The sandy cyclocross circuit in Koksijde, Belgium, hosted the fifth round of the 2019/20 UCI Cyclocross World Cup on Sunday, marking the halfway point of the nine-round series, with the elite men's and women's rankings led by Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal's Eli Iserbyt and Katerina Nash of Luna lead the elite men's and women's standings, respectively.

Mathieu van der Pol (Kohlendon Circus) is again the favorite to win the men's race in Koksijde and has the confidence of a two-time previous winner.

The 24-year-old just returned to the discipline at the Superprestige Series in Rudervoorde on November 3, where he won the race, and last Saturday he won the fourth round of the World Cup in Tabor, Czech Republic, and the next day the DVV Trophy in He won the Flandrien Cross round.

And while it will be hard to break his dominance in the coming months, Van der Pol has already said that the World Championships in Dübendorf, Switzerland, on February 2 will be his last 'cross race of the season.

Thus, while Van der Pol's late start and early finish leave him unlikely to take the lead in the three major cyclocross events, Iserbitt will no doubt have sleepless nights as the Dubendorf World Championships approach.

The Belgian currently leads the World Cup standings with 310 points, 45 points ahead of compatriot Toon Arts (Telenet Baloise Lions). Van der Pol is in 24th place, with 80 points due to his win in Tabor.

In the women's elite race in Coxsayde, Nash will be up against Annemarie Worst (777), winner of the previous race in Tabor, and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Corendon Circus), runner-up in Tabor, but she could be at her best on the sand course. She could be at her best on the sand.

Round 6 of the World Cup will be held in Namur, Belgium, on December 22, while Round 3 of the Belgian DVV Trophy Series will be held in Kortrijk on November 30. Meanwhile, the Super Prestige Series will take a break until Round 5 in Zoghoven on December 8.