Wout van Aert's reduced cyclocross calendar confirmed by Jumbo-Visma; seemingly no Belgian or World Championships
Cycling
Wout van Aert has to be one of the busiest cyclists on the planet. The multi-discipline star is almost always racing his bike somewhere. This winter though, the Belgian has confirmed a lesser Cyclocross calendar.
"It's a conscious decision to do a shorter programme," the 29-year-old Belgian says in conversation with the Jumbo-Visma website. "Last year, I found it mentally difficult to focus on the cyclocross season and then move on to the spring. I didn't want to leave anything to chance with the spring classics. That is why, with a heavy heart, I am riding a more limited programme."
"It will definitely be difficult to reach a high level," continues the man who finished runner-up to Mathieu van der Poel at the 2023 Cyclocross World Championships. "I have a few races to get in shape, and then it will stop already. I hope to prove myself during these races. For the first time, it will be different from what I am used to, but with a higher goal in mind."
The first race for van Aert will take place on December 9th in Essen, with there then being a thirteen day break before his second outing in Mol which kickstarts a busy festive period including Antwerpen on December 23rd, Gavere on December 26th and Heusden-Holder on December 27th.
In the new year, Hulst, Baal and Koksijde are announced although both Benidorm and Zonhoven are pencilled in, subject to change. Notably absent from his calendar are both the Belgian Championships and the World Championships. Whilst it doesn't expressly say on the Jumbo-Visma site that van Aert will skip these races, their absence from his calendar is indeed notable.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
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"It's great to see the fans again. These races are always special for me." 🤩 Read more about @WoutvanAert's cyclocross program in the article below! 👇
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