"It's a fixed date and we want to stick to that" - Koppenbergcross organisers not bothered by collision with European Championships

The Koppenbergcross traditionally takes place on November 1, the Belgian national holidays. That has become a point of heated debates this winter. The problem this poses is a collision with European Cyclocross Championships in Spain, scheduled for November 1-3. According to organiser "an one-off issue" as there are no plans of forfeiting the usual spot on the cyclocross calendar.

How fierce was former world champion Bart Wellens last week in his column for Het Nieuwsblad. "It is a disgrace that they do not think of the people next to the riders. The UCI should never have allowed this," said Wellens. "They create a dangerous situation for the riders’ entourage. The solution was obvious. Why couldn’t the Koppenbergcross, for once, be organised on a different date, for example on Wednesday?"

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But it's not that simple. "I don't see any other suitable date," replies Erwin Vervecken of organizer Golazo through WielerFlits. "You could organize it on Wednesday or Thursday in principle. That would have been an option. But a cross audience is, in general, a fairly loyal audience. The Koppenberg is also a typical cross where some local VIPs come. You're not going to get them there on a random Wednesday. November 1 is a public holiday, so a change was never considered. It's a fixed date and we want to stick to that."

"I listen to Bart’s criticism, but he mainly looks at his own situation," Vervecken refers to the fact that Wellens is also team manager at Gerben Kuypers' Charles Liégeois Roastery. "If we organize that on Wednesday, you will have a lot less people on the Koppenberg. The riders will always be there, but the race also has to remain profitable for us."

Vervecken points out that absolute top riders such as Thibau Nys, Lars van der Haar, Eli Iserbyt, Pim Ronhaar and Michael Vanthourenhout 'simply' do the double in the men's race. "We have a full field in the men's race. There are a few cancellations here and there in the women's race. The Koppenberg: you either love it or hate it. There are riders who really like to do that and have it high on their list of what they are good at at the beginning of the year. Others prefer not to. In the women's race we see that it is always a bit less, but it is still okay."

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