Flowers, beer and … a donkey. With those three trophies, Fabio Jakobsen was allowed to show off on the podium after his sprint victory in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.
This unique trophy has a long history. In the past, vegetables were grown outside the walls of Kuurne, the harvest was sold at the Kortrijk early market.
The Kuurnenaars set out for Kortrijk before dawn with their carts and donkeys. The docking on the cobblestones and the braying of the donkeys invariably woke the population up. “The donkeys of Kuurne are there”, they soon knew.
“It has become a nickname”, says Jos Callens of the organization of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. “A name we wear with pride: the stubborn, headstrong donkeys.”
And certainly not only in the race you will find donkeys in the “donkey community”. “We have donkey beer, a king donkey election and an order of the donkey,” Callens said.
A lot of attention is therefore paid to the trophy. It’s not just any plush stuffed animal. A carpenter makes a wooden carcass and it is then covered with fabric. “It is a very limited edition, only for the winner of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne”, confirms Callens.
The Dutch ex-winner Bobbie Traksel also has a copy at home. “It certainly has a special place,” he says. “I immediately asked Karl Vannieuwkerke on the motorcycle if I was getting a donkey.”
But what the people of Kuurne might be even more proud of is the fact that Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne is still organized by volunteers. “A kudos to all the people who want to put their time and energy into this course”, concludes Callens.
