Bad news for cyclo-cross fans: Van Anrooij has to end season after surgery, Van Aert returns later than expected
Cyclocross
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Cyclo-cross fans won't be able to enjoy Shirin van Anrooij in the field this winter. The 22-year-old rider of Baloise Trek Lions and Lidl-Trek announced this via her
social channels. Van Anrooij underwent surgery for a constricted femoral artery and faces a long rehabilitation. Cyclo-cross fans must wait a little longer for Wout van Aert's return.
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First, Van Anrooij had set everything on a good Tour de France Femmes on the road. No doubt many would have signed up for a thirteenth place in the final ranking, but Lidl-Trek and Van Anrooij were not satisfied with that. She competed in a few races after that but dropped out in Romandie and finished "only" 31st at the World Gravel Championships. "After some tough months on and off the bike, we finally discovered what was causing the problems in my left leg," she said.
Van Anrooij appeared to have been cycling for some time with a common cycling problem: a constricted femoral artery. As a result, riders cannot count on maximum power in the leg at maximum effort. "It was a scary diagnosis at first, but I had successful surgery, and I have a smile on my face again. I can finally start my recovery, although my offseason will be a bit longer this year."
In Zeeland (in the Netherlands), Van Anrooij begins the great unknown, as a return date is always challenging to determine in the case of such injuries. "It will be around six months before I can think of racing again, which means no cyclo-cross for me in 2024/2025. I will watch the others and cheer for them. The support I've received from my family, friends, staff, and teammates has been fantastic. That makes the process a lot easier."
Read more below the photo.
Wout van Aert still not ready for his return
This makes it a cyclo-cross winter unlike any other. Puck Pieterse will not be in the field for the time being after a long season on the road and mountain bike, and in the men's events, it remains to be seen whether Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidock will compete. This is certain for Wout van Aert, but the Belgian hope that he might start as early as the end of November now seems too optimistic.
HLN
wrote Sunday that Van Aert will not start the cyclo-cross season until late December, and then it remains to be seen whether he will include the Belgian Championships and World Championships. Visma | Lease a Bike and Van Aert, following his knee injury sustained from the Vuelta a España, prefers a solid training camp in Spain to rushing into cyclo-cross. "According to his sports director Jan Boven, Van Aert will not enter the field until after the Visma-Lease a Bike team training camp in December," it sounds.
So, the Christmas period could be fun, but until then, the current stars will have to provide entertainment. Fem van Empel, as world champion, is the only women's road racer who is already fully active in the field. Among the men, we already see Thibau Nys at work.
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- A fascinating career, but the article leans heavily on his side of the story. Were the three disqualifications all for the same equipment rule, or were there different issues each time?michael5412-11-2026
- I’m still not sure how the handlebar rules work. If another rider can rest their wrists on the bars, why was Van Schip disqualified for his position?jennifer1912-11-2026
- The UCI really needs clearer, consistently enforced rules on bike setups and riding positions. If Van Schip was being told different things from race to race, no wonder he got fed up.patriciaw12-11-2026
- Two world track titles and three pro wins is a serious career, whatever the controversies. Shame he felt the sport stopped listening to him. Hope Rotterdam gives him the send-off he deserves.tourdeforce912-11-2026
- If he finished ninth at the Tour, why didn’t he get a stage win too? I’m still trying to understand how the overall standings work.julien11-11-2026
- No ‘cross at all this winter? That’s a shame, but with his road season starting in February, I can see why he’d want a proper break. Does stepping away mean he’s done with cyclocross for good?gearguru3311-11-2026
- I like the honesty of that training post. Even the best riders feel the difference after a few weeks off, and he’s got plenty of time to build back up.samanthak11-11-2026
- Three sets of tyres in two days at the Nürburgring! The man clearly doesn’t do anything by halves. Bet a winter without cyclocross will feel strange, though.bikebuffj11-11-2026
- Fifth in the world rankings after that autumn run is some achievement. Pidcock was so aggressive at the Tour, too—hopefully he can turn a few of those near-misses into wins inpatriciaw11-11-2026
- Does XEFI’s investment mean the team will have more money to sign riders, or is it mainly a sponsorship and naming change? And is Roglič expected to race much next season?jeremya11-11-2026