{"id":23028,"title":"Jana Dobbelaere","description":"Monday to Friday she works in a bank but as soon as it\u2019s the weekend, Jana Dobbelaere dons her lycra and lines up against the world\u2019s best cyclocross riders. Not content with competing against full-time professionals, she\u2019s also renovating a house. Find out how the likeable Flandrian went from cyclocross no-hoper to battling it out in the tough world of UCI World Cup races.","content":"

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

Monday to Friday she works in a bank but as soon as it\u2019s the weekend, Jana Dobbelaere dons her lycra and lines up against the world\u2019s best cyclocross riders. \"xro5d01f0krznxauvti1pou9osqo1bicsklhwrpjogytznct.jpg\"Not content with competing against full-time professionals, she\u2019s also renovating a house. Find out how the likeable Flandrian went from cyclocross no-hoper to battling it out in the tough world of UCI World Cup races.<\/p>

Getting cross<\/h3>

If there\u2019s a traditional path into cyclocross, then Jana Dobbelaere hasn\u2019t taken it. At the age of 18, having watched cyclocross on TV she suddenly decided to take up the sport. Her dad is partly to blame. He suggested she\u2019d be good at it.<\/p>

This was an era when Belgians Sanne Cant and Ellen van Loy were two of the very top cyclocross riders and the Dutch women had yet to dominate the sport.<\/p>

Without a suitable bike and the season a few weeks away, Jana\u2019s parents found themselves in a bike shop buying an alloy Ridley. Although Jana had ridden a bike regularly, it was only for fun or convenience. None of her family had any particular interest in or knowledge of cycle racing.<\/p>

Within two weeks, she was lining up for her first race. To say that she was underprepared and undertrained would be an understatement.<\/p>

Making progress<\/h3>

Jana\u2019s cyclocross career continued in this haphazard manner for the next few years. Thinking that rides of 30 km were sufficient, she had little guidance and made hardly any progress. Mainly riding National B races and the occasional UCI event, she consistently finished towards the back of the field.<\/p>

It\u2019s surprising that she persisted but frustrated by her lack of success, Jana engaged a coach. The improvement was significant. In her first four seasons, she was lapped in every UCI event and rarely finished outside the bottom three.<\/p>

\"441p0assu0ysqivk52j3ebe6gekisdtp0kxr5n56b4g6zmim.jpg\"<\/u><\/a>By the 2017-18 season, her last as an under-23, with the aid of her coach she was regularly going the full distance in UCI events. By 2019, she finished 13th in the Belgian National Championships.<\/p>

Two seasons further on, she achieved her first podium in a UCI cyclocross race and finished runner-up in the Belgian National Championships for elites zonder contract (non-professionals).<\/p>

Belgium does cyclocross talent<\/h3>

In 2020, a new Belgian reality show was announced. Koers Zoekt Vrouw (Course Seeks Woman) was launched by the Star Casino CX team with the aim of finding the next big talent in Belgian women\u2019s cyclocross. Any female over the age of 18 could apply. Nearly 4,000 women applied including one intrepid 70-year-old.<\/p>

The prize for the overall winner would be a professional contract with Star Casino CX Team. The competition was stiff. Over six months the competitors were set a number of increasingly difficult challenges. Eventually, they were whittled down to a shortlist of three and Jana made the cut.<\/p>

\"red8yehpwntyxjwqtsdh5vwcojy6zqfz0gpkrjx9zy8cg7dj.jpg\"Riding for the Star Casino CX Team<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Jana\u2019s had to juggle her training for the show around her working week. Combining work and meeting the demands of the competition was a considerable challenge as the end of the show drew ever closer and more competitors were eliminated. The forty-hour training task was particularly arduous, not helped by snow that prevented training on the road.<\/p>

In the final, she was up against Audrey De Keersmaeker and Cato Cassiers. Despite winning the last race, it was De Keersmaeker rather than Jana who was awarded the contract. But Jana and Cato Cassiers were kept on as unpaid members of the Star Casino CX Team.<\/p>

Unfortunately, the Star Casino team would only last one more season before the sponsor pulled the plug. The tantalising prospect of a paid position with the team was snatched away. Disappointed but undeterred, Jana switched her red Star Casino jersey for the plain blue of a privateer.<\/p>

Looking back, Jana views it as a rewarding experience even if at times it was stressful combining the demanding tasks with her regular job.<\/p>

Winner Audrey De Keersmaeker now rides for the De Ceuster Bonache team of Alicia Franck and Laura Verdonschot. Cato Cassiers appears to have stopped riding cyclocross to concentrate on the road.<\/p>

Working 9 to 5<\/h3>

Jana continues to work as a software developer for a Ghent-based bank. She\u2019s relocated from Brussels because, commuting included, it amounted to a twelve-hour day. Hardly conducive to post-work training.<\/p>

Jana now lives only two kilometres from the office and could work from her rented flat but finds the office more productive. Not that she may be living in Ghent for too much longer. She\u2019s bought a house in Oudenaarde that she\u2019s slowly renovating with her parents\u2019 help. Summer holidays are spent working on the house.<\/p>

\"1nlqahsqcemgecfh0sskrtuimkh8nbg07yemvrch7ekpp13l.jpg\"Jana\u2019s back to riding as an unsponsored privateer<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

To enable her to achieve sufficient training to be competitive, Jana works the equivalent of a four-day week. Consequently, receiving 80% of the full wage. She uses her holiday allowance for additional training days and to enable her to compete in mid-week races. Something that\u2019s critical during the busy Kerstperiode of Christmas when riders are racing every few days.<\/p>

Untypically, Jana takes most of her leave entitlement during the winter.<\/p>

Jana lives alone which means that as well as working and training, she has to factor in shopping, cooking and household chores. At least she\u2019s free to decide her own timetable and can train, work permitting, whenever she wants.<\/p>

Training in the dark<\/h3>

Jana trains approximately 10 to 15 hours a week. She stresses that it\u2019s never more than 15 hours. In the summer, she can train after work in the light but as winter approaches that\u2019s impossible. If it\u2019s not raining she\u2019ll train on the road using routes she considers safe.<\/p>

As many amateur cyclocross riders will know, the alternative is the dreaded turbo trainer. It\u2019s good for fitness up to a certain point but can\u2019t replicate the real thing, especially for cyclocross.<\/p>

Cyclocross skills<\/h3>

On alternate weeks she has one full day off and then two half days. The full day is usually spent in the company of American Clara Honsinger and Briton Zoe B\u00e4ckstedt. They practise cyclocross skills sessions under the watchful eye of former professional Dieter Vanthourenhout. Not only does Jana enjoy their company but she finds it helps her to learn different techniques from them.<\/span><\/p>

Catch 22<\/h3>

Following the demise of the Star Casino this summer, Jana\u2019s been riding as an individual without sponsorship. Fortunately, she was allowed to retain the use of her cyclocross bikes and wheels and former mechanics still help her. Without this, racing at the highest level would be impossible.<\/p>

She\u2019s entirely self-funded and rarely receives start money. Golazo, who runs the majority of the cyclocross series don\u2019t pay start money. Over the years, Golazo and their rivals Flanders Classics have built a virtual duopoly and between them run all the major cyclocross series. They\u2019ve squeezed out start money except for a limited few riders.<\/p>

\"rj6holqbawqmwdvonn5epzkcqdchximfkzrn0d22to7himth.jpg\"Jana uses her holiday entitlement to ride mid-week races like the Kermiscross<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Jana would like to ride for a team again but it\u2019s hard to make the time commitment when she\u2019s working. And it\u2019s difficult to attract sponsors without consistently high finishes. She finds herself in a catch-22. To improve, she\u2019d need to spend more time training but that would require her to give up work. But she has a house to pay for.<\/p>

\"y9kawjkfg8tji81wpq5smsmsttxawov3zvu8knvwqjop961f.jpg\"Jana\u2019s summer vacation<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

She could take the easy route and just ride Belgium\u2019s National B races like the Flanders CX Challenge series. These are the next rung down from UCI C2 races and she could win these regularly. But she\u2019d rather race at the highest level even though she\u2019s handicapped by the number of hours she can train when she\u2019s riding against full-timers.<\/p>

Few Belgian women are making a living at cyclocross. Many of those riding full-time are supported by their families. For years women\u2019s cyclocross in Belgium has been underfunded and undersupported. Unlike the Dutch, hence the current domination.<\/p>

Mud lover<\/h3>

Jana believes that as she was a late starter in cyclocross, she can work on improving her skills. Her favourite conditions are when it is very muddy or, as she describes \u2018heavy\u2019. She\u2019s happy with the bike moving around and has the power to drive through the mud.<\/p>

\"fewn6jzazzwbrppuzokb0v3zhsbrhfoexwyqyf3d2jmqzjco.jpg\"Jana\u2019s favourite conditions - mud<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

She struggles more when there\u2019s little mud and it\u2019s very slippery. She hopes that her sessions with Zoe and Clara will help her improve. Her best result in a UCI cross was last year at Essen when the going was tough. She finished fifth behind a rampaging Zoe who\u2019d dominated the race.<\/p>

Jana\u2019s disappointed with this year\u2019s results which she attributes to a lack of rain. She was riding well at the Koppenbergcross, lying second Belgian. All her hard work was undone on the last lap when a mechanical led to her running and dropping many places.<\/p>

For the last two seasons, she\u2019s been selected on a regular basis to represent Belgium at the UCI World Cup rounds. However, as she\u2019s self-funded, and needs to be back at work, it restricts which races she can travel to.<\/p>

Her best UCI placing so far this season was third behind Aniek van Alphen at Bad Salzdetfurth in Germany.<\/p>

English cyclocross<\/h3>

Jana\u2019s twice raced in England and would be happy to return but the increased cost of the Eurotunnel is a deterrent. She enjoyed the experience which had both positive and negative aspects.<\/p>

In 2019 she rode a round of the UK\u2019s Cyclocross National Trophy Series held at Ardingly near Crawley. It came as a shock to her that riders were expected to supply their own water, especially as she had none. In Belgium, all of the races supply water and jet washers.<\/p>

\"s4fhovhls2u8xbm0ckern8sp4giuolyvtutzssji2zaht7pj.jpg\"Racing at the Jaarmarktcross<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

She also raced at Milnthorpe in the far North West of England in 2021. It was a late decision to make the trip and the long journey left her tired for the race. Combined with course conditions that didn\u2019t suit her, it was an unsatisfactory result.<\/p>

\"d5p83udlldagv3rnnqpyzepfbnv4fre7jzbdha5nv2piuur2.jpg\"<\/u><\/a>What she did appreciate in the UK, was how the start grid was strictly controlled with each rider being forced to start on the correct row. Apparently, it\u2019s much laxer in Belgium and riders will try to sneak their way into the row ahead. Maybe this is one of the reasons we see so many first-corner crashes.<\/p>

Jana likes the family atmosphere of the English cyclocross scene. She found it quite different to Belgium where, whilst not unfriendly, the atmosphere is perhaps more serious.<\/p>

\"jiapn5gndwhouxo5jesuvt30hlmo4oi5vhadsnvrnvm6ijxm.jpg\"Our thanks to Jana for her time. We wish her a very Muddy Christmas.<\/p>

12 December 2022, Tim Costello.<\/p>

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