Wout Van Aert has made a shock and final minute choice to race subsequent Sunday’s cyclocross World Championship in Liévin, in northern France, and so a battle with everlasting rival Mathieu van der Poel is all of the sudden again on.
Belgian nationwide coach Angelo De Clercq had solely named eight of his 9 riders for the elite males’s race. Now Van Aert has been confirmed as the ultimate rider within the workforce after a late change of thoughts.
“We’re thrilled to announce that Wout Van Aert will compete within the cyclo-cross World Championships this Sunday!” Van Aert’s Visma-Lease a Bike workforce introduced on Sunday.
“Motivated by his ardour for the game, Wout expressed his sturdy need to be on the beginning line. After cautious discussions, we totally assist his choice and might’t wait to observe him give it his all on the worlds.”
Van Aert had at all times dominated out driving the cyclocross World Championship and has accomplished simply 4 cyclocross races this winter as he prioritised his restoration from the knee harm he suffered on the Vuelta a España and his 2025 Classics marketing campaign.
He briefly went shoulder to shoulder with van der Poel throughout Saturday’s Maasmechelen World Cup race and the 2 will now conflict once more in France.
Van der Poel missed some cyclocross races after fracturing a rib through the holidays however is the logical favorite to win a file equalling seventh world title. Van Aert will change for his fourth title, hoping the shape he has rebuilt throughout his winter coaching is sufficient to make him aggressive.
Van Aert is because of begin his highway racing season on the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior on February 17 after which trip the Volta ao Algarve (Feb 19-23), earlier than focusing on Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on the primary weekend of March.
“I’m feeling good, and my winter has gone properly,” Van Aert stated.
“The World Championships solely not too long ago got here into my thoughts and after Maasmechelen the Belgian workforce coach, my coach at Visma-Lease a Bike and I made a decision to compete.
“I’m excited to start out in such an attractive race, and I believe that this additional enhance is doing me good within the lead-up to larger targets on the highway.”
The Head of Performance at Visma-Lease a Bike Mathieu Heijboer stated: “Wout is a real cyclocross fanatic. He indicated that he wished to race. We mentioned it, weighed the whole lot collectively, and as a workforce, we totally assist Wout.”
