Cyclocross World Champions

The 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Championship in Liévin, France featured classic ‘cross conditions with wickedly slippery mud waiting to crash any rider whose skills weren’t 100% on point. Visma | Lease a Bike’s Fem Van Empel and CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto’s Zoe Bäckstedt both proved up to the task, successfully defending their rainbow jerseys, while Wout Van Aert fought his way to a silver medal despite starting in the fourth row and getting stuck behind a crash.

FEM VAN EMPEL

The 2025 CX season has been full of victories for the Visma | Lease a Bike rider, despite facing stiff competition from a variety of rivals. World Champs proved no different, as Fem claimed her 3rd gold medal following a hard-fought battle that saw the race lead change multiple times.

ZOE BÄCKSTEDT

Despite being only 20 years old, Bäckstedt has had a remarkable season racing against the Elites, never finishing outside the top ten and placing 2nd in three World Cup events. Following an unexpected win with her UK teammates in the Relay, the young rider used a combination of raw power and deft handling skills to claim her second consecutive U23 World Championship title.

WOUT VAN AERT

The Belgian fan-favorite already has three Worlds titles to his name, but was a surprise late addition to the national squad following a leaner-than-usual ‘cross season. This scarcity of starts left him in the fourth row, where he was held up behind a crash, finishing lap one in a seemingly disastrous 37th place. But Wout is nothing if not a fighter and he proceeded to methodically power his way through the field, eventually passing everyone except the lone leader. While it wasn’t the top step, his Silver medal performance certainly bodes well for the road season that lays ahead.