Wout van Aert will return to the cyclocross field at the Exact Cross in Emmen on December 9, but the focus for the Belgian superstar, and his new coach, is very much on the Spring Classics with CX serving only as “a building block and not a breaking point.”
The three-time cyclocross World Champion has already revealed a limited calendar for the 2023-24 season with only eight races confirmed and no Worlds appearance in sight, highlighting a change in focus for Van Aert who cut his teeth in cyclocross before becoming the road star he is today.
Amid all the big changes at Jumbo-Visma this summer, Van Aert’s had to say goodbye to his first and only ever coach Marc Lamberts as he left for Bora-Hansgrohe with Primož Roglič, but he’s since found a new coach in Mathieu Heijboer.
Heijboer has played a part in the shift of focus, but no doubt Van Aert also felt the need to change something after again missing out on victory at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix this past season.
“Wout would prefer to race more this winter, but he understands the bigger picture," said his new coach Mathieu Heijboer to Sporza.
"The entire winter is all about performance in the spring. Cyclocross is a building block in this.”
The World Championships in Tabor specifically was targeted as a race Van Aert shouldn’t prepare for, given the huge build-up to it and the negative impact experienced afterwards in 2023.
“We learned that such a World Championship had too much of an impact on Wout's spring. Especially working towards such a World Championship and the subsequent decompression,” said Heijboer.
“With a more limited cyclocross program, we want to ensure that there are no gaps in Wout's preparation for the classics.”
"Last year, I found it mentally difficult to focus on the cyclocross season and then move on to the spring," said Van Aert previously on the Jumbo-Visma website. "I didn't want to leave anything to chance with the Spring Classics."
Long-term rival Mathieu van der Poel has also stated recently that he intends to wind down his cyclocross calendars going forward without much to gain from the sport as a five-time World Champion and only continuing to race the discipline for his own enjoyment.
Heijboer has already been involved with Van Aert at Jumbo-Visma as the head of performance but admits that change will be strange for the Belgian having worked with Lamberts for eight years.
“That is certainly a change for Wout,” said Heijboer. “At Jumbo-Visma we guide the riders as a team, but each rider has his direct contact person with whom the training sessions are discussed.
“Now I can make decisions about Wout's training. But not much will change significantly because Marc and I have the same philosophy. Our training approach is therefore not much different.”
Van Aert’s road season is also likely to be streamlined, with reports in Belgian media suggesting that he will only complete three races before Flanders at the Volta ao Algarve, Strade Bianche, and Dwars door Vlaanderen.
Debuts at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España are also expected for Van Aert in 2024, with the Olympic Games affecting his schedule significantly as one of his main goals.
