The tactical race that has dominated the men's cyclocross season so far and produced several different winners is about to return with Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Pol, and Wout van Aert in the Hulst World Cup round on November 27 The event is being held at the Hulst World Cup Round on November 27th.

Pauwels Sausen Bingor's Eli Iserbitt and Michael Vanthourenhout, along with former teammates and rivals Laurens Sweck (Creran Fristads) and Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions), dominated much of the early season racing.

Iserbyt leads the overall World Cup series with five wins, while teammate Vanthourenhout showed strong technique in Namur to be crowned European cyclo-cross champion this weekend.

Pidcock's return in the Merksplas Superprestige race on November 19 and Van der Poel and Van Aert's appearance on November 27 could put an end to their domination and turn cyclocross racing into a bog time trial.

"We have trained a lot to close the gap, but it is realistic to have three strong riders," Vanthourenhout admitted.

"If Tom [Pidcock], Mathieu [Van der Pol], and Wout [Van Art] come back, I think there will be no more tactical races.

Last season, VanArt dominated cyclocross racing over the intense Christmas period. He won nine out of ten races in just a four-week block, but decided to miss the World Championships in the US to prepare for the road season in Jumbo-Visma.

Pidcock took time to adapt to cyclocross, winning four races, including the world title in Fayetteville.

"They will have to prove themselves again," Sweck said bullishly.

"I think the level is pretty high at the moment and I'm looking forward to it. People are talking about it and I'm not afraid."

"It's going to be a battle with more riders, which is good for cyclocross. More riders will try to attack and the overall pace of the race will increase. I'm looking forward to it. You need good legs to be able to handle the attacks, but if you have them, everyone can participate in the race."