Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) surprised the cycling world by announcing his participation in the cyclo-cross World Championships in Liévin, France, on Sunday. This means the public will have the opportunity to witness a major duel between van Aert and his main rival Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck).
The three-time cyclo-cross world champion van Aert has only made four starts this winter and had ruled out participation in the World Championships to recover from a knee injury sustained in the Vuelta and focus on the spring classics.
"I feel good, the winter has gone successfully," confirmed van Aert. "The World Championships came to mind recently, and after the World Cup event in Maasmechelen, the Belgian national team coach, my coach at Visma-Lease a Bike, and I decided to participate. I am looking forward to competing in this beautiful race, and I believe the added excitement will help me achieve my big goals in road racing."
Van Aert and van der Poel competed together at the Maasmechelen World Cup last Saturday, with the Dutchman, who took the win, finishing more than a minute ahead of the Belgian star in second place.
"Wout is a true cyclo-cross fan. He indicated that he wanted to participate. We discussed it and considered all aspects, and as a team, we fully support Wout," said Mathieu Heijboer, Head of Performance at Visma-Lease a Bike.
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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