Bum knee or sandbagging? No Wout in Hoogerheide

Wout van Aert won't start in the GP Adrie van der Poel in Hoogerheide this Sunday, the final leg of the World Cup. Van Aert's already got the overall victory in the bag.

Earlier this week Wout returned from a training week in Spain with a bum knee. "A check-up in hospital on thursday showed that the infection to his knee isn't fully gone", says his team. "It's getting better, but doctor Toon Claes isn't allowing Wout on his bike for now. He'll be aquajogging. Lieven Maesschalk is also providing extra help, which should help speed up the recovery."

"Right now, there's no chance of me not riding the World Champs, but the clock is ticking, of course", dixit Van Aert.

What say you? Bum knee or World Champs sandbagging?