Nachtcross
Diegem · Sunday 20 September 2026 · · week 3 of Summer 2026 · First division elite women
wet course · 6 laps · technique and mud — settled — this is what it will be, 20°, 11 mm in drie dagen · 2.690 spectators lined the course
The podium
| 1 goud | Janne Coene Team MCL | 44:17 — | 30 pts € 900 |
| 2 zilver | Hanne De Clercq — | 44:33 +15.6s | 0 pts € 600 |
| 3 brons | Emma Segers — | 44:34 +16.7s | 0 pts € 450 |
The course
- the sequence of corners
- the long straight
- the mud strip
- the steps
- the little bridge
- the wide section
- the off-camber
The rest of the result
| Rider | Team | Time | Gap | Prize | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Markéta Procházková | Stuwie CX | 44:36 | +18.4s | € 320 | 18 |
| 5 | Eliška Nováková guest rider | — | 44:36 | +18.9s | € 320 | |
| 6 | Barbora Dvořáková guest rider | — | 44:39 | +21.4s | € 320 | |
| 7 | Noor Cuypers guest rider | — | 44:40 | +22.4s | € 220 | |
| 8 | Eline Vranken | — | 44:42 | +24.8s | € 220 | 14 |
| 9 | Febe Cuypers | The Muddy Spuds | 44:45 | +28.1s | € 220 | 13 |
| 10 | Coralie Lefevre | Bikefitting Surplace | 44:47 | +29.2s | € 220 | 12 |
| 11 | Ilse Vanacker guest rider | — | 44:48 | +30.6s | € 150 | |
| 12 | Hanne Willems guest rider | — | 44:59 | +42.0s | € 150 | |
| 13 | Ilse Vanwalleghem | Team Tim | 45:05 | +47.4s | € 150 | 9 |
| 14 | Eline Callens guest rider | — | 45:05 | +47.7s | € 150 | |
| 15 | Amber Segers | Uk Team Lote ABC | 45:08 | +50.5s | € 150 | 7 |
| 16 | Coralie Fontaine guest rider | — | 45:10 | +52.9s | € 150 | |
| 17 | Janne Debruyne | Rasio Racing | 45:16 | +59.0s | € 150 | 5 |
| 18 | Fauve Vanacker guest rider | — | 45:18 | +1:00 | € 150 | |
| 19 | Marie Verbeke guest rider | — | 45:18 | +1:01 | € 150 | |
| 20 | Fauve Vanhee guest rider | — | 45:23 | +1:05 | € 150 | |
| 21 | Élise Marchand | BAT Performance | 45:23 | +1:05 | € 90 | |
| 22 | Wies Vandevelde | Hela Sauzen Pub Brawl | 45:29 | +1:12 | € 90 | |
| 23 | Elke Rombouts | Nukeproof Bombers Cycling Team | 45:29 | +1:12 | € 90 | |
| 24 | Aitana Ferrer | Edwin1507 | 45:32 | +1:14 | € 90 | |
| 25 | Hanne Coppens | 07raul07 | 45:32 | +1:14 | € 90 | |
| 26 | Britt Cools guest rider | — | 45:37 | +1:19 | € 90 | |
| 27 | Hanne Wauters | Rascals | 46:01 | +1:43 | € 90 | |
| 28 | Roos Deschepper | — | 46:16 | +1:59 | € 90 | |
| 29 | Sanne Vanacker guest rider | — | 46:45 | +2:27 | € 90 | |
| DNF | Zoë Demeyer abandoned — no spare bike | Good Question | — | — |
Race report
46:45 Sanne Vanacker brings up the rear at 2 minutes. One rider did not make it to the line.
46:16 Roos Deschepper crosses the line 28th, at 1:59.
46:01 Hanne Wauters crosses the line 27th, at 1:43.
44:34 Emma Segers crosses the line 3rd, at 0:17.
44:33 Hanne De Clercq crosses the line 2nd, at 0:16.
44:17 Janne Coene wins by 16 seconds.
44:00 Eline Callens takes the other line through the mud strip and comes out ahead of Amber Segers.
42:40 In the hollow Fauve Vanhee gains a place on Hanne Coppens.
42:30 They are nearly all taking the same side through the wide section now; the other line is finished.
42:10 Half the field is running the sequence of corners by now.
41:30 Janne Coene is out on their own at the front.
41:20 The line through the start straight has closed up completely; it is going to be a run.
41:00 The line through the little bridge has opened right up.
40:50 On a day like this it is not the strongest who wins, it is whoever runs least.
40:40 Ride the little bridge instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.
40:36 Hanne De Clercq slides out in the hairpin and loses 4 seconds.
40:30 Eliška Nováková is too quick for Eline Vranken in the steps and lies 8th now.
38:50 The entrance to the sequence of corners is littered with abandoned bikes.
38:40 Markéta Procházková had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Coralie Lefevre in the finishing straight.
38:20 Fauve Vanacker goes past Wies Vandevelde in the hairpin.
37:00 All five are hunting a different line through the wide section; none of them is finding the good one.
36:50 The leader's jersey stopped being recognisable a long time ago.
36:00 Wies Vandevelde takes Fauve Vanacker back in the sequence of corners.
34:50 It is getting harder through the wide section with every lap that goes by.
34:10 Bikes are changing every lap — the steep side eats equipment.
33:50 Coralie Fontaine has to let Eliška Nováková go in the little climb at the back.
33:30 Coralie Fontaine dives past Élise Marchand in the sequence of corners.
32:40 The derailleurs are packed with mud; shifting has become a gamble.
32:30 The water is standing in the little bridge; dive in too fast and you are down.
32:00 Janne Coene has opened a gap and is alone up there.
31:50 Barbora Dvořáková moves up to 3rd at Coralie Lefevre's expense.
31:20 The little bridge is tearing itself apart; next lap it will be brutal in there.
30:50 The wide section is getting deeper with every lap.
30:10 There are holes in the line through the sequence of corners that nobody is riding out any more.
30:00 Half the field is running the off-camber by now.
29:40 Hanne Willems had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Élise Marchand in the sequence of corners.
29:00 There is 15 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.
28:40 In the mud strip Febe Cuypers gains a place on Eline Vranken.
28:20 The sequence of corners is costing a few seconds more every lap.
28:00 Get the sequence of corners wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.
27:30 Hanne De Clercq is too quick for Febe Cuypers in the steps and lies 7th now.
26:40 Elke Rombouts takes the other line through the sequence of corners and comes out ahead of Eline Callens.
26:00 Barbora Dvořáková goes past Élise Marchand in the slippery descent.
25:50 Barbora Dvořáková dives past Febe Cuypers in the start straight.
25:40 The pits are working flat out.
25:36 Zoë Demeyer punctures in the wide section and pulls out. No spare bike.
24:40 The line through the off-camber is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.
24:30 Emma Segers goes past Aitana Ferrer in the little bridge.
24:20 Fauve Vanacker has to let Eliška Nováková go in the hairpin.
23:20 Janne Coene is out on their own at the front.
22:40 The hairpin is drying out on the side the sun is on.
22:30 On a day like this it is not the strongest who wins, it is whoever runs least.
22:10 Eline Vranken takes Coralie Fontaine back in the deep furrow.
20:20 Janne Coene goes past Coralie Lefevre and takes the lead.
19:50 The derailleurs are packed with mud; shifting has become a gamble.
19:40 Bikes are changing every lap — the finishing straight eats equipment.
19:10 Ilse Vanwalleghem dives past Marie Verbeke in the off-camber.
18:50 Barbora Dvořáková is too quick for Marie Verbeke in the sequence of corners and lies 12th now.
18:30 In the hairpin Ilse Vanwalleghem gains a place on Hanne Coppens.
18:10 Febe Cuypers had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Hanne Coppens in the finishing straight.
16:30 The gap to the first chaser is 13 seconds.
16:00 Coralie Fontaine takes the other line through the finishing straight and comes out ahead of Marie Verbeke.
15:50 In the long straight Amber Segers gains a place on Marie Verbeke.
15:30 They are riding on a third of their tyres; the rest is packed with earth.
15:00 Come off the line in the sequence of corners and you are ankle deep in it.
14:50 The sequence of corners is getting deeper with every lap.
14:40 Coralie Lefevre has opened a gap and is alone up there.
13:40 There is 5 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.
13:30 Get the sequence of corners wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.
13:10 There is a line through the long straight that gets narrower lap after lap.
11:40 The water is standing in the wide section; dive in too fast and you are down.
11:10 Emma Segers takes Febe Cuypers back in the finishing straight.
11:08 Janne Debruyne slides out in the little bridge and loses 3 seconds.
11:05 Elke Rombouts slides out in the hairpin and loses 2 seconds.
10:20 Aitana Ferrer has to let Barbora Dvořáková go in the long straight.
9:30 The brakes are dragging with mud; everyone is stopping too early in the wide section.
8:40 It is getting harder through the little bridge with every lap that goes by.
8:10 Marie Verbeke goes past Zoë Demeyer in the start straight.
6:50 The hairpin is costing a few seconds more every lap.
6:10 Ride the steep side instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.
5:50 There are holes in the line through the off-camber that nobody is riding out any more.
5:40 The line through the off-camber has opened right up.
5:30 With 3 up front, and Coralie Lefevre on the front of it.
5:20 The little bridge is drying out on the side the sun is on.
5:00 They are nearly all taking the same side through the wet meadow now; the other line is finished.
4:50 The line through the slippery descent is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.
4:40 The rain of the last few days is still sitting in the finishing straight.
4:20 The line through the wide section has closed up completely; it is going to be a run.
4:10 On a day like this it is not the strongest who wins, it is whoever runs least.
3:50 The gap to the first chaser is 6 seconds.
3:33 Coralie Lefevre slides out in the slippery descent and loses 2 seconds.
3:20 The entrance to the finishing straight is littered with abandoned bikes.
3:10 They are riding on a third of their tyres; the rest is packed with earth.
3:00 Get the deep furrow wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.
1:50 Half the field is running the long straight by now.
0:50 All five are hunting a different line through the little bridge; none of them is finding the good one.
0:20 The little climb at the back is getting deeper with every lap.
0:05 Coralie Lefevre goes past Janne Coene and takes the lead.
0:00 Nachtcross: wet course, 6 laps. Mostly technique and mud.