The way I see it there are things you can do when you organize a race that make it really great and there are things you can to that make it pretty much awful. The race in Bevere on Saturday featured both. One of the best things you can do is build a race, or a series of races, in a way that fosters some kind of community, keep things open and friendly and welcoming. The organizers of the Landelijke Renners en Crossers races have figured this out beautifully, with a very easy race entrance policy and low key atmosphere that makes their races very inviting. So, in one sense, I’m glad we tried something different and went to one of their races.
Racing, kind of, in Bevere.
On the other hand, the low key attitude extended from the pre- and post-race atmosphere into course design and race organization, and made for one of the worst races I’ve done in a while. The course in Bevere featured a lap that was, maybe, four minutes long. A couple of tight corners on a small hill on pavement, three tight u-turns, a couple of bridges over a stream, and one deep, muddy ditch that was faster to run than try to ride and you were back where you began. Much of the course was about a meter wide, leaving little room for passing, and there wasn’t any part of the course that I would really describe as challenging.
And, if that wasn’t enough, they ran three separate races on the course at the same time, so, after about five minutes everything ran together and there was so much traffic that we all pretty much just rode around the course at tempo, just following the wheel in front of us. I went down towards the end of the first lap and it took a little while to get moving again, by which time I was swamped by the leaders of the race that started 30 seconds behind us. So I sat in with the leaders of that race, but couldn’t really get around them, and never managed to make contact with my race again. People talk about races that get decided by starting position, and it’s true that sometimes that happens, but usually there’s some chance that even with a bad start you might have a good race. Not here. I would be surprised to learn that anybody moved up or back more than two or three positions from where they were when we turned the first corner.
So I came away pretty disappointed, although glad that I had tried something different than usual. Nonetheless, we’ll be heading back to the Vlaamse Cyclocross Cup next Sunday.
Fortunately, the weekend wasn’t a total loss, because we made it over to Ruddervoorde for the first race of the Superprestige series on Sunday afternoon. There’s plenty of detail about the race itself in my CX Magazine story. But we had a nice time there, catching up with our friends Jonathan and Cori Page (and kids Milo and Emma) who just made the trip back from the US to Belgium on Thursday night. We also had a chance to check in with race winner Sven Nys, who was kind enough to stop and answer a few questions in English.
Mindi before the race in Ruddervoorde.
So, overall, despite whatever disappointments there were, the weekend was a success, I’d say. Now it’s back to work for at least a few days. I’m thinking about taking Thursday off in order to head to Ardooie for Kermiscross, and we’re definitely headed for Zingem on Sunday, which will be the first time this season I’ve raced on a course that I did last year as well. Stay tuned!
Photos: Bevere Cyclocross & Cyclocross Ruddervoorde
Ruddervoorde story at Cyclocross Magazine
Sven Nys catches Niels Albert.
One very nice collection of bikes behind the podium.
« Collapse Article
