{"id":19041,"title":"Women's Belgian Road Race Champs","description":"A picture special report from the women's Belgian Cycling Championships held at Middelkerke which was won by Kim de Baat of the Plantur Pura team in a sprint.","content":"

Published in<\/strong>: COBBLES & CLASSICS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The first part of our picture specials from the 2022 Belgium National Road Race Championships held at Middelkerke focuses on the women's race.\"LottoOver the years, I\u2019ve always enjoyed watching different nations\u2019 national cycling road race championships. They\u2019re often enthralling and aggressive battles that are unlike typical professional bike races.<\/p>

\"Early Early on in the race and at least one rider appears happy. Image: Rijden<\/p>

Maybe it\u2019s the patchwork of teams and individual riders that give them their unique personality. Or perhaps it\u2019s the chance for the lesser-known to shine.<\/p>

Missed opportunity<\/h3>

For the last few years, we\u2019ve missed the opportunity to watch the Belgian championships as they\u2019ve not been shown on GCN Eurosport in the UK. My usual plan is to avoid all contact with cycling media and hope that someone will finally upload a pirated video on YouTube.<\/p>

\u201cOperation Belgische Kampioenschappen Middelkerke\u201d<\/strong><\/p>

It looked like I\u2019d be doing the same for this year\u2019s championship until I discovered they were scheduled for Middelkerke about an hour\u2019s hop from the Eurotunnel. Operation Belgische Kampioenschappen Middelkerke was launched.<\/p>

Dire warnings<\/h3>

Never having been to a Belgian Road Race Championship before, I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect. The official website issued dire warnings about arriving by car but little practical help. I could almost feel it shrugging its shoulders.<\/p>

\"TheThe World Champion was keeping an eye on the presentation of the riders. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

If there\u2019s a European league table for effective use of the internet as a communication tool<\/em> then Belgium languishes near the bottom. Belgium as a nation has lots of things going for it but its use of the World Wide Web isn\u2019t one of them.<\/p>

Undeterred I booked my Eurotunnel tickets and plumped for the B&B Lora in Langermark. This was excellent but I\u2019ll tell you more about that in a later story.<\/p>

Middelkerke<\/h3>

Middelkerke is an odd place. It sits touching the Belgian coast to the north of the famous cyclocross course of Koksijde. Like much of the Belgian coastline, it\u2019s flat farmland populated more by cattle than people until you reach the last kilometre from the sea.<\/p>

\"AudreyAudrey De Keersmaeker<\/span> (Star Casino CX team). Image: Rijden.<\/p>

\u201cA collective of Soviet-style tower blocks\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Then it changes dramatically. It\u2019s as if someone has dropped a collective of Soviet-style tower blocks right on the beachfront. The beaches are sandy and lovely. The tower blocks are not.<\/p>

Disparity<\/h3>

First up was the women\u2019s race. I was interested to see what level of support it would receive. It\u2019s fair to say that until recently Belgian cycling has been robustly chauvinistic. I believe this has held the development of women's cycling back in Belgium.<\/p>

Although there were 178 entries for the women\u2019s race, the disparity between the few World Tour riders and the majority is large. Of all those entries nearly 130 are classified as club riders - riders without a contract.<\/p>

\"NataschaNatascha Knaven's AG Insurance NXTG riders prepare for the off. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

As Ellen van Loy<\/strong><\/a> explained to me, the difference is between one of the best female riders in the world (Lotte Kopecky) and \u201ca girl with a bike\u201d. This wasn\u2019t intended as a slur upon her fellow competitors but as an honest reflection of the situation. Reviewing the size of the trucks, campervans and cars in the teams\u2019 car park, the contrast was clear.<\/p>

Role model<\/h3>

Ellen is intelligent, thoughtful and witty. She has tremendous insight into the Belgian female cycling scene, is extremely popular and has an easy way with people. Belgian Cycling would be well rewarded if they took advantage of her unique talents after her cycling retirement.<\/p>

Not that at 37 she plans that just yet. She\u2019s still enjoying the racing and delivering results. She\u2019s a role model for aspiring female cyclists.<\/p>

\"The Unlike the Tour de France where the roads are closed for hours, the Belgians used red and green flags to indicate when the road is closed and open, usually only for a few minutes. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

Belgium has two national championships - professional and club. Ellen van Loy was the female reigning club champion and had high hopes of retaining the title after a strong showing in recent races. The men\u2019s club championship is held separately at the end of August.<\/p>

Circuit<\/h3>

I\u2019d decided to watch the women on the big inland loop through the exposed countryside. It's an area famous for its crosswinds. Only small knots of spectators were on hand to watch the race pass. Once it had and the spectators had moved on, the place quickly fell back into its quiet slumber.<\/p>

\"The The 170-plus peloton passes by early on in the race. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

The only sound to be heard was the wind rustling the barley in the fields. Having seen the race pass twice I rode back towards the finishing circuit. As I did, I passed an eclectic mix of old boys on bikes, couples on matching electric bikes, battered mountain bikes and even a young family in a cargo bike.<\/p>

\"ThreeThree times World Cyclocross Champion Sanne Cant (centre) was in the thick of the action and finished eighth. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

I made it in time to catch the leaders on their first lap of the finishing circuit. The pace was already high and, combined with a large crash, groups were already scattered down the long, long straight road.<\/p>

\"A A six-kilometre road without a bend or change in elevation. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

The circuit consisted of two six-kilometre straights with bends at either end. For those already dropped, it must have been demoralising to see the lights of the cars in the distance growing ever fainter.<\/p>

Brouwerij Jus De Mer<\/h3>

Having watched the peloton pass, what I needed next was a bar. It\u2019s as if God has a special place in his heart for Flanders because right on the circuit was the Brouwerij Jus De Mer. Not only a bar but a microbrewery too. It had been taken over for the day by the Mauri Vansevenant\u2019s fan club but they weren\u2019t fussy about who they took in.<\/p>

\"The The early break includes the inevitable Plantur Pura rider. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

It would be rude not to try the Jus De Mer Blond, currently their only product. Perfect for a warm summer's day by the sea with the salt of the ocean fresh in the air. A DJ was on hand to keep the party atmosphere going whilst the action could be followed on the TV. And thus my pattern for the day was set.<\/p>

\"The The bunch were never far behind but had to work hard to close the gap. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

Watch the action on the TV, enjoy a drink and then sprint outside in time to watch the race pass. As the day grew longer and the number of spectators intensified, it became less of a sprint and more of a slow-moving crocodile. Occasionally I rode up and down the long straight to get a different vantage point but the lure of the bar kept pulling me back.<\/p>

Plantur Pura out to spoil the party<\/h3>

Standing by the side of the road the spectators were well spread out and it was easy to watch. As soon as the car following the race with its green flags passed by, people freely moved around the course by bike. It was extremely relaxed and friendly.<\/p>

I chatted with a few fellow fans as we sipped our beer. The more the beer flowed the more loquacious they became. But never loud. The one thing that everyone agreed upon was that reigning champion Lotte Kopecky would win again. She\u2019s beaten the world\u2019s best this year and has been in imperious form.<\/p>

\"The The majority of entrants are club riders without a contract. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

Plantur Pura, however, had not read that script. They were determined to make the race hard. Every break had at least one Planta Pura rider present. Their teammates were doing their best to disrupt the chase by positioning themselves near the front.<\/p>

\"Many Many riders would finish the day early. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

A coalition of individual riders like Kopecky chased frantically. Ellen and her Vondelmolen De Ceuster teammates joined in. The gaps were never large but the pace was frantic. Rider after rider was discharged from the back as they were unable to sustain the relentless pace.<\/p>

Final lap<\/h3>

Into the final lap and a group of six finally broke clear. It included the inevitable Plantur Pura rider Kim de Baat. Alana Castrique latched on in the last kilometre and led out. But from the moment the sprint opened up, it was clear Kim de Baat would win. She powered away and was well clear by the line.<\/p>

\"The The winning break on the final lap. Eventual victor Kim de Baat (Plantur Pura) is tucked in second right. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

Kopecky didn\u2019t even contest the sprint crossing the line in 51st place. I was surprised by de Baat\u2019s victory but former UCI Continental rider Julien Van Den Brande<\/a> told me that he\u2019d watched her race a lot in 2021.<\/p>

In the Belgian kermesses, she was apparently very strong and had achieved numerous wins. But she hadn't had the opportunity to ride the major UCI races. Her last team was the curious Dubai Police Cycling Team which was set up by the police\u2019s former Commander in Chief.<\/p>

\"It It was a warm and humid day. Bottles were in demand. Image: Rijden.<\/p>

Victory in the club championship went to Fauve Bastiaenssen who\u2019d infiltrated the break and finished fifth. She\u2019s better known as a cyclocross rider being a regular on the Telenet Superprestige and X2O Badkamers series.<\/p>

It was a brilliant race and ridden with desire and panache. Would the men's race be as good? Read part two to find out<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>

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