“The rest know their place" - Belgian national coach expecting unanimous support for Van Aert at Cyclocross World Championship

The Belgian national coach, Sven Vanthourenhout has revealed the lineup he has selected for the upcoming Cyclocross World Championship and as expected Wout van Aert will be the leader.

“When it comes to the world title, I see two contenders and we have one in our ranks. That is obvious to the other guys," Vanthourenhout explains in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. "When Mathieu van der Poel and Wout are at the start, they know that it is a completely different perspective.”

Discussing the setup of his team, Vanthourenhout goes into detail on the nuances of why each rider has been selected. “If a first selection is made, guys like Laurens Sweeck , Eli Iserbyt and Michael Vanthourenhout are still there. But if a second sifting takes place, two are left. So the rest know their place. Hoogerheide is a selective course where power plays a role, so I expect it to quickly become a battle between two riders.”

But with van Aert set to start on the second row and Mathieu van der Poel at the front, the Belgian team will need to be focused from the get-go. "As far as the start is concerned, it is also clear: Wout will start on the second row, so it will be important to get him into position quickly. Then there must be a fair fight.”