Wout van Aert‘s restricted cyclocross schedule has been revealed, and it contains solely 5 races through the vacation interval in December, although extra may but be added.
The Jumbo-Visma star doesn’t wish to gamble on his 2024 street season which incorporates the Spring Classics, the Giro d’Italia, Paris Olympic Video games, and the Highway World Championships in Zürich.
Based on Het Laatste Nieuws, van Aert will line up for 3 races the place he took the win final season – the 2 Precise Cross rounds in Mol on December 22, and Loenhout on December 29 and the Superprestige in Diegem on December 28.
His schedule additionally contains the World Cup of Antwerp on December 23 and the X2O Trofee of Baal on January 1.
Because it stands at present, the three-time cyclocross champion will skip 4 UCI World Cup races, Namur on December 17, Gavere on December 26, Hulst on December 30 and Zonhoven on January 7.
That may be a proven fact that displeases the UCI and World Cup organiser Flanders Classics. Seeing many huge names skip World Cups, UCI President David Lappartient introduced up the concept of banning cyclocross riders who skip UCI World Cup races from collaborating within the World Championships.
He first raised this thought when U23 world champion Thibau Nys skipped Sunday’s Dendermonde World Cup after racing the Superprestige race in Niel on the day prior to this.
Van Aert’s long-time rival, and reigning cyclocross world champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) additionally plans to start out his cyclocross season in Mol and can face off in opposition to the Belgian in his 5 confirmed races.
The Dutch world champion will compete in 15 races in complete this winter, main as much as the Cyclocross World Championships in Tabor on February 4.
Van Aert’s official cyclocross racing schedule needs to be launched within the subsequent few weeks and should but embrace extra races. It’s not clear if the UCI Cyclocross World Championship in Tabor match into the plan.
The 29-year Belgian rider is at present in Colombia, because the visitor of honor for the Giro del Rigo, a highly regarded gran fondo organized by Rigoberto Urán (EF Training-EasyPost). The Colombian famous person plans to retire after the 2024 Olympics in Paris, after 18 seasons as a professional rider.