Dutch team coach De Knegt annoyed by European Cyclocross Championships dispute: "A bit of a let down"
Cyclocross
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Follow us on GoogleThe 2026 European Cyclocross Championships in Zeddam have come to a close. Competing on home soil, the Netherlands won one gold medal (Lucinda Brand), one silver medal (Delano Heeren in the junior men’s category), and two bronze medals (Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Nynke Jochems). National team coach Gerben de Knegt took plenty of time to lookback on the event with IDL Pro Cycling.
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The European Cyclocross Championships wrapped up Sunday in the Achterhoek with the elite men’s race, where the Netherlands, with home-town rider Joris Nieuwenhuis, just missed the podium. One day earlier, the Dutch women did take the top spot on the podium, though that victory—with Brand and, above all, Marie Schreiber—was preceded by quite a commotion.
That’s not really where De Knegt and the KNWU see their role, either: they focus primarily on supporting the youth categories. All in all, the national team coach looks back on “a positive weekend,” with its ups and downs.
Read more below the photo!
The highlight of the weekend.
Interview with Gerben de Knegt after the 2026 European Cyclocross Championships in Zeddam
How do you look back on the men’s elite race?
“All in all, with a positive feeling. Joris was our man for the podium, and for a long time, it really looked like it was going to happen. At one point, I thought: the podium is in the bag. He fought his way back strongly and got a bit of luck when Mees (Hendrikx, ed.) pulled him along for a bit in the final stretch.”
"Sprinting against Niels Vandeputte is certainly no walk in the park, but Joris ultimately did well by capitalising on a mistake by Vandeputte in the final sandy stretch. Although, of course, Vandeputte was still a cut above the rest when it came to the win."
There was also a clear division of roles within the team beforehand, right?
“Definitely. We’d made a plan: Joris was the team leader. If you had the chance to help him—by riding at the front or closing a gap—you had to do it to keep him out front as long as possible. The guys executed that perfectly."
Hendrikx and Kamp led the race well in the early laps.
“Mees is a naturally very good starter; he does that very well, and it immediately gets him fired up. You could see that he fell back a bit in the final stretch. But then again, what’s the point if we didn’t try that? It might have posed a small risk for Joris, but in the end, Joris was definitely able to take advantage of it."
Read more below the photo!
Ryan Kamp and Joris Nieuwenhuis.
Looking back on the entire weekend, how do you view it?
“I’m certainly not negative. We knew going in that the conditions and the course here could be very tough for all categories. When you see that we won medals in the junior women’s and junior men’s divisions—results I wouldn’t have just written off as a given beforehand—that’s incredibly positive.”
"In the elite women’s race, it was, of course, a bit of an anticlimax. You want to win that jersey, but obviously you don’t want to win it that way. And Joris just missed the podium today. But all in all, it was a great championship—a beautiful course in a stunning setting—and today we really had that special championship atmosphere."
What was the mood like within the team on Saturday night, after that strange outcome in the elite women’s race?
“That was, of course, a bit of a letdown. Everyone was going on and on about it and just kept talking about it. At one point, I just cut them off. We can have all kinds of opinions about it, but the jury makes the final call."
On top of that: we still had to race in three more categories after that, do the laundry, clean 26 bikes, and hold a pre-race meeting. After a few days, everyone has forgotten about it, and we just carry on as usual. It was a shame for the organisers, who put an enormous amount of time into this, and the podium with only two riders was also a shame. But you quickly get back on track.
Read more below the photo!
Brand and Co. on the distinctive staircases in Zeddam.
Let’s look ahead to the future of cyclocross in the Netherlands. Of course, there’s always a slightly cynical question hanging in the air: is there life after Mathieu van der Poel, especially now that there’s a chance he might not be competing this winter?
“I think I see cyclocross a little differently than most people. For us at the KNWU, cyclocross is first and foremost a sport for developing talent. We bring in young riders—not all of whom will become world-class athletes—but this discipline does contribute to a wonderful future career on the road or on a mountain bike.”
"To become an established pro, you really have to be the absolute best of your generation; the top ten pros in the field are all former world or European champions. Being a top cyclocross rider is therefore reserved for a very select group; the rest is about developing talent."
Looking to the future: we certainly have talented riders who show promise. In women’s cycling, we’re still a dominant force as a country. So I’m still optimistic. Besides, good riders can have long careers, and it just depends on what you define as “top.” Mathieu wins everything, but if you’re a consistent top-10 rider, you can build a fantastic career that way, too.
Interviewer: Outside of Belgium, the sport’s popularity also depends heavily on big road racing stars participating. Will cyclocross ever become a global sport?
“That question has been asked for thirty years now, and I think we need to slowly but surely let go of that ambition. But we did see another fantastic race here for the general public. Everyone enjoys it, tunes in to TV on Sunday afternoons, and the atmosphere along the course was amazing. It doesn’t need to be anything more than that; it’s just fine the way it is.”
“That question has been asked for thirty years now, and I think we need to slowly but surely let go of that ambition. But we did see another fantastic race here for the general public. Everyone enjoys it, tunes in to TV on Sunday afternoons, and the atmosphere along the course was amazing. It doesn’t need to be anything more than that; it’s just fine the way it is.”
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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