Belgian cyclo-cross experts say Van Aert has the advantage at World Championship in Liévin: "If there's one thing Wout excels at..."

Belgium is buzzing with excitement as Wout van Aert has decided to compete in the Cyclo-cross World Championship in Liévin. This weekend, the three-time world champion announced that he would participate after all, much to the delight of Belgian cycling analysts, who believe their compatriot wouldn’t join unless he had a real chance of winning.

Niels Albert, himself a former cyclo-cross champion, feels his earlier prediction has come true. "I had a feeling early on," he wrote in his column for Het Laatste Nieuws. "Back in early December, I suggested in this column that the door to the World Championship was still pretty open for Wout van Aert. The characteristics of that northern French course seemed to give him a good chance, or so I believed."

"I wondered whether it was possible for him to reconsider after assessing how he fared during the second training camp with Visma | Lease a Bike in Spain and the two World Cup races in Benidorm and Maasmechelen. The fact that the race is so close to home is another factor. He could, so to speak, have breakfast at home in the morning and tuck his kids into bed in the evening." Based on his Strava data, it's clear that van Aert had made big strides during the training camp Albert is referring to.

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"If there's one thing Wout excels at..."

The exact state of the course in Liévin remains uncertain, but Albert is confident Van Aert will thrive. "I stand by my words: this course is made for him. It’s not the most technical, but it’s one where you can fully utilize your power. And if there’s one thing Wout excels at, it’s sustaining high power over a long period of time."

"Again, Liévin is more straightforward, which makes me think Wout is more ready than ever to take on Mathieu. This could finally be the direct battle we’ve been waiting for all winter but haven’t seen yet, partly due to various circumstances."

Despite Van der Poel’s dominance this cyclo-cross season, Albert tempers expectations. "So you won't hear me claim that Van Aert is guaranteed to beat Van der Poel in Liévin. But against this strong Wout, Mathieu will need to be at 100%. Not like in Tabor twelve months ago, where he won his sixth world title but didn’t have his best day of the season. If that happens again, it could get very interesting."

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Wellens: "Without Wout, the Belgians had no chance of keeping Mathieu from the title"

"Did Wout allow himself to be pressured by public opinion? He just might have," former cyclo-cross specialist Bart Wellens speculated in his column for Het Nieuwsblad. "Everyone kept saying Liévin is a course tailor-made for him. He’s not going to lose Paris-Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders because he raced cyclo-cross for one extra week. I admire the fact that they dared to adjust his schedule."

Van Aert could be the savior for the Belgian team, as Wellens saw little hope without him. "Without Wout, the Belgians had no chance of keeping Mathieu from the title. But now it’s a different story. On a course like Liévin, where there’s little room for technical errors, it’s definitely possible. This could turn out to be the best decision of his season."

"I’m sure Mathieu raised an eyebrow when he heard Wout would be competing. ‘Oh no, here he comes again.’ Though he won’t show it outwardly," Wellens said of the two-time world champion. "Publicly, he’ll remain calm, but he knows Wout is someone he has to take seriously. Without Wout, Mathieu would have been in the clear after two or three laps. That’s not going to be the case now."

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"Wout is just better than I thought he would be this season"

Of course, Wellens acknowledged that Van der Poel has been operating at a higher level, which means he is still the favorite to defend his world title. "But the gap with Wout is smaller than I thought it would be at the start of the season. Wout is just better than I thought he would be this season."

Almost everyone sees Van Aert’s participation as a blessing, as it adds excitement to the Worlds. Almost everyone. Jens Adams ha been dropped from the Belgian selection following Van Aert’s inclusion. "He’s the unlucky one. The other Belgians now know they’re fighting for third place — that’s just the reality." Thibau Nys also seems unlikely to challenge for the win, Wellens suggested. "Something’s clearly off," he said after the European champion struggled through illness last weekend.

"But by now, we know Thibau. When he’s focused on something, everything else takes a backseat. He makes choices for himself, and he’s likely decided not to push himself this Sunday. I don’t think he’ll lose sleep over it this weekend. His main goal is to stand on the podium alongside the two greats. Whatever that means for the rest of the Belgians."

Read also

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