"I won't say no if they offer me to ride a Grand Tour" - Toon Aerts on discovering passion for road cycling with Lotto

Toon Aerts made a name for himself as a cyclocrosser, but at the age of 31 he can finally tick off the 'turned professional' box. Thanks to a collaboration of his CX team with road PRT formation Lotto, the Belgian will get to ride a top-level programme this summer and truly explore his limits.

"It's like I'm becoming a professional cyclist now," he says enthusiastically to Sporza. "I'm just on my way back from the track, where I did aero testing for the first time in my life. It's all great fun, interesting and exciting."

"When I heard that my cyclocross team Deschacht - Hens - FP might collaborate with Lotto, I was very excited. But now that I am effectively part of the Lotto team, the road appeals to me even more than I initially thought."

"Competing in road races with a cyclo-cross team is completely different than with Lotto," Aerts stated after his first races.

From the role of underdogs with Deschacht, the stakes are suddenly much higher with Lotto: "Now we are expected to achieve results with the team. Each rider has a clear task: sneak into the breakaway, control the breakaway from the peloton, position leaders. I have already been able to perform various tasks in the Rund um Köln and the Tour of Norway. Each task was very enjoyable, but also very different each time."

Throughout his career, the 31-year-old Aerts was doing things the way he assumed was right. With the help of professional coaches and nutritionists at Lotto, he feels reborn through the collaboration. "I've been a cyclocrosser for years, but it feels like I'm turning pro now."

It's not surprise that we'll see the Belgian focus mostly on races close to his heart. "Races like Dwars door het Hageland and the Antwerp Port Epic should suit me well. Maybe I'll be at the starting line as a shadow leader."

But he's not opposed to stage races, maybe even riding a Grand Tour once in his life. "If that opportunity is offered to me, I won't say 'no'. But it's not like I'm necessarily going for it."