A drive belt includes at least one continuous band and a number of cross elements having a transversely curved saddle surface of saddle radius for interacting with an inwardly oriented main face of the continuous band that at a first lateral side thereof adjacent a pillar part of the element connects to a concavely recessed surface part through a first convexely curved transition surface part. The drive belt features include that: a transverse width of the continuous band is larger than that of the saddle surface; the saddle radius is essentially constant throughout the transverse width of the saddle surface; the saddle radius is smaller than a band radius of a transverse curvature of the band in an unloaded state thereof, irrespective of an amount of bending in the longitudinal direction of the band; and the first transition surface part forms a relatively sharp edge.