Although the cyclo-cross season has already started many weeks ago, the stars of the discipline have not yet made their debut on the track. And the first to announce his program… it’s Wout Van Aert. The Belgian of training Visma | Lease a Bike plans to compete in six cyclocross races this winter. The first of these will be December 26, at Molfor a round of Telenet Super prestige. And its short season will end on January 25, at Maasmechelenon one sleeve of the World Cup. On the other hand, Van Aert will not participate, for the second consecutive year, in the World Championshipsin Liévin, France, on February 2.
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The cyclo-cross program of Wout Van Aert
– December 23: Mol – Zilvermeercross (Belgique) / Telenet Superprestige
– December 27: Loenhout – Azencross (Belgique) / Exact Cross
– January 4: Gullegem (Belgique) / Telenet Superprestige
– January 5: Dendermonde (Belgium) / World Cup
– January 19: Benidorm (Spain) / World Cup
– January 25: Maasmechelen (Belgium) / World Cup
“The program is deliberately more restricted than in previous years”
“Cyclo-cross remains my first love, that’s why I like to come back to it every winter”declares Van Aert. “This winter we have opted for a compact calendar of six races that fit well into my training plan. It will be a cyclo-cross season that I approach out of pure love of the sport, but with modest ambitions. After my crash at the Vuelta and my knee injury, it is essential to make the best use of the time I have to prepare for the road season. A few cyclocross races fit perfectly into this plan, but the. program is deliberately more limited than in previous years.”
Van Aert does not expect to reach his best form in his first race, at Mol. “That will be the first goal to achieve, but I certainly won’t be at my best then.“He will then follow up with Loenhout, Gullegem et Dendermondeafter which he will join the team Visma | Lease a Bike for a training camp. “After this camp, there are two great races on the calendar, in Benidorm and Maasmechelen, where I hope to be in better condition. I am incredibly excited to get back on the field and can’t wait to see the fans again.”concludes Van Aert.
