Recapping a Week of Belgium Cyclocross
I have been to a lot of cyclocross races over the past decade - up and down the East Coast every single fall. But the last true cyclocross spectacle that I experienced was more than ten years ago at the 2013 Louisville World Championships. Until this past holiday season, when more than a half dozen of us planned a trip to Northern Europe.
We shared photos from Diegem Cross a few weeks ago, but needless every single race that we went to was memorable. The crowds were intense (and sometimes highly intoxicated) and it was frankly incredible to see the professional racers in person - their power and technique is that much more visceral in person compared to a mediocre quality Flosports feed.
And so, to wrap up this little adventure, we have a gallery from the World Cup race at Gavere, alongside favorite moments for some of the TBDers in attendance in Belgium and the Netherlands...
All photos throughout are from the World Cup race at Gavere by Matt
UCI World Cup Gavere, December 26
By Hannah
Gavere was the first race on the TBD Christmas CX calendar. After gulping a quick espresso at Full Circle Coffee in Ghent, where the barista politely corrected our pronunciation of Gavere (hint, it’s not GAH-VER-EE), my friend Steve and I boarded the public bus that would take us right to the race.
Given this was my first rodeo at a big UCI race, I was excited by the silliest things which I’ve seen on TV watching CX but now got to experience in person. Notably, the giant inflatable Prik & Tik soda bottle and Pauwels Sauzen bottle. Once I got that out of my system, we tried to quickly navigate to the spectating area.
Slowing us down was the mud. I thought I’ve experienced thick mud, but it doesn’t quite stand up to the mud at Gavere. This was heavy ooey gooey shoe sucking mud. I was barely able to make it through the course crossing without eating it. A humbling experience that makes you appreciate the skill it takes to stay upright on the course. Around here we saw MDVP fall during his race (pros, they’re like us!).
All the heavy hitters were in attendance (both on the women’s and men’s side) which made the first laps so exciting. To be able to see all of your CX heroes shredding a turn one right after another was super special.
During the men’s race, we saw Pidcock lose his chain on the second lap and try to fix it while still riding his bike (normal Pidders stuff). Watching him regroup and hustle his way to finish in 3rd, after being in 29th place, was a highlight for me.
Superprestige Diegem, December 28
By Lisa
Diegem was to be our second race of the week and the one and only night race we would be spectating. Matt and I were particularly excited to see this and even mapped out our lodging to line up with the race, opting to stay the night in Brussels instead of Ghent to make our travel experience as easy as possible with the race a mere 18 minute train ride from central Brussels. With our experience at Gavere in tow — our group had arrived 45-60 minutes ahead of the Women’s race there after a leisurely coffee morning and while it was enough time to get settled and watch both women’s and men’s races, we realized earlier would be ideal — better than anticipated weather (no rain! not even that cold!), and anticipating that a night race so easily accessible to a major city would attract large crowds of reveling Belgians, we arrived at the race around 4:30, about an hour before the juniors raced and well over 2 hours before the main events.
We knew our friend group would be arriving later via party bus so we decided to wander around the course and scope out a spot they could easily meet us and pin that before everyone lost cell coverage a la Gavere. Though the weather was mild for the week’s forecast, we still came prepared with a bag full of extras just in case that seemed like the ideal emergency pack - extra socks for potential wet or mud incidents, hand/feet warmers, outer gear or extra layer in case rain/wind, snacks for when you want something other than frites or a hot dog without a bun.
The early pre-race part of our evening was probably our favorite. Immediately upon stepping off the train and walking towards the race start down the road we marveled at the vibe of a big race just…seemingly dropped in the middle of a town. It felt like a mix between a city crit and a local cx race. The early vibes were very chill, you could walk in and out of the course limits, unlike at Gavere where once you were inside you were there for good. The course marshals were really laid back — foreshadowing — unlike at Gavere where they very seriously manned their posts and sometimes physcially helped people to cross the course and wade/slide/survive the mud. In Diegem they laughed at us when we asked if we went out to the racer camper warm up area if we would be able to get back inside. It made for a fun early evening where we got to watch the women warm up and cheer for our favorites - Alvarado, Puck - and Cant, who came out to race this one! Outside the course people were crowded in droves at all the local bars, pregaming ahead of the night’s events.
After meandering through about 3/4 of the course - we never made it over to the sand pit as it was more disconnected from the rest of the course - we settled on a spot that gave us access to several spots on the course that could be traveled from the inside without requiring a course crossing. This proved invaluable as crossing the course became nearly impossible as the women’s race started, so we were able to see the early part of the race following the start straight, a flyover and a few subseuqent turns, an easy walk to the part of the course that meandered around the soccer field, and most notably had good access to the jumbotron, port o potties, and frites of course! It took a journey but ultimately our friends found us about midway through the women’s race and as the crowds grew we posted up on the first grass turn of the course.
We had a fun viewing corner full with a rut that was fun to watch the racers navigate, and allowed us to see the race at an ever so slightly lower speed and ever so slightly embarrass ourselves with aggressive cheering for the few American’s rolling through the course. The vibe of the night race was electric, rowdy, crowded with 20,000 spectators, probably not properly staffed or laid out to handle the crowds, filled with entertaining train rides home of inebriated fans, and overall a wild night. It was great.
Exact Cross Loenhout, December 29
By Yosef
Loenhout was a perfect day out!
At this point in our Belgium trip, we had already been to two races, Gavere and Diegem. I can't really talk about my Loenhout experience without first talking about the logistical challenges of those first two races. Gavere was amazing as it was my first ever live pro cross race in Belgium. I ended up taking the bus alone to the race but ran into Hannah randomly half way there. The plan was to meet up with folks at the race. However, the moment we got to the race it was fairly chaotic and muddy and I was unprepared for how difficult it would be to find people. Cell service was essentially nonexistent as the local towers were overwhelmed by the more than 17,000 people in attendance. I immediately lost Hannah when I got to the race and was unable to communicate with anyone else on the team. It's unclear if communication would have even helped as the course layout, crowds and mud made it difficult to connect with folks. I was also unprepared for how to get food and drink and wasted some time faffing about with that. I fortuitously ran into Shane and Victor who were also unconnected with everyone else and we settled into a spot on the course. But without view of a jumbotron and a lack of comprehension of Dutch, it was hard to understand what was happening in the race save for the 30 seconds they'd pass the spot on course I was spectating. Diegem presented similar issues getting into the race and massive crowds of over 20,000 people! I mention all this not to take away from the amazing time I had at those races, but purely to set the stage for Loenhout.
Loenhout was expected to be the worst weather day of our trip. The weather was cold and called for downpours followed by intermittent rain. All weather is proper cyclocross weather, but this was expected to be perhaps the most classical cyclocross weather. In light of that, and out of a desire to explore other areas of Belgium, we were a reduced crew of just Rod and me for this race. We decided to learn from our earlier experiences and get there early enough to watch the prerides and junior races. We also came prepped for the weather with full on rain gear and proper boots that allowed for carelessly trudging through mud (though maybe next year I'd opt for even taller, knee high ones to save me from the spurious man sized mud pits). These were both fantastic ideas!
Getting there early combined with the weather, and perhaps the fact that it was a lower tiered race without all the favorites present (no Puck or Alvarado. no Pidcock or Van Aert) meant that the crowds were not as thick and it was easier to move around and get right to the course tape. Watching the pros preride was incredible. Seeing how they analyzed the course and tried different lines really gave me an even better appreciation for their incredible skill level. The preride also allowed for much more racer - fan interaction. Fewer people alongside the course made things a bit quieter and the riders were riding slower and more willing to chat. All this meant that the time spent before the races even began was almost more fun than the races themselves. The frites at this race were also perfect. Perhaps it was the cold and the rain, but eating smoking hot frites slathered in sauwzen at a rainy cross race was a perfect experience.
Once the races began we were ready with already scouted spots that provided multiple race viewing points and sight-line to a jumbotron allowing us to follow how the race unfolded. I came away wildly impressed by the skill and finesse the riders displayed even in the muddiest and slipperiest of conditions. It was also fun to cheer for an American in the race, Caleb Swartz, who had a great race finishing on the lead lap with Van der Poel. And finally, after the race it was great to walk around the team area and watch the mechanics clean up and chat with riders as they cooled down. The amount of access to the pros at cross races (save for the really top folks) is quite something.
All in all Loenhout was a really special day out and allowed us to put in practice what we learned from previous races. As Rod put it:
Get there early so you can scope the course, get frites and beers before the lines form and watching the pre ride can be a highlight when you can interact with some of the racers and see them working on a portion of the course to get the right lines.
Also wear rain pants and bring an extra pair of socks and shoes so you can change out of your muddy clothes ASAP.
UCI World Cup Hulst, December 30
By Barb
I’ll openly admit I was the least excited of our crew for the actual race spectating involved in our Belgium trip. I sort of quit riding and racing last year to run the NYC Marathon and the running bug bit me hard! I also never enjoyed going to college football games with my first husband, and cyclocross spectating in Belgium is oddly similar to watching college football. Tailgating, extremely drunk, rowdy and passionate fans…. you see what I mean, right?
That said, HULST. Hulst was incredible. The second we drove into the Netherlands, I felt peace and tranquility in my core. Hulst was the most adorable town, with an actual moat! The course is completely insane and I would not even be able to ride one lap, which was also pretty neat. And it wasn’t muddy! We saw the sun! A truly charmed day.
The women’s race was also one of the most exciting cyclocross races I’ve watched, live or on television. While it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that our friend Puck would win, as she led from the start and Alvarado, my favorite, didn’t have a great start, she never pulled away decisively. The battle for second between Alvarado and Brand was hard fought and exciting. When Puck made a small mistake and was caught by Alvarado, I lost my mind. The crowd, generally disinterested in the womens’ races all week, was rapt. When Puck pulled away, largely because of her ability to hop the barriers, and came into the finish, the entire venue was clapping. I almost cried. This is why we watch sports. And this is especially why I love womens’ sports the most.
Gavere Cyclocross Photos by Matt
A New York City based cyclist and sometimes photographer. Part adventure rider, part crit racer, and fully obsessed with an English bulldog named Winifred.
Instagram: @photorhetoric
E-mail: matthew@tobedetermined.cc
