In The Mix: Cyclocross in Belgium

To be among the best takes dedication beyond what you see at the races. As they round out the season in Belgium, Stephen Hyde & Curtis White from Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com share their insights on what it takes to be in the mix at the elite cyclocross races of Europe.

You finish every race you’re completely blown there’s no lull in the racing you make one mistake you lose 1520 places and it’s you have to be at your best every race every race here is a steep learning curve the highs and lows for me racing in Europe have been high and very low

There’s enough racers racing all of the time that the level stays at the exact same the level only goes from hard to harder when you’re marginal and you’re here and the good guys are still really good then there’s no there’s no letting up you know you just you just go back

Farther you’ve got to live in Belgium to be at this level it’s difficult I think a big shock for a lot of domestic racers that come here we’re not like aggressive racers in the physical sense at no point are Curtis and I going shoulder to shoulder at no

Point are we like putting each other in danger whereas you come here and it’s a fight it’s a physical fight created at the end of the race everybody’s cool but it’s it’s there’s much more at stake and it’s much more on the line that it’s much more aggressive and that’s always a

Big shock the level and depth of professionalism goes deeper because of the you know for a lack of a better term kind of an arms race and in training and racing here there’s a lot on the line my favorite part about the Belgian experiences is is going to these huge

Races don’t need these huge races where there’s like all this fanfare where there’s just these people that are there to these spectators that are there to like party it’s definitely in a part of the culture that is relevant to everyday life for Belgians and that’s really interesting

I’d say it’s not glamorous at all but it’s up to us to make ourselves comfortable here spending two months racing in Europe is I mean you miss your home your family your friends and we’re here during the holidays and I’m over here doing what I love this is it’s my

Job my jobs to race bikes and ultimately at the end of the day I’m becoming a better athlete better person over here and I mean it’s kind of cliche to say but it’s there’s really no place I’d rather be