At Belgian Cycling they do not deny that the Cyclo-Cross World Championships have given them “mixed feelings”. Suddenly the cross no longer seems like the Belgian playground of yesteryear. Is it a snapshot or a structural problem and how can the current picture be countered? Technical director Frederik Broché: “The sore points are exposed again, but we should not dramatize this either.”
Belgium leaves Tabor with 4 medals: bronze in the mixed relay, silver and bronze in the promises and another bronze for Michael Vanthourenhout.
“We are not overwhelmed by the performance,” admits Frederik Broché, technical director of Belgian Cycling, from Tabor this morning.
“There is no wow feeling. Call it mixed feelings. But we can place it and we don’t have to dramatize this.”
“Not everything is negative, because we have seen good performances. But some areas for improvement are exposed again, although that is nothing new.”
Broché identifies the biggest shortcoming. “At the grassroots level, the boys and girls, our intake is not broad enough. That is the biggest challenge.”
“We have to ensure that our country has a future in the field and I mean in 5 to 10 years.”
“The flush is currently too thin. And I say that with great respect for the compatriots who were here or who were not selected.”
At the grassroots level, boys and girls, our intake is not broad enough. That is the biggest challenge. We must ensure that our country has a future in the field, and by that I mean in 5 to 10 years.
Frederik Broché (technical director of Belgian Cycling)
“The results don’t lie,” Broché notes. The times when our country surpassed the youth series seem to be behind us.
“You see more spread in terms of nationalities. A country like France does very well with youth.”
“In the higher series you also encounter super talents and a strong Dutch collective. In terms of class, they are higher than us. So you are also dependent on talent.”
Does the Belgian cycling association look over the wall and does our federation talk to foreign colleagues looking for inspiration?
“Certainly, but if I look at the French, for example, it is quite simple: it is about budget. They have prepared for this World Cup with many internships and group moments.”
Verstrynge and Michels finished on the podium among the promises.
No copy from abroad
The French won the mixed relay and the junior women’s race. In the men’s juniors, the gold eluded them due to bad luck.
“They have been performing very well among the youth for some time, but I don’t see any change among the French pros either. And the elite riders are the most important category,” Broché qualifies.
“Just because you perform well at the youth level does not mean that you will also see a change at the highest level. Although cross-country is in any case a good discipline in the training of young riders.”
“I’m not saying that we should copy the foreign approach,” Broché continues, “but more actions are being taken at those federations. We mainly leave it to the teams.”
That also makes sense since those teams pay their riders. “That’s right, and they also do good work. Don’t forget that many top foreigners are employed in Belgium. That also says something.”
“But as a cycling federation we must limit ourselves to regional or national training and the World Cups.”
“We are also trying to prepare for the World Cup, but there are no long training periods. That – again – has to do with the budget.”
France, here with Célia Gery, is performing strongly in the youth ranks.
The pressure of Paris
Broché’s voice certainly does not sound frustration or despair, but the technical director of the Belgian cycling federation also knows that we are in an Olympic year.
“Cross-country is not the only discipline in which we as Belgians perform well. And since we are in an Olympic year, we are now also investing more time and energy in the other branches of cycling.”
“We will evolve the cross in the coming months and see if anything needs to be done differently. It’s not that we can’t do anything anymore, right.”
Cyclo-cross is not the only discipline in which we as Belgians perform well. And since we are in an Olympic year, we are now also investing more time and energy in the other branches of cycling.
Frederik Broché (technical director of Belgian Cycling)
But of course the budget issue has an impact. “That is the financial reality of our sport and of life. Everything is becoming more expensive. The costs have risen sharply.”
Broché gives an example: “During this World Cup we also had a track team in Australia and our BMX team travels from New Zealand to Australia. These are Olympic qualifiers.”
“If you have to make choices, the government will also push you towards those Olympic disciplines.”
“That’s okay, but you feel that it becomes more difficult in global cycling. You have to cover many continents and that comes with a price tag.”
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Iserbyt’s logic
In recent months there has been constant talk about the cyclo-cross calendar being too extensive. Should our country dare to step a little further away from the church tower?
In other words, should we redesign the current model with two (classification) races every weekend to give Belgian riders more breathing space?
Broché: “Here too you have to make a distinction between youth and elite riders. We can hardly tell professionals that they have to take a month out of competition. They are paid by their teams.”
“But it is not illogical that Eli Iserbyt says that he no longer has his best legs. That is completely normal and those boys have to generate their income in 3 to 4 months.”
“But cross-country goes a bit against other disciplines where you focus more on training and rest periods and not race all the time.”
“We try to give that advice to the youth: take a break from competition, ensure a healthy balance. Perhaps we should dare to do that a little more, in consultation with the clubs and teams.”
Eli Iserbyt admitted in Tabor that he is gradually reaching the end of his rope.
Internal conflict of interest?
Says the devil’s advocate: Belgian Cycling, on the other hand, also has an interest in maintaining that packed calendar. The hefty competition permit that every organization must pay to the federation is a significant source of income.
Broché takes a moment to look for the right words: “We can use the resources we collect in this way for cross-country and for other disciplines. Think of mountain biking or the track: we have little to no income there.”
“But I speak from the top sports organization myself and admit that it is therefore not necessary to ride 2 crosses every weekend, especially among the youth.”
“So I look at it a little differently than the organizers or other people within our federation. Whether there are conflicting interests? No, it’s not that black and white.”
“I have a history as a trainer. If you look with, say, a 17-year-old rider at what trajectory you want to follow in order to be a good elite rider in a few years, you leave half of it behind. There is a wide range and you have to Make choices.”
Perhaps Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel partly facilitate that choice given their trajectory and it is too tempting for young riders not to let the road take precedence.
“I don’t think so,” Broché counters. “They are still sufficiently present in the field to be a role model. And their trajectory with youth is also a perfect example for our young people.”
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2024-02-05 13:43:07
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