"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

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."