Stunning victory for Wout van Aert in the mud: From "if only I had a minor rib injury," to "this Is why I wanted to be a cyclo-cross rider"

Van Aert already showed on Saturday in Gullegem so the legs were fine, but Dendermonde was different. The man from Visma | Lease a Bike noticed this when he woke up. When I looked out of the window this morning, I thought: if only I had a minor rib injury," he laughed wittily at rival Mathieu van der Poel, who had to skip the cyclo-cross in Dendermonde because of a rib bruise.

Interviewer Maarten Vangramberen returned to those words afterward, and Van Aert, with a face full of mud, smiled at them again. "Of course, I'm happy; I've suffered enough injuries already," said the Belgian, who could look back on the first weekend of 2025 with satisfaction. "I think I'm on track. We added those cyclo-crosses to my program to see how I was performing, and they turned out to be good, so I'm happy."

The Visma | Lease a Bike man was bound to conclude that a mudcross like Dendermonde is not quite perfect, knowing that he wants to score in the spring in April. "Physiologically, it helps, but this course was far from road cycling. It was more so in Gullegem and Loenhout, so that's a better stimulus. But you also have a fun factor; after all, that's why I wanted to become a cyclo-cross rider in the past," added Wout.

Also, speaking to IDLProCycling.com afterward, Van Aert revealed that the cyclo-cross of Dendermonde was a different kind of stimulus. "Like today, I am delighted that my body can handle this. It's an attack on the body to stay stable with your ankles in the mud like that. I still feel my knee every day and even my ribs and back from the spring. This is something that always requires attention. The fact that I can keep this up for an hour like today speaks volumes about how well I worked."

Still, the Belgian star does not remain pain-free, as he experienced some soreness during the course. "In the race's second half, I felt my right leg was bothering me a bit. But not to the extent that it slowed me down, you could tell. So we are on the right track."

Sports director Jan Boven also sees that his leader is well on schedule. "This doesn't say much for the spring, but it does say that he has processed his injury well and trained effectively. We were convinced he wouldn't start until he was good, and he's showing that here." How well is Van Aert on track? "We don't have any scheme in that respect. He's in good shape," Boven concluded.

With the win in Gullegem secured, Van Aert came to Dendermonde with great morale. He had more expectations than the day before. "Of course, you carry with you what succeeded yesterday, and then you hope to do well again today. A course that should suit me better than yesterday, so you do come to the start with more expectations that I should compete again."

Boven also knew that the Dendermonde course was tailor-made for Van Aerts. "I did expect this to be an ideal course for Wout; he has already shown that before. And the circumstances were also in Wout's favor. A lot of power, long straight sections... That was the difference from yesterday when he was also good. We came here with confidence."

Although Van Aert had to push hard in the final in Gullegem to win the race eventually, he could go all the way in Dendermonde. "Yesterday was a different course, a little more technical. Now, with those long straight sections, it was ideal for him," Boven said.

And so the winner was presented with two different cyclo-cross races last weekend: one with an exciting final and one where the Belgian rider went solo to the finish: "I understand that it seems different to the spectator, but it's just a result of how the course is," the winner replied when asked how different both races were. "My set-up was mainly to keep training after the stage and then slow down for a while due to illness. Then I did Loenhout and rested for the last two days before this weekend. However, This weekend was one where I wanted to be fresh at the start and go for it."

Anyone at the cyclo-cross this weekend in Belgium noticed and heard Wout van Aert's name everywhere. He said the rider experienced the same after the rainy cyclo-cross day in Dendermonde. "Unbelievable, on a day like today so many people. Feeling that I have so many fans does something for me. I want to thank everyone who encouraged me," he stated.

And so the rider from the Dutch Visma | Lease a bike can list two wins in two days. "For the headline, it's very nice. It always gives a great feeling to be able to do this. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me."

And now? Van Aert will not ride next week's Belgium National Championship in Heusden-Zolder, as he will leave for training camp with his team Visma | Lease a Bike. "On Tuesday I'm going to Spain for the team training camp. It will be good to train in warmer temperatures," concluded the cheerful Van Aert, who will also ride a cyclo-cross in Spain, the World Cup in Benidorm, on January 19.