The "" (

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

for "Crystal Bicycle") is a

cycle racing Cycle, cycles, or cyclic may refer to: Anthropology and social sciences * Cyclic history, a theory of history * Cyclical theory, a theory of American political history associated with Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. * Social cycle, various cycles in s ...

award, created in 1992 by the Belgian newspaper ''

Het Laatste Nieuws (''HLN''; ; in English ''The Latest News'') is a Dutch-language newspaper based in Antwerp, Belgium. It was founded by Julius Hoste Sr. on 7 June 1888. It is now part of DPG Media, and is the most popular newspaper in Flanders and Belgium. H ...

''. The award is given annually to the Belgian rider considered to have performed the best over the year. As of 2013,

Johan Museeuw Johan Museeuw (born 13 October 1965) is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer, road racing cyclist who was a professional from 1988 until 2004. Nicknamed ''The Lion of Flanders'', he was particularly successful in the cobbled classic ...

holds the record, winning the award five times. Only two

cyclo-cross Cyclo-cross (cyclocross, CX, cyclo-X or cross) is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter (the international or "World Cup" season is October–February), and consist of many laps of a short (2.5–3.5&nb ...

riders have won the award,

Paul Herygers Paul Herygers (born 22 November 1962) is a retired Belgian cyclo-cross cyclist. Herygers was born in Herentals, Belgium. In his second year as a professional he was Belgian Champion, beating Danny De Bie in a sprint. The following year he bec ...

and

Sven Nys Sven Nys (; born 17 June 1976) is a former professional cyclist competing in cyclo-cross and mountain bike. With two world championships, seven world cups, and over 140 competitive victories, he is considered one of the best cyclo-cross racers of ...

, although

Wout van Aert Wout van Aert (born 15 September 1994) is a Belgian professional road bicycle racing, road and cyclo-cross Cycle sport, racer who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Van Aert won three consecutive men's races at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in ...

also won the trophy twice after already having shifted focus to road racing. Other categories have been introduced at later stages, including the Best Young Rider award in 1994, the Best Cycling Manager award in 2000, the best

domestique In road bicycle racing, a domestique is a rider who works for the benefit of their cycling team, team and leader, rather than trying to win the race. In French, ''domestique'' translates as "servant".However, in French, the term used is ''équip ...

award in 2005 (commonly referred to as the Crystal Drop of Sweat), the Best Female Rider in 2016, and finally the Best Young Female Rider in 2023.

Recipients

External links

''Het Laatste Nieuws'' Website
{{Crystal Bicycle Cycle racing in Belgium Belgian sports trophies and awards Cycling awards