6 hours on the bike after World Championships - Wout van Aert's road season not compromised by cyclocross schedule

Wout van Aert was not initially schedule to race the cyclocross World Championships however the weekend before, the decision was made. Together with Team Visma | Lease a Bike and his coach Mathieu Heijboer, a plan was designed for the Belgian to spend another week in the field, but without it compromising his preparation for the road season.

Heijboer explained this in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws: “So we have made clear agreements that a very good or very bad result does not really matter. We are not going to schedule any cross training now. And on Monday morning everything will be about spring on the road again.”

Van Aert rode a strong race, one hampered by an early crash, but could not ride to better than a second place as Mathieu van der Poel once again put on a dominant display of power in the French track of Lièvin. The following day was not a rest day for van Aert, but instead a six-hour training session day on the road where he officially switches his focus to the upcoming months - where he is aiming for victories at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, mainly. Van Aert will also race the Giro d'Italia later in the spring with several roles within Visma, and the Tour de France where he will mainly be a luxury domestique for Jonas Vingegaard.

Whether the Belgian will have a small resting period or not, it is only for the eyes of the Dutch team, but taking into consideration this immediate switch he will likely be focusing on some endurance training until the start of his season on the 17th of February where he will be a headliner at the Clàsica Jaen Paraiso Interior. After racing the 'opening weekend' two weeks later, he will take on an altitude training camp before racing the main cobbled classics block.