A Cyclocross Race and a Party in one: Diegem Cross and what we learned from a week in Belgium
It started as so many TBD things begin: with a message in Slack. In ended, a few months later, with a good chunk of the squad spending the week between Christmas and New Years in Belgium, bouncing from cyclocross race to cyclocross race.
We’ll have a full race-by-race recap of our Belgium (and Netherlands) cyclocross adventure up on the Journal soon, but for now we’re starting with a photo gallery from the most unique event of the week: Diegem Cross. Located in a village just outside Brussells, this night race is half party and half cyclocross race.
It was truly a site to behold, though it also had some of the most challenging logistics of the week as thousands of specators tried to squeeze on narrow village lanes to get into the “venue.” Which brings us to this, our first post on Belgium Cross: our lessons learned from a week of mistakes, and incredible adventures.
Our Belgium Cross Lessons Learned
Cyclocross is a real sport in Belgium! Unlike in this country, people pay to watch cross races. It’s easier (though not necessary) to buy your tickets beforehand from the UCI, Superprestige or X2O sites.
If possible, take public transit to the race. Belgium has an extensive train system and many of the races are next to a train station or a short walk away. We drove to a couple races that weren’t near trains but had to park very far away and sat in lots of traffic trying to leave post-race. Just be prepared for rowdy fans on the train home :)
Get to the race early! Once the elite races start, the crowds are huge and it’s tough to move around the course. Arriving early has lots of perks: you don’t have to fear for your life while a giant crowd attempts to enter the venue all at once, you can scope out the course, cheer for the junior races from lots of different vantage points, and watch the pros figure out their lines during the pre-ride.
All the races we attended did not let you buy food or drinks directly with cash or card. Instead, you first have to stand in line to get a special card that they load with credit which you can use at food/beer stands. If you have leftover credit at the end of a race, you can use it at another race or attempt to get a refund. This also requires standing in line. (Theoretically you can get a refund online but that requires an IBAN account). Or you can just donate the leftover funds to the cyclocross gods.
Sausages do not come with a bun. Bratwurst comes with a bun. Everything is deep fried. Frites come with an obscene amount of sauzen. You have been warned.
Buy your beers and frites before the women’s race starts and park yourself in a good viewing spot (which you will have scoped out since you arrived early!) Find a spot that’s in view of a jumbotron so you can follow the race even when the action is happening elsewhere on course.
Agree on a meetup spot if you lose your friends. Once lost, they are very hard to find since there are tens of thousands of spectators and cell service is extremely spotty.
I heard about the mud, but the mud was even muddier than I expected. Wear waterproof boots! Consider knee highs. No boots are too high.. And warm socks! If driving, come prepared with clean shoes and socks you can change into after the race.
Bring emergency snacks in case the food lines are too long or you cannot possibly stomach another deep-fried meat.
Look up the start lists so you can cheer for people in the back of the field. They love it!
Watch out for drunken fans throwing...substances at the racers
The team buses park near the course. If you walk through the parking area before or after the races, you may spot your favorite pros warming up/cooling down.
Have fun, this is such a cool experience!!!