Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel will face off five times in the 2025-26 cyclocross season, Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed on Monday by announcing the Belgian's winter schedule.
Van Aert is set to feature in eight races, starting at the UCI World Cup round in Antwerp on December 20, and finishing with the Belgian National Cyclocross Championships in Beringen on January 11. He only raced six times in CX last season.
The five clashes with long-term rival Van der Poel will start in Antwerp, at the X20 Trofee rounds in Hofstade (December 22) and Loenhout (December 29), the Exact Cross in Mol (January 2) and finally on January 4 at the World Cup round in Zonhoven.
His three other appearances will be at Belgian nationals, Superprestige Heusden-Zolder on December 23 and at the Dendermonde World Cup – which was one of only two races that he won in cyclocross last season.
"The Christmas period is a phase of the cyclocross season that I always enjoy being part of," said Van Aert.
"Because of the races themselves, the large numbers of supporters who come thanks to the holidays, and the fact that these races fit perfectly into my build-up towards the major spring classics on the road."
Van Aert had an up-and-down road season in 2025, with another very consistent Classics campaign ultimately not resulting in a major victory, but he came into his own during Grand Tour season, winning a stunner of a stage at the Giro in Siena and a thrilling final stage of the Tour in Paris after dropping Tadej Pogačar on Montmartre.
A three-time World Champion in the 'cross field, Van Aert already has five Belgian champions' jerseys from the elite category, so he will be chasing a sixth in January, though there was no mention of his plans for the Hulst World Championships in Visma's announcement.
"A championship jersey is always motivating," he said. "It has been a while since I was able to start there, so I’m happy it fits into my schedule now. I’m looking forward to giving my best there and in the other races, and to meeting the supporters again."
Van der Poel will be eyeing up a record eighth world title in his home country of the Netherlands, after making it seven in Liévin last year. This would place him alone at the top of the all-time standings, ahead of Eric De Vlaeminck. Van Aert won his three titles in succession between 2016 and 2018, but his rival has been the dominant force ever since, winning six of the last seven championships.
Wout van Aert's full cyclocross programme 2025/26
- December 20 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Antwerp
- December 22 – X2O Trofee, Hofstade
- December 23 – Superprestige, Heusden-Zolder
- December 28 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Dendermonde
- December 29 – X2O Trofee, Loenhout
- January 2 – Exact Cross, Mol
- January 4 – UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Zonhoven
- January 11 – Belgian National Championships, Beringen
