The end is where we start from

All image credits: Wikimedia Commons

The announcements of Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel’s cyclocross calendars came very late this year, but not as late as their participations themselves – it will be almost Christmas before we see either of the two titans of off-roading in action,  prompting another flurry of debate as cyclocross fans try to work out where they stand on the whole issue of whether the sport is actually better with them in it, or not.

As the two all-around stars made their plans for the winter, whether hampered by recovering from a complicated knee injury (Van Aert) or delayed by the apparent need to be training on the south coast of Spain incessantly (Van der Poel), the cyclocross calendar trundled on, unperturbed by their absence. Despite the blip that was last weekend, where the ‘protected’ UCI World Cup fixture in Sardinia was cancelled, thus resulting in no top level races for the majority of the elite field in Europe, it’s been a brilliant season so far. With well-balanced racing in both the men’s and women’s elite fields week in, week out, the unpredictability of the battles has been incredibly refreshing.

It's expected that all that will change, at least on the men’s side, come next weekend, as Van Aert and Van der Poel return to the field. Once again, Van Aert takes on a less full programme than his old rival, who has declared his intent to ride ten races in the run-up to his defence of his World Championship title in Lieven in February. Last season, when Mathieu was riding, there was little doubt of the result, and that the rest of the field would be fighting for second place. The more seasoned among the specialists are used to this shift in reality, and many welcome it – they will measure their own progress by the way they stack up against the very best, and enjoy the opportunity to share the podium with them, if they prove to be ‘best of the rest’.

For the fans though, it sets up an interesting dichotomy. Where in the previous few years, the pair would return to the field in late November or early December, now they delay their start to the kerstperiode, and as such, fans have enjoyed almost three full months of racing ‘sans Vans.’ We've gotten used to the rhythm of the races, discovered who is in form, kept track of the newest rising stars and generally just gotten on with loving cyclocross, for what amounts to a quarter of a year already.

While in previous years the return of the pair was hotly anticipated, with the growing breadth of the field, younger talent rising through the ranks, and older campaigners honing their form, this season – and last season, perhaps to a lesser extent – seem to represent something of a shift in attitude. While of course we will derive joy from seeing the cream of the crop take to the mud – particularly when the two ride head-to-head – there is a stronger sense of lamentation this season, that the exciting battles we’ve become accustomed to will likely be a thing of the past. Cue long solo wins and the end of the races as a truly competitive event – just as in road racing, when Tadej Pogačar's name is on the start list, there's a pretty strong likelihood that the outcome will be predictable.

A future headache

For the organisers of the major race series, it’s a no-brainer. Van Aert and Van der Poel’s presence equals income. The two stars of the sport have been electrifying spectators with their feisty battles for more than a decade if you look back to their junior years, and they are a huge draw for the fans. They bring thousands flocking to courses around the low countries and moreover, draw the attention of the international cycling media, increasing interest in cyclocross and driving coverage. The lack of an obvious ‘replacement’ must be of concern to those who desire to see the sport continue to connect and resonate with audiences long into the future. As the programmes of Van Aert and Van der Poel shrink with each successive year, as other priorities steal their attention, the end is inevitable – and feels potentially imminent. Indeed, given the late announcements of their programmes this year, speculation was rife that said conclusion may come earlier than anyone expected – and that they may not even race this season. Van der Poel has a record number of World Championship wins to beat, but assuming he is able to tick off this goal in February by equalling the record, or perhaps next year by surpassing it, will he consider himself to have ‘done’ cyclocross? And for Van Aert, with grand goals including his continued quest for the cobbled Monuments, cyclocross, while remaining his first love, no longer holds as great a significance for him, in terms of the necessary sacrifices he must make to pursue it at the highest level.

There is plenty of promise in the next generation, of course, and Thibau Nys is a ready-made star, following in his father’s footsteps and already proving himself to be up to the task, winning the elite European Championships at the first time of asking back in October. The women’s side of the sport too, provides the promise of long-term sustainability, with young superstars Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse providing a Van Aert/Van der Poel duality but at six or seven years their junior. In an exclusive interview for the Road Book, Sven Nys agreed that the intensity of the battles and the unpredictability of racing prior to the arrival of Van Aert and Van der Poel was essential. ‘Everything needs to be in balance,’ he said. ‘And, if we should have a season without Wout and Mathieu, with those riders that battled in the beginning of the season, I think there was a lot of interest. So if we let those intense moments from all those riders that battle against each other grow, step by step, then in another two, three years, the sport is going to grow again and the new generation will step up.’

Balance in sport, as in life, is key. So it’s perhaps a promising sign that despite the inevitable excitement that accompanies the late arrival of the top billed pair to the CX field next weekend, that the anticipation is also tinged with regret, for what we are about to lose – the ‘intensity’ which Nys refers to – and upon which the future of the sport must be built. As after the Vans have moved on, if what we are left with is a generation of well-matched riders hungry for success, competing in close, exciting battles, and inspired by the legends that have come before them, then who’s to say we won’t have another set of generational talents waiting in the wings?

You can read my essay ‘Before and After: the Evolution of Cyclocross,’ featuring a review of the 2023-2024 cyclocross season and the full exclusive interview with Sven Nys as a PDF accompaniment to the 2024 edition of the Road Book Cycling Almanack.