On New Year’s Day, Team Jumbo-Visma will officially make the swap to Cervélo bikes, with one exception. Being mid-stream in the wet and wild cyclo-cross season, however, Wout van Aert will take the start at the GP Sven Nys in Baal on January 1 on his current Bianchi and complete his 'cross season with the same machine, according to reports by Wielerflits.
Jumbo-Visma will climb aboard Cervélo bikes in 2021, a change which will be made for both the men’s WorldTour team and the new women's Continental team.
Van Aert has already been spotted testing out his new Cervélo road bike, but will stick to his Bianchi 'cross bike to ensure consistency through to the World Championships at the end of January.
It has been reported by the Netherlands news outlet that the new year may bring a new look to the existing 'cross bike for Van Aert to align with the team colours of yellow and black, rather than the famed Celeste colour of the Bianchi brand.
Van Aert won Sunday’s muddy World Cup race in Dendermonde, putting him in the overall World Cup leader’s jersey with two events to go. It was a commanding win by over three minutes to rival and second-place finisher Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), who is third in the World Cup rankings.
"It was a difficult race but I love these circumstances. It was one of the craziest crosses I’ve ever done," Van Aert said on the team web site after his second victory of the season. "It was epic and I really enjoyed it."
After his start on Friday in Baal, the fifth of eight stops in the X2O Badkamers Trofee series, Van Aert will race the World Cup in Hulst on January 3. His schedule also includes the Belgian National Championships in Meulebeke on January 9 and the X2O Trophy race in Hamme on January 23, culminating with the Worlds in Ostend at the end of January, where he'll again be up against defending champion Van der Poel.
The Bianchi bikes used on the road for Jumbo-Visma were auctioned online by the team in December, with the sales closing on Sunday. Five bikes ridden by Van Aert were sold, out of a total of 28 items, with his Aquila TT Celeste commanding the second-highest price at €17,000. This bike was described as helping the Belgian take silver in the World Championships in Imola in September.
