Night of Woerden cyclocross 'party' results: Nieuwenhuis shines on new team and Lucinda Brand beaten again
Cyclo-cross
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Follow us on GoogleEvery year the Netherlands hosts a night time cyclocross, and it was quite a party again in 2026. The 'Nacht van Woerden' (Night of Woerden) took place on Tuesday October 21. Joris Nieuwenhuis won the men's race at the first time of asking for new team Heizomat - Cube, with Niels Vandeputte second and Spain's Felipe Orts third. Reigning women's world champion Lucinda Brand could only manage third behind Aniek van Alphen and winner Marie Schreiber.
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Read more below the photo.
Joris Nieuwenhuis left Ridley at the end of 2026
Nacht van Woerden draws a strong field of cyclocross stars
The Nacht van Woerden is a much loved race in the Netherlands, giving cyclocross fans the chance to party hard while watching their favourite stars.
While some of the big stars skipped the race, the field was still stacked with strong riders, including Niels Vandeputte, Joris Nieuwenhuis, Inge van der Heijden, Laurens Sweeck, Kristyna Zemanova, Pim Ronhaar, and Felipe Orts.
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Nieuwenhuis leads the men from the front at Nacht van Woerden
It was Nieuwenhuis who immediately took the lead in his first cyclocross race of the year for his new team, Heizomat-Cube.
Representing Dutch women's national coach Laurens ten Dam’s Bomba JOIN team, Ryan Kamp and Mees Hendrikx also got off to a strong start, while Vandeputte was right there with them.
The big stars were up front early, with only Orts and Pim Ronhaar missing. They both had to come from a bit further back but managed to catch up.
A slip by Nieuwenhuis meant he had to cede the lead to Vandeputte. Vandeputte pushed on, benefited from some bad luck on Kamp’s part, and was riding solo after two laps. Teammate Michels was closing in, while Nieuwenhuis was starting to struggle a bit.
Read more below the photo!
Joris Nieuwenhuis made his debut for his new team.
Technical Battle in Woerden
The Dutchman, however, regained his composure somewhat and closed in on the lead again. Orts, riding for Euskaltel-Euskadi, fought his way to the front and joined the leading group of Vandeputte, Michels, and Nieuwenhuis; behind them, a gap opened up.
Orts, too, had to let a gap open between himself and the three men who seemed to be the strongest in Woerden. Nieuwenhuis took the lead halfway through the race and pushed hard. With four laps to go, he had a lead of about ten seconds. Things were looking good for him, but with two riders from Alpecin-Premier Tech in hot pursuit, it wasn’t over yet.
With two laps to go, Nieuwenhuis had a lead of about seventeen seconds, and nothing could stop him—not even the rain, which was now pouring down. Orts battled Vandeputte for second place, but Nieuwenhuis won by a wide margin. Vandeputte finished second, ahead of Orts, but a quarter of a minute behind.
Read more below the video.
Results of the Men's Night of Woerden 2026
1. Joris Nieuwenhuis
2. Niels Vandeputte + 0.15
3. Felipe Orts + 0.17
4. Jente Michels + 0.28
2. Niels Vandeputte + 0.15
3. Felipe Orts + 0.17
4. Jente Michels + 0.28
Schreiber defeats Brand again at women's Nacht van Woerden
Marie Schreiber won the women’s race at the Nacht van Woerden. In the pouring rain, the Luxembourg native proved to be by far the best at the Dutch 'fairground' cyclocross race. She was far too strong for Aniek van Alphen, who finished second. World champion Lucinda Brand was beaten for the second time in a row and finished third.
Off the start, Lucia Bramati, Van der Heijden, and Schreiber set a blistering pace, while Brand fell back to fifteenth place. On the extremely twisty course, it was difficult to move up, and the world champion found herself in serious trouble.
As a result, after just one lap, she was already about fifteen seconds behind the race leaders, where Van der Heijden was really turning up the heat.
Read more below the photo.
Lucinda Brand is the women's 2026 cyclocross world champion
Brand makes a huge push to reach the lead group
The weather in Woerden kept getting worse, but the European champion showed no signs of slowing down at the front. After two laps, Van Alphen and Zemanova were still on her wheel. Brand had already moved up a bit, but still had a significant gap to close. The world champion managed to close the gap on the third lap.
At that moment, Van Alphen took the lead and immediately pushed the pace hard, and a five-rider breakaway—which included Schreiber—formed.
The Luxembourg champion moved to the front and opened up a nice gap. Brand set off in hot pursuit, but struggled on the steep climb, allowing Schreiber to gain seven seconds on the bunch.
That breakaway happened with two laps to go. The Luxembourg rider flew through the mud and only extended her lead over the world champion, who eventually had to settle for third behind Van Alphen.
Read more below the video.
Results of the women's Night of Woerden 2026
1. Marie Schreiber
2. Aniek van Alphen + 0.16
3. Lucinda Brand + 0.32
4. Inge van der Heijden + 0.40
2. Aniek van Alphen + 0.16
3. Lucinda Brand + 0.32
4. Inge van der Heijden + 0.40
Amateur racing also a feature of Nacht van Woerden
When we say Nacht van Woerden is a party, we really mean it. Amateur riders from the region also have a race on the pro circuit, showing the delighted (and drunk) crowd just how hard cyclocross really is!
Video: Amateur Nacht van Woerden race
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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