“It’s more fun than endless endurance rides” – Analysts explains Van der Poel and Van Aert’s cyclocross loyalty

Cyclocross season is stirring again, even as its biggest stars are still on holiday. Mathieu van der Poel remains in the United States, soaking in a rare off-season pause, while Wout van Aert is also taking time away from the bike. Yet in Belgium, anticipation is already mounting. As the leaves fall, so does the sense that the sport’s defining rivalry is about to reignite.

Paul Herygers told Sporza Daily that he already has a hunch about Van Aert’s comeback. “I wouldn't be surprised if he returns to the pitch in Merksplas on November 15th,” he said. “It's a gut feeling, but I know his manager saved that cross. Jef Van den Bosch and Wout van Aert are two peas in a pod.”

Fellow analyst Ruben Van Gucht expanded on that hint. “He said he used to end his road season to get back into cyclocross sooner. He wants to race more cyclocross again, and that sounds like music to his ears,” Van Gucht noted. “Outsiders wonder why they’d still be competing, but the alternative is training for six hours somewhere in Spain. It’s more fun than endless endurance rides.”

The dynamic between the two icons is set for another chapter. Van Gucht believes this winter might be different: “The previous times, Van Aert was all about taking what he could, but now he’s suggesting it’s a bigger goal. We know Van der Poel just has to get on his bike to be ready to win a cyclocross race.”

For Van der Poel, there’s more than nostalgia at stake. By winning his seventh world title last season, he equalled Erik De Vlaeminck’s all-time record. One more rainbow jersey this winter would make him the sole holder of the most elite cyclocross world titles in history, an eighth crown that would cement his status as the sport’s ultimate master.

Herygers sees in both riders the same instinct that made them grand-tour podium contenders. “They’re reaping the benefits of cyclocross,” he said. “I can still see Van Aert racing against Pogacar in Paris — rainy, icy — and without cyclocross, that might have been fatal. Those guys can drive, and that’s something they built up in the mud.”