Crosser Toon Aerts is gaining a clearer picture of his plans for his first full road program in 2026. The 31-year-old Aerts will get to compete in a nice package of spring races with the merged Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty team, he tells our website.
Aerts had already admitted earlier that his interest in testing his limits on the road had grown in the past year. The experienced cyclocross rider joined the Lotto team thanks to a new partnership with his cyclocross team Deschacht-Hens. This allowed him, as a preview, to compete in high-level stage races like the Tour of Poland and Renewi Tour for the first time. "It appeals to me more than I initially wanted to admit," the veteran cross rider said this summer.
That sparked the Kempen native, who not long after also told our website that he is open to Grand Tours or big classics, if he can secure a spot again with the merged Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty team. That latter part has already been settled for a while, and the program also seems to be shaping up well. “Although the full puzzle still needs to be completed in detail,” says the European cyclocross champion.
Different focus after Belgian Championships
What is already clear: after the Belgian Championships, which will be held on January 11 on a climbing course in Beringen, the focus will shift to the road. "We have worked out that I will start training differently from then on and will already begin making the transition. Of course, we still have the last cyclocross races in the back of our minds. But the most important thing is really to start doing longer training sessions with the team from that point forward. I’ll join the January training camp and will still travel to the World Cup in Benidorm in between."
For Aerts, cyclocross remains important – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Where exactly Aerts will race on the road is not yet clear. "In principle, the plan is for me to do part of the classic spring races. I will get to race some very nice events, both in spring and throughout the rest of the summer. The schedule has to work out tactically for the team, but it also needs to fit within my capabilities. It’s all still new for me. Being thrown straight into the deep end at the highest level is not exactly what you want, of course," Aerts candidly admits.
"If I could choose, I would want to do the big races right away, but I already noticed last year, in a race like the Circuit Franco Belge (of UCI 1.Pro level), that the Kluisberg is a climb where most riders in the peloton have ridden dozens of times. While I only know the Koppenberg from cyclocross. That’s definitely an area where I’ll need to make progress."
"Not just riding along"
The Lotto-Intermarché team will help Aerts with that. "There’s still some weeks between the Cyclocross World Championships (scheduled for February 1 in Hulst, Zeeland) and the Flemish classics, then we will do thorough reconnaissance rides and I can get to know the roads. I think it’s very important for both me and the team to go well prepared to those races. Especially if you don’t want to just ride along."
In cyclocross, he’s mainly targeting the Belgian Championship, but Aerts doesn’t want to lose sight of the rest either. "Cyclocross basically remains my number one priority. I don’t want to lose sight of the World Championships either, even though my focus in January will partly shift to spring. Maybe I’ll stop a week earlier than previous years or skip a weekend. Those are all options."
Toon Aerts| Race | Date |
|---|---|
| UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup - Namur | 14 Dec |
