15/11/2023

Wout van Aert's Cyclocross World Championships absence "no surprise to me" says Belgian national coach

Wout van Aert's cyclocross calendar was confirmed yesterday by Jumbo-Visma and he will miss out on the World Championships. The conscious decision to focus on the road season was no surprise to Sven Vanthourenhout, the national coach.

“I haven't heard Wout in recent weeks, but we already had those conversations in the summer. His program is no surprise to me," Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout told Sporza. "Cyclocross racing is no longer the main profession of top riders such as Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock. The cyclocross races are no longer a goal for them.”

Wout van Aert's reduced cyclocross calendar confirmed by Jumbo-Visma; seemingly no Belgian or World Championships

Last winter van Aert and van der Poel kicked off their racing before the Christmas block to bring their A-game to the World Championships in Hoogerheide. Both took their victories and went in very balanced, however the Belgian did not come out of it with the victory he had hoped for. Whilst he managed to plan well and take great form into the spring classics, he wants to race differently in 2024.

“You have to accept that Van der Poel and Van Aert make choices. As much as we want to see them in the field, we are also looking forward to seeing them race in the Tour of Flanders, Tour [de France] and at the Road Cycling World Championship," he continues. "And riding everything is not possible. That is past tense. This decision will certainly help us reach a very high level again. Wout will certainly be at his best, but only one can win the race.”

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This puts Mathieu van der Poel in an ultra-favourite position for the Tabor World Championships, for the time being. It is still unknown whether Tom Pidcock will race or not, but taking into consideration the extra attention he is set to give MTB this year because of the Olympic Games, it would not be too likely.

“Van der Poel will want to make his rainbow jersey shine. And I don't expect Wout to be at the level of last season. I would be surprised if he gets off to a good start again," he concludes. Van Aert will return to the field in Essen on the 9th of December, and the two will face off on a few occasions throughout the packed Christmas block.