My mum called last night, she was trying to convince me that I shouldn’t go to the World Cup race in Koksijde. While I was sharing some of her concerns, most of the terror threats seemed to focus on Brussels and not on the rest of Belgium, especially not on the distant and windy Koksijde. Indeed, the day went past like any other race in the past, there wasn’t anything that would have upset the flow of the events.
The ironic thing was, that the venue, that attracted in 2012 one of the biggest crowds in living history during the World Championships (62,000), attracted probably the smallest ever number spectators I’ve seen at a big Belgian cyclocross race (8,000). It was an exciting race, nonetheless and Sven Nys came out victorious, for the first time in a World Cup race since 2012. Also, this was the first race of the season, when I was wearing my signature fishermen’s trousers, as the weather has finally turned to the worse and offered a taste of proper cyclocross weather.
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8 comments
I guess after this weekend Sven doesn’t need his lucky white helmet after all!
Superb images … well done!
fantastic photos, per usual! do you think the crowd was light due to all of the happenings in Brussels? sad, as it was a great race!
Hi Jeff,
Yes, the French authorities said that there was a credible threat looming over the race. I guess, it couldn’t have been that credible if the police allowed it to take place.
Thanks for your kind words, though!
Superb photos to back up a fantastic days racing. The Under 23 race was a scintillating watch too. Shame the crowd was lower. The atmosphere for the finale with Sven winning would have been even more incredible with the usual numbers there.
Thanks, Jim! Indeed, it was a great race.
First trip to Koksijde for us this year (did a day trip all the way from the Isle of Wight) – loved the whole event and love these photos. Great job! Can’t wait to go back in ’16.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the race, too!
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