Wout van Aert is continuing to be coy about his possible return to cyclo-cross this season, saying that his calendar is not yet decided but that he is "already getting the itch" to race in the mud.
Whilst Van der Poel has not given all that much hope of him spending much time on the CX bike this winter, Van Aert has given his fans more reasons to be hopeful, particularly with the World Championships taking place in Belgium in January –
It's the first time in six years that Worlds have been in his home country, and the first since 2016 that spectators will be allowed, with the 2021 Worlds taking place with no crowds due to the Covid pandemic.
"I'm already getting the itch," he admitted to DPG Media. "But for me it is important to wait long enough and make a well-considered choice, because the road season follows immediately after the cyclo-cross season, for which I am ambitious."
Having raced the Vuelta a España and Road World Championships, Van Aert has only recently switched focus to cyclo-cross, which is why he's hesitant to commit to a schedule just yet, despite the 'cross season being well underway.
"I've only been training for a week. The focus is still on the basics, and I haven’t done any specific work yet," he said. "Give me another three weeks to see what my fitness is like and how much more training I need before I'm race-ready. For now, nothing is set in stone."
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He confirmed that he will stay in Belgium until the start of December, and is then due on Visma-Lease a Bike road training camp on December 8.
If that pattern of the last five years is to be repeated, Van Aert's debut – if he decides to race – is likely to come only towards the end of December, with a short but sweet campaign probably all that is possible before he must focus on road preparation, with his main goals at the Spring Classics coming only a few weeks after the conclusion of the 'cross calendar.
Last year, he made his CX debut at the World Cup in Antwerp on December 20, and had intended to race through to at least mid-January, but his season was cut short when he injured his ankle at Exact Cross Mol on January 2.
He could be tempted to lengthen his season this winter, though, with the World Championships taking place at home in Oostende at the end of January.
"A World Championship on home soil is more appealing than a World Championship that is far away," he said. "I already rode a World Championship in Oostende in 2021 without spectators, and I would love to get a taste of it with a large crowd."
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Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported on the ground at all of the biggest events on the calendar, including the men's and women's Tours de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espana, the Spring Classics and the World Championships. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.
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