Belgian cyclocross rider Toon Aerts has revealed that he could be banned from racing for two years, but continues to maintain his innocence, citing February 16, 2024 as a possible comeback date.

Aerts tested positive for the letrozole metabolite last January. This drug is an anabolic steroid and is abused by people who want to block feminizing effects or boost testosterone production. It is banned both in and out of competition and is considered a "specified substance" that does not require a mandatory interim suspension.

The sample was taken 10 days before the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Arkansas; he will be stripped of this result as well as his victory in Lille on February 6 and third place in the Gerbl Superprestige.

Aerts could have continued racing in 2022 pending a final ruling, but chose to suspend his racing activities to resolve the case with the UCI. Aerts was ordered by his team, Barrowise Trek, to suspend his racing activities.

Aerts' lawyers believe that he tested positive for contamination, but have yet to prove how; the UCI offered a two-year ban for Aerts' lack of explanation, but he said he wanted to prove his innocence.

"I have to tell the world something I don't really want to tell. Unfortunately, this week I received a letter from the UCI that no one wants to receive: that the UCI is proposing a two-year suspension," Aerts said at a press conference in Belgium, where he broke down crying several times.

"That means I can resume cyclocross racing on February 16, 2024 at the latest. But I want to continue to prove my innocence.

"This is a very severe punishment. For someone who can say without conscience that he is not guilty of doping, this is too severe a punishment. I never intended to use doping and I never voluntarily took doping products to improve my performance."

A positive test for a specific substance such as letrozole usually carries a two-year suspension, which can be reduced if the athlete can prove that the substance entered his or her system unintentionally.

Additionally, the ban can be reduced from one year by proving "no gross negligence or fault" by the contaminated supplement.

Fellow cyclocross racer Denise Bessema avoided a four-year suspension for testing positive for anabolic steroids.

Italian tennis star Sara Errani tested positive for letrozole in 2017. She claimed that her mother had laced her family's tortellini with the breast cancer drug and was initially suspended for two months. However, the Italian anti-doping agency appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which extended her ban to 10 months.

Art's lawyers argued that the amount of letrozole metabolites found in the samples was negligible, indicating contamination. However, nearly a year after the testing, Aerts still has not explained how letrozole entered his system.

"I can say with 100 percent certainty that the contamination allowed Letrozole to enter Toon's body," said Yannick Prevost, who sat alongside Aerts at the press conference.

"We suspect the source of the contamination, but it has not been confirmed yet. We will continue to analyze the supplement and any problems the toon may have ingested during that time. We hope to find a trajectory that will allow us to continue our research."

Hair analysis could perhaps play a role in Aarts' defense by identifying the substances in the body and the time they were ingested. For this reason, Aerts has refused to cut his hair since being notified of the positive test.

"Hair samples are often a breakthrough in murder cases," Aerts says. 'The evidence is in my hair.'