The Big Picture | Maasmechelen World Cup
Maasmechelen Rocks
The World Cup returned to Belgium and Flanders this past Sunday to warm weather, raucus crowds and a course that inspired, let’s say, strong feelings. Host town Maasmechelen is in the Flemish region of Limburg. Now known primarily for its large outlet mall, it once thrived on coal production, and the remnants of that legacy dot the countryside and the cyclo-cross tracks. After the race several top riders let it be known that they blamed the course and its surfeit of sharp rocks for their disappointing placings. Since then heart rates have slowed, heads have cooled and clarifications have been issued. But if the organizers of nearby Beringen (the famous slag heap cross) have been secretly harboring hopes of one day hosting a World Cup, the reaction in neighboring Maasmechelen will be a gut punch.
It’s a shame that some ill-placed rocks grabbed headlines on a day when Laurens Sweeck powered to his first World Cup victory and Shirin van Anrooij claimed her first World Cup podium. Another highlight of the day was Andrew August finishing 4th in the Junior Men’s race. For the many (MANY) spectators the racing was entertaining and dynamic and the party lasted long after the racing stopped.
Big thanks to the CXHairs Devo crew: Andrew, Daxton, Miles and Dillon for chatting with me. I’ve included some of their insights and anecdotes about the day below.
I slipped my pedal at the start which set me back a little bit but not super far. Still top 20. Right there for the first lap. Then the second lap right at the start I hit something and flatted. It was a slow leak but by the time I got to the pits it was like 9 PSI so I had to be super careful. This year I've been struggling with some back problems and this course was just brutal for that. After I fell out of the World Cup points I figured there's not much reason to push anymore. And with a race as important as Pan-Ams coming up in four days... I finished it off but I didn't want to hurt anything. - Andrew Strohmeyer
I thought the turn would be the issue but we had a big crash right on the pavement. It was just super narrow. Especially at European races, when you're lining up, people are just trying to squeeze their wheels between other (riders). Someone is starting right next to you. One little touch of the tires and people are going down. - Dillon McNeill
“On the first lap I got to the top (of the hill pictured above) and I didn’t get clipped in. So I went down that super steep drop with my feet out and I just heard this loud crack. But the bike was fine. I let a little gap open but it didn’t really matter because on the next one (feature) it all piled up.” - Daxton Mock
There was this one straightway where in pre-ride you could tell it would be bumpy but when you're going race speed it was just really brutal. You had to keep tension on the chain but also hover off the saddle at a super low cadence. There were a lot of sections like that that I think if it weren't for the bumps and the hard-packed compressions… I think the course would have been better received. - Miles Mattern
During the race you had to be very focused. There were no long straights where you could compose yourself. It was corner after corner after mound of dirt after... Miles Mattern
I think it was really cool. It was like a festival and a bike race. Having the stages and the music the whole time. There were a ton of fans. All around there course there were people yelling for you. The course layout was super cool I think. - Andrew Strohmeyer
European racing in general, but especially the first few laps are far more aggressive than U.S. racing, in terms of battling for position with people. Here the course was pretty narrow and so it made it a lot more tight. Pepole were going for passes and there's only so much space between them and then the fence and then you. That made it a little more risky. But those spots were important because things split up pretty quick, at least in the junior and U23 races. - Miles Mattern
Follow Ethan on Instagram at: @thepenultimatestage
I love the interviews being woven through the piece, really helps to tell the story of the race