Nachtcross
Diegem · Sunday 20 September 2026 · · week 3 of Summer 2026 · First division junior women
wet course · 5 laps · technique and mud — settled — this is what it will be, 20°, 8 mm in drie dagen · 780 spectators lined the course
The podium
| 1 goud | Sara Wauters — | 36:59 — | 0 pts € 900 |
| 2 zilver | Griet Vanhee — | 36:59 +0.1s | 0 pts € 600 |
| 3 brons | Lieze Bruggeman — | 37:17 +18.6s | 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 | Aline Vanwalleghem | Edwin1507 | 37:26 | +27.3s | € 320 | 18 |
| 5 | Nina Dierckx | Good Question | 37:29 | +30.4s | € 320 | 17 |
| 6 | Emma Geens | Jusqu’au boue | 37:34 | +34.8s | € 320 | 16 |
| 7 | Emma Maertens guest rider | — | 37:35 | +35.8s | € 220 | |
| 8 | Yara Desmet guest rider | — | 37:36 | +36.9s | € 220 | |
| 9 | Yara Decock guest rider | — | 37:36 | +37.3s | € 220 | |
| 10 | Marthe Beyens | BAT Performance | 37:38 | +39.5s | € 220 | 12 |
| 11 | Sara Maes | Stuwie CX | 37:41 | +42.2s | € 150 | 11 |
| 12 | Britt Vandevelde | Bikefitting Surplace | 37:49 | +50.4s | € 150 | 10 |
| 13 | Camille Fontaine | — | 37:53 | +54.7s | € 150 | 9 |
| 14 | Kateřina Černá | Team MCL | 37:58 | +58.8s | € 150 | 8 |
| 15 | Janne Vanhoutte | Rasio Racing | 37:58 | +59.2s | € 150 | 7 |
| 16 | Élise Rousseau | The Muddy Spuds | 37:59 | +1:00 | € 150 | 6 |
| 17 | Kaat Nuyts guest rider | — | 37:59 | +1:00 | € 150 | |
| 18 | Merel Truyens | 07raul07 | 38:00 | +1:01 | € 150 | 4 |
| 19 | Febe Willems | Uk Team Lote ABC | 38:03 Spare bike: punctured and changed bikes. | +1:04 | € 150 | 3 |
| 20 | Anežka Veselá guest rider | — | 38:03 | +1:04 | € 150 | |
| 21 | Justine Renaud | Rascals | 38:04 | +1:05 | € 90 | |
| 22 | Sanne Casteels guest rider | — | 38:04 | +1:05 | € 90 | |
| 23 | Hanne Decock guest rider | — | 38:04 | +1:06 | € 90 | |
| 24 | Noor Lambrecht guest rider | — | 38:04 | +1:06 | € 90 | |
| 25 | Barbora Benešová | Hela Sauzen Pub Brawl | 38:05 | +1:06 | € 90 | |
| 26 | Jolien Verbeke guest rider | — | 38:07 | +1:08 | € 90 | |
| 27 | Tine Verbeke guest rider | — | 38:08 | +1:10 | € 90 | |
| 28 | Markéta Nováková | — | 38:19 | +1:20 | € 90 | |
| 29 | Marthe Verhoeven guest rider | — | 38:20 | +1:21 | € 90 | |
| DNF | Manon Barbier abandoned — no spare bike | Team Tim | — | — |
Race report
38:20 Marthe Verhoeven brings up the rear at 81 seconds. One rider did not make it to the line.
38:19 Markéta Nováková crosses the line 28th, at 1:20.
38:08 Tine Verbeke crosses the line 27th, at 1:10.
37:17 Lieze Bruggeman crosses the line 3rd, at 0:19.
36:59 Griet Vanhee crosses the line 2nd, at 0:00.
36:59 Sara Wauters wins the sprint.
36:50 Bikes are changing every lap — the sequence of corners eats equipment.
36:40 Sanne Casteels has to let Anežka Veselá go in the little bridge.
36:30 The brakes are dragging with mud; everyone is stopping too early in the little bridge.
36:10 Every lap is slower than the last, and today that is no disgrace.
36:00 Febe Willems goes past Jolien Verbeke in the steep side.
35:20 On a day like this it is not the strongest who wins, it is whoever runs least.
34:20 A front group of 2, and they are watching each other.
34:04 Sanne Casteels slides out in the little bridge and loses 7 seconds.
33:40 It is getting harder through the wide section with every lap that goes by.
33:40 Yara Desmet slides out in the wide section and loses 8 seconds.
33:10 The mechanics are standing ready with the pressure washer; a clean bike every lap.
32:20 There are holes in the line through the wet meadow that nobody is riding out any more.
32:10 Sara Wauters has opened a gap and is alone up there.
31:20 Lieze Bruggeman had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Emma Geens in the mud strip.
30:20 Come off the line in the slippery descent and you are ankle deep in it.
30:00 Barbora Benešová dives past Hanne Decock in the little bridge.
29:00 Sara Maes had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Emma Maertens in the pit.
27:00 The entrance to the hairpin is littered with abandoned bikes.
26:10 Kaat Nuyts is too quick for Sanne Casteels in the steep side and lies 21st now.
26:07 Febe Willems punctures in the long straight, changes bike and loses 16 seconds.
26:00 Kateřina Černá slides out in the steep side and loses 2 seconds.
25:46 Lieze Bruggeman slides out in the steep side and loses 5 seconds.
24:30 The hairpin is drying out on the side the sun is on.
23:20 Ride the off-camber instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.
23:10 Kateřina Černá takes Sanne Casteels back in the little bridge.
23:00 All five are hunting a different line through the mud strip; none of them is finding the good one.
22:40 Half the field is running the little bridge by now.
22:20 Kaat Nuyts has to let Sara Maes go in the wet meadow.
21:40 There is 6 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.
21:20 The rain of the last few days is still sitting in the wet meadow.
19:50 Nina Dierckx is too quick for Marthe Beyens in the long straight and lies 4th now.
19:30 In the wet meadow Febe Willems gains a place on Jolien Verbeke.
19:20 Yara Desmet takes the other line through the steep side and comes out ahead of Camille Fontaine.
19:00 Lieze Bruggeman takes Emma Maertens back in the off-camber.
18:20 In the mud strip Camille Fontaine gains a place on Sanne Casteels.
17:30 Emma Maertens is too quick for Sanne Casteels in the little bridge and lies 8th now.
16:40 There is a line through the long straight that gets narrower lap after lap.
16:30 Yara Decock goes past Emma Maertens in the off-camber.
15:40 The mechanics are standing ready with the pressure washer; a clean bike every lap.
15:15 Sara Wauters goes past Marthe Beyens and takes the lead.
15:00 Yara Decock dives past Élise Rousseau in the deep furrow.
14:50 Élise Rousseau has to let Justine Renaud go in the off-camber.
14:30 Lieze Bruggeman had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Kateřina Černá in the wide section.
13:50 Merel Truyens takes the other line through the sequence of corners and comes out ahead of Barbora Benešová.
13:30 A front group of 2, and they are watching each other.
13:20 Yara Desmet dives past Kateřina Černá in the sequence of corners.
13:10 On a day like this it is not the strongest who wins, it is whoever runs least.
12:40 Get the finishing straight wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.
12:10 The gap to the first chaser is 5 seconds.
12:00 The water is standing in the hairpin; dive in too fast and you are down.
11:30 Jolien Verbeke had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Lieze Bruggeman in the long straight.
11:10 The little bridge is drying out on the side the sun is on.
11:09 Marthe Verhoeven slides out in the off-camber and loses 7 seconds.
11:00 The long straight is getting deeper with every lap.
10:50 Ride the off-camber instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.
10:30 The little climb at the back is costing a few seconds more every lap.
10:20 Sara Wauters takes Emma Maertens back in the off-camber.
8:40 The derailleurs are packed with mud; shifting has become a gamble.
8:20 In the mud strip Aline Vanwalleghem gains a place on Britt Vandevelde.
8:10 Aline Vanwalleghem goes past Emma Maertens in the long straight.
8:00 Justine Renaud is too quick for Febe Willems in the finishing straight and lies 7th now.
7:10 The rain of the last few days is still sitting in the little bridge.
6:50 The line through the wet meadow has closed up completely; it is going to be a run.
5:50 They are nearly all taking the same side through the mud strip now; the other line is finished.
5:20 The leader's jersey stopped being recognisable a long time ago.
4:30 There is 5 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.
3:40 Manon Barbier punctures in the start straight and pulls out. No spare bike.
2:50 The field is still all together at the front.
2:30 The mechanics are standing ready with the pressure washer; a clean bike every lap.
2:20 All five are hunting a different line through the long straight; none of them is finding the good one.
1:10 Half the field is running the deep furrow by now.
1:00 Nothing has split at the front yet; Marthe Beyens is leading it.
0:40 The line through the long straight is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.
0:20 Get the little bridge wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.
0:10 There is a line through the finishing straight that gets narrower lap after lap.
0:05 Marthe Beyens goes past Sara Wauters and takes the lead.
0:00 Nachtcross: wet course, 5 laps. Mostly technique and mud.