"Wout is more ready than ever to take on Mathieu" - Niels Albert expects Van Aert to offer serious challenge to Van der Poel at CX World Championships

The announcement of Wout van Aert's participation at the 2025 Cyclocross World Championships in Lievin has lighted a fire in the sport. Far from the expected Mathieu van der Poel dominance, there is a real prospect of a Rainbow Jersey battle and two-time former cyclocross world champion Niels Albert couldn't be more excited.

In fact, Albert actually predicted Van Aert's last minute change of plans earlier this winter. "It was a premonition from very early on. In early December I personally saw in this column that the door of the World Championship for Wout van Aert was wide open. Because the characteristics of that Northern French course offered him opportunities, I thought," Albert recalls in his column for Het Laatste Nieuws.

"I wondered whether it was possible that, depending on how he would handle the second team training camp with Team Visma | Lease a Bike in Spain and the two World Cup rounds in Benidorm and Maasmechelen, he would still give the green light for the world title fight," continues the 38-year-old Belgian. "Which is contested close by, moreover. A second important pro-argument. He can, so to speak, still have breakfast at home in the morning and put the kids to bed in the evening."

More than just adding star power to the startline, Albert is convinced Van Aert is capable of challenging Van der Poel in the fight for the Rainbow Jersey. "I still believe: this is really a course for him," he explains. "Technically not the most difficult, but one where you can use your power. And if one of Wout's great qualities has to be mentioned, it is that he can cross at a high power for a long time. Once again: in Liévin it will be more straightforward. Which makes me think that Wout is more ready than ever to take on Mathieu. And that at the World Championships we can finally get the direct 'battle' that we have been hoping for all winter in vain but that has not yet happened - partly due to the circumstances."

Given that Van der Poel has only failed to win one of his last 24 cyclocross races dating back to the 2022/2023 season though, the fact remains that the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader will start as the main favourite to take the world title. "So you won't hear me claim that Van Aert can definitely beat Van der Poel in Liévin," Albert concludes. "But against this strong Wout, Mathieu will have to be 100% in any case. Not like twelve months ago in Tabor, where he didn't have his best day of the season despite a sixth world title. If that happens again, it could get exciting."