Laurens ten Dam's "secret" group competition motivates riders to go beyond during this cyclocross season
Cyclocross
This year, Laurens ten Dam is adding an extra dimension to cyclocross with a group app for paying members of the podcast Live Slow Ride Fast. With the presence of top cyclocross riders such as Niels Vandeputte, Ryan Kamp, Pim Ronhaar, Tibor Del Grosso and Mees Hendrikx in the secret group app, Ten Dam came up with the idea of organizing the 'GP Klak Af', a classification in which the riders compete against each other for prizes but perhaps even more importantly - prestige.
The original idea of the GP Klak Af is that the five crossers compete against each other in ten different cyclo-cross races. The initial ranking system was quite simple: Whoever finishes first gets one point, whoever comes last gets five. Whoever has the fewest points at the end of the season wins the classification.
However, Vandeputte showed early in the season that he was a cut above the rest of participants. Ten Dam of course wants to keep the tension of the challenge up and therefore decided to add an extra layer to the ranking. The cyclo-cross riders can earn minus points to lower their total score by completing different tasks during (and outside) races.
We have seen a few assignments already fulfilled and minus points awarded in recent weeks: for example Del Grosso's jump on a ramp in Diegem earned him five minus points. And Vandeputte mentioned in an interview with Sporza that he "took off his hat for the winner", referring to the name of the group app. It earned him four minus points. We can only wonder what other tasks are on the menu, but we may look forward to how it spicens up the races.
Besides eternal glory, there is also financial prize waiting for the winner of the GP Klak Af ranking. "The winner will receive a cash prize at Pim Ronhaar's fan club evening," Ten Dam concludes. Currently, that counter is around 2500 euros.
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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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