Cyclo-cross world champion Wout Van Aert travelled to Lucca in Italy on Thursday in an attempt to shake off his poor run of results and the questions, the doubts and the worries in Belgium about his form and why he is struggling to be competitive against Dutch rival Mathieu van der Poel.
Instead of riding the UEC Cyclo-Cross European Championships in the Czech Republic, Van Aert will stay in Tuscany for a 10-day block of training, spending time with his partner away from the pressure cooker that is the Belgian cyclo-cross scene.
Van der Poel dominated Wednesday's Koppenbergcross race, with Van Aert finishing over a minute back in fourth. Van der Poel collapsed on the ground after a huge effort on the final assault of the cobbled climb. Van Aert finished 1:14 behind him, more disappointed than exhausted. He turned around and quickly descended to his camper van to lick his wounds.
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Much to the chagrin of Belgian cyclo-cross fans, Van der Poel has so far won 12 of the 14 races he's ridden so far this season. Van Aert won the last three editions of the Koppenbergcross and his road racing ability was supposed to help him. Instead it only sparked more questions.
"I would have liked to sprint to the line, too, but so far it hasn't happened," Van Aert told VTM.
"It was not the performance I had hoped for. My season is poorer than I'd hoped. But I don't want to seem dramatic. It is true that I'm not winning as much as last year, I seem to be fighting against myself."
Taking on too much
Going back to the basics
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