The Cyclo-cross World Cup takes place on Sunday in the Beekse Bergen Safari Park in Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands. A brand new course requires a tour by the course designer. Richard Groenendaal assures that the riders will not ride among the elephants, giraffes and lions. “No, we didn’t get permission for that,” he laughs.
On Sunday, the Beekse Bergen safari park in the Netherlands will be the battleground for the cyclocross world. A new poster on the World Cup calendar, alongside Maasmechelen, Benidorm and Dublin. So it’s high time for a look.
“The cross is organized on the event site of the Beekse Bergen, where festivals and other events are held in the summer,” says Richard Groenendaal at Sporza. “It is near the safari park.”
There is no strenuous climb or very long stretch of loose sand. It is a bike ride that will be very tough due to the speed.
“My view is that it is a fast race, so steering in the technical corners is crucial. There is no hard climb or a very long stretch of loose sand to walk through. It is a bike lap that is very difficult due to the speed become.”
Course builder Richard Groenendaal.
What does the track look like? “Central in the course is the start and finish strip in asphalt. On one side there is a beach section with an adjacent very large lake and on the other side you have a very large forest area. It is wide everywhere, so overtaking is possible. “
“After the start they drive a short loop on the beach, then a piece of grass follows after which they drive over a bridge to the first material post. From material station 1 to 2, the entire loop is alternated through various technical bends with short hills through the forest. “
“From material station 2 they drive over a beach to the finish. We have applied a sand strip ourselves, which they do twice.”
Unique opportunity for sprinters
Technical and fast. Then the question arises whether a solo is possible at all. “I expect a race where the differences will be very small and where there will probably be a sprint for the victory,” said Richard Groenendaal.
“If we look at the last few weeks, I suspect that Eli Iserbyt, European champion Michael Vanthourenhout, Laurens Sweeck and Lars van der Haar will not give each other much space. And maybe Thibau Nys can join his cart.”
cyclocross world cup calendar
| datum | cross | winner | winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/10 | Waterloo (VS) | Iserbyt | Van Empel |
| 16/10 | Fayetteville (VS) | Iserbyt | Van Empel |
| 23/10 | Tabor (Czech) | Iserbyt | Van Empel |
| 30/10 | Maasmechelen | Sweeck | Van Empel |
| 13/11 | Beekse Bergen (Ned) | ||
| 20/11 | Overijse | ||
| 27/11 | Hulst (Ned) | ||
| 04/12 | Antwerp | ||
| 11/12 | Dublin (Yesterday) | ||
| 17/12 | Val di Sole (Ita) | ||
| 26/12 | cool | ||
| 08/01 | Zonhoven | ||
| 22/01 | Benidorm (Spa) | ||
| 29/01 | Besancon (France) |
| men’s cyclo-cross world cup standings | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | That is, Iserbyt | 145 ptn |
| 2. | Laurens Sweeck | 122 |
| 3. | Michael Vanthourenhout | 94 |
| 4. | Lars van der Haar (Ned) | 85 |
| 5. | Niels Vandeputte | 77 |
| 6. | Daan Sweet | 66 |
| 7. | Michael Boros (Tsj) | 57 |
| 8. | Show Vandebosch | 49 |
| 9. | Timon Rüegg (intermediate) | 46 |
| 10. | Thibau Nys | 42 |
| Women’s Cyclo-cross World Cup standings | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Fem van Empel (Down) | 160 ptn |
| 2. | Denise Betsema (Ned) | 88 |
| 3. | Ceylin Alvarado (Ned) | 87 |
| 4. | Annemarie Worst (Ned) | 80 |
| 5. | Inge van der Heijden (Ned) | 78 |
| 6. | Puck Pieterse (Ned) | 60 |
| 7. | Lucinda Brand (Ned) | 55 |
| 8. | Clara Honsinger (VS) | 55 |
| 9. | Helene Clauzel (Fra) | 48 |
| 10. | Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) | 44 |
