The World Cup in Australia was one of the most successful World Championships in the recent history of cycling. The Belgian team scored well with 6 medals. Analyst Jan Bakelants shines his light on the beautiful World Cup of the Belgians and the influence of the federation. “It certainly did its part, but there are so many other people who can be exposed or just as well put that feather on their hat.”
The Belgian team has done a fantastic job in width with 6 medals. When asked whether this result is due to the Belgian federation, our analyst Jan Bakelants gave a critical look.
“Partly yes, for example in the women’s juniors, where we do not take a medal in the road race. But with 4 Belgian riders in the top 20, I really believe that this is a project of the federation. Because there is less talent detection there,” says the rider. by Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert.
“But to write off Alec Segaert’s medal (silver in the U23 time trial, red) on the federation, I find that too easy.”
No one should claim that feather on their hat. It would be too easy to say now: “We took 6 medals, so we did everything perfectly as a federation”
“In the men’s juniors you already have the WorldTour teams and their satellite teams, where talent detection is really being worked on. And where there are relationships with personal coaches, which means that talent is detected much faster than before. Then I think this is the fruit of that is,” Bakelants continues.
“In the traditional cycling countries, that approach is now really permeating. Then you automatically – if all goes well – in the medals more easily.”
“No one should claim that feather in his cap. It would be too easy to say now: ‘We took 6 medals, so we did everything perfectly as a federation.'”
“She certainly did her part, but there are so many other people who can be highlighted in this story or just as well put that feather on their hat.”
Belgium is in 4th place in medal standings
Belgium closes Wollongong 2022 as 4th country in the medal standings with 1 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals. Great Britain, the Netherlands and Norway – in that order – precede our country.
In total, Belgium has won the largest number of medals – 6 in total – at this World Cup. That is 1 medal more than Great Britain and Germany.
The Belgian medal winners:
The first bronze medal came through Remco Evenepoel in the time trial for the elite men. Evenepoel was 9 seconds short for gold on the 34 kilometer long course. Tobias Foss surprised friend and foe and won the gold for the Swiss Stefan Küng and Evenepoel.
Alec Segart drove to a handsome silver medal in the time trial at the promises. The 19-year-old freshman was 16 seconds short of Norwegian Søren Waerenskjold, who is 3 years older.
The second bronze medal came from junior Febe Jooris. Our compatriot won the very first medal in a World Cuptime trial for our country among the women. Gold went to the unapproachable Zoë Bäckstedt. Silver was for the German Justyna Czapla.
The third bronze medal went to Vlad Van Mechelenwho finished 3rd in the rite away at the juniors. The German Emil Herzog took the gold for the Portuguese Antonio Morgado.
The second silver was for Lotte Kopeckydie is the finish in there rite away in front of elite women knocked angrily on her steering wheel with disillusionment. In the last kilometer the Dutch Annemiek van Vleuten had escaped and nobody saw her again. The bronze went to Italy’s Silvia Persico.
The ultimate happiness came for Belgium on the last day of the World Cup, when Remco Evenepoel a remcoian bit of speeding. He won it after a solo with bravado gold for the Frenchman Christophe Laporte and the Australian Michael Matthews, who only realized after the finish that they had won a medal.
