"I certainly hope so" - Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel share their thoughts ahead of first cyclocross battle

Lucinda Brand took the victory early this afternoon at the World Cup Antwerp and in the men's race, the absolute best take to the start. The Belgian race hosts the first battle between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, and both have shared their thoughts right before the start of the race.

"It's always a special feeling to be at the start of a race again," Van Aert said also to Sporza. "Especially in cyclocross. That always requires a lot of preparation. You need different bikes, with a different setup than a road bike. So you have to test them all. It's been a busy week." Van Aert only recently came from Spain where he was in a training camp with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, but starts his cyclocross campaign after a much more relaxed winter than 12 months ago.

But he doesn't have overly high expectations, as he hasn't trained much in the bike. "A lot might be a bit of an exaggeration. I did manage two rides on the cyclocross bike, one of which was a solid training session on Wednesday. Two rides in the woods: normally that's not enough, but I couldn't squeeze more out of it this week."

The start of the Christmas Block also provides an interesting opportunity for him to test his form. "It's always a fun race here in Antwerp. The atmosphere is good, and the course with the natural obstacles is beautiful. The stretch of beach along the water will be crucial. It's been relatively dry the last few weeks, which is good for the sand."

Does he expect to be able to battle van der Poel? "No, but I certainly hope so. I just want to be up front. I saw last week that a lot of guys have strong legs. I'd love to be close to them. But of course, I'm still in the dark".

Mathieu van der Poel was asked about his Belgian rider ahead of their first clash in the discipline since the Liévin World Championships last winter. "It's always nice to have Wout with us, but of course, we're used to it. We've been doing it for so many years. It's not that it feels strange. I assume he'll be right there. It's a tough course, but it's something he should be good at."

He is obviously the man to beat, as will always be the case, but he admits that he still has to grow his technique and form, after showing a few weak spots in Namur last weekend. "Last week it was clear that I still need to develop. That won't be any different today. Am I also taking Thibau Nys into account? Of course. But it's a very different course than last week. It could be exciting again today. I just hope I can ride around today with a slightly better feeling than in Namur."