"It's a course that suits me" - Toon Aerts targeting podium on World Championship return
Cyclocross
For the first time since Fayetteville in 2022, Toon Aerts is set to compete the men's elite Rainbow Jersey at the Cyclocross World Championships this Sunday in Lievin. After a solid first full season back in competition following his doping ban, the Belgian is also confident of a good result.
"It's a course that suits me," previews the 31-year-old in quotes collected by Sporza from the Belgian team's pre-World Championship press conference. "That was already said to me when I signed with the team more than a year ago. That's why it started to play a role for me. They also said that it was a bit like Besançon and I performed very well there."
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In order to become best prepared, Aerts has taken to YouTube to look at the course in more detail. "And that's how I learned, for example, that there are a lot of stones here," he explains knowingly. "It's a new course that we don't know much about, but I still wanted to be prepared."
With Mathieu van der Poel pre-race favourite, and Aerts' compatriot Wout van Aert the main contender, it is likely that the likes of Aerts and co will be left battling for the third spot on the podium. Given the course is well-suited to him, and the fact he's used online videos to make himself very well prepared for the fight, Aerts is confident in his capabilities of winning that battle for the bronze medal. "It will be an open battle anyway. I will definitely be one of the candidates," he concludes. "Although there are many who are pushing for that place."
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- I do have a problem with a constant drama queen, always whining after each and every race, and often faking attitudes and emotions. It has nothing to do with women speaking. Your comment is irrelevant. She is only trying to talk crap about her former team at every possible occasion.Weekiwachee06-03-2025
- Don’t say she was right but I prefer people who speak their mind and don’t fake, gender plays no role, character is what matters and is distinctly lacking in many places. After, we can discuss whatever is good and bad but there has be something to start with for that :-)Mistermaumau06-03-2025
- If you're a #1 favourite you kind of have to act like it. Since you have the most to lose if the break wins, you should put someone to pace. Even if you don't, they will be dropped at the first real acceleration on the bergs anywayvappaxbipmv06-03-2025
- A rider can’t cancel a race. He can protest 9 Or refuse to ride, but the race could’ve continued without him. This whole thing seems silly.Evan06-03-2025
- More like : If Tadej Pogacar said that, everyone would take notice! Stop picking on Demi. Have you got a problem with women who speak up?VgnRider06-03-2025
- Obese is more than just slightly overweight ;-) Football & Rugby have social implications that make them politically interesting, cricket, tennis and a few others are kept for more subtle reasons which we will call « tradition ». Road cycling in the UK is a relatively niche, foreign, recent concept, so easy to drop out of a list of priorities. If every sport got automatic right to « public « TV, there’d be little time for anything else. Am pretty sure if you asked the GP to list their preferred choices cycling would not even make the top 10, certainly under darts & snooker, athletics. There are no big British talents or rising stars participating (and Pidcock is too precarious for media marketing) so at the moment it can’t even be used to whip up national pride. It will come back once a new star is announced, or England decides (for everyone) they want to make a comeback in the EU ;-)Mistermaumau06-03-2025
- It’s possible that’s the max in the category for damage to the sport which so far is the only they can prove, doesn’t mean he won’t get multiple fines if he was up to doubeyous dealings.Mistermaumau06-03-2025
- "not for the government to intervene" until it's something that really matters..like Football. There's threat that the 6 nations Rugby could be behind the TNT Paywall by next year too, interventions are already underway and there's a furore in Scotland because the SNP "government" won't push to have international soccer on Free to Air, for them and the great unwashed thats a vote loser. If Governments have a sport portfolio making sport available for people to see on Free to Air should be a basic requirementslappers6606-03-2025
- With a stage to go, he wanted to secure his only win in 10 years as a pro. It would be interesting to hear Adam Hansen's thoughts on this one.Suipedali06-03-2025
- Will he hold on to his only pro win in 10 years? I'm all for rider safety, but sometimes it seems to go a little too far. It would be interesting to hear Adam Hansen's thoughts on this one.Suipedali06-03-2025