Cyclocross legend shrugs off Van der Poel's possible absence: 'Van Aert is the big man and will save cyclocross'

A lot will depend on whether the two stars show up, as cyclocross legend Paul Herygers also knows. “Try planning the rest of your season—are they coming or aren’t they?” he wonders in an interview with Sporza.

“Imagine pushing your body to the limit, only to find out that Van der Poel isn’t coming to the World Championships in Ostend. Only Van der Poel himself can answer that question, but the rest of us are really hitting a wall.”

In recent years, Van Aert and Van der Poel have always joined the cyclocross season a bit later due to their road racing schedules. The same will be true this year as well, but for Van der Poel, there’s an even bigger question mark hanging over his head due to his impending fatherhood. This means he’s not sure if he’ll be in the field at all.

It would certainly be a setback for cyclocross if the world champion were to skip the race. But Herygers doesn’t see it as a major problem. “Don’t forget that Van der Poel is a huge crowd-pleaser, but Van Aert outshines everyone, big and small. He’s long been canonized in the Kempen and beyond. Van Aert is the big man and will save cyclocross.”

Still, it’s a remarkable statement. The Belgian rider from Visma | Lease a Bike didn’t win a single race last year and was also beaten every time by his Dutch rival the winter before.

The last time he beat him? That was in Benidorm, 2024. Van Aert won the race after Van der Poel took a double crash. Last year, he finally seemed to be competing with the world champion—until his nasty crash.

"Van Aert was brutally knocked out of the race last year in Mol by his crash in the snow," says Herygers. He expects Van Aert to be in top form and ready to make his move early on.

"He's had a fantastic season on the road, but I don't think he'll hesitate for too long. For talented riders like him, cyclocross isn’t grueling. Riders like that are used to pushing their bodies to the limit. So it’s possible that Van Aert will be the first to make a move.”

Will he have to go up against Van der Poel? Herygers thinks the Dutchman is definitely going to race.

“He’s leaving us in the dark with a question mark as big as a truck. That he won’t race because he’s going to be a dad? I see it differently. I don’t know a single rider who’d rather babysit than race cyclocross. He might be the first to choose that, but there’s so much excitement ahead on the course,” concluded Herygers.