Strava shows: Wout van Aert seems to be doing things a little differently toward cross and the road
Cyclocross
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Follow us on GoogleThose who want to be good in the spring lay the groundwork during the winter. There is always little time for the beach or a nice party, because the WorldTour pros quickly get back on their bikes to grow legs for a new season. It was no different for Wout van Aert, but what can we make of the figures and choices the Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike has so far presented?
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Van Aert has been sharing his workouts on Strava for years, as many other top riders in the peloton keep their activities during the winter period a secret. Now, Van Aert doesn't show the back of his tongue either, due to the lack of heart rate and power data, but based on past years, we can of course see what he has been up to as.
In recent years Van Aert's winter was occasionally turned upside down by physical discomfort, but apart from a bout of flu in early December, the Belgian seemingly encountered little. He rode his last race in 2025 as early as Sept. 20 in the Super 8 Classic (18th), which also gave him plenty of time to slow down and then accelerate. Right?
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When did Van Aert start it in October?
To get a bit of an idea of an average Van Aert winter, we put the years 2021 through 2025 together. This shows that October is traditionally the superstar's rest month. Often, the season was already over by the end of September or early October, so he always had time for that as well. Paris-Roubaix on October 3, 2021 and the World Gravel Championship on October 8, 2023 were in this "late.
Mileage often stayed below 1,000 in October. Only in 2023 and 2024 did Van Aert record more training kilometers. In 2023, that wasn't so crazy, since he got a late start during that season and had still become a father in the summer. Some extra labor was not a crazy thought. In 2024, October was the starting month of his recovery on the bike, after a heavy crash in the Vuelta.
In October of 2025, Van Aert was on the bike for 26 hours and 49 minutes, accounting for 810.3 kilometers and 2,160 altimeters. It wasn't until October 21 that he was on the bike for the first time, which amounts to a full month off. So he had to completely reset, and then build up from scratch.'Cramped,' Van Aert wrote tellingly about his first ride after a month off.
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Van Aert was still walking around Italy on crutches in September of 2024 after a fall at the Tour of Spain.
Van Aert cycled (partly because of America) less in November
After such a long period off, you'd think Van Aert would hit the gas pedal in November. In fact, he invariably did so in recent years, whether top fit after a good season or physically battered by injury. 2,747.1 kilometers in 2021 and 2,874.5 kilometers in 2022 stood out. In 2023 Van Aert recorded 2,168.9 kilometers and in 2024 (after his Vuelta crash, that is) 2,356.1 kilometers.
The counter stuck at 2,020.3 kilometers this November. Nor did the 5,492 altimeters come close to his numbers in previous years. In 2024, he even went on a training camp as early as November to get the knee running again. In 2025, a commercial trip to America was on the cards for Van Aert, who visited sponsors in California on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike.
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Van Aert made his way to California in November, where he visited several sponsors.
Van Aert must do his best to match workload in December
Comparing December to previous years is complicated because we are still in the last month of the year. Over the past four years, the workload was pretty much the same, despite the fact that each time he started the cross season at a different time. In 2021 and 2022 he started as early as the first weekend in December, in 2023 a week later. In 2024, the knee injury caused an entry on Dec. 27.
It made little difference to the workouts Van Aert put in around it. In 2021, he recorded 2,230.1 kilometers, but in the December months of 2022, 2023 and 2024, that number was much higher with 2,874.5, 2,787.0 and 2,649.8 kilometers. Through Wednesday, Dec. 17, Van Aert covered 1,555.0 kilometers. This means he is heading for a considerably lower total in December as well.
Indeed, from December 20, a lot of crosses will follow. That starts in Antwerp and goes via Hofstade (22), Heusden-Zolder (23), Dendermonde (28), Loenhout (29), Mol (Jan. 2) and Zonhoven (Jan. 4) to the BK on Jan. 11 in Beringen. Van Aert is thus free with Christmas and New Year's, perhaps moments for some long training sessions.
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Cross program Van Aert offers room for catching up
In short: a long vacation, a (purely numerically) less intensive November and the December month that also does not yet indicate a huge workload, even though Van Aert did already go to Spain for a week with Visma | Lease a Bike and was thus sick for a while. What are we to make of all that? The fact is that Van Aert came out of the road season top fit and clearly has a plan.
Now that he is skipping the cyclocross World Championships, Visma | Lease a Bike and Van Aert are at least clearing space with his cross calendar to catch up in January, if necessary. In photos, he already looks sharp, and past experience has always shown that if Van Aert finishes a season without injury and with good legs, he'll be on target next spring. That promises, but first cyclocross!
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Strava figures Wout van Aert in October, November and December 2021 through 2025
2021
October: 702.3 kilometers, 29 hours and 27 minutes, 3,270 altimeters
November: 2,747.1 kilometers, 91 hours and 31 minutes, 9,523 altimeters
December: 2,230.1 kilometers, 76 hours and 41 minutes, 21,651 altimeters
October: 702.3 kilometers, 29 hours and 27 minutes, 3,270 altimeters
November: 2,747.1 kilometers, 91 hours and 31 minutes, 9,523 altimeters
December: 2,230.1 kilometers, 76 hours and 41 minutes, 21,651 altimeters
Total: 5,679.5 kilometers 197 hours and 39 minutes, 34,444 altimeters
Cross-entry: Dec. 4 Boom, 10 crosses, no World Cup
2022
October: 853.3 kilometers, 34 hours and 28 minutes, 1,527 altimeters
November: 2,874.5 kilometers, 96 hours and 23 minutes, 8,994 altimeters
December: 2,698.1 kilometers, 90 hours and 58 minutes, 24,553 altimeters
October: 853.3 kilometers, 34 hours and 28 minutes, 1,527 altimeters
November: 2,874.5 kilometers, 96 hours and 23 minutes, 8,994 altimeters
December: 2,698.1 kilometers, 90 hours and 58 minutes, 24,553 altimeters
Total: 6,425.9 kilometers, 221 hours and 49 minutes, 35,074 altimeters
Cross-entry: Dec. 4 Antwerp, 14 crosses, does World Cup
2023
October: 1,216.0 kilometers, 37 hours and 10 minutes, 10,142 altimeters
November: 2,168.9 kilometers, 70 hours and 59 minutes, 11,478 altimeters
December: 2,787.0 kilometers, 90 hours and 49 minutes, 21,916 altimeters
October: 1,216.0 kilometers, 37 hours and 10 minutes, 10,142 altimeters
November: 2,168.9 kilometers, 70 hours and 59 minutes, 11,478 altimeters
December: 2,787.0 kilometers, 90 hours and 49 minutes, 21,916 altimeters
6,171.9 kilometers, 198 hours and 58 minutes, 43,536 altimeters
Cross-entry: Dec. 9 Essen, 9 crosses, no World Cup
2024
October: 1,330.3 kilometers, 44 hours and 53 minutes, 3,106 altimeters
November: 2,356.1 kilometers, 78 hours and 8 minutes, 24,694 altimeters
December: 2,649.8 kilometers, 88 hours and 59 minutes, 18,698 altimeters
October: 1,330.3 kilometers, 44 hours and 53 minutes, 3,106 altimeters
November: 2,356.1 kilometers, 78 hours and 8 minutes, 24,694 altimeters
December: 2,649.8 kilometers, 88 hours and 59 minutes, 18,698 altimeters
6,336.2 kilometers, 212 hours and 38 minutes, 46,498 altimeters
Cross entry: Dec. 27, Loenhout, 6 crosses, does World Cup
2025
October: 810.3 kilometers, 26 hours and 49 minutes, 2,160 altimeters
November: 2,020.3 kilometers, 68 hours and 11 minutes, 5,492 altimeters
December: 1,555.0 kilometers, 50 hours and 16 minutes, 14,697 altimeters
October: 810.3 kilometers, 26 hours and 49 minutes, 2,160 altimeters
November: 2,020.3 kilometers, 68 hours and 11 minutes, 5,492 altimeters
December: 1,555.0 kilometers, 50 hours and 16 minutes, 14,697 altimeters
4,385.6 kilometers, 145 hours and 16 minutes, 22,349 altimeters
Cross entry: Dec. 20 Antwerp, 8 crosses, no World Cup
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
- 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
- If the roster is nearly complete, why bring up Roglič at all? Feels like the article is turning a firm “no” into a transfer rumour.andrewf11-11-2026
- Wuling is no joke—105 km of climbing to 3,275 metres is brutal. Five minutes off Dyball’s record is still an incredible ride.velodromevirtuoso111-11-2026
- Roglič at TotalEnergies would be a fascinating move, but Heulot sounds pretty clear that it isn’t happening. His experience could be a massive boost for the younger riders, though.jennifer1911-11-2026
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026