His final placement at the finish on Thonetlaan in Antwerp may have been 'only' seventh, but Wout van Aert and his team could not be dissatisfied with his first race of the cyclocross winter season. Van Aert is now worry-free, and that radiates throughout the entire squad he brings to the cyclocross. For the rest of his cyclocross campaign, things can only get better.
Immediately after the finish, a fatigued Van Aert indicated that he was happy to answer the many questions from the media present. In the end, in good spirits, he spent three minutes responding to all inquiries. "My legs were at the level I hoped for, the technique still left a bit to be desired," was his conclusion for our camera. "I didn’t have the best moments in the sand. I hope to improve that by racing many more events. But it was a successful start. This will make me a step better going into the upcoming races."
Both physically and mentally, Van Aert has felt for some time now like a completely different rider than a year ago, as we already picked up from his entourage. Was that also evident in the race? "I feel that I’m more advanced. Especially in training, recovery is going much better. And above all: my head is free. Last year, I was still halfway through rehabilitation. Every race, I was hoping my knee wouldn’t start hurting again. I don’t have those worries anymore. That’s much more pleasant." And with that, Van Aert was off.
Boven sees Van Aert enjoying himself
Team leader Jan Boven of Visma | Lease a Bike delved deeper into the matter with us after the race at our microphone. He saw a highly motivated Van Aert leading up to the cyclocross in Antwerp. "You notice that in the way he asks questions and how concerned he is with his equipment. He took control of his own training sessions, which we already did twice earlier this week in the Lichtaart forest."
Part of that also relates to the 'free head' Van Aert spoke about in his response. "He’s had a winter that’s been a bit more relaxed because he wasn’t injured. As a result, his preparation has been better. I think Wout is increasingly realizing that he really enjoys this. And that’s very important. He also enjoys the crowd and being able to experience the Christmas period like this again."
Although that preparation was disrupted two weeks ago by an illness. To what extent did that cause a setback? Boven downplays the damage: "He ultimately still had a good week in Spain, but he returned a bit earlier due to bad weather. That allowed him to do extra cyclocross training on Wednesday in Belgium together with training partner Daan Soete. Being ill is never ideal for a rider gearing up for their goals, but overall he managed well."
Flat tire as defining factor
You could also see that during the race itself. In the end, the experienced Kempenaar seemed set to fight for the podium, but that was accounted for without a flat tire. "That definitely shaped the race, I think. Otherwise, we had a chance to make the podium. It still seemed possible until one and a half laps to go. Then you could see he started making more mistakes than at the start, which he could no longer make up for. In the last lap, it was a matter of pushing to the limit to get everything out."
Van Aert didn’t always have it easy - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Does Boven also see that stronger version of Wout van Aert that the three-time world champion himself talks about? "Not exactly in terms of results, because he was still fourth in his first cyclocross then. But in terms of feeling, yes, it’s better. He still made some small mistakes then, and was looking for that toughness after the corners. You can see the group behind has made progress. They keep fighting until the end. But Wout suffered well. And he was genuinely happy."
World Championship remains uncertain
Boven and Van Aert will not be doing any more cyclocross training sessions in the coming weeks. Van Aert’s focus remains—of course—on his road season preparation, with long training rides between his cyclocross races. But those seven remaining cyclocross races, culminating with the Belgian Championships on January 11, remain goals in their own right. "Does he have more chances for the podium on other courses? Wout has chances everywhere."
The Cyclocross World Championships in Hulst (on February 1) could potentially be added to those goals. "But it’s way too early to say anything about that. It’s not out of the question, but as a team, that’s not something we’re discussing yet. We discuss everything with Wout, including the decision to race—or not race—the World Championships. We did it that way last year and the years before. As a team, we keep evaluating from race to race."
UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup - Antwerpen| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01:01:24 | |
| 2 | + 24 | |
| 3 | + 33 | |
| 4 | + 35 | |
| 5 | + 36 | |
| 6 | + 39 | |
| 7 | + 51 | |
| 8 | + 01:19 | |
| 9 | + 01:30 | |
| 10 | + 01:44 |
