A first workout… a week ago
As Sporza points out, the Antwerp native only did his first cyclo-cross training last Friday… just a week before his first race.
“It’s always a good time to check that the equipment is up to par”explained for the Dutch-speaking media his training companion and friend Daan Soete, recently become Belgian sand running champion, “I saw that Wout had to get back to his habits in the turns, the sand or with less inflated tires. I noticed that it was not as easy as after having competed in a few races.”
“Back on track”: Wout van Aert shares good news (PHOTO)
But Soete remains confident for his friend van Aert: “I felt that after half an hour his experience was resurfacing. He will quickly regain confidence on the bike.”
After his heavy fall in the Vuelta, van Aert nevertheless did not arrive in his best form in the plowed sections, “but the base is certainly there”slips Soete who believes that “Wout directly reaches a certain level after a few weeks of training.”
“War wound”
If the Belgian resumes the cyclo-cross season so late, it would be due to his delay in running work, which he had to put aside for a long time following his serious knee injury sustained in the Vuelta. “A war wound”indicates his training companion, “I’ve rarely seen someone so seriously injured without a broken bone.”
But Soete is adamant that van Aert will have no problem running. “He didn’t complain about a possible problem at this level, to me anyway. I think above all that he worked in anticipation of the route. But from what I see on Strava, he doesn’t seem to be in too much pain during the run. I’m sure he won’t be left behind in the race.”
“It’s still under discussion”: will Wout van Aert finally participate in the Cyclo-cross Worlds?
To the point of being able to directly compete with Mathieu van der Poel, who achieved three out of three this Thursday in Gavere? Daan Soete is more cautious and believes that the Loenhout cross-country race should not be summed up as a duel between the Dutchman and his friend van Aert: “Wout will have to rediscover his sensations in the plowed fields. Mathieu is at another level and did not have to undergo a long revalidation. Wout must concentrate on himself and is experienced enough for that. But with the public who will be Now, he won’t want to finish in an anonymous 15th place and will give it his all.”
