Is Wout van Aert ready? Find out how the Belgian is training to defeat Mathieu van der Poel at cyclocross World Championships

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.