"I'd like to participate in all the big races": At 32, Toon Aerts look forward to make a WorldTour debut

With UCI finally confirming the set of teams that will compete at the WorldTour level in 2026, we can finally consider the Lotto-Intermarché merger reality. Although the bloody battle of 55 riders to fit into a single team left behind some victims, the European cyclocross champion Toon Aerts is not among them. With a step up to WorldTour, the 32-year-old could become of the protagonists of the spring campaign. But before that, many smaller steps will have to be taken.

"I like it more than I wanted to admit at first," Aerts admitted to Wielerflits about road cycling, to which he will shift his focus after the national cyclo-cross championships in January: "We've decided that from then on I'll start training differently and will already make a bit of a transition."

That doesn't mean Aerts will give up on his cyclocross passion, but we won't see his European champion's jersey as often as usual. "Obviously we still have the last cyclo-cross races in mind. But the most important thing is to do longer training sessions with the team from then on. I'll take part in the January training camp and in the meantime I'll also go to the World Cup in Benidorm."

The Belgian's main focus is to be ready to hit the ground running in spring, with a possible debut in some of the biggest one-day races on the calendar. "Generally speaking, the intention is to participate in some of the spring classics. I'll have the opportunity to compete in some very interesting races, both in the spring and throughout the rest of the summer," he looks forward to an exciting season ahead.

Regardless, we shouldn't necessarily expect the 32-year-old with no prior WorldTour experience to suddenly appear at the starting line for every Monument in sight. His "getting to know" with Classics will be more of a step-by-step process.

"Tactically, the calendar must be compatible with the team's objectives, but it must also fit within my capabilities. It's all still new to me. Obviously, it's not desirable to be catapulted straight to the biggest stages."

Of course, the ambition is to eventually tick off all the boxes of participating in the race Aerts used to watch in TV as a kid, but he also realizes the massive gap in experience between his peers and himself.

"If I could choose, I'd like to participate in the big races straight away, but last year, in a race like the Circuit Franco-Belge, I noticed that, for example, the Kluisberg is a climb that most of the riders in the group have already tackled dozens of times," added the 31-year-old. "I, on the other hand, only know the Koppenberg from cyclocross. I really need to make progress in this regard."

In that regard, Aerts reveals that some recon rides in the most frequent racing site are certainly part of his planner. "There are still a few weeks between the Cyclocross World Championships and the Flemish Classics, so we'll do some reconnaissance and I'll be able to familiarize myself with the roads."

"In my opinion, and in the opinion of the team, it's very important to arrive well prepared for those races. Especially if you don't want to participate just for the sake of participating."

But the european cyclocross champion doesn't plan to make too many sacrifices to his winter calendar in favor of road: "Cyclocross remains my number one priority. I don't want to lose sight of the World Championships either, even though in January my attention will be partly focused on spring. Maybe I'll finish a week earlier than in previous years or take a weekend off. Those are all possible options."