"I come here to give the best of myself" - Wout van Aert optimistic ahead of Benidorm World Cup

For the final time this winter, Wout van Aert will take to the cross this afternoon in Benidorm at the latest round of UCI World Cup action.

Although his eight previous outings this winter have amassed just two wins, far fewer than someone of van Aert's capabilities would hope for, the Belgian was cutting an upbeat figure pre-race. "It's nice to be here and get the cross bike out again. I haven't trained specifically for this race, I haven't done that in a training camp like this in recent years. Then it's about cycling on the road," he previews before the start of the race. "I was good here last year, so that's no excuse."

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike star has made no secret of the fact that this year's cyclocross campaign is mainly for building strength ahead of a busy spring and Giro d'Italia. Nevertheless, every time van Aert races, he races to win.

"If I came here to drive around alone, I shouldn't have come. I come here to give the best of myself," he insists. "The course is technical and with those stones you can fall harder if you crash. But I think you should be able to race anywhere. I do think that some percentages have been added in recent weeks. We'll see if that will be visible today. I'm happy with how things are going. This cross is a good incentive."