A small tribute to the Gravel World Championships? Van Aert takes beautiful ride on unpaved paths through the woods
CyclingThursday, 10 October 2024 at 11:55
A new step in Wout van Aert's recovery! Of course, we’d rather not have had to write this, but the Belgian all-rounder seems to be finding his way back. Last weekend, the Gravel World Championships took place in and around Leuven, Belgium, but Van Aert couldn’t participate due to his recovery from the Vuelta crash. On Wednesday afternoon, he took matters into his own hands, speeding over some rough terrain.
If you adjust your map type on Strava, you can see which sections were ridden on unpaved surfaces. Van Aert’s ride, for example, showed plenty of dotted lines on the route, and he even adjusted the ride type to gravel. Was it a small tribute from the man who would have liked to race in the World Championships last weekend? Perhaps, although the star from Visma | Lease a Bike probably just enjoyed the surroundings.
Read more below the photo.
Cyclo-cross, Monuments and what else? 2025 schedule considerations for Van Aert
The 2024 season was a challenging year for Van Aert, who crashed in both Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Vuelta. These two incidents crossed out major goals, such as the Monuments Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, as well as the World Championships in Switzerland. It's still uncertain what steps Van Aert will take to pursue these major races he has yet to win.
It’s quite possible we’ll see Van Aert back in cyclo-cross sooner. He previously mentioned that he’s certainly thinking about it. "But I haven’t made a specific plan yet. After my rest period, I’ll see how we approach winter." Those thoughts may soon lead to a plan for the cyclo-cross season for the man who has decided to spend his entire cycling career racing for Visma | Lease a Bike.
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024