One of the most loved stars in modern cycling, the recently announced presence of Wout van Aert at the 2025 Cyclocross World Championships in Lievin next weekend is already having a massive impact on the interest from fans in the fight for the Rainbow Jersey according to organizer Nicolas André.
“Yes, since the announcement on Sunday evening we have sold 2,500 more tickets,” a beaming André reveals delightedly in conversation with Sporza. "The presence of Wout van Aert works to our advantage. We are really seeing a peak in ticket sales and we are very pleased with that."
Speaking about his last minute decision to make the trip to France for the Cyclocross World Championships, Van Aert said the following in Team Visma | Lease a Bike's announcement: “I’m feeling good, and my winter has gone well. The World Championships only recently came into my mind and after Maasmechelen the Belgian team coach, my coach at Team Visma | Lease a Bike and I decided to compete. I am excited to start in such a beautiful race, and I think that this extra boost is doing me good in the lead-up to bigger goals on the road. Obviously the preparation has been very different, but I’ll give it my best.”
We're thrilled to announce that @woutvanaert will compete in the cyclo-cross World Championships this Sunday! 🌈
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) January 26, 2025
Wout: "I am excited to start in such a beautiful race, and I think that this extra boost is doing me good in the lead-up to bigger goals on the road."
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2500 compared to? How many would have been sold anyway just before the event. This sounds more like publicity to sell more tickets than a serious analysis of a WVA effect. Obviously HIS fans are now more interested in being present but has anyone else suddenly decided to attend because their interest in the race changed?