Wout van Aert keeps cyclocross plans on hold but singles out home World Championships
Wout van Aert is considering a return to the Cyclocross World Championships in Oostende this winter, with the Belgian admitting that the prospect of racing for the rainbow jersey in front of a home crowd is particularly appealing. However, his exact schedule remains undecided.
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The Visma | Lease a Bike rider is expected to contest a limited programme of around eight races, although he is in no hurry to make his first appearance. Speaking at a sponsor event in Hasselt on Thursday evening, Van Aert revealed that he has only recently resumed training and wants to assess his condition before committing to any dates.
"I've only been training for a week," Van Aert told Het Laatste Nieuws. "The focus is still on building a base and I haven't done any specific work yet. Give me another three weeks to see where my fitness stands and how much more training I'll need before I'm ready to race."
Van Aert is due to join his Visma | Lease a Bike teammates for a training camp in Spain on December 8, making a return during the busy Christmas period a possibility.
The Belgian had originally planned eight cyclocross appearances last winter, but his campaign was cut short after he fractured his ankle in a crash during the snowy race in Mol, where he had been battling Mathieu van der Poel.
A similar number of races is again the likely target, but this time there could be an additional attraction at the end of January.
A second chance at Oostende
The World Championships on January 31 could provide Van Aert with an opportunity to experience something he missed five years ago.
When Oostende last hosted the event in 2021, Van Aert finished second, 37 seconds behind Van der Poel, in a race held without spectators due to Covid restrictions.
"A World Championships in your own country is more appealing than one far away," Van Aert explained. "I already raced a World Championships in Oostende in 2021 without spectators, and I'd love to experience it with a big crowd."
That prospect is clearly tempting, although Van Aert is conscious of the demands awaiting him on the road in 2027.
"I'm starting to get the itch, but it's important to wait long enough and make a considered decision. The road season follows immediately after cyclocross, and I have big ambitions there."
Will Van der Poel join him?
Whether another chapter of the rivalry between Van Aert and Van der Poel unfolds this winter remains uncertain.
The Dutchman has yet to confirm whether he will race cyclocross at all, having previously suggested that he could skip a season following his record eighth world title in Hulst earlier this year. The expected birth of his first child in January is another factor in his decision.
Their absence from the early part of the winter has also sparked discussion about cyclocross's ability to attract spectators without its two biggest names.
Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek), who begins his campaign at the Koppenbergcross this weekend, recently insisted that he cannot be expected to carry the sport alone.
"I don't see myself as the saviour of cyclocross," the 23-year-old said. "It is something I want to stand for and fight for, but I'm certainly not going to solve it alone."
Van Aert, meanwhile, believes the racing itself remains entertaining, even if he has noticed the smaller crowds at some events.
"It hurts a little as a fan to see fewer people at the races," he admitted, recalling the atmosphere of racing between densely packed rows of spectators.
