Koksijde or Duinencross is arguably the most famous cyclocross race in the world. It is a monument of the sport that every top rider dreams of winning. The event started in 1969, with Roger De Vlaeminck, the four-time winner of Paris-Roubaix, the first winner. The sand dunes at Koksijde have hosted the Cyclocross World Championship race twice.

The 2015 Koksijde World Cup race was destined to be a classic from the moment Sven Nys crossed the finish line first at the Soudal Classics GP Hasselt race, the day before. After struggling throughout the season and becoming visibly frustrated during races, the return of Sven to the top step added a whole new dimension to the Koksijde race. That he was trying to win his 50th World Cup race, at the age of 39, at Duinencross where he had won six previous times, meant expectations were sky high.

But to give the throngs of Sven fans who showed up what they wanted, the “people’s champ” as Sporza Michel Wuyts calls him, would have to figure out how to beat the two dominant riders in the sport. First and foremost is Wout van Aert who is unarguably the class of the 2015-2016 cyclocross season. Van Aert has raced 18 times this season and won 13. The other five races? He came in second. Van Aert is also last year’s winner at Koksijde. As if that wasn’t enough competition, Koksijde would also be the first race of the season for Mathieu van der Poel, the current World Champion. Before van Aert’s dominant run, it was Mathieu and Wout going head to head in virtually every race, the last half of the 2014-2015 season.

SVENNESS 4.2 covers the Koksijde World Cup race. Sand and mud, power and momentum. Those are the keys to this race and to victory. Will Wout continue his dominance? Will Mathieu return to the scene triumphantly? Will Sven get his 50th? Or will there be a spoiler from the field of other favorites like Lars van der Haar or Kevin Pauwels?

One way to find out …

Thanks for watching.

Video footage for SVENNESS 4.2 is via Sporza.

Music

Talking with Strangers~Miya Folick

Loose Men~Torche

Golden Age~Valkyrie

Delete False Culture~Decahedron

March to the Sea~Baroness

The Awesome Machine~Frodus

Get it Off~Disfear