![\"Professional](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/fjevivvihsbliqmf1mlkzzkqumcls7xfervn57cambiitcbr.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\" "\\"Professional")
Toon Aerts was back and so were his fans. Image: Rijden<\/em><\/p>CAUTION<\/strong>: This article discusses drugs and adult themes that may not be suitable for all ages.<\/p> Just in case you need a recap, professional cyclocross rider and former elite Belgian Champion Toon Aerts was banned by the UCI following an out-of-competition doping test.<\/p> At the time he was riding for Baloise Trek Lions and had won not only the elite Belgian Cyclocross Championships but also the European Championship, World Cup, Superprestige and X2O Badkamers series.<\/p> His last race had been the Brussels Universities Cross in February 2022. Now he was back but would he be welcome?<\/p> A last-minute change of plans found myself heading across from a damp England to my adopted second home of Flanders.<\/p> Not only was there the the draw of seeing Toon\u2019s return but also the opportunity to visit two courses that were new to me - Sint-Niklaas and Brussels Universities.<\/p> \u201ctricky off-camber sections\u201d<\/strong><\/p> It's flat with a few, almost certainly man-made, mounds and stretches of sand. Watching on TV conceals the difficulties of the course. There are some tricky off-camber sections near the lake which threaten a soaking to any rider who gets them wrong.<\/p> Sand is never easy but the recent rain meant that few riders were getting off to run. Then two very tough climbs come straight after one another. Even the best struggled over these.<\/p> Eight of the Directeur Sportifs at the 2021 Tour de France were taught by Richard Cheetham MBE. We talk to the man who puts them through their paces on the UCI's Sports Directors' course<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p> The well-signposted car park was fairly quiet when we arrived ahead of the main races. The nieuwelingen event for 15 and 16-year-olds was already underway but the only spectators were their mums and dads and the odd reluctant sibling.<\/p> \u201cballoons and love hearts\u201d<\/strong><\/p> Despite this, Toon\u2019s fans were already congregating and unfurling their banners. Presumably, these had been hidden away during what was for them two long years of injustice. \u201cToon Aerts is back\u201d one banner declared. And, as if to demonstrate their devotion and party spirit, they were accompanied by balloons and love hearts.<\/p> These were Toon\u2019s hard-core support. Of course, they would back him no matter how the winds of misfortune might blow against him, but what of the non-partisan?<\/p> As the day progressed more fans arrived and as the Toon musical band got into swing so too did the opposing band of rival Toon Vandebosch. As the G-Sports riders (riders with disabilities) enthusiastically plugged their way around much the same course as the elites, the two rival bands tried to outplay one another.<\/p> It was literally a Toon-off as the two sets of supporters faced off in a friendly way. It was good-natured and entertaining. Then it was time to grab some lunch, enjoy the sunshine and prepare for the elite races.<\/p> The elite women\u2019s race was enjoyable but not especially thrilling. Lucinda Brand took an early lead which she was able to extend when Alicia Franck slipped on one of the steep banks and held up the rest.<\/p> \u201cBrand was imperious\u201d<\/strong><\/p> Brand was imperious and her lead just grew. Other than one mistake when she slipped on the off-camber she demonstrated superb skills. Later, I watched a replay of the previous year\u2019s edition. She\u2019d been strong in 2023 but had made too many mistakes and could only finish third. The improvement in twelve months was quite noticeable.<\/p> I\u2019ve come to admire Lucinda Brand as a rider and ambassador for the sport. She gives her best, is cheerful and friendly, even when a race has not gone her way, and always makes time for the fans.<\/p> Spectating at Brussels Universities the next day, I turned around and realised Lucinda Brand was also watching the men\u2019s race. She was accompanied by her dog George and was happily chatting with spectators.<\/p> Karen Ramakers<\/strong><\/a>, Sven\u2019s right-hand woman in the Baloise Trek Lions team, said that Lucinda is \u201copen to talk to everybody and very motivated in training and on course\u201d and is \u201cgood advertising for the sport\u201d. I certainly wouldn\u2019t disagree. But back to the men\u2019s race.<\/p> We decided to set up camp in the amphitheatre-like bowl which featured the two steep climbs. And so it seemed had everybody else. Eventually, after clambering through saplings up a steep incline almost on our hands and knees we joined the merry throng.<\/p> And merry they were too. A group of young gentlemen to our right had been carried away by the sight of sunshine and quite possibly beer and had stripped to the waist. They appeared to be happy to cheer any rider and had no specific allegiance.<\/p> Alcohol is an element of cyclocross in Belgium but I\u2019ve never seen any behaviour that couldn\u2019t be described as good-natured. I\u2019ve never witnessed beer-throwing or worse. A small percentage get tanked up<\/em> but they never seem to be troublesome and most spectators are there to watch the racing.<\/p> We waited in anticipation and then suddenly the men were bursting up over the top of the first vertiginous bank. Or at least leader Michael Vanthourenhout, resplendent in his Euro Champ skinsuit, was plus a few more. Behind was organised chaos as riders stumbled up trying their best to get a foothold here and there.<\/p> The crowd roared and cheered as one. Amplified by the bowl-like nature of the ground it was a barrage of sound and it was clear whom most had come to support - Toon Aerts. Having started at the back due to an absence of UCI points, he\u2019d made an impressive start.<\/p> \u201coff like a scolded cat\u201d<\/strong><\/p> Vanthourenhout was off like a scolded cat never to be caught although he faded in the last lap and finished only eight seconds ahead of his charging teammate Eli Iserbyt. Toon had to settle for fourth, just outsprinted by his former Baloise Trek Lions stablemate Lars van der Haar.<\/p> It was an impressive return by the 30-year-old who followed up with another fourth place at Brussels Universities. Unfortunately, an extremely unlucky accident at Oostmalle when he was leading resulted him in abandoning and requiring facial surgery.<\/p> Why was Toon Aerts barred from racing for two years? An out-of-competition urine sample collected on 19 January 2022, was found to contain letrozole metabolite Bis-4-cyano-phenyl-methanol. For simplicity, we\u2019ll refer to this as letrozole.<\/p> If, like me, you\u2019ve never heard of letrozole before, here\u2019s a layman\u2019s explanation. Letrozole is a medicine used to treat breast cancer and help to prevent breast cancer from coming back. It's mainly prescribed for women who have been through the menopause and have a type of cancer called hormone-dependent breast cancer.<\/p> \u201cboosting fertility\u201d<\/strong><\/p> So why might Toon Aerts take it and why is it banned for athletes? Certainly not for the side effects which can include hot flushes, difficulty sleeping, tiredness, low mood and depression. Letrozole is also used to help women conceive babies by boosting fertility.<\/p> According to the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) it\u2019s illegally used by athletes \u201cto prevent the formation of estrogens, and therefore reduce or prevent the unwanted and feminizing effects of anabolic steroid use\u201d. In other words, it stops male athletes from developing breasts if they take performance-enhancing steroids.<\/p> After Toon\u2019s B-sample came back positive, and after a long period of argument and counter-argument he was banned for two years and his results from three races in 2022, including fifth at the World Championships were annulled.<\/p> Despite this, he still won the X2O Badkamers Trofee, finished second in the Superprestige and third in the World Cup series that year.<\/p> Toon\u2019s defence was based upon the claim that a dietary supplement issued by his team Baloise Trek Lions, namely Trisport Pharma Recup Shake Choco, was contaminated with letrozole.<\/p> According to its makers, Recup Shake Choco is \u201cA tasty shake that quickly replenishes glycogen stores and promotes muscle building after training and competition.\u201d<\/p> Analysis by the University Hospital Leuven showed a small analytical signal indicative of the presence of a trace of letrozole in the supplement. This isn\u2019t the same as saying they found letrozole in the supplement.<\/p> \u201cnegligible effect\u201d<\/strong><\/p> Toon Aert\u2019s team said that the dairy products used to make the supplement must have been tainted by letrozole. They also argued that the amount of letrozole found in his sample was tiny (2.4 ng\/mL) and would have had negligible effect.<\/p> Finally, in August 2023, over a year and a half after the first test, the UCI announced that Toon was to be banned for two years.<\/p> It was widely reported that the UCI accepted that he hadn't deliberately doped. I can't find any suggestion that was their view in the Tribunal report and they never responded formally.<\/p> I suspect that this was a claim put out by Toon\u2019s PR team knowing that the UCI wouldn't comment.<\/p> There's a clear distinction between, say, an English criminal court of law and the UCI tribunal system. In English law, a criminal defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.<\/p> In doping tribunals, the reverse applies. As soon as an athlete is found to have a prohibited substance in a body sample they are guilty unless they can prove their innocence. We\u2019ll return to this significant difference later when we consider its fairness.<\/p> The UCI also quite rightly claimed that Toon had not recorded the supplement on his Doping Control Form when he supplied the sample. He responded that he didn\u2019t think it was necessary and added that he\u2019d often drunk the same supplement in the presence of doping officials just before providing a sample.<\/p> It\u2019s interesting to see what Toon had declared on his Doping Control Form. These are products he\u2019d taken in the previous seven days:<\/p> Magnesium - This makes perfect sense as Magnesium is critical for athletic performance<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p><\/li> Paracetamol - a common pain relief.<\/p><\/li> Piracetam - According to WebMD<\/strong><\/a>, Piracetam is \u201cmost commonly used for breath-holding attacks, seizure disorder (epilepsy), dizziness (vertigo)\u201d. It\u2019s also claimed that Piractem can improve reaction times, skill acquisition and motivation.<\/p><\/li> Lysomucil - used to thin mucous excretions.<\/p><\/li> Potentiator - A potentiator is a chemical, herb, or other drug that is used to increase the effects of a substance. What is not clear is which substance is it being used in conjunction with.<\/p><\/li> Antiasthenic - an over-the-counter medication to combat fatigue.<\/p><\/li> Chromatonbic Ferro - used to treat or prevent low levels of Iron.<\/p><\/li> Erhthromax this one is a mystery.<\/p><\/li><\/ul> <\/p> Having read through the 39-page Tribunal judgement<\/strong><\/a>, although much of the medical discourse was lost on me, my conclusion about Toon\u2019s guilt or innocence is rather like my personal views about the existence of God.<\/p> I\u2019m prepared to believe in either his guilt or his innocence but I\u2019ve not seen irrefutable evidence to prove either. Accepting his guilt or innocence feels like a leap of faith.<\/p> \u201cbeing a nice chap is no guarantee\u201d<\/strong><\/p> If I\u2019m honest, I want to believe he's not a cheat. Watching him race, seeing his incredible skill and athleticism is a joy to behold. He seems like a really nice guy too. Unfortunately, being a nice chap is no guarantee against taking the odd illicit substance.<\/p> Former World Champion Alejandro Valverde was subject to a doping ban but I heard a rather charming story about Alejandro which gives an insight into his character. Apparently, local cyclists of all categories would meet up in his local town. After coffee, they\u2019d all set off together at a leisurely pace.<\/p> Professionals, top amateurs, veteran racers and even school-age kids would head out of town, chatting and joking. For the elite, it\u2019s a gentle warm-up for the rest it\u2019s a privilege.<\/p> After about 10 kilometres they head into the hills and the pace shoots up. Happily, the veterans and kids will continue to ride at their own pace or head back for another coffee and talk about how they rode alongside Valverde.<\/p> According to the anecdote that was passed down to me, on one ride a young lad punctured at the start. Not only did Valverde hold up the ride so that he wouldn\u2019t be left behind but helped him to change the puncture.<\/p> Surely nice guys don\u2019t cheat. It seems they do.<\/p> I\u2019m neither a doping cynic nor a cycling romantic who imagines all the cyclists I admire must be clean. I don\u2019t have any inside information but I\u2019ve wondered a few times how much doping goes on in cyclocross compared to other disciplines such as road racing.<\/p> One of the problems I've faced trying to uncover some facts is the absence of a single list of sanctioned or banned cyclists. The otherwise quite comprehensive www.dopeology.org<\/strong><\/a> seems to ignore cyclocross riders altogether.<\/p> The World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) in its 2020 Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) Report<\/strong><\/a> reported the following rate of Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) sanctions for cycling:<\/p> Mountain Bike DH - 1.9% ADRVs (from 153 samples)<\/p><\/li> Cyclocross - 0.75% ADRVs (from 668 samples)<\/p><\/li> Mountain Bike XC - 0.72% ADRVs (from 1,512 samples)<\/p><\/li> Road - 0.35% ADRVs (from 8,539 samples)<\/p><\/li><\/ul> <\/p> On that basis, you might assume that Downhill mountain biking is super dirty and by comparison, road racing is squeaky clean. But these figures don\u2019t tell you anything about the outcomes. Did they all receive equal sanctions?<\/p> Equally, the variance in sample size could have caused statistical anomalies. A small sample, such as for DH Mountain Biking, is more likely to distort the results.<\/p> Further drilling down into the data reveals that a further ten road racers had no case to answer, one case resulted in no sanction and four cases were still pending.<\/p> When trying to investigate cases of doping in cyclocross, one story kept coming up. It's become a cause celebre as the first instance of an elite rider being caught using motor doping.<\/p> It is of course the case of Belgian Femke Van den Driessche who was caught with a motor in a spare bike at the Cyclocross World Championships.<\/p> The 19-year-old rider protested her innocence but did not contest the UCI\u2019s disciplinary hearing and she was banned for six years.<\/p> \u201ctheft of parakeets\u201d<\/strong><\/p> In a curious twist to the story, her father and brother were charged with the theft of parakeets from a shop having been allegedly caught on CCTV. I've heard that one risk factor in the likelihood that young riders will go on to dope is their parents or coaches having a lax approach to the rules.<\/p> It doesn't seem as if her father was a particularly good role model and I can't help but wonder how much responsibility lies with her and how much with her entourage.<\/p> One of the most high-profile cyclocross doping cases involved Dutch star Denise Betsema. She was found to have taken Endogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroid(s) at Hoogerheide and Middelkerke in 2019.<\/p> Her defence, like Toon\u2019s, was based upon the contaminated supplement theory. Oddly, rather than using one of the many commercially available and guaranteed illicit substance-free supplements she was having hers made by a chemist.<\/p> If that doesn't seem rather strange, what strikes me as odd is that the resident of an island off the coast of the Netherlands was acquiring the bespoke product from a chemist in Belgium.<\/p> Her reason, she claimed, was that the controls were stricter in Belgium and she'd be certain that there wouldn't be any cross-contamination. That worked out well, didn't it?<\/p> Betsema claimed that the UCI accepted her argument that she was not at fault as the supplier was able to demonstrate the batch was indeed contaminated. I'm unable to confirm this as, unlike Toon\u2019s tribunal, I can't find the published outcome on the UCI website or elsewhere.<\/p> She received a six-month ban during the cyclocross off-season so the impact on her career was limited. Banned in April 2020 she was free to race from October of the same year.<\/p> If Denise Betsema\u2019s story sounded to you like something swimming in the sea off her island of Texel, you weren\u2019t alone. Veteran cyclocross campaigner, fifteen times USA National Champion and outspoken critic of drug cheats, Katie Compton responded to Betsema\u2019s light ban with \u201cThis is such bull shit\u201d.<\/p> \u201cutter shock\u201d<\/strong><\/p> It came as an utter shock to learn that Compton too had tested positive for steroids especially after she'd already announced her retirement at the end of the next season.<\/p> I recall feeling somewhat stunned and rereading the news item just to be sure. Compton vehemently proclaimed her innocence but didn't contest the charges.<\/p> She lacked the money and will to carry on and immediately retired. Why had she taken such an anti-doping stance if she was really a secret doper herself? It didn't add up. It was a sad end to an illustrious career.<\/p> Another cyclocross rider who reacted in less than positive terms to Betsema\u2019s short-term ban was Czech Republic rider, Katerina Nash. The World Championship bronze medallist made her displeasure quite clear.<\/p> She wrote on social media \u201cThe principle of strict liability in Anti-Doping is very clear. Intentional or unintentional means the same result - guilty! Athletes are 100% responsible for what goes in our body at all times. I'll always follow these rules and fight for #cleansport in all possible ways\u201d.<\/p> In October 2022, nine months after her last ever elite-level cyclocross race and a month after her last UCI event at the World Road Championships, she tested positive for Capromorelin in an out-of-competition test. Capromorelin is a growth hormone which is also used to promote appetite in cats and dogs.<\/p> \u201ctreating her dog\u201d<\/strong><\/p> The matter was investigated by USADA who found that she had inadvertently absorbed Capromorelin when treating her dog Rubi who was suffering from and eventually died from cancer.<\/p> In announcing that no action would be taken, fearless Lance-hunter Travis T Tygart commented \u201cThe rules must change and all of us must wake up and demand a more fair and just global anti-doping system that catches and sanctions intentional cheats who rob clean athletes but does not railroad innocent athletes.\u201d<\/p> Nash has been a co-opted member of the UCI Management Committee since 2018 as President of the Athletes\u2019 Commission.<\/p> It\u2019s actually quite hard to find many examples of cyclocross riders being caught and banned for doping. There have been instances of some quite well-known riders having been investigated but none of these resulted in disciplinary action.<\/p> Brothers Pawel and Kacper Szczepaniak who\u2019d finished first and second at the 2010 Under-23 World Championships were subsequently banned for four and eight years respectively. Pawel later admitted taking EPO but claimed he was misled and thought they were vitamins.<\/p> \u201cmaster rider banned for taking EPO\u201d<\/strong><\/p> Bizarrely, the USA domestic cyclocross scene has seen more than one master rider banned for taking EPO. Seriously? Yes, apparently so.<\/p> Not many cyclists have been banned for positive letrozole test. The most striking by far is Shari Bossuyt. The Canyon\/SRAM Racing rider is currently serving a two-year ban for letrozole. Not only does she share the same management agency as Aerts but it would appear the positive test occurred after she, like Toon, had been in Flamanville, Normandy.<\/p> Their joint agency claims that the letrozole contamination was due to the use of letrozole in French dairy herds. However, letrozole is not licensed for use on cattle in France, although that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not being used. Either way, the evidence for their argument is weak. Why aren\u2019t lots of riders being caught out?<\/p> This is very reminiscent of the Alberto Contador tainted meat<\/em> saga. The former Tour de France winner tested positive for clenbuterol. His claim that it was a result of contaminated meat was accepted by the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation who cleared him of all charges.<\/p> The UCI and WADA appealed against the decision and finally, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) banned him for two years. It was reported that plasticizers had been found in Contador\u2019s sample, a possible indicator of blood doping.<\/p> \u201cunprotected sex\u201d<\/strong><\/p> American boxer Virginia Fuchs tested positive for letrozole but escaped sanction. USADA accepted her plea that her male partner had contaminated her during unprotected sex. He was, according to USADA, using therapeutic doses of letrozole at the time.<\/p> Italian tennis player Sara Errani also avoided a lengthy ban when she tested positive for letrozole. In this instance, it was accepted somehow she\u2019d ingested some of her mother\u2019s prescription for letrozole. Errani was suspended for two months when the Italian Tennis Federation accepted that there was \u201cno significant fault or negligence\u201d on her part.<\/p> Letrozole\u2019s use in bodybuilding seems to be normalised. There\u2019s a worrying amount of information about the use of letrozole and steroids on bodybuilding websites. One describes the use of letrozole as a \u201cpre-competition necessity\u201d.<\/p> The point of this article was to consider the reaction to Toon Aert\u2019s return and whether his ban was fair. On the first point, it\u2019s clear that he\u2019s been well-received by the fans. His colleagues at the school where he\u2019d been teaching Physical Education during his ban came out on mass to support him at Oostmalle.<\/p> Certainly, he's had little trouble attracting a new team in Deschacht-Hens-Maes and he was even sponsored by Toyo Tires whilst suspended. Ironically, while he may have taken a hit on his salary, he\u2019s probably making even more headlines for his sponsors than before.<\/p> But should he have been banned and was the two-year suspension fair compared to other riders? I\u2019m not certain of his guilt or innocence. Is he a deliberate doper who was caught out or an unlucky innocent who was damned by contamination?<\/p> I can\u2019t say that Toon\u2019s ban and length of suspension are fair, but I wonder if the whole approach to anti-doping is fair. The immediate assumption of guilt places a tremendous burden upon the rider to prove their blamelessness.<\/p> \u201ca clear theme of inconsistency\u201d<\/strong><\/p> What seems certain to me is that the chances of the inadvertent innocent avoiding a lengthy ban or the guilty from getting away with a short suspension have more to do with the resources available to the defendant and which doping authority investigates the case. There\u2019s a clear theme of inconsistency in the judgements handed down.<\/p> Guilty or not, Toon has served his time and I look forward to seeing him back in action next year. After all, everyone deserves a second chance, don\u2019t they?<\/p> 10 March 2024, Tim CostelloThe return of Toon Aerts<\/h2>
Sint-Niklaas course<\/h3>
![\"Cycling](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/eeyd7b6f4csxrucnhse9pqwew608keum3osvrj1ptiqllury.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\" "\\"Cycling")
<\/u><\/a>The course at Sint-Niklaas is based around the edge of a lake which is the centrepiece of the area known as the Provinciaal domein De Stoer - the Pond of the Star.<\/p>![\"visual](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/jyp3c1hqqhteuflnqbej9cpxmhgo4hulu39dhdaiowyy6dvp.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\" "\\"visual")
READ MORE<\/strong>: Want to be a Sports Director of a UCI cycling team? Meet the man who makes sure they're good enough. <\/p>![\"Meet](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/cg6okfjtydxtt7wvlkobbzenouz6zvwuaa8clembgbulefqx.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\" "\\"Meet")
<\/u><\/a>With a gentle breeze and the sun occasionally peering out from behind light clouds and glinting on the lake, it made for an idyllic setting. One could even be excused from reminiscing about Spring.<\/p>Toon Aerts fans<\/h3>
![\"Toon](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/4p5vbmmjdscayouh8ehfty0r7aprtatyud5lorchgdv0cy1z.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\" "\\"Toon")
Like the unfurling of Spring, the banners were out. Image: Rijden.<\/em><\/p>The women\u2019s race<\/h3>
![\"Elite](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/pv7uvb42ypkfqkeh5rkwxgxyvoryel1pvdosn6igwff8ehfp.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\" "\\"Elite")
Lucinda Brand and a young fan. Image: Rijden.<\/em><\/p>The men<\/h3>
![\"Cyclocross](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/bptpf5f41gk16b9fmreb2e2jolh3gtqftq7e5xw680rk5pfj.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\" "\\"Cyclocross")
These cyclocross fans were impartial. Image: Rijden.<\/em><\/p>The Aerts affair<\/h2>
Why was Toon Aerts banned?<\/h3>
![\"Sign](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/1uisyoqliwvwdwgx8gx6redohszcnsoxwmwkkfwyczbw5sup.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\" "\\"Sign")
Love was all around for Toon Aerts at Sint-Niklaas. Image: Rijden.<\/em><\/p>What was his defence?<\/h3>
![\"Cycling](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/cdhtfm0w17zkrurcap3dnav3rwkhajdab6ckvdlpcf73e6iq.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\" "\\"Cycling")
<\/u><\/a>The UCI\u2018s stance was that Toon Aerts had failed to demonstrate how the letrozole had entered his body. By being unable to prove his innocence of deliberate doping he was deemed to be guilty.<\/p>Guilty until proven innocent<\/h3>
Doping in cyclocross<\/h2>
Is doping common in cyclocross?<\/h3>
Motorised doping in cyclocross<\/h3>
Denise Betsema<\/h3>
Katie Compton<\/h3>
![\"Former](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/11nuqcrqkpj9uljtvcmooqmklmonfzu73l8nhsho9aowycgt.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\" "\\"Former")
Katie Compton in happier times. Image: Rijden.<\/em><\/p>Katerina Nash<\/h3>
Other cyclocross riders<\/h3>
Letrozole cases<\/h3>
Was Toon Aerts\u2019s ban fair?<\/h3>
<\/u><\/a>It\u2019s patently obvious, for example, that Lance Armstrong would have had action taken against him far earlier if he had not had such influence, power and money on his side. As Travis T Tygart wrote, \u201call of us must wake up and demand a more fair and just global anti-doping system\u201d.<\/p>![\"grrbpemyywmusal5merxugim70nijvc2vqzqxpkx6vlx83lu.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/grrbpemyywmusal5merxugim70nijvc2vqzqxpkx6vlx83lu.jpg\")
NEVER MISS OUT<\/strong><\/p>
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<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>","urlTitle":"toon-aerts-is-back","url":"\/blog\/toon-aerts-is-back\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/toon-aerts-is-back\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/blog\/toon-aerts-is-back\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1709293321,"updatedAt":1710325197,"publishedAt":1710325196,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":61205,"name":"Rijden_2"},"tags":[{"id":1160,"code":"cyclocross","name":"Cyclocross","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/cyclocross\/"},{"id":2434,"code":"opinion","name":"Opinion","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/opinion\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kdewbebjfbtrxmuyi8uykdy89aukaue2fcddlkfs444nmvkm.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kdewbebjfbtrxmuyi8uykdy89aukaue2fcddlkfs444nmvkm.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kdewbebjfbtrxmuyi8uykdy89aukaue2fcddlkfs444nmvkm.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"Toon Aerts is Back | Rijden","metaDescription":"What was the fans' reaction and was his ban fair? We consider the facts after his two-year doping ban. Contains adult themes.","keyPhraseCampaignId":42974,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":10415,"title":"Balint Hamvas, top cyclocross photographer","url":"\/blog\/the-impressionist-balint-hamvas\/","urlTitle":"the-impressionist-balint-hamvas","division":61205,"description":"We caught up with top cyclocross photographer Balint Hamvas. During an enjoyable interview, he told me about freezing in the Alps, travelling by e-bike and how he faked his way into professional photography.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/hed6ed0xd68xvkqekrz04yqhwthnw7fc8apax9eqpyodq9c1.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/hed6ed0xd68xvkqekrz04yqhwthnw7fc8apax9eqpyodq9c1.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":10567,"title":"Ian Field part one","url":"\/blog\/ian-field-part-one\/","urlTitle":"ian-field-part-one","division":61205,"description":"Cyclocross professional turned CX coach Ian Field gives the low down on what it takes to live and race cyclocross in Belgium. Part one: \"Come home when you're broke\".","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/z0esxhm8ptynkd2ccmx2d0j6vhz1ahl1o7kheqjmiwaqppei.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/z0esxhm8ptynkd2ccmx2d0j6vhz1ahl1o7kheqjmiwaqppei.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":10597,"title":"Ian Field, multiple cyclocross champion part two","url":"\/blog\/ian-field-part-2\/","urlTitle":"ian-field-part-2","division":61205,"description":"Cyclocross professional turned CX coach Ian Field continues his tale of living and racing cyclocross in Belgium.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ow36svb5jriv2vpimfugw8badnngxxynpxsy14eymngsr9z5.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ow36svb5jriv2vpimfugw8badnngxxynpxsy14eymngsr9z5.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}