Seven years ago, Toon Aerts was on the top step of the European Cyclocross Championships in Pontchâteau, scoring the first major success of his career, beating Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma). Now, he's watching the race on television, waiting out the final months of a two-year doping ban, and looking to sign a contract for next year.
In the build-up to the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, the 30-year-old tested positive in an out-of-competition test on January 19 for metabolites of the breast cancer drug letrozole, a substance that is banned because it can be used to block the feminizing effects of anabolic steroid use in men.
