Wout van Aert’s administration are nonetheless not ruling out that the Belgian’s much-anticipated subsequent cyclocross duel in opposition to Mathieu van der Poel on Friday at Loenhout will go forward regardless of Van Aert cancelling his first race of the 2024-25 season on Monday due to sickness.
Van Aert had been anticipated to make his 2024 cyclocross debut at Mol on Monday the place Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) stormed to a second victory in as many days, however the Belgian was a DNS due to abdomen ‘flu.
However, the subsequent conflict between the 2 prime names within the speciality, on the Exact Cross at Loenhout, doesn’t seem like in peril regardless of Van Aert getting sick, Belgian and Dutch media reported Monday.
“The sickness took maintain [on Saturday] and Wout felt actually unhealthy,” Van Aert’s supervisor Jef Van Den Bosch informed Het Laatste Nieuws on Monday. “There was nothing he may do.”
“[But] it is now a matter of recovering and taking it daily.”
According to Wielerflits, his commerce staff Visma-Lease a Bike sounded cautiously optimistic, with sports activities director Jan Boven telling the Dutch web site “We do not know way more than what we introduced yesterday [Sunday]. Only that he awakened this morning feeling fairly effectively. [He’s] actually higher than the day earlier than, it is now a matter of recovering.”
Van Aert has had quite a few setbacks over the past 12 months due to crashes and accidents, and Boven admitted that “He was actually wanting ahead to it [racing].”
“You should put these plans on maintain, however whenever you’ve been sick for an entire day, you realize that there is no different possibility.”
While Boven dominated out the concept Van Aert may add extra races to his program on account of the sickness, previous to Friday’s conflict, arch-rival Van der Poel could have had one other alternative to go for a win, on December 26 within the second spherical of the World Cup sequence, at Gavere, Belgium. Quite other than Van der Poel’s present prime type, after triumphing within the final two editions of the Gavere race and 4 occasions since 2016 it virtually goes with out saying the reigning cyclocross World Champion would be the prime favorite on Thursday.