When do Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel race together?

Let’s be honest—men’s ‘cross racing can be waaaaaay more enjoyable when Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert square off. Unfortunately, that probably isn’t what guys Eli Iserbyt, Michael Vanthourenhout, and Toon Aerts think. When the Big Two toe the line, everyone else knows they are racing for the third spot on the podium.

Van Aert’s season

Visma – Lease a Bike’s Van Aert will kick off his cyclocross season on Dec. 23 at the Zilvermeercross round of the Superprestige series in Mol, Belgium. Two days after Christmas, he’ll compete in the Exact Cross series event in Loenhout. In the new year, he returns to the Superprestige for the Gullegem round on Jan. 4. The following day, he shifts to the World Cup for three consecutive rounds, starting in Dendermonde, Belgium. On Jan. 19, he’ll race in Benidorm, Spain. Van Aert’s cyclocross campaign concludes at the World Cup in Maasmechelen, Belgium, on Jan. 25.

MvdP’s season

Alpecin–Deceuninck’s Mathieu van der Poel’s cyclocross schedule includes the World Cup in Zonhoven on Dec. 22, followed by the Superprestige in Mol on Dec. 23. He will then compete in the World Cup in Gavere on Dec. 26, and the Exact Cross in Loenhout on Dec. 27. On Dec. 29, he races in the World Cup in Besançon, and on Jan. 1, he takes part in the X2O Trofee in Baal. Van der Poel will compete again in the X2O Trofee in Koksijde on Jan. 3, before heading to the World Cup in Dendermonde on Jan. 5. His schedule continues with the World Cup in Maasmechelen on Jan. 25, followed by the World Cup in Hoogerheide on Jan. 26. He’ll cap off his cyclocross season at the world championships in Lièvin on Feb. 2.

That means the Big Two will race against each other on Dec. 23,, at Superprestige Mol, Dec. 27, at Exact Cross Loenhout, Jan. 5, 2025, at World Cup in Dendermonde, and Jan. 25, at the World Cup in Maasmechelen.

There will be no rematch at the worlds, unfortunately. Two years ago, the 2023 world ‘cross champs were the culmination of an incredible rivalry between the two, with van der Poel outkicking van Aert in a surprise attack in the final sprint.

The UCI has been livestreaming the ‘cross World Cups on YouTube for free. If you have a FloBikes account, you can watch the World Cups there, a well as the Exact and Supreprestige races.