Just two of the six events at the 2026 European Cyclocross Championships in Zeddam are being broadcast live on television, forcing fans to track the remaining four races through alternative digital means, as reported by In de Leiderstrui.
Track Youth Races Through Official Timing Portals
- Supporters must follow developing prospects like Aubin Sparfel and Giel Lejeune via official timing portals because youth races lack full television coverage.
The Broadcast Divide in Zeddam
The 2026 European Cyclocross Championships bring elite and youth competition back to the Gelderland village of Zeddam for the first time in nearly two decades. Yet, the television schedule fails to match the breadth of the racing program. Broadcasters including the NOS, HBO Max, Eurosport, and VRT 1 are restricting their live television windows strictly to the elite divisions. Saturday’s junior women and under-23 men’s races went unbroadcast, despite featuring top-tier international talents such as France’s Aubin Sparfel and Belgium’s in-form Giel Lejeune. Sunday’s junior men—including Jop van den Biggelaar and Delano Heeren—alongside the under-23 women like Celia Gery and Puck Langenbarg face the exact same television blackout.
Using Alternative Feeds
Fans looking to follow the races outside the elite broadcast windows must rely exclusively on a livetiming service provided for both Saturday and Sunday. According to In de Leiderstrui, this digital tracking tool serves as the only option to monitor splits and lap times for the untelevised categories. Course designer Erwin Vervecken crafted the Zeddam layout—featuring a roughly one-hundred-step staircase inherited from past World Cup and national championship iterations—while youth races lack full television coverage.
Lucinda Brand Claims the Elite Crown Amid Sprint Controversy
Luxembourg’s Marie Schreiber appeared to secure the European title after outsprinting top favorite Lucinda Brand. However, following a review of the sprint footage, the race jury penalized Schreiber for an irregular line change that slightly hindered the world champion. The decision handed the European gold medal to Brand for the second time in her career, relegating Schreiber to silver while Ceylin Alvarado rounded out the podium in third.
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