Behind the Scenes at Oostende Worlds with Euro Correspondent Ethan Glading
Ethan Glading shares his experiences working as a photographer at the crowd-less 2021 Cyclocross Worlds in Oostende.
by Ethan Glading
I was in the press room in Overijse when I first heard that the local government in Ostend was thinking of preventing Worlds from going forward due to the discovery of some local cases of the UK variant of COVID 19. At the time I was pretty stunned, but if I'd thought about it more I would have realized that it was a very unlikely scenario. The City of Ostend and all of the regional authorities had a lot invested in the event and the showcasing of Ostend to an international audience.
Of course, moving forward wasn't without a downside if Worlds became a “superspreader” event, the area would have a lot of publicity of a different kind.
Up to this point quite a few cyclo-cross races had been held in Belgium, including three World Cups, all of which attracted international fields and none of which resulted in local outbreaks of COVID-19. When discussing these races, many people focus on the safety of the riders as a priority, but the main concern of the local governments is really whether bringing in hundreds of people from outside the area for a sporting event will lead to an outbreak that endangers local residents. The World Cups had the strictest protocols, including testing and strictly segregating media, event staff, and riders. C1s and C2s have been slightly more relaxed but are still quite strict.
For Ostend, everything was taken up a notch, or two. Everyone working or racing in Ostend needed a negative PCR test conducted less than 72 hours before arrival. Once on-site, everybody had to remain within their “bubbles,” interacting only with those performing similar jobs and, of course, always with a mask.
And for people who arrived on-site earlier in the week, a “quick” antigen test would be required to access the site on the weekend. Fortunately for me, personally, one advantage of living in France is that the PCR tests are free, easy to schedule, and the results are quick. Not any more comfortable, but easier and cheaper.
As a photographer, these restrictions radically changed race weekends for me this season. Normally at a large race like Worlds, I will arrive a day early to scout the course and photograph the riders, mechanics, and support staff getting ready for race day.
I also spend a lot of time in the team area on race days, running back and forth from the course to photograph tired riders and muddy bikes. In the Before Times, I was able to photograph the riders from a few feet away at the start and from inches away after the finish. All of this was obviously not happening in Ostend. It has been very strange to essentially be limited to race action, and crowd-less race action at that.
These latest restrictions plus a 48-hour limit on my time in Belgium led me to sleep at home Friday and drive up very early Saturday morning. After my 5 am alarm and my 3.5-hour drive, I arrived in Ostend not exactly firing on all cylinders. The parking for photographers was about a 15-minute walk from the press room and the credential pick-up was a 15-minute drive from the venue.
I spent much of the morning walking back and forth between the press room and my car retrieving forgotten items, including a few crucial ones like my photographer's bib and my non-slip-on shoes.
Men's U23 race: By 1:00 pm I was pretty well exhausted and I'd walked as much as I normally do on a race day. Now it was time to get to work! I skipped the start grid and headed out onto the beach. A group of photographers had gathered in a spot where we could catch the riders coming down off the massive fly-over and then also photograph them as they rode away from us through the surf. I couldn't tell if the tide was rising or receding, but in order to be in position to get them riding away, we needed to be as close to the edge of the waves as possible. As we waited we occasionally had to scramble. Some people tried to build small sand barriers against the water.
Finally the riders appeared and it was time to turn my focus from the water and the weather (it was about 33 degrees Fahrenheit at this point and raining sideways) to the actual racing. As the riders made their way through the turn, it happened. With everybody's face pressed against the backs of their cameras, a wave came, unleashing a chorus of “godverdomme!” as everyone scattered. My shoes were completely soaked through. On to the next spot.
Not having the crowds at the races this year has been a blessing and a curse for me. I do miss the “color” and the photo opportunities the fans provide. Often the most interesting things happening in a photo are right behind the riders as the fans lose their minds screaming and cheering. I don't particularly miss the spilled beers, the drunken bear hugs, or the frequent requests for group photos.
One thing I especially missed in Ostend was the pageantry of Worlds. The national and regional flags, the national costumes. Worlds is normally a unique atmosphere due to the international crowdm and its absence made the “behind closed doors” element feel more acute.
Elite Women - Without the crowds at the course crossings, getting back and forth from the hippodrome to the beach was pretty straightforward. I decided to shoot a bit at the start of the Elite Women despite my less-than-ideal vantage point and was able to get out to the beach before the riders. The tide was definitely receding at this point but the rain seemed to be increasing. Typically rain is not a big deal, but combined with the wind, it limited my shooting quite a bit. Just a second or two shooting into the wind meant that the lens cloths were coming out. And even though I was being careful, I still ended up with hundreds of photos that looked like they were shot through fogged-up windows.
After an exciting race, it was finally time to change my shoes, edit, eat a bit, and retire to my hotel.
Sunday got off to a better start in a number of ways. Waking up only 30 minutes from the venue and no rain boosted my mood quite a bit. The car was covered in frost but that was a mild inconvenience. After a leisurely breakfast and a quick errand, I made my way to Ostend and settled into the press center with plenty of time. I decided to check out pre-ride and maybe find some different spots.
It wasn't raining but it was still dang cold. The sand on the beach was completely frozen and it was like walking on rutted stone when I first went out. The sun was shining and lots of people were strolling on the beach outside the restricted area. Also, the tide was much farther out than Saturday. Shots of riders in the surf wouldn't be happening in the first race. But I knew from the Twitter tide experts that high tide would coincide with the Elite Men’s weekend finale.
U23 Women's race – For this race, I needed to get some specific photos at the start grid. It would be cutting it very close to get to the beach on the first lap ... and I didn't make it. I ended up shooting on the hippodrome side of the huge fly-over which actually worked out fine. Then I hoofed it (sorry) to a section where I knew I could catch the riders before they started climbing back up.
The rest of the race was uneventful. For me anyway. For one lap I shot at the end of the wet sand section. This was the place where Blanka Vas was riding—and losing ground— while the others ran. It was so dramatic that I actually noticed it happening while I was shooting, which is pretty rare. I usually have to find out things like this by watching a replay or Bill's videos.
After the podium, I decided to run to the press room and quickly download and edit as many photos as possible. I only had about 30 minutes but I had a tight deadline after the men's race that was on my mind. I was able to select and edit about 80% of what I needed from the early race, so my stress levels dropped quite a bit as I headed back out on the course for the Elite Men.
Men Elite - I skipped the start grid and made my way to the spot where I got soaked on Saturday.
I actually decided at this point that if another wave came in I was going to hold my ground and continue to shoot. 90 minutes of frozen feet seemed manageable compared with the previous day. Of course, since I was fine with it, it didn't happen again.
This was the point in the weekend where the strict bubbles began to pop just a bit. Something about it being the last race of the weekend combined with the whole Wout-vs-MVDP thing led to a noticeable increase in people on the course. And along the fences. And on the balconies of nearby buildings. People were not going to miss this.
Wout’s flat ultimately spoiled what felt like could have been another classic battle between the two superstars. I guess in a way it was kind of fitting that the spectator-less Worlds would come so close to delivering something spectacular only to have it denied by a mundane mechanical.
In the end, documenting a race like this, closed to the public, felt like a bit of a privilege and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Will I remember this among the countless cycling events I have covered? Yes, yes I will.
Do I ever want to have this experience again? No, no I do not.
Here’s hoping things are back to normal in Arkansas next year, with all the pageantry, color, excitement, and raucous fun befitting a World Championships in the U.S.