Toon Aerts Makes Triumphant Return to Cyclocross at Exact Cross in Sint Niklaas

Toon Aerts made a strong comeback to cyclocross racing on Saturday, finishing fourth at the Exact Cross in Sint Niklaas. It was the 30-year-old’s first race in two years, following the expiration of his two-year doping suspension.

Despite missing out on the podium, Aerts was satisfied with his performance, narrowly missing out on third place to Lars van der Haar (Baloise-Trek) in a sprint finish. The race was won by Michael Vanthourenhout, with his Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal teammate Eli Iserbyt finishing second.

“The podium might have been the icing on the cake, but the cake will taste sweet. I am satisfied after today,” Aerts said after the race.

He had to fight his way through the field, passing more than 40 riders after starting from the last row due to a lack of UCI points.

“If you see where I came from, it was indeed a very good start,” Aerts told Wielerflits. “It took a long time for it to open on the left side. I had counted on it opening there, just like other years. I thought for a moment: it’s different this year, but in the end, it happened and I was able to grab some places.”

Aerts’ positive test for the breast cancer drug letrozole prior to the 2022 Cyclocross World Championships had resulted in a two-year suspension. After an unsuccessful defense against the doping charge, which he attributed to contaminated food, the Belgian rider is now back in action.

“In recent days, many people have sent me good luck. There were also those who wrote: ‘Enjoy it’. I enjoyed it, but it still hurt,” Aerts said to Sporza. “At certain moments I really had to go deep. But then I thought: ‘Come on, man, an hour of suffering, what is that compared to the two years in which you suffered?'”

The enthusiastic support from Aerts’ fans was evident throughout the race, with the rider describing the atmosphere as “a championship” with “bells and whistles and cheers.”

Now racing with Deschacht-Hens-Maes, Aerts looks ahead to the upcoming X2O Trophy in Brussels, the second-to-last race of the season. He believes the course in Brussels will suit him better than the one in Sint Niklaas, where he struggled with the slippery corners.

Before his doping positive, Aerts had been in strong form, securing a podium spot alongside Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel at the World Cup in Dendermonde and winning his first European World Cup in Zonhoven. “If it worked then, why wouldn’t it work in the future,” Aerts said, expressing his confidence in a successful comeback.

In the women’s event, Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek) claimed victory ahead of Laura Verdonschot and Annemarie Worst.

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