{"id":10597,"title":"Ian Field, multiple cyclocross champion part two","description":"Cyclocross professional turned CX coach Ian Field continues his tale of living and racing cyclocross in Belgium.","content":"

Published in<\/strong>: CYCLOCROSS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

Cyclocross professional turned CX coach Ian Field continues his tale of living and racing cyclocross in Belgium.<\/strong><\/p>

In part one<\/u><\/a> we talked with five times national cyclocross champion Ian Field about moving to Belgium. In part two, we discuss officious officials, dodgy doings in Zolder, his favourite race and Veld Coaching.<\/p>

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Don't panic!<\/h3>

If he was quickly accepted by the fans (see part one<\/strong><\/a>), it was not always the case with the race officials. Racing cyclists at all levels are familiar with the \u2018Captain Mainwarings\u2019 of the sport. Give a man a badge and some transform into pedants and purveyors of obstruction and obfuscation.<\/p>

I recall former cyclocross star Jeremy Powers saying that it\u2019s not who you are but the size of your camper van that counts. Sadly, a Renault Clio doesn't cut the ice with a man with an armband. \"\"
Image credit: <\/em>Kieran White<\/u><\/em><\/a> <\/em>The sensibly priced supermini doesn't cut it<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

During the week he is a humble pen-pusher at the town hall. Come race day he is a man of power. \u201cNee, nee, NEE!\u201d And, as we in the UK now know, nee means nee. The \u2018reasonably priced supermini\u2019 carries no weight with a man emboldened by an armband. I can imagine Ian saying \u201cHonestly I\u2019m a professional, I\u2019ve just had to borrow my mum\u2019s car. Look, it's the Champs Elysee edition.\u201d.<\/p>

At least the Clio made him memorable. The poor old Clio struggled with the hills of the Koppenbergcross and had to be towed into the car park. Every year the man managing the gate would remind Ian of this.<\/p>

At Gave, he was prevented from entering by an official who objected to his hand-written entry pass. Even though it was perfectly valid. If Ian had wanted to improve his Flemish he probably didn\u2019t need to learn the stream of words that followed in a row between different armband wearers. \"Zeg ik, verdomde meneer!!!\".<\/p>

Ian recalled racing at Zolder, by now arriving in a lovely camper van. He decided the easiest thing to do would be to stay overnight in the car park. Enter more officials and more use of the word \u2018nee\u2019. Nee, they could not stay there. Nee, he would not change his mind. Just nee!<\/p>

The alternative was a small car park on the edge of a wood. It soon became apparent that this location was popular for, how can I put it? Alternative, nocturnal, recreational activities. All night long the car park was a hive of activity with the sounds and lights of cars coming and going.<\/p>

Training<\/h3>

I asked Ian to reflect on his training and cyclocross coaching during his time abroad compared to now. He was largely self-coached but picked up advice from talking to, and training with, other professionals. There was always someone, no matter how ill-qualified, who was prepared to hand out advice.<\/p>

Even watching TV programs about cyclocross superstar Sven Nys proved a valuable source of information. He quickly realised there was a need to filter out advice that was dispensed like golden nuggets of truth. Much of it was rubbish.<\/p>

Most of his training then was fairly unstructured, as was common at the time. Training consisted mainly of group rides and sprinting up the occasional hill. He didn\u2019t start to use a cycling power meter until about 2012 and feels training has changed radically since those naive days.\"\"Image credit: <\/em>Filip Bossuyt<\/em><\/a> <\/em>Sven Nys<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

During the racing season, little time was spent on interval work as much of the time was required to recover between weekends. Traditionally, Wednesday afternoons were used for cyclocross technique with the rest of the time spent on steady aerobic rides. Ian believes that had he had the knowledge he has now, he would have been a more successful rider.\"\" Image credit: Jordan Mann <\/em>Ian riding for Neon Velo<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Mind your language<\/h3>

Like most of the UK population, Ian couldn't speak any Flemish before he embarked on his journey. He had bought himself a copy of Dutch for Dummies and settled down in front of the TV. He found that, as most programs were English or American, he could learn the Flemish words from the subtitles. I wonder what the Flemish is for \u201cBook him Danno!\u201d. Boek hem Danno, perhaps.<\/p>

Ian found that the locals had a true fondness for the English. Perhaps a legacy of Britain\u2019s role in the Great War. They were more than happy to try and speak English. Over time he found he could communicate in Flemish, especially with those living in the east near the Netherlands. He confessed that he never could understand West Flandrian farmers.<\/p>

Conveniently close to the bar<\/p><\/blockquote>

I asked, other than the language, what he noticed as a difference between the English and the Flemish. \u201cThe men will pee anywhere\u201d came his rapid reply. This lack of modesty is reflected in the four-person, open-air, urinal units that are a feature of Flemish cyclocross races. Usually positioned conveniently close to the bar, so that orders can be shouted across to their friends in the queue.<\/p>

Loving the Koppenbergcross<\/h3>

Despite the Clio setback at the Koppenbergcross, Ian grew to love the event. A passion he shared with the great Sven Nys who said \u201cThe Koppenbergcross has stolen my heart. For me, it is the main cross of the year. More important than a Belgian championship, yes.\" Sven described the noise of the fans as being akin to Belgium scoring in a football match but lasting for an hour.<\/p>

Ian's first participation at the Koppenbergcross could easily be described as a \u2018baptism of fire\u2019. It was a pure mud-fest that caused even the greats to spend periods on their backsides. Nys won with a dislocated finger after a long battle with Lars Boom.\"\" Image credit: <\/em>BenoixRoberti<\/em><\/a> <\/em>Koppenberg - too much for a Clio<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

By the end, both looked like they had arisen from the depths of a coal mine. Ian plugged his way around, to finish 29th. Not lapped, not last and not one of the many who retired. The organiser was incredibly grateful to the \u2018plucky Brit\u2019 that he topped up his prize money.<\/p>

Like Sven, Ian had fallen in love. He describes his 2013 ride as being, along with Milton Keynes, a highlight of his career. He attacked from the start and led for two laps. He was still in the front group when he punctured. Despite this, he managed 13th place.\"\"Ian helping at a coaching session<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

What would he tell his younger self?<\/h3>

If older Ian could go back in time and provide younger Ian with some advice, what would it be? \u201cI\u2019d tell myself to just stick at it and that it would all be OK.\u201d He goes on to say that he would say, just keep working at it, be resilient, look for consistency and achieve small but regular improvements. He said it\u2019s easy to lose sight of the process which is where a good coach helps and brings us on nicely to \u2026<\/p>

Veld Coaching<\/h3>

Ian has been coaching cyclists for some time as part of a wider set-up but went solo last year. He\u2019s called his venture Veld Coaching<\/a>. It\u2019s a play on words. Veld is Flemish for Field, his surname, and forms the first part of the Flemish word for cyclocross, veldrijden. I joke that he is Veld and we are Rijden. It must be a match made in heaven.<\/p>

Veld Coaching<\/strong> offers three core services:<\/p>