Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) definitively opted out of racing at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships and the Belgian ඣchampionships before his season debut in Essen today.

"It is with a heavy heart, but it is a conscious choice to quickly make the transition to the road season and experience a quiet winter," Van Aert said in th🍰e pre-race interview, according to Sporza.

"If the Belgian championships had been held closer to the Christmas period, I would have liked to participܫate, but now it does not work. The World Championships are again at the beginning of February. I have already done the Worlds-spring [Classics] combination, but now I choose something else.

"In ℱthe crosses that I do ride, I just hope to give the best of myself."

Van Aert also prematurely played down his ambitions for the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Exact Cross race in Essen, Belgium, warning that he is not in great shape.

In his first race since the 2023 roa♌d season ended, ꦕthe Belgian said Saturday that a different approach path to the year means: “I don't think I have ever started the cross winter as badly as I have now.”

Van Aert was the standout name in the Essen event, which was muddy as usual after heavy rain in northern Europe earlier this week, but on Saturday morning he roundly reje🌺cted the idea that there is not much competition for him to face in the Belgian race, arguing “that’s easy to say and does not show respect for these racers.”

"These guys have been r🔯acing for a long time," he said. "I don’t underestimate anyone. I am hoping for a win, but we will have to wait and see" before going on to solo to the victory.

The168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Jumbo-Visma racer added that he was not thinking much yet about his three-way duels with two of the other standout names in the discipline, 168澳洲5最新开🌄奖结果:Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grena🎃diers), due to take place later in the season.

“It ma🦂tters a lot to me to make these efforts in the winter, splitting up the long build-up for the road,” he told on Saturday morning.

“I have never known it to be anything but muddy here, so it’ll be a real challenge out thಌere today.”

He said that after the Exact Cross race he should have a better idea of his condition, but the real challenges would come after his ten-day training camp in Spain when he returns for more cyclocross over the Christmas period.

Van Aert made light of it of what could be a tough start at Essen, telling in 💫a half-joking way, "For th🐻e time being, the comeback is a bit disappointing, but that mainly has to do with the weather."