Wout van Aert will return to cyclocross in early December on the Antwerp World Cup round, and will have a winter schedule less packed in relation to early reports, but it will all be aiming for a new rainbow jersey at the end of the season.
In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, van Aert has admitted that “the World Championship will be the only big goal of my winter. I'm not hiding. The World Championships will take place in the Netherlands but not very far from home and on a circuit where I have already become World champion among the Under-23s (in 2014, ed)”.
The Belgian has in his palmarès three World Titles from the 2016 to 2018 Worlds. Ever since, he has put more focus on his road calendar - to great success - but this season he's aiming to get a fourth title. Last year he won 9 out of his 10 races in a show of dominance in Cyclocross, however he didn't travel to the USA for the World Championships in order to better prepare the road season.
In Hoogerheide, in early February, the best of Cyclocross are expected at the start line. "At home, Mathieu will certainly be very motivated, but neither he nor I have returned to competition yet and we will therefore have to see what our level will be at that moment," he continued. Both are set to return soon to CX, aswell as reigning World Champion Tom Pidcock who will already be at the start in this weekend's races.
“In the last two weeks I have followed all the races in front of the TV. I know they say the level of [Laurens] Sweeck, [Eli] Iserbyt and [Michael] Vanthourenhout is high, but this is what I already felt last year before my recovery. I was therefore surprised that I imposed myself on my return to Boom," he recollects. He hopes to achieve the same this year, with a preparation solely focused on one goal - unlike several seasoned pros who are aiming at the cups.
“After my holidays in Australia and Dubai, when I went back to training I got sick," he shared, perhaps justifying his postpone of returning to competition by a few weeks. "Nothing particularly serious, but it wasn't ideal either. With the break, I went almost four weeks without getting on the bike and during the first few rides I felt that I lost a lot in terms of condition, which is completely normal."
"So I had to be reasonable with my schedule. I know how to manage this type of calendar and I need to find my rhythm. I want to prepare myself in the best way during the Christmas season," van Aert concluded.
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.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- He should be in a different team. It was detrimental. For them it does not matter if he does not develop. He should have gone to a team where they need him to succeed.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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