The heady days of the cyclocross duels between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel appear to be winding down because the Belgian introduced a curtailed marketing campaign that may see the 2 riders head to head in solely six races, all in the course of the ‘Kerstperiode‘ festivals round Christmas.
Van Aert will begin sooner than the Dutchman, taking up the Precise Cross in Essen on December 9. The primary face-off with Van der Poel might be on the Precise Cross in Mol on December 22, the place the Dutchman makes his season debut.
The duo can even conflict on the UCI World Cup rounds in Antwerp, Gavere, and Hulst, with the December 27 Superprestige spherical at Heusden-Zolder their different match-up.
Van der Poel, who is about to tackle round 15 races this cyclocross season, has the Superprestige Diegem and Precise Cross Loenhout on December 28 and 29, due to this fact avoiding one other conflict with Van Aert in Heusden-Zolder.
“I’m trying ahead to beginning the cyclocross once more quickly. It is nice to see the followers once more. These races are at all times particular for me,” Van Aert mentioned on the Jumbo-Visma workforce’s web site.
“It is a acutely aware determination to do a shorter programme,” He competed in 14 ‘cross races final season, successful 9 earlier than ending second to Van der Poel at Worlds.
“Final 12 months, I discovered it mentally troublesome to concentrate on the cyclocross season after which transfer on to the spring. I did not wish to depart something to probability with the Spring Classics. That’s the reason, with a heavy coronary heart, I’m driving a extra restricted programme.
“It should undoubtedly be troublesome to succeed in a excessive degree. I’ve a couple of races to get in form, after which it would cease already. I hope to show myself throughout these races. For the primary time, it will likely be totally different from what I’m used to, however with a better purpose in thoughts.”
In January, Van Aert will ring within the new 12 months on the X2O Trofee spherical in Baal – in any other case often known as the GP Sven Nys – on January 1. Three days later he’ll race the X2O Trofee in Koksijde. Each races see him tackle Van der Poel once more.
The workforce said that Van Aert’s participation within the Zonhoven and Benidorm World Cups later within the month is unsure as a result of they bracket the workforce’s coaching camp and would contribute to fatigue within the run-up to the spring highway season.
Van der Poel is about to tackle each of these occasions, possible becoming round an Alpecin-Deceuninck camp in Spain as he did this 12 months. He rounds out his cyclocross season with the late January races on the X2O Trofee in Hamme, the World Cup in Hoogerheide, and with a defence of his world title in Tabor on February 4.
Wout van Aert’s 2023-24 cyclocross schedule
- December 9 – Precise Cross Essen
- December 22 – Precise Cross MolÂ
- December 23 – UCI World Cup AntwerpÂ
- December 26 – UCI World Cup Gavere
- December 27 – Superprestige Heusden-Zolder
- December 30 – UCI World Cup Hulst
- January 1 – X2O Trofee Baal/GP Sven NysÂ
- January 4 – X2O Trofee Koksijde
- January 7 – UCI World Cup Zonhoven (unsure)
- January 21 – UCI World Cup Benidorm (unsure)
Mathieu van der Poel’s 2023-24 cyclocross schedule
- December 22 – Precise Cross MolÂ
- December 23 – UCI World Cup AntwerpÂ
- December 26 – UCI World Cup Gavere
- December 28 – Superprestige Diegem
- December 29 – Precise Cross Loenhout
- December 30 – UCI World Cup Hulst
- January 1 – X2O Trofee Baal/GP Sven Nys
- January 4 – X2O Trofee Koksijde
- January 7 – UCI World Cup Zonhoven
- January 21 – UCI World Cup Benidorm
- January 27 – X2O Trofee Hamme
- January 28 – UCI World Cup Hoogerheide
- February 4 – UCI World Championships Tabor
