Speaking to Sporza after winning his home race at the X2O Trophy in Herentals, the three-time world champion said his last cyclocross race will be the Belgian championship on Sunday.
The Jumbo-Visma rider will start preparing for his 2022 road season: "At this point in my career, we are focusing on other things. I really want to win a Spring Monument that I missed in previous years“Said Van Aert.
Looking at this, we think it's better to finish my season after the Nationals on Sunday and then concentrate on the road ”.
The news comes just hours after reigning world champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) announced that he would end his "cross season" due to a back injury (Van Der Poel stops and will not participate in the cyclocross world championships).
Sunday's Belgian championship will be Van Aert's last cross race this winter.
“There has always been the intention not to race at the World Championships, even if the enthusiasm was obviously great. But we decided to stick to the original plan ”.
Van Aert won his eighth of nine races on Wednesday and only lost at the Hulst World Cup due to a mechanical problem, having had to chase from the back of the race from lap one to lap four.
Without him and Van der Poel at the World Championships, the elite men's race will be missing two of his most dominant runners, who have shared their last seven world titles with each other.
“Having such good legs in the last few weeks obviously made the decision less easy,” said Van Aert. "It's always a difficult choice to lose such a great race, but my goals are for the spring and now I'm focusing on that."
Although his main goals are in the spring classics, the Tour of Flanders and the Paris-Roubaix, Van Aert added that “cyclocross remains my first love, which is why I have put so much energy into it over the past few weeks.
“You also have to prepare specifically for such a World Championship and you also waste a lot of mental energy on it. Plus, since it's in the US, you also suffer from jet lag for the entire next week. Now I'll give myself four weeks to calmly prepare. "
Van Aert reacted to Van der Poel's absence before Wednesday's race, saying it was a "great pity" that his old rival had to end his "cross season" like this.
“I wish him the best and hope he can be back there soon. He misses cyclocross, but the cycling world in general needs riders like Mathieu ”.
