VIDEO | Wout van Aert ramps up cyclocross season preparations - But when will he resume racing?
Cyclocross
It is no secret that both Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel will both return to cyclocross this winter, although their dates may differ significantly. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider is more likely to be back to the discipline sooner, as he takes on some off-road training in Belgium.
In a video shared by fellow cyclocross pro and training partner Daan Soete, it is possible to see plenty footage of van Aert and former pro Jan Bakelants too training off-road, in what is assumed to be the area around Herentals where the two originate from.
Van Aert ended his season on the 20th of September at the Super 8 Classic and has in the meantime had almost two months to wind down, recover mentally, travel and return to some training. The 2026 season is still a long way and the spring classics will be his main goal, but because of the extended time in between, it is likely that the Belgian rider will take up some racing in the meantime. Last year he only made his debut in late December, but it is unlikely that it will be the case once again this time around.
It has already been confirmed by Filippo Fiorelli that Visma will have a training camp from the 8th to 20th of December in Spain, where van Aert is certain to be present at. This means that if he does not wish to start earlier, his debut should only come at the start of the 'Christmas block' which begins with the Antwerp World Cup on the same day.
If earlier, then either the Tabor or Flamanville World Cups on the 23rd or 30th of November. The latter would be much more likely as the Tabor race takes place in the Czech Republic and would require extensive travel plans. But the latter isn't overly likely either taking into consideration it takes place in France, and van Aert does not necessarily intend on competing for any cup.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
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