Wout van Aert felt the effects of a hard road training block at the ninth round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Benidorm, coming away with a fourth place behind Thibau Nys.
The Belgian had won in Spain at the two previous editions of the event, but this time had to battle back from a poor grid position and start which left him in 28th position.
Van Aert had to work his way through the field on a fast course, reaching the front group halfway through the eight-lap race. The 30-year-old then had to close a gap to Lars Van der Haar and Eli Iserbyt on the penultimate lap to keep in contention for the victory.
Van Aert was visibly tired as a result of his efforts and was pushed down the leading group when European champion Thibau Nys launched his winning attack just after the final big ramp. He attempted to follow but ran out of strength with Nys and Iserbyt up the road, while Van der Haar passed him in the closing stages to claim the final podium spot.
"It was a super-fast race, I didn't really feel great," said Van Aert. "I had a bad start and then I felt that already it wasn't going to be my day.
"I was reasonably on the limit from the beginning. I didn't feel really fresh and it took really long for me to get to the front group. That's never a good sign. If you have good legs, you immediately get to the front in those first two laps."
Van Aert said that he was saving himself to make one big attack late in the race, having hung in at the rear of the main group – which was whittled down from 15 riders to eight as the race reached its denouement – after making his way up the field.
"In the final laps, I had to gamble for one good attack, but Thibau was stronger in the final lap. I felt like I had to save [energy], but on the penultimate lap, I had to close a gap to Iserbyt and Van der Haar already," he said.
"From then on, I didn't have a clear plan anymore. I was just trying to follow, but I started too far behind Thibau and then I saw him going away, he was exceptionally strong.
"I also said that Thibau was the one I had to keep an eye on. And how he accelerated the last lap, chapeau."
Van Aert missed the Belgium Cyclocross Championships last week, instead travelling to Spain for an intensive road training camp with Visma-Lease a Bike. He's set to make his 2025 road debut with the Clásica Jaén and Volta ao Algarve in mid-February, with the spring Classics, Giro d'Italia, and Tour de France all on his plate later on this year.
The Belgian, however, said that the training camp was not an excuse for "not having the legs to make a difference" in Benidorm.
"It was an intensive period with many hours of training," he told WielerFlits before the start. "I had a good rest day yesterday. So that should not be an excuse.
"I have trained hard, but everyone comes here with their own preparation. I don't want to call that an excuse either. It's just that one day is different from the next. It was certainly not bad, because I did come back from far away. But I didn't have the leg to make the difference."
Van Aert won't be taking on the UCI Cyclocross World Championships this season, marking the third time in four seasons he'll have missed the season's premier event. Instead, next Saturday's World Cup round in Maasmechelen – and another duel with Mathieu van der Poel – will host his season finale.
"I suspect to come back a little fresher," he said. "But it was a nice trip to Spain. And I hope I can arrive in Maasmechelen with a better feeling."
Despite a relatively disappointing result in Benidorm, Van Aert was positive about the race – run on a dry, fast, and sandy course – and its organisation amid rumours that they are aiming to host the 2029 Cyclocross Worlds.
The event hasn't visited Spain since it was raced in Getxo in 1990, while the upcoming four editions visit France (Liévin), the Netherlands (Hulst), Belgium (Ostend), and the Netherlands (Hoogerheide).
"It is something very positive that a Spanish organisation wants to organise a World Championship," Van Aert told Wielerflits. "We will remain far too close to Belgium in the coming years. So, it would be a nice change, although I have to say that the course could offer a bit more for a World Championship."
