🎥 Van Aert trains with Soete and 11-year-old Loic Wynants in preparation for clash with Van der Poel in Mol

Van Aert has meanwhile started training seriously, his Strava proves. A lap is not a punishment for riding a road bike in sunny Spain. In the week between December 9 and 15, the Belgian top cyclist made 767 kilometers, with more than 11,000 meters of elevation. It meant almost 26 hours on the bike. Things are starting to look up for the 30-year-old rider.

As we reported yesterday, Van Aert still needs some specific cyclo-cross training. He doesn't think he will be very competitive in Mol. "Diving into that field in the winter is a ritual to bridge that period. Sometimes - especially when you are injured - it flashes through your mind to take it easy for a winter. But even thinking about it makes me anxious not to miss out. It's my second nature, my first love, that I always return to," Van Aert said in that article.

And although love dazzles, it doesn't suddenly set the stage for perfect preparation. "I had to focus on my rehabilitation for a very long time. I'm still working on getting my right leg as strong as my left leg. As a result, there is less time to train specific cyclo-cross aspects. So it is also a question mark how competitive I will be."

However, as seen in the footage, Van Aert is training specifically for the cyclo-cross. He is doing so with his friend (and cyclo-crosser) Daan Soete. However, a very special guest was present during this first cyclo-cross training session of the year. None other than Loic Wynants trained with the duo. And he's not just anybody: young Wynants is the Belgian U14 cyclo-cross champion and the son of former cyclist Maarten Wynants. In addition, he already keeps up well with pros like Soete and Van Aert, which looks promising.

"For Wout, it was his first cyclo-cross training in the woods this season. He adjusted his equipment with his team," Soete told Sporza. "You can see he doesn't race his legs yet, but after half an hour of training, he was already improving. In Mol, he will have mastered the technique again."