Van der Poel vs. Van Aert: Experts say we won't get a real duel — "Mathieu won’t waste any time"

Van Aert completed his first serious cyclo-cross training session just this past Friday. "In the morning, we went into the woods together," training partner Daan Soete told Sporza. "That’s the time to fine-tune all the equipment. Wout had to get used to cornering, riding in the sand, and using softer tires again. It didn’t go as smoothly as it usually does after a few races, but after half an hour, I could see his experience kicking in."

Soete saw firsthand how battered Van Aert was after his crash in the Vuelta a España. "I’ve rarely seen someone so seriously injured without having broken any bones. It was almost like a war wound." Despite this, Soete doesn’t think Van Aert is at a disadvantage when it comes to running, even though his injury delayed his running training. "He hasn’t complained to me about it. I can imagine that you lose some ground after such an injury, but I think he’s largely made up for it. Judging by his pace on Strava, it doesn’t seem to bother him too much. He definitely won’t be left behind."

It’s impossible to separate these eternal rivals from each other, but just like Van Aert has already tried to temper expectations, so does Soete. "Wout will mostly be testing how he feels in the race. How deep can he go, and how quickly does he recover after a hard effort? Just coming back from that injury is already a big challenge. He shouldn’t worry about anyone else."

Still, there’s no doubt that Van Aert is lining up to compete. "Don’t forget: it’s about more than just preparation. Expectations are always high for Wout and Mathieu in cyclo-cross. When there’s a crowd watching, you don’t want to finish 15th. That’s why they always give it everything," Soete explained.

Other cyclo-cross experts also doubt there will be a real duel between Van der Poel and Van Aert, especially after Van der Poel’s performances over the past week. "Nobody should expect a showdown between Wout and Mathieu. It’s not going to happen," Sven Nys told Het Nieuwsblad. "Cyclo-cross is much more of a goal for Mathieu this winter than it is for Wout. On top of that, Mathieu had far less ground to make up. And to top it off, Wout was also sick earlier this week, which hasn’t helped." Nys even believes there won’t be any meaningful duel between the two this entire winter.

The course in Loenhout also doesn’t play to Van Aert’s strengths, according to experts. "I just heard Erwin Vervecken say that the course is surprisingly dry. So, don’t expect a close battle there. Loenhout has a long, wide start, and Mathieu won’t waste any time. He’ll want to be the first to enter the field and that stretch towards the party tent," said Paul Herygers.

Van der Poel himself remains calm about the situation. "Racing against Wout is something I’ve been doing for more than ten years, so it feels familiar to have him there," he said. Can Van Aert compete with Van der Poel right away? "Being sick certainly won’t have helped him, but he’s the best judge of his own condition," Van der Poel told IDLProCycling.com yesterday.