Van Aert has taken hits in recent years, "but is no longer running from his own shadow," says cycling analyst

Wout van Aert surprised many with his decision to participate in the Cyclo-cross World Championships after initially planning to skip it. Despite being on the losing end against Mathieu van der Poel over the past two years, the Belgian has chosen to face the challenge once more. Dutch cycling journalist Thijs Zonneveld sees this choice as a significant statement. "Wout is no longer running from his own shadow," he writes in his column for the Dutch outlet AD.

"I'm feeling good, and my winter has gone well. The World Championships only recently came into my mind, and after Maasmechelen, the Belgian team coach, my coach at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, and I decided to compete," Van Aert explained in the press release announcing his participation. Earlier this winter, Van Aert had decided to skip the Cyclo-cross Worlds — they just didn’t fit into his schedule. Yet here we are.

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Will we see this rivalry on Sunday?

Van Aert has been taking hits in recent years

"The half-man-half-motorbike was planning to skip the World Championships again this year, just like last year. It didn’t fit into his schedule, it demanded too much time and energy, he was still recovering from a serious crash — and, to top it off, it seemed likely that Mathieu van der Poel would beat him again. And Wout had grown a bit tired of that. Understandable, but such a shame," Zonneveld writes.

Van Aert and Van der Poel have been each other’s fiercest rivals for years, constantly pushing each other to their limits. Two years ago, Van Aert seemed on track for a fourth cyclo-cross world title, but at the decisive moment, Van der Poel proved just a little stronger. Since then, the Dutchman has had the upper hand in their duels.

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Thijs Zonneveld, who will become BEAT's version of Visma's Merijn Zeeman

Van Aert is back and ready to battle Van der Poel again

"When Van der Poel was starting a race, Van Aert wasn’t himself. He rode more cautiously, passively — sometimes even timidly. The 2023 Paris-Roubaix finale was a prime example: when they broke away together, Van Aert refused to take a turn at the front. He’d rather let the rest of the group catch up than face Van der Poel alone," Zonneveld analyzes. That trend continued into 2024, with Van Aert choosing a different race program and losing their one-on-one showdowns.

According to Zonneveld, Van Aert’s decision to compete in the World Championships now signals that he wants to challenge himself again. "Van Aert is unlikely to beat Van der Poel at the World Championships this Sunday. Even if the course turns into a mud bath and they have to swim with bikes on their backs. But the result doesn’t really matter. His participation alone sends a message — to himself, to his team, and to Van der Poel. Wout is no longer running from his own shadow. We’ve got a duel again."

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