"I feel for him enormously; it's insane" - Johan Bruyneel laments bad luck that hits Wout van Aert continuously

This week cyclocross has been hit with the tragic news that Eli Iserbyt has had to end his career due to an iliac artery injury that is now untreatable. The discipline may lose Mathieu van der Poel if he wins his eighth world title in Hulst; whilst Johan Bruyneel believes that the crashes and risks Wout van Aert takes in the discipline may also have him make the decision to let it go.

At the time being, the Belgian still hasn't gotten back to the bike, 8 days after his season-ending crash at the Exact Cross Mol. Van Aert had started the snowy race strongly and had caught up with Mathieu van der Poel after his initial attack.

The race was proving to be thrilling with unique visuals, and it was the first real duel between van Aert and van der Poel in the winter. However it ended abruptly when van Aert slid out in a corner and crashed.

"It seemed like he was on par with Mathieu van der Poel. If you look at the last two or three years, it's been a while since that happened. Van der Poel normally has the advantage, but this is what we all wanted. Now we'll never know," Johan Bruyneel said in The Move podcast.

Putting a foot down whilst crashing led the Belgian to suffer an ankle fracture, which will require weeks off the bike and off the road. It has ended his cyclocross season and compromises his entire preparation for the spring classics, his absolute goal.

The Belgian pundit doesn't argue that he will miss them, but form will be a question. "Three months is very realistic. It's not a serious fracture. But it's a huge setback for the classics, if he can even make it. But his preparation has been compromised".

Not only will Van Aert's form be compromised, but his confidence as well. The Belgian already struggles with position in increasingly more dangerous peloton since his 2024 Dwars door Vlaanderen crash. This fall will only continue the set of obstacles that he has been tackling.

In 2024 the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider suffered a fall at the Belgian classic and then once again at the Vuelta a España which derailed his year completely. In 2025 he fell ill before the Giro d'Italia but managed to have a somewhat regular season - although the start followed his recovery from the Vuelta.

Now back in the sidelines, it provides another opportunity for Mathieu van der Poel to grow the gap between the two trough more training and better health. "It's definitely not good. It's a major setback: he seems doomed. Just when he seems to be closing in on Van der Poel... I feel for him enormously; it's insane."

Van Aert's schedule may definitely be changed following his injuries, but his overall outlook should remain the same. His Tour de France participation hasn't been put in doubt, Bruyneel even argues that this improves his chances of being well at the Grand Boucle: "It's a guarantee that we'll see Wout van Aert at his best in the Tour de France".

However, the toll it takes to make so many recoveries is high, and it is time spent recovering his level instead of improving it, which ultimately poses a big issue towards his level in the road peloton. "The mental strength of such a rider is on a different level. He has to come back every time, and he will do so again, I have no doubt about it".

Van der Poel had previously hinted at potentially skipping a cyclocross season if he were to win the upcoming World Championships - something which seems very likely. Bruyneel believes that, for different reasons, Van Aert may follow the same route:

"I can see him saying 'you know what, this is it. I'll limit the risks.' But usually, crashes in cyclocross aren't too serious. They happen a lot, but at low speed and not on asphalt." However, he doesn't have much confidence in that, arguing that both love the discipline and may not want to leave it if it's their choice.

"If you look at Van der Poel and Van Aert, you see they do this because they love it. They love the sport, the atmosphere, and the fans. They don't do it for the money, even if they get paid a pretty penny. But it's nothing compared to their other contracts. They simply love cyclocross."