The Zilvermeercross is raced on the white sand around the Zilvermeer, a bathing lake in a provincial recreation domain at Mol, and it is one of the purest sand races of the winter. Long strips of loose sand and a stretch along the beach mean riders must power through or run, and one mistake can settle the race. Since the first edition in 2014 it has been dominated by Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, with five wins for Van der Poel and four for Van Aert. In December 2022 Van Aert broke Van der Poel on a sandy climb where the Dutchman had to dismount, then ran away along the beach to win by 56 seconds. In January 2026, in falling snow, their duel ended when Van Aert crashed and abandoned with a fractured ankle, his first unfinished cross after 239 races. The race now moves to a Thursday evening in the week before Christmas.