"He called me last night to ask if he could start" - Belgian national coach reveals inside story on Wout van Aert's last minute CX World Championship call up

Wout van Aert's cyclocross season isn't over yet. The Belgian has ended much speculation to finally confirm his appearance at next weekend's Cyclocross World Championships in Lievin. Can he take a 4th Rainbow Jersey?

As mentioned, there has much background speculation about Van Aert taking on the World Championships, but according to Belgian national coach Angelo De Clercq, it really was a last minute decision to call up the Team Visma | Lease a Bike star. "After Dendermonde I asked him if he wanted to ride the World Championship after all. I sensed a very slight doubt in his answer," De Clercq tells Sporza. "I left the door ajar by saying that he could decide after Maasmechelen. He called me last night to ask if he could start after all."

When De Clercq initially announced his lineup for the World Championships, the 9th spot in the Belgian team was ominously left open, perhaps hoping for just this outcome. Once Van Aert showed interest, there was little chance for the likes of Jens Adams, Toon Vandebosch or Witse Meeussen to get themselves a shot at the Rainbow Jersey. 

"We are of course happy with it as a federation," De Clercq adds delightedly. "Of course Mathieu van der Poel is the big top favourite, but Wout has already been world champion three times. It is just good for Belgium that we have an extra pawn and that it is not just any old one. In Liévin we find a course that is favourable to Wout."

“I’m feeling good, and my winter has gone well. The World Championships only recently came into my mind and after Maasmechelen the Belgian team coach, my coach at Team Visma | Lease a Bike and I decided to compete," said Van Aert himself in an official Visma press release. "I am excited to start in such a beautiful race, and I think that this extra boost is doing me good in the lead-up to bigger goals on the road. Obviously the preparation has been very different, but I’ll give it my best.”