In Liévin, after hosting the French Championships and other World Cup rounds, the famous Val Souchez circuit is finally set to host the ultimate race. Its physical and technical characteristics promise a spectacular 2025 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championship.
The Val de Souchez is well-known to joggers in Liévin and families out for a stroll. The eponymous river flows through the valley. The hillside is a former slag heap where discreetly tamed nature has reclaimed its place, and cyclists have been pushing their limits on its slopes for the past twenty years.
The number of cyclo-cross races organized on these shale-covered slopes by the local club, CV Liévin, is countless. This tradition was initiated by the late Guy Dheruelle, who passed away in 2011 but lived tirelessly, driven by his love for this demanding discipline.
Over the course of these numerous competitions—culminating in the 2025 UCI World Championship—several national championships, World Cup rounds, and French Cup events have also taken place.
In 2010, a snowy landscape set the stage for the French Championships, where Francis Mourey claimed victory in a sprint against a very disappointed Steve Chainel. In the women’s race, Caroline Mani (now 37 years old and selected for Liévin) took the win, while the third step of the podium was occupied by a young Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt, just about to turn 18.
Two years later, in 2012, the Val Souchez hosted a World Cup round. The men’s race was won by Czech rider Zdeněk Štybar, while the legendary Marianne Vos triumphed in the women’s event. The junior race was dominated by none other than Mathieu Van der Poel.
After a few quieter years (likely partly due to the passing of Guy Dhéruelle, the driving force behind the organization), the French Championships returned to Liévin and the Val Souchez in January 2022. That edition, marked once again by cold and wet conditions, saw Joshua Dubau and Line Burquier conquer the mud and steep slopes.
To this history, one must also add several French Cup rounds and regional competitions. Like all cyclo-cross courses, the Val Souchez circuit evolves slightly from one edition to the next but retains its distinct identity. According to François Trarieux, the national coach, it remains a “very physical circuit, typically French, reminiscent of the one in Pontchâteau, both in its elevation changes and its linear sections that allow riders to gain speed.”
“We’ve added bridges and stairs—two of each—one with 10 steps and the other with 14. The positive elevation gain is 75 meters [per 2.5 km lap], and the finish line is uphill, somewhat like Hoogerheide. It’s also worth noting that the running sections are slightly reduced,” Trarieux explains.
Twenty years after Pontchâteau, the last World Championship held in France, the 2025 event holds great promise !
