"Don't wake up too much" competitors beg after Wout van Aert has uploaded his "Annual wake-up call"

Wout van Aert has completed his first cross-training of the season in his home region. The 29-year-old rider from Herentals shared his tough bike ride of 68.88 kilometers on Strava. "Annual wake-up call," the Visma-Lease a Bike rider titled his ride.

The competition immediately saw Van Aert's training ride with a scared heart and wide eyes. Eli Iserbyt, winner of the X2O cross in Kortrijk last weekend, could not resist responding to his competitor's post. "Don't wake up too much, please," he wrote.

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Van Aert will not enter the field until December 9 during the cross in Essen, his great rival Mathieu Van der Poel will only join two weeks later in Mol. This means that the competition only has a handful of chances to claim another victory.

Van Aert himself celebrated Jumbo-Visma's top season in the Efteling. In the amusement park they paid tribute to their former teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck, among others.