The 2024-25 cyclocross season is in full swing with the highest sequence together with the Superprestige, X2O Trofee and Precise Cross getting underway final month.
Star riders together with Eli Iserbyt, Fem van Empel, Thibau Nys and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado have all resumed racing and successful in current weeks, although the 2 superstars of the ‘cross world, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, have not but returned to motion.
Each males have been coaching in Spain lately following the tip of their 2024 street seasons. Van der Poel ended his marketing campaign with a bronze on the Street Worlds and the rainbow jersey on the Gravel Worlds. Van Aert, in the meantime, hasn’t raced since crashing out of the Vuelta a España in September.
The pair have been based mostly within the in style low season coaching location of Alicante in southeastern Spain. Van der Poel has been coaching alongside gravel racer Freddy Ovett in Spain, whereas on Tuesday Van Aert logged 2,000 metres of elevation throughout a 127km journey within the hills north of Benidorm.
Whereas they have been as soon as fixtures of the cyclocross season from September or October by means of to February, in current seasons they’ve began their campaigns in late November or early December with choice given to their street campaigns.
Van Aert is not anticipated to return to motion earlier than the tip of December after a Visma-Lease A Bike coaching camp which concludes on December 19. Due to this fact, he might make his season debut on the World Cup rounds in Hulst or Zonhoven on December 21 or 22.
Van der Poel’s plans are much less clear. In early October, the Dutchman mentioned, “We nonetheless must resolve whether or not or not I’ll race cyclocross this winter.”
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Final week, the Dutch nationwide cyclocross coach Gerben De Knegt mentioned “He does have plans for cyclocross, however the query is whether or not it suits” together with his planning for the 2025 street season.
With the longer term plans of the pair nonetheless unclear, a number of ex-pros gave their opinion to WielerFlits. Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal directeur sportif, the three-time world champion Mario De Clercq, predicted that they’d be again in motion earlier than the brand new 12 months.
“I believe they’re going to each be again racing on the finish of December,” he mentioned. “They cannot do nothing for the entire winter, can they? I do not suppose that can ever occur, they usually’ll by no means need that.”
Bart Wellens, himself a double world champion and DS at Intermarché-Wanty, mentioned that Van der Poel and Van Aert possible would not tackle many races, with not a lot time passing between the tip of December and the Cyclocross Worlds in Liévin on February 2.
“They will by no means be capable of do many races. If they begin on the weekend of Hulst, they’re going to rapidly attain the Worlds – particularly realizing that almost all groups do an additional coaching camp in January,” he mentioned. “I believe that is a little bit of a disgrace however they’re all the time welcome in our sport and we additionally want them, to some extent.
“By the best way, in case you’re solely going to take action little cyclocross, you then’re doing the UCI a disservice. They’ve made the World Cup [which this season runs 12 rounds between November 24 and January 26 – Ed.] compact particularly for these two. If somebody like Van der Poel ignores a big a part of these races, then that is a giant center finger to the UCI.
“If they are saying ‘We’re not coming’ then it’s a must to depend on new high riders like Nys, who you have put at a drawback with the brand new calendar. They will be drained initially of the Worlds, the place it might be robust to beat Van der Poel or Van Aert even when they have been recent.”
One other double world champion, Niels Albert, mentioned that the pair “convey a sure environment” to cyclocross once they do compete. He added that he thinks they’re going to need to return to the game the place they constructed their reputations.
“They each come from ‘cross, that’s their previous and the idea of their profession,” he mentioned. “Cyclocross can also be a pleasant household sport to compete in. In that respect, I believe they nonetheless prefer it and that they nonetheless need to get that feeling each winter.”
