Faraj Benlahoucine, Media365, published on Sunday December 22, 2024 at 5:06 p.m.
Sick, Wout Van Aert was forced to delay his return to cyclo-cross. His rival, Mathieu van der Poel, for his part easily won a World Cup stage this Sunday.
A great cyclo-cross champion, Wout Van Aert regularly surveys the muddy terrain of Belgium and the Netherlands as a preamble to his road season. But this year, the Belgian found himself forced to delay his return to school, which was supposed to take place this Monday for the Superprestige in Mol. “Unfortunately, Wout van Aert has fallen ill and will not be able to recover in time for tomorrow's race in Mol. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back in action soon,” informed his Visma-Lease a Bike team this Sunday.
As a result, Wout Van Aert's winter cyclo-cross program has shrunk and he will only take part in five events. Except in the event of a new unforeseen event, the Belgian will make his comeback on Friday during the Exact Cross in Loenhout. This race will be the first for the winner of nine stages on the Tour de France since his fall in the Vuelta at the beginning of September. In Spain before giving up, he had won three stages and scored seven podiums.
Van Aert vs van der Poel vendredi à l'Exact Cross
As for Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), the great rival of Wout Van Aert, he won the World Cup stage organized in Zonhoven this Sunday. While strolling, the world champion pushed back the competition to 1 minute 30. With disconcerting ease, the Batavian quickly took the lead before gradually widening the gap. The Belgians Thibau Nys (+1:30) and Joran Wyseure (+1:33) were unable to do anything. A great show of strength from Mathieu van der Poel whose next highly anticipated duel against Wout Van Aert will take place on Friday.
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