ProTeam New Lotto rider Toon Aerts at the start in Norway: “This new step gives me a lot of motivation”
Toon Aerts made his debut in the red colors of the Lotto Cycling Team in Cologne. During Rund um Köln two weeks ago, he was part of the sprint train that led Milan Menten to a fifth-place finish. “It was the first time I had to do something like that,” Aerts admits. “As part of the cyclocross team, my teammates used to ride for me during races in summer- now I’m part of the lead-out train. But it didn’t go badly at all.”
Aerts only joined the core of the team a few weeks ago, when the Lotto Cycling Team announced its collaboration with cyclocross team Deschacht-Hens-FSP. “In the past few years, I completed my summer road program with the cyclocross team, but now I can do it in a major team. I’d already raced in a peloton with guys like Brent Van Moer and Milan Menten, but now I’m constantly meeting new people. Plus, I can now rely on the team dietician, there are always mechanics nearby, soigneurs, and there’s that big team bus… The experience is completely different, which is why this new step is also very motivating for me. You always think you’re fully dedicated to your profession — and of course, that has always been true — but this is another level up. Naturally, things were quite different when I turned pro in 2015. There wasn’t much talk about nutrition back then; you just went by feel, trained hard, and spent hours on the bike. Over the years, more structured training came into play, and now there’s a focus on nutrition. In a big team like this, things are handled very efficiently, and it’s no effort at all for me to do even more. I really want to give it everything to see where this new chapter can take me.”
Becoming a full-time road cyclist is not yet on the cards for Aerts. “I think this summer we’re definitely going to explore where the limits lie. I want to include many evaluation moments, because I don’t have ten more years to figure this out. I’m now starting in Norway, the Tour of Belgium is on my schedule, as well as Dwars door het Hageland and the Antwerp Port Epic… But I don’t want to give up cyclocross either.”
In Norway, Toon Aerts wants to further sharpen his form. “My form is good, as I already showed in Cologne. I never got into trouble and was able to do my job well. Physically, I’m in a good place and there’s definitely room for improvement. In Norway, I can add more race kilometers by competing for several days in a row. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Picture: PhotoNews
