"They had to check they weren’t part of a cartel" - Belgian representants held on US borders prior to World Championships
Cycling
The 2026 World Championships were only a partial success for Belgian national team. Remco Evenepoel expectedly claimed his fourth consecutive title in ride against the clock but beyond that, nothing really worked out. And as Alec Segaert reveals, this goes beyond just racing.
Many riders have been at the racing site already two weeks prior. This included Belgian representants Tiesj Benoot and Quinten Hermans. And as they were stationed within a riding distance of United States borders, the duo have planned out a trip to briefly visit the neighbouring country.
However this relatively spontaneous decision left them stranded on a crossing point for several hours. Because they had not arranged an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) before reaching the border: "They were stopped because they hadn’t filled in an ESTA beforehand," teammate Alec Segaert explained on the Vals Plat podcast. "You need one even when you cross by bike."
Unfortunate choice
Another "mistake" was planning in a relatively quiet border post. "It was a really small crossing," he said. "During the two or three hours they were there, hardly any cars came through."
This meant that the stationed officers had all the time in the world to conduct a rather thorough search of their unexpected visitors. "The customs officers weren’t exactly amused," Segaert said. "They were kept there for a few hours and had to fill in all kinds of documents. In the end they weren’t allowed to ride another metre and had to turn back to Canada."
Accused of smuggling
Segaert joked that officials also had to make sure the two professional cyclists were not involved in anything more sinister. "They weren’t smuggling anything," he laughed. "But apparently they had to check they weren’t part of a cartel or something like that."
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The pair eventually was eventually released, but only back into Canada. The officers have not allowed them to complete their planned trip. And neither was there much interest in doing so anyway after few hours at the post. Benoot later saw the funny side. His title for the activity on Strava summed up the failed excursion rather neatly: "Mexico was already in sight."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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