Wout van Aert skips the Cyclo-cross World Championships in favor of his big dream goals, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix

It was not included in the cyclo-cross schedule announced for Wout van Aert, hinting that he would skip the World Championships. Now, according to HLN, it’s official: Wout van Aert will not compete in the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Liévin. The reason? He wants to fully focus on preparing for his major goals: the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

Van Aert also skipped the World Championships last year, and it seems this year will be no different. Ultimately, cyclo-cross takes a backseat to road racing. Insiders told HLN that Van Aert would need to be in top form to compete for the world title, but achieving that while building towards his spring classics is unrealistic. On top of that, the added pressure and stress of the event are something Van Aert wants to avoid in that period.

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Wout van Aert

Preparation in 2024 seemed to pay off, but we'll never know

Last year, after his final cyclo-cross race, Van Aert headed to Mallorca for a training camp before starting his road season in Almería, Jaén, and the Tour of the Algarve. His schedule then included Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. He skipped Strade Bianche and Milan-Sanremo, the latter being a surprising absence since he had participated every year since 2019. Everything was focused on finally securing a major victory, with a high-altitude training camp planned during those weeks.

It seemed to be paying off: he appeared to reach peak form, but a crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen shattered his dreams of winning a cobblestone monument. Despite the disappointment, Visma | Lease a Bike remained positive about this preparation. Tiesj Benoot, who followed a similar training program, delivered strong results, finishing fourth in Dwars door Vlaanderen and third in the Amstel Gold Race.

Van Aert seems set to stick to this preparation plan for 2025, meaning the Cyclo-cross World Championships are not an option for the Belgian. Last year, he ended his cyclo-cross season ten weeks before the Tour of Flanders. This year, the road calendar has been shifted forward by a week, placing the Maasmechelen cyclo-cross race exactly ten weeks before the Tour of Flanders. If he wants to follow the same preparation schedule, Maasmechelen would have to be his final cyclo-cross race.