"It came as a complete surprise... A bit sour" - Jens Adams criticises Belgian Cycling after last minute Wout van Aert CX World Championship call-up
CyclingWednesday, 29 January 2025 at 09:21
On Sunday evening, the news was announced that Wout van Aert would be making a last minute U-turn and appearing at the 2025 Cyclocross World Championship after all. For Jens Adams though, that sadly means no trip to Lievin and the Belgian has been left far from impressed by his national team's handling of the situation.
"Before the cross in Hoogerheide we were told that there were still three of us who had a chance of winning the 9th WC ticket: Witse Meeussen, Toon Vandebosch and myself," explains the experienced 32-year-old in conversation with Sporza, following Van Aert's announcement. "When it was announced after the cross that Wout would take 9th place, it came as a complete surprise."
Even from the initial announcement of the Belgian lineup for Lievin, the 9th spot being left open felt ominous for Van Aert's appearance. As Adams mentioned though, in conversation with him at least, Belgian Cycling maintained that the spot was open for the taking. "I already thought it was a bit strange that one spot was kept open last Monday when the World Cup selection was announced," he recalls. "They should have told us then that Wout still had the choice of whether or not to participate. Then everyone would have understood that Wout would be allowed to participate as 9th. But now we were kept on the line for a week. That's a bit sour."
Adams' is more than willing to admit that his results haven't been spectacular this winter, but the Belgian is also insistent he could have performed strongly if he had been given the nod for a World Championship call-up next weekend. "On that course in Liévin I could have still achieved a good result," he says determinedly. "Of course, most people don't care about that. They prefer to watch a battle with Van Aert, which I understand."
The hopes aren't completely over for Adams either. With Thibau Nys and Eli Iserbyt battling an ongoing illness, could a new opportunity open up?
"But I don't think anyone else will drop out of the Belgian selection. And I honestly don't hope for that either," Adams answers somewhat glumly. "People are saying that Laurens Sweeck is sick, but I just cycled with him yesterday. Thibau isn't really sick either. He had a bit of trouble with a high heart rate yesterday, but that will be fine with a few days of rest. And Niels Vandeputte was a bit sick the days before Hoogerheide. Then it's logical that you perform a bit less in the weekend."
And so it looks like there will be no World Championship farewell in his final season for Adams. "Oostmalle (23 February) will be the last cyclo-cross of my career. I had already decided that before the season and this non-selection will not change that," he concludes with a tangible sense of optimism for the future. "I feel that it is time to practice my other passion. I have been a physiotherapist for a while and after the season I will open my own physiotherapy practice. I am really looking forward to that."
Read also
We're thrilled to announce that @woutvanaert will compete in the cyclo-cross World Championships this Sunday! 🌈
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) January 26, 2025
Wout: "I am excited to start in such a beautiful race, and I think that this extra boost is doing me good in the lead-up to bigger goals on the road."
Read more. 👇
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While I understand his frustration, the last-minute nature of this isn't really relevant. The problem isn't the selection process, it's that Jens rides for a country with lots of outstanding riders. He is currently the 9th ranked cx rider from Belgium, and that is with Wout at 35th due to minimal participation. Disappointing for Jens, but the right choice for the team.
exactly right. the only goal of selection is to assemble the team with the best chance at the best performance for your country. that’s it. and i’m PRETTY SURE wout is a “value add” for belgium.
You missed the point, read it again. He is not questioning the choice, selection process or logic of sending Wout, only how they handled explaining the situation. According to him the 3 potential candidates were never told Wout was also one so they feel manipulated because it seems pretty obvious now that was why the spot wasn’t appointed simultaneously with all the others. Now, going back to my comment on Pim Ronhaar’s theory, you may or may not see in this a certain collusion with Wout to keep the announcement secret until the last moment and that would imply having to hide things from the three (unless they’re in on it and pretend moaning now to make the whole set-up look more realistic) so yes they kind of have a right to FEEL pissed and say so because humanly they were not respected. You’d feel and say the same in any similar situation in life. Imagine there’s a spot for a life changing operation depending on a donor snd you get told 3 of you are on the list but the hospital then says sorry we found a 4th candidate that’s more compatible with the organ, go home and wait and see if another donor pops up. You don’t question the logic, you feel cheated by not having had full disclosure this could happen.