Wout van Aert will become the first of the ‘big three’ of cyclocross to get his 2023-24 campaign underway on Saturday, making his winter debut at the Exact Cross, to kick-off a limited cyclocross calendar.
The Belgian will race a maximum of 10 races in the next two months before turning his attention to fully preparing for the 2024 road season and his spring goals.
Jumbo-Visma coach Mathieu Heijboer, who now oversees Van Aert’s training following the departure of Marc Lamberts, described his cyclocross season as “more of a means than an end,” explaining why Van Aert will not ride the UCI Cyclocross World Championships at the end of January.
“This winter the cyclocross is much more of a means than an end. Everything is based on spring,” Heijboer told Het Nieuwsblad.
“Last winter, the cyclocross was really still a goal and there was a first peak towards the World Championships in Hoogerheide. After that, there was a physical and mental decompression, especially since a certain level of disappointment had to be dealt with.”
Van Aert’s cyclocross debut is built around a 10-day December Jumbo-Visma training camp that sits between his debut this weekend in Essen and his return to cyclocross on December 22 in Mol.
He then has an intense block of racing at Christmas, with UCI World Cup races at Antwerp (December 23), Gavere (December 26), Hulst (December 30), and the X2O Trofee round of the GP Sven Nys in Baal (January 1). Van Aert will tackles seven races in two weeks, with little time for the holidays or endurance road training.
World Cup showings at Zonhoven (January 7) and Benidorm (January 21) are uncertain, with road training in January considered more important.
Van Aert will face off against eternal rival Mathieu van der Poel in Mol, Antwerp, Gavere, Hulst, Ball, and Koksijde – and possibly Zonhoven and Benidorm – but Heijboer suggested that his level of fitness will be lower than in a 2022-23 season where he scored nine wins and five second places from 14 starts.
“Wout’s level will be lower than last year. Wout won’t be shocked by that, I won’t be shocked by that,” Heijboer said, perhaps trying to lower expectations.
“That doesn’t mean that Wout will start 15th. He is someone who always wants to win. We’re going to make the most of it for one hour at a time to improve his fitness.
“Can he win? Maybe he’s close, maybe not. But it’s important that he can complete his planned training sessions the next day in the build-up towards February. We also…
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