Wout van Aert surprises everyone and confirms his participation in the Cyclocross World Championships in Lievin

The Belgian cyclist Wout van Aert has officially announced his participation in the Cyclocross World Championship, surprising many fans who thought his season in this discipline was over. The Jumbo-Visma rider has explained how and why he made the decision

Van Aert surprises and confirms his participation in the 2025 CX World Championship

In his race on Saturday, at the Maasmechelen World Cup, Van Aert showed a good level, but several incidents at the beginning prevented him from fighting for the victory alongside his main rival, Mathieu van der Poel. It seems that his performance left him wanting more and made him reconsider his season's end.

"I feel good, and my winter has gone well. The World Championship only came to my mind recently and after Maasmechelen, the coach of the Belgian team, my coach at Team Visma | Lease a Bike and I decided to compete. I am excited to start in such a beautiful race, and I believe that this extra boost is benefiting me in the period leading up to bigger goals on the road. Obviously, the preparation has been very different, but I will give my best."

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Van Aert's decision to compete in the World Championship was carefully discussed with his team, and Mathieu Heijboer, performance manager of Jumbo-Visma, highlighted the Belgian's passion for cyclocross and explained how they reached the final decision:

"Wout is a true cyclocross enthusiast. He indicated that he wanted to compete. We discussed it, weighed everything together, and as a team, we fully support Wout."

Van Aert's confirmation adds even more excitement to the World Championship, on February 2nd, where Van der Poel aims to equal Erik De Vlaeminck's historic record.