Swick (Crellan-Corindon) at 2m07s
4. Elie Izerbit (Pauls Sosin-Bingol) in 2 minutes and 13 seconds
5. Lars van der Haar (Balloise Trek Lions) in 2 minutes and 21 seconds

Hammamet Cup X2O 2022-2023
hasty Coxjdi, women
1. Shirin van Anweij (Balloise Trek Lions)
2. Wim van Empel (Jumbo-Visma) at 14 seconds
3. Lucinda Brand (Balloise Trek Lions) at 1 minute and 09 seconds
4. Celine del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deseuinink) in 1 minute and 52 seconds
5. Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) in 2m 18s

Effect

Sand is the code word in Duinencross. It was course designer Roger Tickett who laid out the lines in the early years. The ticket was succeeded by Walter Mays in the 1990s. In the run-up to the 2012 World Cup, they made their first major change: the endpoint moved from Robert Vandamstraat to the air base grounds, for safety reasons. Today the start and finish area are still in the same place.

Another change towards the 2012 World Cup was the addition of new sand dunes. Herygersduin was already introduced after the 1994 World Cup, and the new sand dunes became an additional obstacle and were later given the name of the second World Champion (Niels Albert).

Since 2016, after the Belgian Championship, an additional sand dune has been added as difficulty, a few hundred meters from the fairway at the finish. A steep section that is not named at the moment. Moreover, the always swampy land before and after arrival can also cause some differences.

“Despite the changes within the organization, we stick to the same classic Koksijde path,” says Jan Deramaudt of Véloclub. “I call this the Paris Roubaix of cyclo-cross. The sand is so abundant that it actually emerges a completely different discipline. The cyclo-crossers have a very wide range of possibilities, and it is the occasional sand specialists can put their best foot forward. We have seen for years that many riders enjoy riding Here because of the specific path and the status associated with it.

Program and information

The program is Thursday, January 4, 2024
9.15am: Grand Prix Koksijde – Novice Men, First Year
10am: Grand Prix Koksijde – Novice Men, Year 2
11.00 am: Grand Prix Koksijde – Junior Men
12.10pm: X2O Cup – Men’s Promises
1.45pm: X2O Cup – Women’s and Youth Elite categories
3pm: X2O Cup – Elite Men

location
Robert Vandamstraat, 8670 Koksijde

general information
The ticket costs 15 euros at the box office. Tickets are also available online through pre-sale at Organization website For 12 euros. This pre-sale ends Wednesday, January 3 at 11:59 p.m. Children up to 12 years old can enter for free.

Practical information
Site organization

X2O bathroom cup site
Bath Cup X X2O
Instagram Bathroom Cup X2O
Facebook Bathroom Award X2O

Favorite men

We are already prepared for the penultimate confrontation between the big three. Although this name is rather old. Matthew van der Poel Crost is so dominant right now that the rest have no chance up front. This is not at all the real acceleration that world champion Van der Poel sets, but his base speed is very high.

Or like Lars van der Haar “You can feel it speeding up,” she says. The problem is that Matteo takes the lead very well. So you can't say you're driving towards it in a turn, or braking it. In the end, it's a little better in all aspects. You are then slowly led to a distance of 20 metres, after which you know the bird has flown. If he can also lead his own lines, you're totally screwed.

Van der Haar is regularly found among the first to pursue Van der Poel, and as such he does nothing but evil. Due to the illness of Eli Iserbyt, who had to miss the qualifiers in Baal and Koksijde, things are also looking better for his overall victory in the X2O Cup. Teammate Pim ronhar We might estimate his place on the podium a little higher, especially after his brilliant cross into Baal, where he was able to follow the van Aart-van der Poel tandem for a long time. The other Baloise Trek lion, Joris Nieuwenhuis, will not start in Koksijde.

Who does what does Mathieu van der Poel do? – Photo: Cor Vos

So the biggest competition will be from Woot Fan Art He must come. He is not at his best, but according to his new coach Mathieu Hegeboer, everything is going according to plan. “There is still a lot of scope compared to the best Wout in cross country. I dare say: when Wout is at his best, he is at least able to compete with the best Van der Poel. This is not the case now, but I think that given the ambition that drives him , He is still reaching a high level. So, don't expect a miracle in Koksijde, but Van Aert will do well.

by Tom Pidcock Expect less in Koksijde. Sand is not his thing, and in Baal we also saw some signs of excess fatigue. Then you should Lorenz Swick It comes out better. Perhaps the biggest sand specialist in the peloton, Koksijde is one of his favorite courses. European champion Michael Vanthornhout often does well in the coastal municipality.

Favorites according to WielerFlits
***Mathieu van der Poel
** Wout van Aert, Pim Roenhaar
* Lars van der Haar, Tom Pidcock, Lawrence Swick

Favorite women

As for the number one favorite among women, there is still some doubt. Usually it is Wim van Empel She should still be the best contender to win in Koksigde, but her preparation for the clay competition is certainly not optimal. Van Empel won in Baal, but also injured her knee, which then had to be stitched up. It is not yet known whether Koksijde will be in danger for the powerful world champion. “We will look into this in the coming days,” the team told us on Monday evening.

Dutch champion Puck Pieterse will not start in Koksijde, so that will be the biggest backlash Lucinda brand He must come. In Baal, she had a tough duel with Van Empel, and also performed well in Antwerp. It was no coincidence that there was also a sand track there. Brand also has fond memories of sand, having won her world title in this discipline in Ostend. also Celine del Carmen Alvarado He came back completely and was already a winner in Koksijde.

Beautiful duel between Van Empel and Brand – Photo: Cor Vos

Nice to have too Sunny was To be able to put it high in the stars again. The Belgian has been in a bit of trouble, but has been performing excellently in recent weeks. “Cant picks her competitions well and becomes a regular in the top five again. At Loenhout, she broke the spell by booking her first win (not taking into account BCs) since September 2021. Add to that the fact that she really liked Sand Cross and Koksijde, and you can say she will be Good.

Shadow's favorites are sisters Isabella and Ava Holmgren, especially the latter in good condition. And in Baal, the 18-year-old Canadian was allowed on stage. And also Annemarie Wurst, Denise Betsema and the sand specialist Laura Verdonschut We can count among strangers.

Favorites according to WielerFlits
*** Wim van Empel
** Lucinda Brand, Celine del Carmen Alvarado
* Sunny Kant, Ava Holmgren, Laura Verdonschut

Weather and TV

according to meteophysta There will be a little rain in Koksijde on Thursday. The weather remains dry in the morning, but then heavy rain falls from the sky. The wind also blows fairly strongly, at a force of 5 Beaufort, and the maximum temperature is 9 degrees Celsius.

Sporza There will be a live broadcast on Thursday from 1:30pm for both elite men's and women's riders. Dutch viewers can go in ten minutes Eurosport 1 And online channels Eurosport.nl/Discovery+/GCN+.