"He can be beaten by the likes of Eli Iserbyt and Thibau Nys" - Belgian coach doesn't expect much from Wout van Aert's return to cyclocross

Wout van Aert had a road season with more downs than ups and after being forced to abandon the Vuelta due to a crash, he's called it a season. Thus the Belgian is currently enjoying some vacation, although with the cyclocross season approaching, his legs will be itching to get back onto the bike and get his face covered in mud.

The National team coach Sven Nys has many strong cards to play in the biggest races, but the presence of three time World Champion (2016-2018) is always more than welcome. But considering all the bruises the Visma | Lease a Bike rider carries from road, Nys is cautious about making any ambitious claims.

"Wout already has some scratches on the bodywork in the meantime. We're talking about horror crashes. You take those with you, physically and mentally. He's not getting any faster either. When you see Wout now, he looks exactly like Ivan Drago, the Russian that Sylvester Stallone boxes against. Such an athlete," Nys says in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad.

Nys seems to be cautious with his expectations for the Belgian, and so is former rival Bart Wellens. "Last year Van Aert was the best on his specific courses. But cross-technically he made a lot of mistakes," he noted.

Sven Nys also thinks that Van Aert will certainly not be unbeatable when he returns. "Against men in shape – like Eli Iserbyt and Thibau Nys – he can be beaten. The big question is: with what intention does he come to cross?"

"Last year it was all about the spring. You could see that it was building up. The Wout of two years ago was a different level. At that top level, nobody can beat him in the cross, not even the best Thibau or Eli," Wellens wants to give him the necessary compliments.