Wout van Aert once again had to settle for a silver medal at the Cyclocross World Championships on Sunday afternoon. A disastrous start in the first turn left him completely stuck, preventing a real battle with eventual winner Mathieu van der Poel.
“I got boxed in immediately, and then I was pushed against the fences in the first corner,” Van Aert explained after his less-than-perfect start in Liévin. “There was no space to move up, so I just had to wait.”
A Poor Starting Position for Van Aert
The 30-year-old Belgian knew better than anyone that catching a top-form Van der Poel would be a daunting task. “I started on the outside, and then there was also a crash on the inside. A domino effect pushed me towards the fences, where I came to a complete stop.”
Despite the setback, Van Aert made a remarkable comeback to secure second place. “I don’t think I was much slower than Mathieu, but I needed some bad luck on his part to close the gap. It was a deficit that was very hard to recover from. That’s why I ultimately take my hat off to him,” he graciously acknowledged the Dutchman’s victory.
Belgian national coach Angelo De Clercq commented on Van Aert’s unfortunate start in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. “Starting from the fourth row is extremely difficult. The difference between starting from the second or third row is huge. Wout finished 17th in the World Cup standings—just one place higher would have made a big difference in his starting position at the World Championships,” De Clercq explained.
Van Aert Refused to Race in Hoogerheide
Could Van Aert have moved up just one spot in the rankings? Absolutely. “That makes it a bit frustrating. I suggested he race in Hoogerheide to improve his position, but he didn’t want to,” the Belgian coach revealed.
De Clercq closed with a somewhat critical reflection on Van Aert’s decision. “This is the consequence of his last-minute decision to participate in the World Championships. If his participation had been planned earlier, he would have ensured a front-row start. It is what it is. Wout fought hard, as he always does, and there’s no shame in finishing second behind Mathieu.”
