The women's Noordzeecross shares the course at Sportpark De Krokodiel in Middelkerke, where sand, short climbs and paved stretches reward riders who can carry their speed through soft ground. Women's winners are recorded from 2012, and Sanne Cant made the race her own with five victories, four of them in a row from 2015 to 2018. Because it closed the Superprestige for most of the past decade, the women's title was often settled here, and never more tightly than in February 2026. Amandine Fouquenet started seven points behind Aniek van Alphen, attacked on the opening lap and won alone by 20 seconds, which brought her level on 91 points. Van Alphen, ninth at half distance, climbed to eighth and kept the title on the tie-break. With the 2027 World Championships in nearby Ostend, the race moves to a Thursday evening in November and is run with a Halloween theme.