{"id":10567,"title":"Ian Field part one","description":"Cyclocross professional turned CX coach Ian Field gives the low down on what it takes to live and race cyclocross in Belgium. Part one: \"Come home when you're broke\".","content":"

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

Cyclocross professional turned CX coach Ian Field gives the low down on what it takes to live and race cyclocross in Belgium.<\/p>

Part one<\/strong>: \"Come home when you're broke\".<\/p>

\"IanIan racing at Abergavenny. Image: Ray Tyler<\/a><\/p>

Until the arrival of the 'Tom Pidcock generation,' Ian Field was pretty much the UK's sole representative in European men's cyclocross. The winner of five elite national cyclocross championships sat down with us to chat about the years spent racing abroad.<\/p>

In part one we talk about setting out for Belgium, acceptance by local fans and the comic antics of Sven's pit crew.<\/p>

Milton Keynes UCI Cyclocross World Cup<\/h3>

Ten thousand fans appear to cheer for him alone. The bowl resonates with his name. The commentary is incoherent but intoxicatingly mixing with the music beat. Grass has turned to mud. \u00a0Lungs rasping. Legs aching. Once more he grits and grinds his way up. Once more he plunges down the slick, slippery slope.<\/p>

He aches to ease off. He craves an end to the pain. He cannot stop. He would be letting them down. Letting down his family, his friends and his old schoolmates. They've all made the trip. They're here to witness him confront the best on home soil.<\/p>

\"Go Ian\" they scream. \"Go!\"<\/strong><\/p>

Finally, exhausted he completes the task. His day is done. It is perhaps his finest ride. Not on the podium, not even in the top ten. He has given his all and the crowd knows it. They are proud of their boy. It\u2019s a perfect end to a perfectly magical day.<\/p>

Presented to the crowd, he is overcome with emotion. He cannot find words. They understand. Ian Field waves to acknowledge their support.<\/p>

Ian is at the pinnacle of his cyclocross career but where did it all start?<\/p>

\"AA youthful Ian racing for San Fairy Ann CC. Image: John Mullineaux <\/p>

Falling out of love<\/h3>

Ian had raced most cycling disciplines from the age of 13. When he left the junior ranks, he had the choice of a professional road contract or joining British Cycling\u2019s mountain bike academy. He chose the latter which, at the time, was headed by Simon Burney. Simon, who organised the Milton Keynes UCI World Cup event, would have a significant influence on Ian's career.<\/p>

During his time as an academy rider, Ian took part in the occasional U23 cyclocross race abroad. Reaching the end of his time at the academy he took a one-year deal to ride on a professional mountain bike team. At the end of this time, however, he realised he\u2019d fallen out of love with mountain biking. He yearned to return to the mud of cyclocross once more.<\/p>

Cutting a deal<\/h3>

He had no idea of how to achieve his ambition and, on the off chance, called in at Simon Burney\u2019s house. Simon in turn phoned Pete Hargroves of Hargroves Cycles. A deal was struck there and then. Free bikes and kit for the first year. It was the start of a long relationship. It seems that Pete Hargroves was inspired purely by the love of CX. Pete had ambitions but they were focused on the home market.<\/p>

Come home when you're broke<\/h3>

Ian had squirrelled away money from his time at the academy and his one year as a pro\u2019 by the simple expedient of not spending any. He packed his bikes and belongings into his Renault Clio and headed for Belgium. As he drove onto the ferry, he recalled his mum\u2019s sage advice. \u201cCome back when you are down to your last \u00a350\u201d.<\/p>

Tielt-Winge<\/h3>

Reaching the dry land of Calais, he set off for his destination with little more than a name and a postcode. The town of Tielt-Winge is an approximately 45-minute drive east of Brussels. A largely unremarkable and not untypical community in a semi-rural setting.<\/p>

Perhaps most noted for the Vlooybergtoren or \u201cstairway to heaven\u201d. A leaning, steel stairway that was designed to provide panoramic views over the Kabouterbos, \u201cthe fairy tale forest\u201d. It was constructed in 2015 to replace a wooden tower that had been destroyed by arsonists.<\/p>

The replacement was designed to be vandal-proof. So, the vandals blew it up. Hopefully, it is to be replaced by another beautiful and utterly pointless piece of architecture.<\/p>

\"TheThe Vlooybergtoren, Tielt-Winge. Image: BrYYZ<\/a><\/p>

Stepping up to Sven Nys<\/h3>

I asked Ian if he was nervous about stepping up to ride with top professionals such as Sven Nys and Bart Wellens. He replied that his aim at the time was just to avoid being lapped and to try and keep improving. He knew it was the only way to progress.<\/p>

He felt less pressure racing in Belgium compared to the UK. He was never under pressure from Pete Hargroves to achieve results in Belgium. When he raced in the UK, he always felt it was a \u2018loose, loose\u2019 situation. If he won people would say he should win. If he lost \u2026<\/p>

There was always more pressure from Hargroves to \u2018fly the flag\u2019 in the UK and win the national championships and National Trophy events.<\/p>

He found that his years of mountain bike racing provided him with strong technical skills. He reflected on the change in the nature of courses. When he started racing in Belgium it was common for races to just head across a muddy field. 'Running races' and brute force were not at all uncommon.<\/p>

He reflected that courses tend to be more \u2018manicured\u2019 now and, in his opinion, too tame. He liked the variation. The best riders would win in all conditions. It is heavily criticised if a course requires a lot of running now, like the recent race at Derdemonde.<\/p>

\"IanImage: William Beerland (left) Lydia VDM (right)<\/p>

Seagulls<\/h3>

If Ian was prepared for the style and speed of racing, he was taken aback by the response of the fans. At his first event, he was besieged with requests for picture postcards. \"Fotokaart! Fotokaart!\" People were outraged when they found he didn\u2019t have any. How could he be a real professional and not have a fotokaarten? He rectified the matter before his next race. Fans flocked to, and followed, him like seagulls. \"Fotokaart! Fotokaart!\"<\/p>

Word spread within the close-knit community of Tielt-Tinge that they had a new professional living amongst them. He was adopted as a 'son of Tielt-Winge' and they provided vocal support at races.<\/p>

Early on some of this support, whilst well-intentioned, was somewhat misdirected. Shouts of \u201cVenga Venga!\u201d would follow him around the course. The red and yellow of the Hargroves kit led many to conclude he was the Spanish champion. His more knowledgeable supporters from Tielt-Winge would shout back \u201cEngels Engels!\u201d.<\/p>

Comics<\/h3>

One of the things that I was curious about was how he managed to acquire helpers for races. I\u2019d heard stories of people who would tout their pit skills for a fee, even at masters\u2019 races. Like a cyclocross equivalent of a golf caddy.<\/p>

Living in a house managed by Stef Wyman was a bonus. Husband of female cyclocross star Helen, he had many local contacts. Stef would organise a group of volunteers who would be paid in beer, food and thanks.<\/p>

It\u2019s traditional in Belgium for riders, even in the high echelons of the professional ranks, to be supported by their family and unpaid mechanics. Ian explained that families would be insulted if they were not included.<\/p>

Non-family volunteers would gain significant bragging rights when they returned to their local bar. \u201cI was pitting for Sven at Koksijde you know. He asked me what tyres to use. I said, listen Sven old friend. I won't lie to you \u2026\u201d.<\/p>

As soon as he could afford it, Ian ensured he paid his mechanics. He wanted any failure to be his responsibility. Not someone else\u2019s mistake. Comical, mechanical failures incurred by top riders were a common outcome of utilising enthusiastic amateurs.<\/p>

\"jyp3c1hqqhteuflnqbej9cpxmhgo4hulu39dhdaiowyy6dvp.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"READ MORE<\/strong>: In <\/em>part two<\/em><\/strong><\/a> we discuss the hurdles he faced, his favourite race and his cyclocross coaching business Veld Coaching.<\/em><\/p>

\"Ian<\/u><\/a><\/p>

7 May 2021 Tim Costello<\/em><\/p>

\"grrbpemyywmusal5merxugim70nijvc2vqzqxpkx6vlx83lu.jpg\"NEVER MISS OUT<\/strong><\/h3>

Subscribe<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to our free email newsletter to get all our latest stories and news. We won't bombard you with special offers. We don't want to send you junk as much as you don't want to receive it.<\/p>

We run occasional free competitions for newsletter subscribers.<\/p>

\"Image<\/u><\/a><\/p>","urlTitle":"ian-field-part-one","url":"\/blog\/ian-field-part-one\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/ian-field-part-one\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/blog\/ian-field-part-one\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1615993581,"updatedAt":1706185208,"publishedAt":1706185208,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":61205,"name":"Rijden_2"},"tags":[{"id":1160,"code":"cyclocross","name":"Cyclocross","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/cyclocross\/"},{"id":2228,"code":"interviews","name":"Interviews","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/interviews\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/z0esxhm8ptynkd2ccmx2d0j6vhz1ahl1o7kheqjmiwaqppei.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/z0esxhm8ptynkd2ccmx2d0j6vhz1ahl1o7kheqjmiwaqppei.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/z0esxhm8ptynkd2ccmx2d0j6vhz1ahl1o7kheqjmiwaqppei.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"Ian Field cyclocross interview | Rijden","metaDescription":"Cyclocross professional turned CX coach Ian Field gives the low down on what it takes to live and race cyclocross in Belgium","keyPhraseCampaignId":27241,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":10415,"title":"Balint Hamvas, top cyclocross photographer","url":"\/blog\/the-impressionist-balint-hamvas\/","urlTitle":"the-impressionist-balint-hamvas","division":61205,"description":"We caught up with top cyclocross photographer Balint Hamvas. During an enjoyable interview, he told me about freezing in the Alps, travelling by e-bike and how he faked his way into professional photography.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/hed6ed0xd68xvkqekrz04yqhwthnw7fc8apax9eqpyodq9c1.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/hed6ed0xd68xvkqekrz04yqhwthnw7fc8apax9eqpyodq9c1.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":10597,"title":"Ian Field, multiple cyclocross champion part two","url":"\/blog\/ian-field-part-2\/","urlTitle":"ian-field-part-2","division":61205,"description":"Cyclocross professional turned CX coach Ian Field continues his tale of living and racing cyclocross in Belgium.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ow36svb5jriv2vpimfugw8badnngxxynpxsy14eymngsr9z5.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ow36svb5jriv2vpimfugw8badnngxxynpxsy14eymngsr9z5.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":11463,"title":"Alderney Baker - Cycling's in Her Blood","url":"\/blog\/alderney-baker\/","urlTitle":"alderney-baker","division":61205,"description":"Meet Alderney Baker, the U23 cyclocross and road rider who's aiming high.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/jbgy4ojlnjbleib6ndc8l0ys2f1psnn5dkxcmac2cltiq1ng.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/jbgy4ojlnjbleib6ndc8l0ys2f1psnn5dkxcmac2cltiq1ng.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}