"It is sometimes still an underestimated sport" - Thijs Zonneveld on popularity of cyclocross in Netherlands

It was no surprise that the entire women's podium turned orange in Hulst. However the fact that the men's top 4 in the World Cup race also consisted exclusively of Dutch flags was quite a pleasant surprise,at least for the home crowds. Or was it?

And yet cyclo-cross does not have nearly the status among our neighbors that it has with us. "It is sometimes still an underestimated sport in the Netherlands," journalist Thijs Zonneveld nodded to Sporza after the race.

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Why does cross-country not achieve the same status in the Netherlands as it does in Belgium? "Long track skating is an important player," Zonneveld explains. "That's our piece of folklore, so to speak. Skating gets a lot of attention."

"But you also have to look at the professional structure in terms of teams and organizations. It is a lot better in Belgium. It is not without reason that so many Dutch riders, men and women, race in Belgian services."

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