Toon Aerts (Belgium) sprang a surprise to become the new European cyclo-cross champion, completing a long solo ride after a tactical race in Pont-Château, France on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon.
Despite being 23 years old, Aerts was the oldest rider on the podium in the Loire region, flanked by the top favourites, 21-year-old Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) and 22-year-old Wout Van Aert (Belgium), as he received the white-blue jersey and his gold medal.
"I'm going enjoy the jersey so much. On Tuesday [Koppenbergcross] I will wear that jersey. It will be great. I will see what the other races will bring but this season is already the best of my life," Aerts said.
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These were the second-ever European championships in the Elite Men category. Defending champion Lars van der Haar (Netherlands) finished seventh.
During the eighth of twelve 2620-metre-long laps, Aerts rode away in front while the big guns were watching each other in the large group. In a race for national teams instead of commercial teams the Belgian riders protected Aerts' surprise move. None of the other nations was strong enough to organise the chase on the fast undulating course in the Coët-Roz forest.
Van der Poel won the sprint for second place at 45 seconds from Aerts. Local favourite Clément Venturini (France) was a fraction slower than world champion Van Aert, missing out on a podium result. Jens Adams (Belgium) was an inch faster than Kevin Pauwels (Belgium). Van der Haar (Netherlands) was just ahead of a surprisingly strong Marcel Wildhaber (Switzerland) and Steve Chainel (France), all featuring in the first chase group during the final lap. Corné van Kessel (Netherlands) closed out the top-10 in Pont-Château.
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