The cyclocross season is in full swing, with the top series like the Superprestige, X2O Trofee, and Exact Cross already underway. While rising stars like Eli Iserbyt, Fem van Empel, Thibau Nys, and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado have been dominating the early races, the two biggest names in the sport, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, have been conspicuously absent from the action.

Cyclocross Titans Gear Up for Anticipated Comeback

Offseason Training in Spain

Both Van der Poel and Van Aert have been training in Spain following the conclusion of their 2024 road seasons. Van der Poel capped off his campaign with a bronze medal at the Road World Championships and the coveted rainbow jersey at the Gravel Worlds. Van Aert, on the other hand, hasn't raced since crashing out of the Vuelta a España in September.The two cyclocross superstars have been based in the popular off-season training location of Alicante in southeastern Spain. Van der Poel has been training alongside gravel racer Freddy Ovett, while Van Aert recently logged an impressive 127km ride with 2,000 meters of elevation gain in the hills north of Benidorm.

Shifting Priorities and Uncertain Returns

In recent seasons, Van der Poel and Van Aert have shifted their focus towards their road campaigns, often delaying their cyclocross debuts until late November or early December. This change in approach has left many fans and pundits wondering when the two titans will make their highly anticipated return to the mud.Van Aert is not expected to return to action before the end of December, as he will be participating in a Visma-Lease A Bike training camp that concludes on December 19. This means he may make his season debut at the World Cup rounds in Hulst or Zonhoven on December 21 or 22.Van der Poel's plans, on the other hand, are less clear. In early October, the Dutchman stated, "We still have to decide whether or not I will race cyclocross this winter." The Dutch national cyclocross coach, Gerben De Knegt, further added that "He does have plans for cyclocross, but the question is whether it fits" with his planning for the 2025 road season.

Opinions from Cyclocross Legends

With the future plans of the two superstars still uncertain, several former champions have shared their thoughts on the matter. Mario De Clercq, the three-time world champion and directeur sportif of the Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal team, predicted that Van der Poel and Van Aert will be back in action before the new year."I think they'll both be back racing at the end of December," De Clercq said. "They can't do nothing for the whole winter, can they? I don't think that will ever happen, and they'll never want that."Bart Wellens, a double world champion and directeur sportif at Intermarché-Wanty, believes that Van der Poel and Van Aert will likely not take on many races, given the limited time between the end of December and the Cyclocross World Championships in Liévin on February 2."They'll never be able to do many races. If they start on the weekend of Hulst, they'll quickly reach the Worlds – especially knowing that most teams do an extra training camp in January," Wellens said. "I think that's a bit of a shame but they're always welcome in our sport and we also need them, to some extent."Wellens also raised concerns about the impact of their limited participation on the UCI's World Cup series, which has been specifically designed with the two superstars in mind."By the way, if you're only going to do so little cyclocross, then you're doing the UCI a disservice. They have made the World Cup [which this season runs 12 rounds between November 24 and January 26 – Ed.] compact especially for those two. If someone like Van der Poel ignores a large part of those races, then that's a big middle finger to the UCI."Another double world champion, Niels Albert, believes that Van der Poel and Van Aert will want to return to the sport where they built their reputations."They both come from 'cross, that is their past and the basis of their career," Albert said. "Cyclocross is also a nice family sport to compete in. In that respect, I think they still like it and that they still want to get that feeling every winter."