Is Wout van Aert ready? Find out how the Belgian is training to defeat Mathieu van der Poel at cyclocross World Championships
Cyclocross
The unexpected announcement last weekend confirmed that Wout
van Aert will compete at the Cyclocross World Championships this weekend,
chasing his first rainbow jersey since 2018. At 30 years old, the Belgian is
set to renew his fierce rivalry with Mathieu van der Poel, setting up a
showdown that has cycling fans eagerly awaiting Sunday’s race.
Van Aert is leaving no stone unturned in his preparation,
giving his followers a glimpse into his training routine on Strava. He has been
fully focused on his build-up to the World Championships in France and isn’t
holding back. On Thursday morning, he was already out early for a 9.3-kilometre
run, maintaining a 4:33-minute per kilometre pace, showing that his fitness is
in excellent shape.
Just a few hours later, he was back at it, this time on his racing
bike, logging a 73-kilometre ride at an average speed of 23.7 kilometres per
hour. There’s no doubt about it then, Van Aert is taking things extremely
seriously this weekend and is aiming for his fourth cyclocross rainbow jersey.
So, can Van Aert defeat Van der Poel? It seems like a tough
task, but ruling him out would be a mistake. Last weekend Van der Poel decimated Van Aert by over a minute, but a lot can change over the course of a week. With Van Aert's raw talent and relentless
determination, he remains a serious contender whenever he lines up at the
start.
But, remember, as invincible as Van der Poel seems, each of
the 3 times Van der Poel has lost in the last 3 cyclocross seasons it has been
at the hands of his Belgian nemesis. And this is, after all, cyclocross, where
anything can happen.
One fall, one puncture, could change the destiny of the
race, and the destiny of who wears the rainbow jersey next season.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
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