The Cyclo-Cross National Championships in Oisterwijk are just around the corner, but the championship lacks any prestige thanks to the absence of top riders such as world champions Fem van Empel and Mathieu Van der Poel, and defending champion Lucinda Brand. The event will also not be broadcast live on TV: the cross can only be followed on the NOS website and app. The organization is not exactly happy with the turn of events.
Kenneth Alting of the organizing committee tells Sporza about the lack of certain stars at the National Championships. “For the men, the absence of Mathieu is mainly a commercial shame,” he says. He says that if Van der Poel were at the start, the visitors would immediately double. “Every cycling enthusiast would like to see MVDP in real life; his presence on Sunday would have attracted 5,000 extra visitors,” Alting calculates. ‘We still have a private spot, if Mathieu still decides to come from Spain. So we can still arrange something.’
The ladies are missing two stars: Van Empel and national champion Brand. ‘That is not only a commercial shame, but also a sporting shame. Van Empel, Brand and Pieterse together guarantee a titanic battle, which we will not have now.’ Pieterse is there, but the other two opt for a training camp. ‘From the riders’ perspective, I understand and it is the right choice to go to Spain. ‘But from the perspective of the organizers, and fans, it is less easy to understand.’
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‘It is through organizing committees like ours that several riders have gotten where they are now’
“We as an organization have been making preparations for a year,” he explains his frustration. ‘A few months ago we started building the course. It takes a lot of work.’ Alting believes that riders should understand the importance of these types of competitions and that they should take responsibility. ‘It is through organizing committees like ours that several riders have gotten to where they are now. Moreover, the survival of competitions like ours depends on money and volunteers. If we could get Van der Poel to start, we would have more money and volunteers. Perhaps we should discuss this with the various actors in the cross world.’
The Cyclocross National Championships will not be broadcast on TV. “That is actually a shame for Dutch sports reporting,” Alting is harsh about this. ‘There will be some local and regional broadcasters, but there will be no live broadcast.’ The NOS will broadcast the championship on the website and app. But the organization doesn’t like it. ‘We will then stream the Cyclocross Championships on our big screen.’
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