Van der Poel was also the first to announce his cross-country appearances. Just a few days later, however, Wout Van Aert's shopping list also arrived. The game of crossovers has begun between Belgium and HollandWell, compared to what happened in the winters immediately following Covid (when those two seemed like tireless machines), there will be only five head-to-head matches.
Antwerp (World Cup) on December 20.
Hofstadium (X2O) on December 22nd.
Louenhout (X2O) on December 29nd.
Mol the 2 January.
Zonhoven (World Cup) on January 4th.
Van Aert in small doses
For both, the announcement was accompanied by a series of notes from which it is clear that Times have changed: the age of carefreeness is probably overOne has to deal with Pogacar's invasiveness, the other with results that aren't always up to par.
«Wout submitted his proposal to us quite early – he explains Mathieu Heijboer, head of engineering at Visma Lease a Bike – and there wasn't much to discuss. We know what it takes to do well, without this diminishing the road seasonThere is a tacit agreement on respecting the retreats, but for example, it will not be possible for him to participate in the one in Spain between December 8th and 16th.
«We have planned eight cyclocross races, all in BelgiumIt's no coincidence: we want to minimize travel time so as not to increase stress and fatigue. Likewise, we think that three days of racing in a row is excessive, both in terms of effort and health, so Wout will focus on doubles. At this time of year, you also need to train with a lot of volume and there needs to be time to do it."
Van del Poel's pneumonia
As for Van der Poel, it seems that the Dutchman still has the aftermath of Tour pneumonia or so his father Adrie said to explain the fact that from July onwards, Mathieu won a stage at the Renewi Tour and then stopped while it was still August.
"He's been struggling with it for a long time," Adrie said. "It wasn't just a cold. After the Tour, he rested for two weeks. When he resumed, he kept complaining that he still didn't feel like himself and was very disappointed in the race.At the Renewi Tour, for example, he finished second, but he still wasn't performing brilliantly. This is also why he stopped and resumed training very slowly. There are important goals next year and it's better to recover properly before starting again..
«Mathieu has been feeling much better for a few weeks, I can tell by the messages he sends me. I went to visit him in Spain three weeks ago and it's clear he has a goal.He had a beautiful smile, he comes out in his jersey and shorts. He'll come back when he feels ready to compete for the win."
Miracles at the box office
The organizers must comply with these technical considerations. Once the calendars have been received, whether they are Flanders Classics or Great goal, it's up to them contact the champions' team managers and try to understand what conditions they will arrive in and how their races will fit into the busy winter training camp schedule. Then they contact the mayors of the municipalities where the competitions will take place., because it's obvious that everyone wants to host the challenge of the two. This on the one hand means spending more, but also having a significantly higher public presence.
«If one of Wout and Mathieu is at the start – Christoph Impens of Golazo explained to Het Nieuwsblad – the number of spectators increases. If you have both, the effect is even greater.Without them, the Mol race usually has around 1.500 spectators. One year we moved it to Friday evening, at the beginning of the Christmas holidays, and Wout and Mathieu both started. The spectators grew to 6.000. Last year in Loenhout there were 15.800, a record».
On the cost front, the two's salary is around 15 thousand and 20 thousand euros each for each race. «You have to be able to afford it – Impens comments again – but The extra revenue generated by Van Aert and Van der Poel usually covers the additional costsThey could ask for much more, but they don't, and we're grateful for that. They're very reasonable: After the pandemic, they fixed the price and it hasn't changed much since then.».
Van Aert, world cup maybe
The last knot to be untied concerns the world championship in HulstLast year Wout ruled out taking part in Lievin's challenge, but instead he slipped into the pack at the last moment and took second place, 45 seconds behind. Van der Poel.
"It certainly wasn't a game on our part," says Heijboer. "The door was closed until Wout suddenly opened it. Honestly, it's ajar right now. We are not focusing on the world championships And we don't even want to make a final decision on that. Wout started training again a little earlier and is in better shape than last year. At the same time, He hasn't done much specific cross-country training yet, at most a bit of gravel.Technically, we shouldn't expect too much from him in the first few races, but he's improving."
Van der Poel, World Championship certain
Van der Poel will instead conclude his cross-country season at the World Championships, to go chasing his eighth world title. Hulst's path, his father says, he likes very much.
«There are some stretches in the meadows – explained Adrie Van der Poel, winner of a world cross championship – that when it rains they can get very muddy and are definitely a problem for WoutBut aside from that and the challenges among the fans, the course must be good and safe, and these are aspects that are sometimes overlooked."
Van der Poel's debut was scheduled for December 14th in Namur, a World Cup event, but it's up in the air due to the world champion's health. It's a shame that neither of them will be present. next Sunday at the Terralba test, in Sardinia. The Italian public would certainly have appreciated it.
