Men Elite 🏆 at the 2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Tábor: 🥇 Mathieu van der Poel (NED) 🥈 Joris Nieuwenhuis (NED) 🥉 Michael Vanthourenhout (BEL) #Tabor2024
"Some areas for improvement are exposed again" - Belgian disappointment over Cyclocross World Championship showing
CyclocrossMonday, 05 February 2024 at 16:30
At the men's Cyclocross World Championship in Tabor on Sunday afternoon, the best any of the Belgian representatives could hope for was third in the form of Michael Vanthourenthout.
Looking back on the Championships as a whole, Belgian technical director Frederik Broché, reflects on a weekend dominated by the Dutch. "We are not overwhelmed by the performance. There is no wow feeling. Call it mixed feelings. But we can place it and we don't have to dramatize this," Broche tells Sporza. "Not everything is negative, because we have seen good performances. But some areas for improvement are exposed again, although that is nothing new."
According to Broche, the problems begin right at the earliest point of Belgian cyclocross. "At the grassroots level, the boys and girls, our intake is not broad enough. That is the biggest challenge," he explains. "We have to ensure that our country has a future in the field and I mean in 5 to 10 years. The flush is currently too thin. And I say that with great respect for the compatriots who were here or who were not selected."
"The results don't lie," he continues. "You see more spread in terms of nationalities. A country like France does very well with youth. In the older levels you also encounter super talents and a strong Dutch collective. In terms of class, they are higher than us. So you are also dependent on talent."
"We can use the resources we collect in this way for cyclocross and for other disciplines. Think of mountain biking or the track: we have little to no income there. But I speak from the top sports organization myself and admit that it is therefore not necessary to ride 2 crosses every weekend, especially among the youth," Broche concludes.
"So I look at it a bit differently than the organizers or other people within our federation. Whether there are conflicting interests? No, it's not that black and white. I have a history as a trainer. If you look with, say, a 17-year-old rider at what trajectory you want to follow in order to be a good elite rider in a few years, you leave half of it behind. There is a wide range and you have to make choices."
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