Fabio Aru will race cyclocross worlds before full tilt back to road
The Italian climber is hoping his recent foray into cyclocross will help him once he returns to the road.
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Fabio Aru started his racing career in cyclocross events in Italy as a skinny teenager. Now 30, he’s hoping to revive his career by dipping back into ‘cross the past few weeks to kick start his transfer to Qhubeka-Assos in 2021.
Before joining his new teammates on the road, Aru will make a detour through the cyclocross world championships, in Ostend, at the end of this month.
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According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Aru will join the 12-rider Italian national team, featuring six women and six men, January 30-31 in Belgium.
“I will participate without ambitions and will be back on the road in February. I will be watching Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock, and see how they do in the field,” Aru told the Italian sports daily.
Aru has already started a few cyclocross races, and recently finished 10th in the Italian championships.
“Feeling better in the mud,” he wrote on Instagram. “The most important thing is that I’m having fun like a child doing his first races.”
Following three frustrating seasons with UAE-Emirates that also included surgery on arteries in a leg, Aru is hoping to revive his fortunes on the road with a move to Qhubeka-Assos.
A winner of the 2015 Vuelta a España, Aru last won with a stage at the 2017 Tour de France when he finished fifth overall.
