Toon Aerts took a break from cross-country racing over the past two weeks, but next weekend we will see him in action again in Namur. After his European title, Aerts needed a reset. The rider now knows how to assess himself perfectly, both physically and mentally.
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Toon Aerts shares extremely tragic news
The dream was alive
Because inferior performances will probably not immediately bring Aerts more of his milk. This of course has everything to do with his unjustified suspension, which expired at the beginning of last year. Aerts was sidelined for a total of two years, but his dream of racing remained intact. In other words, he never thought about quitting.
“All this time I have been surrounded by people who still saw a future in me,” Aerts explains to Humo. “There has always been contact with interested teams, so I didn’t panic. I wasn’t ready to stop yet. I had never thought about what I would do after my career.”
Kicked in the heart
However, this does not mean that Aerts was not disappointed by people. Well, on the contrary. And he is tough as nails for that particular group: “There are people I no longer wanted to speak to or see. Also people who were close to me but from whom I felt insufficiently supported,” he says openly.
“Life went on for them. Maybe they were thinking about me, but I couldn’t have known that. Fortunately, I benefited a lot from my family. And from my friends, the boys I was in class with in Rijkevorsel and with whom I still have a close bond.”
Oh well, a small advantage to that suspension. It was possible to take an extra step outside: “During the cycling season there is little time for that, but now there was. For once I was there at the fair or carnival,” Aerts concludes.
