"He won't care about that missed podium" - Wout van Aert in better form than expected and motivated according to Paul Herygers

Wout van Aert is focused on the spring classics again this year, and his cyclocross schedule is just preparation for what's to come later in the year. According to Paul Herygers, the defeat at the Azencross Loenhout won't come as much of an issue for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

"In my opinion it is above all expectations given his ambitions. He himself has no interest in the Belgian Championship or the World Championship. He will try to move closer and in a tough cross like Gullegem or Dendermonde he will try to win," Paul Herygers said to Sporza.

"He is programmed differently. At a certain point, you have to keep quiet as a 'father'. His dream is on the road. We are talking about the Tour and Roubaix. If it is still wrong in a few years, then as a father I would say: just participate in the World Championship again. You never know. Then go for that 4th title."

Van Aert finished fourth on the day, battling for the top places during the whole race but crashing on the final lap at a very bad time. But Herygers argues that "he won't care about that missed podium. He won't be devastated. He was close and that's the main thing. Mission accomplished."

He will still race against Mathieu van der Poel two more times this winter, one of them at next week's Dendermonde World Cup, and then lastly at the Maasmechelen World Cup in late January. Could he match the World Champion? "I wouldn't be surprised if it happens one day. I'm not sticking a cross on it. But they're riding a different program. Van der Poel is eager and that's a different story than with Van Aert. With the same program, a duel would be more difficult. Now they meet each other every now and then and it's possible."

To combine the two disciplines at the very best level is complicated and although van der Poel has been doing so successfully, it does not mean the Belgian should: "A normal person cannot do that, they can. But I can understand Wout not doing it. He has had enough work and it has taken a lot of effort to reach this level again after a new rehabilitation. He does not have to bite off more than he can chew. I wish him this chance to give it his all again."