On Sunday, nearly every cycling fan, analyst, or anyone interested in cyclocross was taken by surprise. Wout van Aert suddenly announced he would participate in the World Championship in Liévin—a pleasant surprise, but one that also raised some suspicions.
Door (Not) Closed
The late decision raised questions about whether they had been “playing hide and seek.” Not long ago, it was consistently stated that the door to the World Championship was firmly closed. Yet, it turns out this was not the case.
Manager Jef Van den Bosch spoke with Wielerflits to clarify: “You shouldn’t see this in black and white. The door was never open, closed, or ajar. This decision is the result of a process. Plus, all circumstances aligned perfectly. National coach Angelo De Clercq kept that spot open, and it became practically possible to proceed.”
No Hide and Seek
Normally, the team at Visma-Lease a Bike works in a very methodical way, rarely deviating from their plans—especially not on their own accord. “That’s true, and it’s usually Wout’s preference as well,” acknowledged Van den Bosch. “In our conversation, there were no doubts. Wout said, ‘Okay, I want to do this,’ and I could only respond positively.”
The idea from Van Aert was presented to the team last Saturday, which was met with a positive response. “It was still important to discuss the plan with the team and coach Mathieu Heijboer, which we did. They were on board with it.”
According to Van den Bosch, there was never any question of “playing hide and seek.” “Others might interpret our communication that way, and that’s fine. But that was never our intention. In fact, we never saw this coming—not even Wout. I can honestly tell you that none of us expected this, because we’ve come back from so far,” he concluded.
This article explains the surprise announcement of Wout van Aert’s participation in the World Championship and the clarification provided by his manager, emphasizing that the decision was part of a process and not an unexpected change of plans.
