"We were both shaking on our bikes because we were so cold" - Toon Aerts recalls epic battle with Mathieu van der Poel
Cyclocross
In the 2019-2020 season, Mathieu van der Poel raced a full cyclocross schedule from early November to February, winning every single race but one, which was won by Toon Aerts. The current European Champion recalls a different race however, soon after, in which he had a memorable battle against the now seven-time World Champion, in the Namur World Cup which the riders will take on once again this upcoming Sunday.
It was the last year that the Dutchman had a full calendar, and on the 14th of February he had a bad day at the Ronse Hotondcross where he finished third - his only defeat in about two dozen races that winter. One week later, he was at the start of the Namur World Cup, one of the most difficult crosses of the season with plenty climbing and descending, and with temperatures of 5 degrees. Toon Aerts, winner in Ronse, went into Namur full of confidence that he could do again what no-one else could.
"Partly because I had already beaten Mathieu a few weeks earlier at the Hotond in Ronse. But also because I knew I would be even better in Namur," Aerts shared with Wielerflits. "Partly because of the course, but my position on the calendar also plays a role. You often return from training camps in Spain for that cyclocross race, where you've trained for a long time at a steady pace and with your base. You don't really need to be explosive or fast there, but purely on your base, you always excel there."
It was a race of attrition, with van der Poel suffering mechanicals and Aerts a few falls, with each taking blows from each other on separate laps. But on the last lap there was an anti-climax as Aerts crashes in a muddy descent, fracturing a few ribs in the process, but immediately losing time that was not possible to recover.
"Of course, you partly make that mistake because Mathieu rides so incredibly fast, but I still think that last crash was mainly a result of me being so severely hypothermic on the bike and losing control," he admits. "You saw that with Mathieu too, by the way. We were both shaking on our bikes because we were so cold. We weren't racing against each other anymore, but rather against ourselves. We were trying to keep ourselves awake and focused."
The at-the-time Belgian champion had the performance of a career against van der Poel who wore the rainbow jersey at the time, and it was one of the race in which he proved that the hilly courses are his specialty. "I really should have won, especially because Mathieu had some bad luck and punctures. But I shouldn't have caused those crashes myself," he rues. However it was a memorable race, one that continues to be brought up today.
This Sunday van der Poel begins his cross season in Namur and Aerts is certain to be present and amongst the main favourites. Could we see a repetition of 2019?
"Even though I didn't win, it stuck with a lot of people. Even fellow riders who were still juniors at the time sometimes tell me how fantastic they thought that race was. It was also a very good period for me, which I look back on fondly. Of course, I was at the top of my game, but competing with Mathieu van der Poel hasn't been possible for many riders since," he concluded.
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 3visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin is wuite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment