The busy Christmas cyclocross schedule is in full swing and another round of the UCI’s flagship series, the UCI World Cup, is on the way in Gavere on Thursday, December 26.
The event is the sixth round of the 2024-25 World Cup and takes place in the Belgian town of Gavere, where Mathieu van der Poel and Puck Pieterse took victory last season.
This season, all the UCI World Cup action will be streamed for free live on the UCI YouTube page, so read on for information on how to watch the races.
Mathieu van der Poel will be headlining a packed men’s field which also includes the likes of Michael Vanthourenhout, Eli Iserbyt, Toon Aerts, Laurens Sweeck, Felipe Orts, Thibau Nys, and Lars van der Haar.
In the women’s race, look out for top names such as Pieterse, Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado, Lucinda Brand, Fem Van Empel, Zoe Backstedt, Annemarie Worst, Blanka Vas, Marie Schreiber, and Inge van der Heijden.
Read on for all the information on how to watch these star cyclocross riders do battle in Gavere on Thursday, December 26.
Cyclocross World Cup cyclocross free streams
The UCI will once again be hosting a free live stream for the Cyclocross World Cup in Gavere on its UCI YouTube channel, which is available in many countries but geo-restricted in certain territories.
The UCI has been airing all rounds of its World Cup series on the channel, meaning fans can watch the top-tier cyclocross series totally for free. All you need to do is head to the channel and click play.
However, it won’t work everywhere. In the UK, USA, and Canada, along with many of the countries that have separate TV deals, the feed is geo-blocked.
Another free option comes in the form of VRT, which is a free-to-air public broadcaster in cycling-mad Belgium. The Gavere World Cup will go out on TV on VRT 1 and online on the VRT Max streaming platform – both free services.
Away from home? You can still access your usual streams, by using a VPN – more on that below.
Watch Cyclocross World Cup Gavere from anywhere
If you are outside of your home region and need to access your live streaming services to watch the action, you may find your access to be geo-restricted. But that doesn’t mean you can’t watch the races.
In this case, a VPN will come in handy. A Virtual Private Network – to give it its full name – allows your computer to pretend it’s in a different country, letting you log into your streaming accounts to catch all of the racing action.
Our expert colleagues at TechRadar recommend using a VPN for streaming as well as enhanced cyber-security – they know a thing or two about VPNs and right now they rate NordVPN as the best VPN on the market.
Watch Cyclocross World Cup Gavere live streams in the US and Canada
In the US and Canada, fans can watch Cyclocross World Cup Gavere on Flobikes, the cycling streaming platform.
Flobikes subscriptions cost $29.99 a month, or $149.99 if you sign up for a whole year, but they do have a lot of the road season covered, too.
Watch Cyclocross World Cup Gavere live streams in the UK
Eurosport and Discovery+ are the places to go for cyclocross fans in the UK, with the Warner Bros. Discovery brands showing an unrivalled number of races this season.
Eurosport is the TV channel, with prices varying by TV provider, while Discovery+ is the online destination for streaming that content. A ‘standard’ subscription to Discovery+, which is all you need to get Eurosport’s cycling coverage, costs £6.99 a month or £59.99 a year.
Fans in the UK don’t have access to the UCI’s free stream. If you’re a Discovery+ subscriber wanting to get your coverage and commentary outside the UK, or you’re visiting the UK and want your usual UCI YouTube feed, in both cases you’d need a VPN, such as NordVPN.
Cyclocross World Cup Gavere schedule and timings
Men Junior: 9.30am CET / 8.30am GMT / 4.30am ET
Women Junior: 10.30am CET / 9.30am GMT / 5.30am ET
Men U23: 12.00pm CET / 11.00am GMT / 6.00am ET
Women Elite: 1.40pm CET / 12.40pm GMT / 7.40am ET
Men Elite: 3:10pm CET / 2:10pm GMT / 9.10am ET
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