Seven-time world champion Mathieu van der Poel returns to cyclocross this coming weekend, making his comeback at the Citadelcross in Namur, where he will start for the first time in five years. One year earlier (2019), Van der Poel fought one of the most gripping duels in recent years with then Belgian champion Toon Aerts. A heroic race that many fans still remember vividly. Not least the protagonist Aerts himself, with whom we look back.
The World Cup race initially unfolded like classic Van der Poel. Just four minutes into the race, he crept to the front on the famous steep slope of the Citadelcross. Wearing his rainbow jersey, he immediately put several meters between himself and the rest of the field, among whom were other (shadow) favorites Eli Iserbyt, Michael Vanthourenhout, Quinten Hermans, Tom Pidcock and... Toon Aerts. Book it in, as in 99% of all cross races, you'd think. But it was the latter who took up the challenge against Van der Poel.
"Morale is always a bit higher before the race in Namur," Aerts said. "As a junior, it was one of the first big races I competed in, and I think I've started every edition since. It’s one of the toughest races of the year, but the nice thing is that you can continuously ride at your own pace. Essentially, it’s more a battle against yourself than against the competition. That suits me perfectly."
Aerts came to Namur full of confidence. "Partly because I had already beaten Mathieu a few weeks earlier on the Hotond in Ronse," which was Van der Poel’s first loss in cyclocross in over a year and a half. "But also because I knew I would perform even better in Namur. Partly due to the course, but also the timing on the calendar plays a role. Usually, before this race, you return from training camp in Spain, where you spend a long time training at a steady pace and working on your base. Actually, you don't need to be explosive or sharp there; relying purely on your base endurance is where you shine."
What a battle we saw back then – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
These factors were further intensified by the extreme weather conditions. The Namur course, due to persistent rainfall, had turned into a mud pit and kept raining throughout the race. All of this at temperatures barely reaching 5 degrees Celsius. "At the Citadel, it always feels even colder. These are conditions where I perform better than the rest. Others lose capacity, but I keep riding at my level," Aerts says.
Hypothermia
There are various reasons why the strong Kempen rider, wearing his Belgian champion jersey, was able to put up so much resistance against Van der Poel that day in 2019. After fifteen minutes, Aerts even briefly pulled away from the world champion after Van der Poel suffered a flat tire. A strong Van der Poel fought back, but midway through the race, the same happened again. Aerts once more gained some space, but Van der Poel fought his way back.
Until about fifteen minutes from the finish. The efforts to come back had cost the Dutchman a lot of energy. At one point, he came to a complete stop on the uphill cobblestones, while Aerts gained wings. But those wings also caused him to make several mistakes. "At one point, I flipped over the handlebars, and my saddle went right through my butt crack," Aerts laughs. "All the way up to the top of my tailbone, which was badly bruised. I suffered from that for quite some time afterward."
In the race itself, adrenaline naturally takes over, so Aerts kept pushing. But with the last lap approaching, Van der Poel was once again beside him. Until Aerts went off line on a descent and crashed hard to the ground. The end of the story for the Belgian champion, who watched Van der Poel ride to a heroic victory after an epic duel.
Aerts on the podium – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
"Partly, you make that mistake because Mathieu rides so incredibly fast, but I still think that last fall was mainly because I was so hypothermic on the bike and lost control. You could actually see it with Mathieu as well. We were both shaking on our bikes because we were so cold. We were no longer racing against each other, but more against ourselves. We tried to keep ourselves awake and stay focused."
"That’s already very tough when you’re racing for the win," Aerts says. "But even more so for the riders further behind. That must have been serious battles against themselves, just to finish the race. Eli Iserbyt was carried away under the barricades, Tom Pidcock fell on the same spot as I did in the last lap and broke his saddle, which cost him the last podium step to Corne van Kessel. Everyone suffered something there. And that probably makes it so heroic."
Broken ribs
It is partly for this reason that Aerts is still approached about that race to this day. "Actually, I should have won, especially because Mathieu had some bad luck and flat tires. But I also shouldn’t have made those crashes myself. Although I didn’t win, it stuck with a lot of people. Even fellow riders who were juniors back then 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 peak of my abilities, but competing with Mathieu van der Poel is something few riders have managed since."
The race left a bitter aftertaste for Aerts, though. "The first thing I said after the finish was: I think my ribs are broken. But with everything happening that day, it wasn’t really something we thought about much. Until about two hours after the race, on our way home, we decided to turn around and go to the physiotherapist. The next morning, the hospital confirmed I had broken ribs." That made the aftertaste twice as bitter.
Telenet UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Namur| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01:05:59 | |
| 2 | + 55 | |
| 3 | + 01:14 | |
| 4 | + 01:31 | |
| 5 | + 01:41 | |
| 6 | + 01:48 | |
| 7 | + 01:56 | |
| 8 | + 02:02 | |
| 9 | + 02:23 | |
| 10 | + 03:11 |
