The 5 races where we will see the anticipated Van Aert vs Van der Poel

Wout Van Aert has already set a date for his return to cyclocross. The Visma Lease a Bike rider will focus this winter on a compact cyclocross calendar with only eight participations, all of them between December 20 and January 11. An extremely intense block that replaces the traditional long calendar with a surgical preparation aimed at arriving with guarantees for the spring classics.

Official CX Calendar of Wout van Aert 2025-26

Far from the image of an omnipresent Van Aert in winter, his strategy is to maintain competitive spark without jeopardizing his road preparation. Instead of spreading races over two months, he has concentrated all the work in the period of maximum demand, that is the Christmas segment of the Belgian calendar, where the most media-covered circuits and the greatest public support come together.

For the Belgian, this block offers intensity, competition rhythm, and at the same time, minimal impact on his endurance preparation. In addition, he will compete again for a Belgian Championship and fight once more for the national jersey.

• December 20 – World Cup Antwerp
• December 22 – X2O Trofee Hofstade
• December 23 – Superprestige Heusden-Zolder
• December 28 – World Cup Dendermonde
• December 29 – X2O Trofee Loenhout
• January 2 – Exact Cross Mol
• January 4 – World Cup Zonhoven
• January 11 – Belgian Championship (Beringen)

Five races to enjoy the classic Van Aert vs Van der Poel in cyclocross

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The announcement comes just three days after Mathieu van der Poel made his own calendar public, which will include at least eleven events. The scheduling coincidence leaves five direct confrontations between the two:

• Antwerp – December 20 (World Cup)
• Hofstade – December 22 (X2O Trofee)
• Loenhout – December 29 (X2O Trofee)
• Mol – January 2 (Exact Cross)
• Zonhoven – January 4 (World Cup)

Five venues, five circuit styles, and five opportunities to relive a historic rivalry that, despite both having a reduced calendar, remains the driving force of modern cyclocross.