As you might have seen it last week, I’m holding a final sale of the remaining few copies of my cyclocross albums. This week, I’ll be talking about the 2014/2015 book, of which I have four copies left. Here a few of my favourite bits from that book.
It was the 2014/2015 season, that the barely 20 year old Wout Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel suddenly burst onto the elite-level cyclocross scene. At the time, it seemed they would only rule cross – that’s the topic my brother from another mother, Bill Schieken explored. How little did we know ten years ago!
Not many people remember this win by Wout Van Aert – what a scandal that was. Him and Sven Nys was battling for the win at the Koppenbergcross. They arrived at the final corner of the course at full speed and that’s when fate/bad luck Jan Denuwelaere, Van Aert’s about-to-be-lapped teammate happened to arrive at that corner too. Though Denuwelaere claimed ignorance, if you watch the last minutes of the race again, you can see he kept turning around and thus he must have been aware of what was transpiring behind him. A charitable read on the situation would say that he didn’t go out of his way not to slow down either of the two riders – or one could say that he subtly blocked Nys. We’ll never know.
Next day at Zonhoven, at the famous Kuil, the people went berserk twice in the first round. First, when Sven Nys dropped down into the sand bowl, the crowd erupted in the loudest cheer I’ve ever heard at a bike race. Then, near the end of the field came Denuwelaere, the ‘blocker’ from the day before. The ‘boo’s were genuinely terrifying, I was not envying Denuwelaere in that moment. I also wanted to include a photo of Nys because there is a terrific piece from Nico Dick (who has become since the press officer of Alpecin-Deceuninck) what the future would hold for the sport after the much publicised retirement of Nys in the following season. Nys was the last of the big generation of the noughts: Bart Wellens, Kevin Pauwels, Zdenek Stybar, Niels Albert – and Nys. He was the last man standing and it felt like an end of an era was coming.
The wonderful Paul Maunder wrote a terrific piece about what goes into designing a cyclocross course and why it can be fiendishly difficult to create a memorable race venue.
Dugast tyres have always been the gold standard in bike tyres and I wanted to see where and how the magic happens. I managed to get in touch with Richard Nieuwhuis and he very generously agreed for me to visit his kingdom. I spent a very interesting day in his little manufacture in Holland – but if I’m honest, I could have stayed there for weeks to listen to his amazing stories and to observe his incredible passion about the craft of making the best tyres in the business.
Milton Keynes – enough said.
2014 saw the introduction of one my all-time favourite courses, the race on the Spa motor racing track. It was the perfect setting for a race: stunning surroundings, fiendishly difficult sections, great amenities and an incredible finish. It was a shame that the race got only three editions.
I went home to Hungary in the new year in 2015 and that’s when I heard that there would be a cyclocross race in Etyek at a film studio. The organisers created a course that started in ancient Rome (where I think the Borgias tv show was filmed) and finished in contemporary New York (a set that was waiting for the next season of Hellboy). Apart from the bitter cold, it was a fantastic day.
Every year, after the final Superprestige race in Middelkerke (always Middelkerke), the whole cx circus had a shower and got dressed up for the big TV gala in a nearby casino. Then a two-hour long tv show started with a ton of interviews and features about the the season that had just concluded. Though I have had the chance later, I only went to see it once, it gave me a fascinating glimps into the inner workings of the Belgian cyclocross industrial complex.
My dear friend, Dan Seaton wrote a terrific feature on the indefatigable Ellen van Loy. She wasn’t only an excellent racer who took on the best in the world but she also had a full time job as a carer. Inspiring story of an inspiring human being.
Finally, the cover image. I liked the colours and the contrast of this photo, so I ended up putting it on the cover of the 2014/2015 edition. But I didn’t know who’s leg it was. I think I contemplated over this on twitter and it was Wout Van Aert who informed me that it was his teammate’s, Jens Adams’ left leg. It is a small world.
