Unfortunately, Wout van Aert has fallen ill and will not recover in time for tomorrow's race in Mol. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back in action soon.
Mathieu van der Poel responds to absence of duel now Wout van Aert won't compete due to illness
Cyclo-crossSunday, 22 December 2024 at 15:55
Mathieu van der Poel returns to the competition on Sunday in Zonhoven, and the first duel with great rival Wout van Aert will follow on Monday in Mol. The emphasis is on would, as Visma | Lease a Bike suddenly communicated Sunday afternoon that the man from Herentals had fallen ill and would not compete in his home region.
"Unfortunately, Wout van Aert has fallen ill and will not recover in time for tomorrow's race in Mol. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back in action soon," said Visma | Lease a Bike in a short press release. In theory, the next cyclo-cross race for Van Aert would be Loenhout on December 27, although Wout needs to recover first.
While this news appeared on the phones of the press present in Zonhoven, Van der Poel was still finishing his recon. The Dutch world champion went for an extra lap with Thibau Nys since he had only used his cyclo-cross bike twice before the race day. "That's why I went for a quick extra lap," he laughed beforehand.
Read more below the photo!
Van der Poel disappointed that Van Aert will be absent
Once confronted with the news that his rival was skipping Mol, he seemed to doubt for a moment whether it was for real. "This is the first I heard of it,' responded Van der Poel, who realized it was the case. 'I think it's unfortunate, of course. Wout is always a fun opponent, and he also brings extra people, so that's a pity," the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader said to IDLProCycling.com, among others.
Van der Poel will also appear at the start in Loenhout, so in theory, that could be the upcoming duel. Afterwards, the two also meet in Dendermonde on January 5 and Maasmechelen on January 26.
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- 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