"I don’t think Van Aert can justify not going" – Former CX world champion claims Visma star is "almost obliged" to compete for Rainbow Jersey in Hulst

Former cyclocross world champion Bart Wellens believes Wout van Aert is “almost obliged” to race the 2026 UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Hulst, insisting the Team Visma | Lease a Bike star risks disappointing thousands of home-border fans if he stays away.

Speaking to Wielerflits, Wellens argued that the proximity of the race makes Van Aert’s absence hard to justify, even though the rider has not currently added the World Championships to his winter calendar.

Wellens said: “I think that he’s almost obliged. They decide everything themselves, but it would be very nice. Now we ride in Hulst, close to the door for thousands of fans. I think Van Aert can’t justify not going, because it’s almost in Belgium.”

Belgian national coach Angelo De Clercq echoed the sentiment that the door is not yet fully closed, noting that he respects the decision but believes circumstances could still shift.

Sources in the Belgian setup believe the rivalry between Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel could be tighter this year, with De Clercq pointing out that Van Aert’s build-up has been calmer and more consistent than in previous seasons.

De Clercq directly explained why Van Aert is starting his cyclocross block slightly later than expected. “I had expected Van Aert to enter cyclocross a little earlier. He had probably thought the same thing himself after stopping his road campaign, but then he went to America and had a number of team obligations. As a result, the programme is now more bundled, with a peak at the Belgian Championships.”

He added that this steadier build-up could translate into much tighter races between the two giants: “In principle Wout should be closer. He didn’t ride the World Championships in Rwanda – and not the European Championships in France. After that he was able to build up much more steadily and calmly towards the spring.”

Wellens also pointed to an important pattern in Van Aert’s cyclocross form: “The more he races, the better he gets. That’s what you saw last winter as well.”

For now, Van Aert’s published programme includes Antwerp, Hofstade, Loenhout, Mol and Zonhoven — but notably not Hulst.

However, Wellens revealed there may be extra encouragement behind the scenes to lure him to the Rainbow Jersey showdown, explaining that the course builder made clear efforts to avoid tailoring the parcours purely to Van der Poel: “The course builder admitted this week that he very deliberately made a charm offensive not to draw a course tailored to Mathieu, but also more a Wout van Aert course. Maybe that is the step that can still convince Wout at the last moment.”

Whether Van Aert ultimately changes his mind remains to be seen, but with the World Championships taking place almost on Belgian soil, scrutiny around his decision will only intensify as race day approaches.