Merry CX-mas: Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert keep things modest over Christmas

Ho ho, merry X-mas! Or should we say merry CX-mas, because, of course, there will be a cyclo-cross race on Boxing Day in Gavere. Business as usual, if you will. Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert will start as top favorites, so they'll also be going to bed fairly early over the holidays. After the race in Antwerp, they each shared how they will be spending Christmas.

Nothing new on the horizon for the two riders, who, given their cyclo-cross background, are naturally accustomed to racing around Christmas and New Year's. "I'm going to celebrate it pretty low key. It's an annual tradition that there's a race on Boxing Day, so there won't be anything special about it," Van Aert stated after his second place in the Belgian city on the Scheldt.

"That way, I have a legitimate excuse to go home early," joked Van Aert. After the two sandy cyclo-cross races in Mol and Antwerp, on Boxing Day, Van Aert will meet Van der Poel on a course with more mud. "It's going to be extremely tough and greasy, even if it doesn't rain anymore. So it's going to be very challenging," declared the Jumbo-Visma rider. "I'll try to beat Mathieu, but so will everyone else. At the moment, he's the strongest rider and you just have to admit that."

Van der Poel to enjoy a nice meal with in-laws

Van der Poel is also keeping things modest around the Christmas tree. "I'm not really going to do anything special. We're going to have a meal with the family and in-laws," he revealed his plans for the holidays. And that meal won't just be lettuce leaves and carrots, with the Gavere race in mind. "It doesn't necessarily have to be healthy, that's not that important," Van der Poel said with a smile. So, enjoy it, guys!