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European Cyclocross Championships podium history | 2023 edition | Course map

Elite men | Elite women

Weather at the race city of Pontevedra at 1:45 PM, local time: 23C (75F), sunny, with the wind from the southwest at 3 km/hr (2 mph). There is just a 1% chance of rain.

Elite Men:

Thibau Nys wins the men's European cyclocross championships.

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The race: Here's the organizer's report.

It was young Thibau Nys (born in 2002) who won the 2024 Elite Cyclo-Cross European Championships in Pontevedra (Spain).

The Belgian rider took the lead in the final stages of the race and brought to life an exciting head-to-head with Spaniard Felipe Orts, in a hard-fought and spectacular race in front of the 9,000 spectators who packed the circuit in the Galician city.

Before the start of the main race in the Championships programme, a minute's silence was observed in memory, solidarity and sympathy for the victims and those affected by the floods in Valencia.

Immediately after the start, it was the Belgian riders who set the pace until halfway through the race, when Orts created a selection that only Nys resisted after several attacks. On the final lap, the Spaniard was unable to keep up with the pace set by Nys and finished in second place. The podium was completed by another Belgian, Eli Iserbyt, who finished 9 seconds behind.

Complete results:

29.85 kilometers raced at an average speed of 31.002 km/hr

Elite Women:

Winner Fem Van Empel halfway through the race.

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The race: Here's the report from winner Fem Van Empel' s Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

Fem van Empel has crowned herself European cyclo-cross champion for the third time in her still-young career. The 22-year-old rider narrowly edged out her fellow Dutchwoman Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado on the fast course in Pontevedra.

Just two days after her masterful victory in the Koppenbergcross, Van Empel came to Galicia with high ambitions. The two-time world champion was determined to defend her title and positioned herself at the front from the very start on Sunday afternoon. Accompanied by Alvarado, Van Empel pulled away from the rest, with only Lucinda Brand and Sara Casasola managing to catch up.

In the final phase of the race, Van Empel settled into third position, with Brand and Alvarado battling for the lead ahead of her. Van Empel waited patiently for her opportunity, overtaking Brand in one of the last corners. On the final stretch, she had to dig deep to reel in Alvarado’s rear wheel but, with a powerful final effort, she managed to narrowly beat her compatriot.

"I’m really happy with this. This was maybe the best battle of the season", Van Empel said afterward. "I knew I couldn’t make the difference on the straight sections. Right near the end, I was in a duel with Lucinda, and that just barely went my way. After that, I tried to stay as close as possible to Ceylin’s wheel and went all out for the finish."

"I was getting a little closer each time, but at a certain point, the gap stopped closing. I knew I had one last push left to come alongside. I managed to pass, and I saw that Ceylin had no response", said Van Empel, securing her third European title. "This victory means a lot to me. I kept fighting and kept my faith throughout the race. It’s wonderful to check this one off again."

Winner Fem Van Empel in her European Champion's jersey.

Complete results:

23.25 kilometers raced at an average speed of 27.519 km/hr

Course map:

European cross championships map