Toon Aerts, who has insisted he is innocent despite an adverse dope test result, has begun work teaching PE in a school in Belgium after losing his place in pro cycling, at least for the foreseeable future.
The 29-year-old Belgian, who has won multiple World Cup races in his career and medaled at the World Championships, has also criticised his Baloise-Trek Lions team, who he split from last September. Former Belgian and European champion Aerts said contact with the team went quiet, and was then non existent, too soon into his case. He added he had not heard from some of his team mates.
"I expected a little more from some people," he explained when asked about the support or assistance from his team, especially after, he says, an examination of his hair added to his claim the drug was in his body due to a contaminated supplement rather than because he had just taken it.
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"I thought it quietened down a bit too quickly. The few times there was contact, I had the feeling that I was being called on the spot, that I had to come and explain. That impacted me. When we finally split up in September, it was a blow on the one hand, but on the other hand I also thought it was better this way.
"There are teammates I haven't heard from. On the other hand: Lars van der Haar just sends me a lot of messages. I got a lot out of him.”
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Aerts told Her Nieuwsblad he had already made a lot of money from his cyclocross career and had taken on a job so he had something to do with his time.
“I started as a physical education teacher," he said of taking his part-time job in a school. "I was looking for a job and heard through the grapevine that they were looking for someone there. Application on Tuesday, started (Thursday), fourteen hours a week. I'm replacing someone until the end of the school year. My first lesson - volleyball and handstand.
“There were students who recognised me immediately, others didn't know who I am at all. I assume that the first group will inform the second about my story. That will go around quickly. I didn't get any comments about it and I think that's good. I like to keep those things separate.”
Aerts tested positive for letrozole in a sample taken from him in the build-up to the Cyclocross World Championships in the US twelve months ago; a race he went on to finish 6th in. The drug is used to block oestrogen during the treatment of breast cancer but has also been used by doping athletes to boost the production of testosterone.
Aerts has not raced since mid February and last month the UCI said he would be suspended for two years after accepting the presence of the drug in his system was unintentional. Aerts claims a supplement must have been contaminated. He is taking his case to the UCI’s anti-doping tribunal and even if the two-year ban is upheld he would be able to return to racing in mid February of next year.
