"I should definitely remember this good start. And despite the fall, it was nice to be in the lead here" - Toon Aerts tries to find positives on his performance in Oostmalle

For Toon Aerts, this edition of the Closing Prize Oostmalle was one to quickly forget. The Belgian was in the lead for a long time and made a strong impression until he crashed hard. Aerts fears a broken nose.

"I will immediately go to the hospital for further examination. Really an anti-climax. And it's especially a shame that it has to happen now. But hey, that's how it is now and there's nothing we can do to change it. Soberly speaking, it is better that it happens now than at the beginning of a normal season. Now we have a whole summer to recover," he told Het Nieuwsblad.

Yet Aerts, who returned from a two-year doping suspension earlier this month, also sees bright spots. "I should definitely remember this good start. And despite the fall, it was nice to be in the lead here," said the 32-year-old rider.

Bart Verschueren, Aerts' sports director, was also disappointed. "This is what you call going from a high to a low. But unfortunately something like that is also part of the sport," he said. However, Verschueren also remained optimistic. "The goodwill factor towards Toon was certainly present. And with his holeshot from the fourth row, he did an incredible job. Something we dreamed of during the recon on Wednesday."