CX schedule 🇧🇪 Wout van Aert: ✅ Essen (09/12) ✅ Mol (22/12) ✅ Antwerpen (23/12) ✅ Asper-Gavere (26/12) ✅ Heusden-Zolder (27/12) ✅ Hulst (30/12) ✅ Baal (01/01) ✅ Koksijde (04/01)
Wout van Aert's Cyclocross World Championships absence "no surprise to me" says Belgian national coach
CyclingWednesday, 15 November 2023 at 10:55
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.”
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.”
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.
Read also
claps 1visitors 438
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- If anyone would be interested enough to launch an official survey as to who out of these three should shut up, I don’t know who’d win but I’m due Boonen would be way back in 3rd place.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- And your point is what exactly?vappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- MVDP dominates this sport even more than Pogaçar dominates road racing. Also he can beat Tadej on the road quite regularly, the opposite is unlikely.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If you listen to team radios you'll hear each DS telling their riders to ride faster, fight their way to the front, and all occupy the same 8 places.Sweep22-12-2024
- You're talking about a sport where equipment and clothing is measured in grams.Sweep22-12-2024
- “During a TT, I am basically blind”. That was his quote after crashing into the barriers in a TT. The problem isn’t the UCI, radios or air bags. The problem is the riders and their teams.JoeyB22-12-2024
- I think you overestimate scientific knowledge and for sure the spreading of it. There are huge numbers of people in similar situations, if there were an easy solution somebody would be making big money out of it. Nerve pain can have many complex origins or be due to complex combinations of reasons. Even if you discover a reason there is not always a solution. Migraines haven’t been solved either. I have had lower back/hip nerve pains on and off for over 30 years, no kind of doctor has ever found a way to reduce, prevent or solve the problem. It may just be that some people are born with nerves that are too short or get twisted out of position during certain movements.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- Amazing ride by her and very promising for her future. On a side note, it’s a bit worrying all these wins riders have after emotional moments in their lives, someone will come up with emotional doping at some point. Maybe give them fake news just before a big race to get hormones pumping.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- I doubt he will have the energy to do that if he continues to do leadout for Phillipsenabstractengineer22-12-2024
- I know several people who’ve tried contacting sport airbag manufacturers and none of them ever got a reply. Might be hard to organise anything with such attitudes.Mistermaumau22-12-2024