"Hats off to Wout for still wanting to do this for cyclocross after all that misery" - Paul Herygers delighted despite Van Aert's reduced winter schedule

After weeks and months of speculation, the official winter racing programme of Wout van Aert has arrived. Despite being his most reduced cyclocross schedule of all time, expert Paul Herygers has been left delighted at the prospect of seeing Van Aert back in the field over the coming months.

In total, just six crosses are on the calendar for Van Aert this season. Given the rough year the Belgian has had injury-wise in 2024 though, cyclocross fans should be grateful for even seeing Van Aert at all believes Herygers. "We should consider ourselves lucky with this," he explains to Sporza. "This is a beautiful program. These six races are a relief and breath of fresh air for many people. Wout could have chosen half, right?"

"In addition, Wout chooses a few races close to home and classics in the period of the ambiance. I don't drink, but I would still like to have one of these," continues the 62-year-old, 1994 Cyclocross world champion in his own right. "This program is tailor-made for him. Mol? Of course Wout will not be in top shape at the start, but that is perfectly fine for him. Loenhout can turn to his advantage and he will also be at home in a tough cross like Gullegem. Wout has also taught everyone a lesson in Dendermonde. In Benidorm he is always relaxed and motivated at the start. And in his last race in Maasmechelen he has little danger of destroying anything. So they are all Van Aert crosses. There is not a single cyclo-cross where he has no business or where he will not enjoy himself. Again: this is a very nice program."

Van Aert himself explained in the release of his schedule, that the main reason he continues to return to cyclocross every winter, albeit more briefly in recent seasons, is because of his genuine love for the discipline and its fans. As Herygers notes though, once the flag drops and racing begins, it's likely that love is not the most prominent thought in the Team Visma | Lease a Bike superstar's mind.

"Knowing Wout, he will choose 1 or 2 races where there will be little love involved. At some point he will definitely go all out - I am looking at Dendermonde, for example, in a month's time," Herygers concludes. "But let Wout enjoy himself first and foremost. We sometimes don't think enough about where he comes from after those injuries. Hats off to Wout for still wanting to do this for cyclocross after all that misery."