Wout Van Aert has made a surprise and last minute decision to race next Sunday's cyclocross World Championship in Liévin, in northern France, and so a battle with eternal rival Mathieu van der Poel is suddenly back on.
Belgian national coach Angelo De Clercq had only named eight of his nine riders for the elite men's race. Now Van Aert has been confirmed as the final rider in the team after a late change of mind.
"We’re thrilled to announce that Wout Van Aert will compete in the cyclo-cross World Championships this Sunday!" Van Aert's Visma-Lease a Bike team announced on Sunday.
"Motivated by his passion for the sport, Wout expressed his strong desire to be on the start line. After careful discussions, we fully support his decision and can’t wait to watch him give it his all at the worlds."
Van Aert had always ruled out riding the cyclocross World Championship and has done just four cyclocross races this winter as he prioritised his recovery from the knee injury he suffered at the Vuelta a España and his 2025 Classics campaign.
He briefly went shoulder to shoulder with van der Poel during Saturday's Maasmechelen World Cup race and the two will now clash again in France.
Van der Poel missed some cyclocross races after fracturing a rib during the holidays but is the logical favourite to win a record equalling seventh world title. Van Aert will change for his fourth title, hoping the form he has rebuilt during his winter training is enough to make him competitive.
Van Aert is due to start his road racing season at the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior on February 17 and then ride the Volta ao Algarve (Feb 19-23), before targeting Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on the first weekend of March.
"I’m feeling good, and my winter has gone well," Van Aert said.
"The World Championships only recently came into my mind and after Maasmechelen the Belgian team coach, my coach at Visma-Lease a Bike and I decided to compete.
"I am excited to start in such a beautiful race, and I think that this extra boost is doing me good in the lead-up to bigger goals on the road."
The Head of Performance at Visma-Lease a Bike Mathieu Heijboer said: “Wout is a true cyclocross enthusiast. He indicated that he wanted to race. We discussed it, weighed everything together, and as a team, we fully support Wout.”
De Clercq revealed he left the door open to Van Aert after the Dendermonde World Cup race in early January.
"After Dendermonde I asked him if he wanted to ride the World Championship after all. I sensed a very slight doubt in his answer," De Clercq told Sporza.
"I left the door ajar by saying that he could decide after Maasmechelen. He called me last night to ask if he could start after all."
"Of course Mathieu is the big top favorite, but Wout has already been world champion three times. It's good for Belgium that we have an extra pawn and that it is not just any old pawn. The Liévin course suits Wout."
