"A man like Eddy Merckx": Toon Aerts bows to Van der Poel after World Championship masterclass

Just over a minute separated Toon Aerts from the rainbow jersey on Sunday, but in terms of dominance, the gap felt much larger. Crossing the line in eighth place at the Cyclocross World Championships, the European Champion had nothing but praise for the winner, comparing Mathieu van der Poel’s hegemony to that of Eddy Merckx.

"I would have liked to be a little closer in the results, but I think I could race with them today, behind the three strongest men," Aerts said in quotes collected by In de Leiderstrui. "At one point I saw that we weren't losing much ground on Thibau [Nys] and Tibor [Del Grosso], but you are sitting there with a bunch of foreigners. Do you go full out or do you ride a bit for 4th place?"

Aerts eventually settled on fighting for fourth, but a sudden change in weather conditions in the final lap ruined his plans. "I chose to stay in that group, but I also have to be honest that at the end, actually when it started to rain, I didn't have the technique to fight for 4th place," he admitted.

"It had really become a completely different course in five minutes," Aerts explained regarding the chaotic finale. "I don't know if riders went to change [bikes], but there was actually no time to switch anymore... If you weren't prepared for that by starting with slightly flatter tires... then you were just really on very slippery tubes."

"So it bothered me, but probably everyone else a little bit too. In the last lap, I think it was mainly technique that counted. I'm curious to see how Tibor and Thibau handled it."

Reflecting on the winner, Aerts did not hold back in his admiration. "He is a phenomenon. He is a phenomenon in the winter. He is a phenomenon in the summer," Aerts said of Van der Poel, who secured his eighth cyclocross World Championship. "I think there is currently one rider in the whole world who is better on a bike. Certainly on specific terrain, uphill," he added, referring to Tadej Pogacar.

However, in the context of dominance, Aerts reached for the ultimate historical comparison. "But for the rest, Mathieu van der Poel is a man like Eddy Merckx for me," the European Champion stated. "I never saw Eddy Merckx race, but I think it must have been something like that."

Despite the high praise, Aerts couldn't help but add a lighthearted personal note regarding the eternal rivalry in cross. "I don't necessarily have a real bond with him myself. I'm more of a Wout van Aert fan. You probably can't really root for both," Aerts laughed. After all, their surnames are almost the same.

"But I have enormous respect for Mathieu. The first cross I rode at age twelve or so, he was also racing in my race. He rode two categories higher and he also rode away in the first corner. He was a phenomenon then and he is still riding around on that cloud."