Watch Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel in first cyclocross clash: Exact Cross Loenhout live streams
The first season meeting between the two rivals was delayed but is finally here
You can watch Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel in their first encounter of the 2024/25 cyclocross season on Friday December 27 – here we have all the information you need on Exact Cross Loenhout free live streams, TV channels, and how to watch from anywhere.
The first meeting between these historic rivals was supposed to be in Mol on December 23, but illness forced Van Aert to delay his return to the mud, with the three-time world champion now set to make his season debut in Loenhout.
Van der Poel, the five-time world champ, has already made his own late entry into the cyclocross fray, winning at the first time of asking at the Zonhoven World Cup. He has the head start, but we're no doubt in for a thrilling battle, as is the case whenever these two face up against each other.
• Date: 27 December, 2024
• Free stream: Sporza / VRT Max
• Broadcasters: Flobikes, Max (US) / Discovery+ (UK)
• Watch anywhere: Try NordVPN, 100% risk-free
In the women's race, stars such as Fem van Empel and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado are expected to be among a strong field.
The event, also known as the Azencross, is part of the Exact Cross series of races, which sits below the UCI World Cup and Superprestige series, but still attracts strong fields, especially so for the odd occasion such as this.
Read on for all the information you need on how to watch Exact Cross Loenhout, with free live streams, TV channels, and how to watch the cyclocross from anywhere.
► How to watch cyclocross: Live streams, TV channels, schedule for 2024/25 season
Watch Exact Cross Loenhout for free
Unlike the World Cup, there's no free UCI YouTube feed for this series, but there is still an Exact Cross Loenhout free stream, with Belgian broadcaster VRT / Sporza showing the race.
Sporza is the sporting brand for the Flemish public broadcaster VRT, with the Exact Cross Loenhout going out on TV on VRT 1 and available to stream online via the VRT Max streaming platform.
As with VRT's television output, VRT Max is free-to-access, but is geo-restricted to Belgium.
Watch Exact Cross Loenhout from anywhere
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Watch Van Aert and Van der Poel at Exact Cross Loenhout in the US
In the US, cycling fans have two options for watching the Exact Cross Loenhout: Flobikes and Max.
Cycling streaming platform Flobikes has the rights to most of the cyclocross season, with subscriptions costing $29.99 a month or $149.99 for the year.
Max, which is part of the Warner Bros. Discover stable, has less cyclocross (but more sports in general) and comes in at $9.99 a month.
Watch Exact Cross Loenhout in Canada
In Canada, Flobikes is also the place to go. A subscription will set you back CAN$150 for the year or CAN$29.99 on a monthly basis.
Watch Van Aert and Van der Poel at Exact Cross Loenhout in the UK
In the UK, you can watch Cyclocross Exact Cross Loenhout on Eurosport, or, if you'd prefer to watch online, on the Discovery+ streaming platform.
To get Eurosport on your TV you'll have to add it to your TV package - prices vary by provider. A 'standard' subscription to Discovery+ is priced at £6.99 / €4.99 per month or £59.99 / €49.99 per year. That gets you all the big cyclocross races, in one place.
Cyclocross Exact Cross Loenhout timings
As it stands, the Superprestige Mol will not be shown for free anywhere. Unlike the World Cup series, there is no free stream on YouTube, and neither of the free-to-air Belgian broadcasters have live rights to this one.
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Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.