Wout Van Art spent Friday morning studying the wind and sand course of the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Ostend, Belgium, predicting a hard, selective race and a head-to-head battle with his eternal rival, Mathieu Van der Pol.

Van Art won the Belgian national title on the same course in 2017 and is known for his ability in the sand. During the training session, he ran several laps of the course and sprinted up a selection of bridges that were important for testing his legs and tires.

"I want to have the right feeling and be able to test the tires. In any other cross, a trial run on the day is enough and we can make corrections during the race to find the best lines. I want to be optimally prepared for the World Championships," he told Het Laatste Nieuws (opens in new tab).

Van der Pol did not cross paths with his rivals as he studied the Ostend course on Thursday. According to Dutch journalist Daan Hackenberg, the two have faced each other 15 times in road races and 183 times, including a sprint showdown at last year's Tour de Flanders.

They were born just three months apart, both emerged at the junior level, and have raced against each other for a decade, with either winning cyclocross world titles at the junior, under-23, and pro levels since 2012. Both have won three elite men's world titles, with VanArt focusing less on cyclocross and Van der Pol winning the last two as the 2019-20 season was interrupted by his recovery from a crash at the 2019 Tour de France.

This year they have matched up finely, swapping victories, with Van Aert winning three of their eight meetings and Van der Pol five. However, VanArt won last Sunday's final World Cup race at Auveraise after Van der Pol suffered a flat tire early in the race.

"If I had lost as many times in the last few months as I did last year, I would have lost confidence. Mathieu beat me this winter, but I beat him too," Van Aert said, exuding an innate confidence.

"The difference is made by small mistakes. That's what I've been talking about the last few weeks. With a few exceptions, it was always close."

Great Britain's Tom Pidcock and Belgium's Laurens Sweek are expected to battle for the medals, but there are several deep sand sections and the wind and tide will determine whether the sections along the coast can be run.

"I don't think anyone else can keep up with us long enough to contend for the world title," Van Aert suggested.

"Lawrence Sweck and Thomas Pidcock will be the last. But in the end it will be a battle between the two of us."

"I am convinced that the course suits me. However, that does not mean that it does not suit Mathieu as well. I think Mathieu and I can do well on different courses."

Van Aert tried to put pressure on Van der Pol by naming him as the favorite to win on Sunday.

"I don't think I'm the big favorite. Mathieu has won more races than me this season and the pressure is on him.

"But of course this is a great opportunity for me to win another world title. It's been a long time and I really have a chance. I feel really good and I've been working hard for this.

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