After my time in Girona it was time to get back into the last 3 weeks of my European cyclocross journey. These weeks were not quite as busy as the Christmas period where every second day was a race, but they are some of the most important. Every Sunday for the next 3 weeks there was a World Cup race and then the World Championships, so these last races were big ones.
Pontchateau
First up was a round of the UCI World Cup in Pontchateau in France. Coming straight off the training week in Girona I was looking forward to seeing the effect it had. Arriving at the course it was a warm (well warm for Euro winter standards) and sunny so it was a nice welcome back to racing. It became clear pretty quickly during course practice with Garry Millburn (fellow Aussie racer and friend) that the race would be a very fast and pedalling course. With long straights, not many technical sections it was all about fitness and less bout skills. Saying that, there was still 80m of vertical climbing per lap which is heaps when you think about it. Elite men raced 11 laps meaning in 1 hour of cyclocross racing they had done about 880m of climbing. I however did not do 11 laps, I didn’t even do as many laps as the other U23 riders in my race. It was a bit of a disappointing race for me, I was not sure what was wrong but all of me was just not feeling it that day. I had to quickly move on from my disappointing race because Nick and I had to help Chris in the pits for his race (Elite men). I got changed, washed myself off and then met with Chris to begin my job of pit crew. Chris was parked far away from the course so after he had finished warming up we had a fair walk to the pits with the bike, wheels and tools. We made it with plenty of time to spare so we relaxed and chatted with some of the pit crew in the pit box next to us. The Elite men’s race started and quickly the sped past the first pits. Fortunately for us Chris is able to dismount and remount his bike on either side meaning when everyone was stacked on one side of the pits ready for a bike change, we were on the other side with a clear run. The course was pretty dry so in the end we had a pretty easy day, Chris had no mechanical issues so all we had to do was cheer him on. That was Pontchateau done meaning there were 2 more chances for me to put the Girona training to use. Next up, Hoogerheide.
During the week between Pontchateau and Hoogerheide, we drove back to Hof ter Kammen in Oudenaarde to spend the week there. The night we got there it was standard weather, cold and wet. By the next morning, looking out the window and it was just all white. It had snowed quite a bit overnight meaning that riding would be quite difficult during the week. This didn’t stop the Aussie team and I from having some fun in the snow. I hadn’t seen any snow in years so I was pretty excited.
Leaving my mark at Hof ter Kammen while also enjoying myself
Quickly though, the week was nearing its end and it was time to head for Hoogerheide. We left Hof ter Kammen but not before we took a photo with all the people staying there. Even though everyone has there own living quarters, you get to know them all pretty well and make some good friends. Meeting David and Maghalie was a highlight for me as Maghalie is Canadian and Pan-American cyclocross champion so she is pretty damn good. Also having Andrew Juliano (who we met doing the same trip last year) show up for a few days was nice. Always good to see old mates.
Some Aussies, Americans and Canadians staying in one bed and breakfast. Christian and Hilde are internationally known for their amazing hospitality.
Hoogerheide
Hoogerheide is a pretty iconic World Cup race. Being that last round of the series and the last race before World Championships the week after, it collects many racers who are preparing for the champs so the start lists are usually packed. The course is designed by Adrie van der Poel and if that name sounds familiar then you’re not living under a rock because that is he father of arguably the best cyclocross rider in the world right now, Mathieu van der Poel. Hoogerheide is local race for Mathieu and since it is designed by his father, you just know it is designed exactly for him to win. Long story short, he did not disappoint, he wont but it was not quite as convincing as many might have thought. Before that though I had my race to do. We rode the course on Saturday (the day before the race) and it was fairly dry, some rutted and muddy sections but mostly dry. This was not the case on race day. With rain overnight and rain during my race, it became a mud fest. Wet races are good fun but usually they are slower and the clean up afterwards is anything but fun. Early on in my race I found myself getting lines wrong and making small mistakes, but I managed to find my footing and by the later part of my race I was actually enjoying the ruts and mud. There was a fair bit of running each lap as the slight uphills were too muddy to ride fast (pedalling hard would get you nowhere). Once again, I was pulled from the race early as the leaders were closing in to lap me. You can’t always base how your race went by when you get pulled as all the courses are different. I was pretty happy with how I went, I felt better than the week before and considering I rarely ride in conditions as muddy is this I was happy.
The iconic Hoogerheide steps in the background of a muddy Adam and me. It will take some serious cleaning to make those skinsuits white again.
After my race I was back to helping Chris once again, but this time my job was to get video of the Elite men’s race for Chris to make a vlog out of. So, during the race I walked around places videoing Chris, and the front of the race hoping that my camera skills were up to his standards. I was expecting to see a race similar to many others, Mathieu leads from first lap and just increases his lead the entire race, but excitingly, this was not the case. Toon Aerts was riding with Mathieu and even got a gap of about 14 seconds. Mathieu who was with Wout van Aert at this time slowly dropped Wout and clawed back Toon with around 2 laps to go. From there it was classic Mathieu, ride away to solo to a victory. The better race was the race for the overall series win. Wout was in the lead but only by 3 points meaning whoever had a higher position today, won the overall. Usually it is Wout who would come out on top (being the 3x world champion) but after recent form Toon was able to take 2nd on the day to claim the overall victory which he looked very pleased about.
If you do want to see some video of what we are up to here then I do recommend checking Chris Aitken’s youtube channel as he posts frequent short vlogs.
With Hoogerheide done and dusted, it is now time to put all focus on the World Championships in Bogense, Denmark next week. The last race on my journey. Everything will be put on the line and whether I get pulled early or finish lead lap, as long as I leave everything out there I will be happy.
Declan Prosser - Cycling 