"Wout is someone he will have to take into account" - Mathieu van der Poel should be wary after Van Aert's CX World Championship announcement says Bart Wellens
CyclocrossMonday, 27 January 2025 at 16:00
Mathieu van der Poel looked almost guaranteed to romp to a record equalling 7th Cyclocross World Championship win in Lievin next weekend. After the announcement made by Team Visma | Lease a Bike that Wout van Aert is set to also compete for the Rainbow Jersey though, could we now have a fight on our hands?
Former cyclocross world champion Bart Wellens certainly believes that Van der Poel now has something to think about at least. "I am sure that Mathieu must have scratched his head when he heard that Wout would start. 'Oh, there he is again,'" the Rainbow Jersey winner from 2003 and 2004 writes in his column for Het Nieuwsblad. "He will remain calm to the outside world, but he realizes that Wout is someone he will have to take into account. Without Wout, he would certainly have been gone after two or three laps at most, but that won't be the case now."
Wellens is willing to admit though, that Van der Poel, who is unbeaten this winter, will still start as the heavy favourite. "We have to be honest about that," says the Belgian, noting his recent successes in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide. "He put the competition under pressure to the point where they started making mistakes. Mathieu rides flawlessly and two teeth bigger than the rest. When you see how he sprints up the finish line in Hoogerheide..."
"But the gap to Wout is smaller than I thought possible at the start of the season. Wout is simply better than I thought he would be this season. You also can't forget that Wout always has to start on the third or fourth row. As a result, there are always a few guys in his way," Wellens concludes. "And I do not rule out that he can add another layer on top in the coming days. A lot will depend on how they continue to train in the coming days."
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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- so sad...
maria2024202410-05-2025 - ahahahha.. but I think Roglic will be very happy to give you back the pink jersey (less interviews, less ceremonies, more time to rest).maria2024202410-05-2025
- Bummed for Wout. I hope he bounces back big tomorrowmij10-05-2025
- His manner of speech is that of someone who's totally laid back, not the nervous kind.
KerisVroom10-05-2025 - wow, Isaac Del Torro can TT. I am betting that he can surpass Ayuso in the future.KerisVroom10-05-2025
- van Aert will be happy if he can stay with the front group in that last climb. Pedersen will win stage 3 :-)
DareDevil10-05-2025 - Not good for Landa. Whole season gone already.DareDevil10-05-2025
- This one is for Primoz!!DareDevil10-05-2025
- Now I know Mads Pederson is a very talented hairstylist. I should have gone for this sort of hairstyle just for fun.KerisVroom10-05-2025
- Its everyman for himself at UAE if no Pogi. This was the case since last 3 yearsabstractengineer10-05-2025
The difference between the two was vastly overblown last weekend (and was far less related to form than other factors) it wouldn’t take much for the race to be very exciting. Obviously, we don’t know how much MVDP was holding back (either consciously or subconsciously) having no pressure but any mechanical, accident, dip in form, mistake is enough to turn the table, Wout has shown he has enough form to be competitive for gold. Ironically, after moaning by some just about all season about these two’s lack of presence, it seems that now they’re both there it’s the others who will be missing.