Three-time world champion Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) is to make his cyclocross season debut after the completion of Visma-Lease a Bike’s first winter coaching camp on the nineteenth of December.
The Belgian has been recovering from an harm after a critical crash on the Vuelta a España on September third pressured him to finish his street season early and left him unable to stroll for a time period.
Van Aert had received three phases of the Vuelta in a sensational return to type after a season hindered by harm. He crashed out on stage 16 whereas main the factors classification.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider returned to coaching on the street on October 4th and now seems prepared to organize for a comeback to competitors with a coaching camp in Spain arising.
“Wout is now leaving for Spain for 2 and a half weeks to coach,” Visma-Lease a Bike coach Jan Boven advised Wielerflits.
“After that we are going to sit down collectively, however he’ll solely begin once more after the primary staff coaching camp that ends on December 19.”
Van Aert’s actual date for his racing return is undetermined. Occasions instantly following the Visma-Lease a Bike coaching camp embrace the UCI World Cup in Hulst on 21 December, the World Cup in Zonhoven on 22 December and the World Cup in Gavere on 26 December.
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Final season, Van Aert started his cyclocross marketing campaign in Essen on the ninth of December, round two weeks sooner than his proposed begin this season. The same schedule was thought-about by Van Aert and the staff for this yr, however proved logistically impractical.
“[Starting in Essen] was additionally an choice now, however then you definitely solely have the races in Dublin and Sardinia. These are lengthy journeys for one race,” Boven stated.
The 30-year-old has not received the UCI cyclocross world championship since 2018, the final of his three consecutive victories. Boven didn’t verify whether or not the world championships have been on Van Aert’s schedule for this season, nor did he say what number of cyclocross races Van Aert would compete in.
In the meantime, the Belgian’s large rival, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), has but to verify whether or not or not he’ll participate within the cyclocross marketing campaign this time round.
“Will I journey cyclocross? Possibly. If I knew, I’d let you know,” Van der Poel stated a couple of weeks in the past, in accordance with Wielerflits. “We nonetheless need to determine whether or not or not I’ll journey cyclocross this winter. I’m going on vacation first, then we are going to see.”
The Dutchman, winner of six cyclocross rainbow jerseys, lately stated that his focus for the subsequent yr could possibly be on the mountain bike and has steered that he could skip the 2025 Tour de France in an effort to fulfil his goal to win the XCO world title.
Final yr, Van der Poel received a record-equalling sixth world cyclocross title. Afterwards he advised Eurosport that he deliberate to set the report outright in 2025 by profitable a seventh.
“I’m getting near doing one thing historic and also you get remembered by these sorts of issues,” Van der Poel stated.
“It is going to be a objective subsequent yr to attempt to break the report. It’s my first ardour.”
