
While he was once again largely defeated by Mathieu Van der Poel during the New Year’s cyclo-cross, Wout Van Aert’s new strategy is starting to raise questions in Belgium. Could the Belgian champion end up being mentally damaged by this accumulation of winter defeats? The Van Aert clan responds.
Systematically beaten by Mathieu Van der Poel since the opening of the cyclo-cross season, Wout Van Aert was once again largely dominated by the Dutch world champion during the New Year’s cyclocross, conceding more than two minutes to his rival at the finish. Answering questions from The last news in comments reported by cyclingnews.com, Van Aert admitted his surprise: “ I was in shock to be honest. Mathieu was super strong. If you win by two minutes, you are simply much better ».
Cycling: Van Aert defends his strategy for the Giro https://t.co/TfO1PWbOHs pic.twitter.com/AxOjDynAea
— le10sport (@le10sport) December 27, 2023
” I know what I’m doing “
Could such a series of defeats end up morally scarring the Belgian champion and creating a sort of complex in him? Van der Poel » ? The question has started to emerge in the Flemish media where we sense the beginnings of concern. The Van Aert clan firmly refutes this hypothesis. Wout Van Aert First of all : ” Is this a disappointment? Well, I would have liked to make things a little more difficult for Mathieu. But at the same time I know what I’m doing ».
“A Van der Poel complex? That’s not the point at all.”
In the process, in the columns of Cycling fitness, Mathieu Heijboerthe new coach of Van Aert, was very clear. The plan is to do the cyclo-cross season indoors to keep as much freshness as possible for the big meetings of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, so there is nothing alarming, and even less serious. complex Van der Poel : « We want to progress steadily to reach the top level in April. This means that there will be no spike in form before but a gradual increase each month. Last year it was different, his level was already very high during the cyclo-cross season and this was followed by a gap, both physical and mental, during which he also fell ill. And upon arrival, we ran out of time when it came to preparing for spring. This new process was decided last year after the debrief of the classics campaign at the end of April. This is something that Wout fully validates. (…) Do these current defeats against Van der Poel affect his morale? This is not a subject at all. The only thing that matters is that he loves cyclocross. He is currently running because it is a type of running that he enjoys. Making choices is never easy, but by gaining height and distance, it is a decision that he supports ».