Interview Kobe Goossens (EN)

 Interview Kobe Goossens

This season was for many riders an unexpected one. A year with a strange calendar and an exceptional build-up. Kobe Goossens knew how to finish it well. The 24 years old rider from Lotto-Soudal finished 24th and stayed with the best climbers for a long time. The season only finished yet and he's already motivated for the next one. Let's look back and forward together. 

You've started your cycling carreer as a cyclocross racer. Do you still follow cyclocross today? Would you like to take part in a cyclocross race again?

I still follow cyclocross for sure. If I'm at home, then I watch and I'm also still in touch with Toon Aerts. But I still follow it less intensive then in the past off course, but it still still attracts me. I don't think that I'll take part in a cyclocross race in the coming years.

De Vuelta a Espana waas this year the biggest and problably the best race that you took part in so far in your carreer. How did you experience those 3 weeks?

It was actually one big adventure trip that went well for me. I wanted to discover what I would be capable to in the future. It was an unique experience and I've heard that it would be special to reach Madrid and if you're over there. I thought that it wouldn't be much but it was however a very special feeling. It was a dream that became reality. Goosebumps

Do you see yourself as a grand tour rider or more as a pure climber?

I think definitly only GC rider. I'm for sure not the pure climber. I also would have to train a lot more in the mountains if I really want to be able to compete with the best rider. So that is also the plan.

What are your ambitions on a long term?

I would like to develop myself to a good GC rider. Therefore, I still need to do big eforts and hard work but that's the direction that I would like to follow.

What do you think about the corona measures in cycling? Do you feel safe?

I've only took part in WT races after corona and those were organized very well. The Vuelta was the perfect example. I never felt unsafe there. It was kind of a reality check if I came back to Belgium. But in the Vuelta was everything arranged till in the smallest details to let us race on safe way without any risk voor riders and staff!

 

When do you start your preparation for the next season?

After the Vuelta I will have a 3 weeks rest period and then I start with my preparation for 2021.

What would you have liked to if you didn't became a pro cyclist?

If I wasn't a pro cyclist, then I would have liked to be a policeman en more specificly by the criminal investigation department. It's always ben an interesting subject to me. I'm hesitating about following a work traject to study criminology. So that I can study a bit after training and it seems like very interesting matery to me.

What is your opinion on long stages in grand tours? Do you think that it's good that riders with more stamina get more chances, or it's unnecessarly?

Hmm, that's a hard one. I think that they belong it. Off course, it should stay reasonable. It shouldn't be a very long stage every day, but sometimes they should be included. If you want to win a stage race, then you should can everything, so also long stages...! ;) 

Thanks for the interview, Kobe! 

Interview Kobe Goossens (NL)

 Interview Kobe Goossens

Het seizoen was voor veel renners een ongewoon jaar. Een jaar met vreemde kalender en een uitzonderlijke opbouw. Kobe Goossens wist er een goed einde aan te breien. De 24 jarige renner van Lotto-Soudal eindigde er als 24ste en kon vaak lang aanklampen bij de betere klimmers in de bergen. Het seizoen is nu pas afgelopen maar hij is nu al gemotiveerd voor het volgende seizoen. Laten we samen met hem terug- en vooruitblikken. 

Je begon je wielercarrière vooral als veldrijder, volg je het veldrijden vandaag nog? Wil je graag nog eens meedoen? 

Ik volg het veldrijden nog zeker. Als ik thuis ben dan kijk ik er naar en heb ook nog een goed contact met Toon Aerts. Maar ik volg het natuurlijk wel veel minder intensief als vroeger maar het kan me dus nog steeds bekoren. Meedoen aan een veldrit gaat, denk ik, de eerst komende jaren niet gebeuren. 

 

De Ronde van Spanje was dit jaar de grootste en misschien wel de beste wedstrijd die je tot nu toe reed in je carrière. Hoe heb je die 3 weken ervaren?

Het was eigenlijk 1 grote ontdekkingstocht die goed is meegevallen. Ik wou ontdekken tot waartoe ik in de toekomst in staat was. Het was een unieke ervaring en ik had veel gehoord dat het wel speciaal was als je dan Madrid haalt en daar bent. Ik dacht dat wel zou meevallen maar het is toch een heel speciaal gevoel. Het was een droom die werkelijkheid werd. Kippenvel momentje.

 

Zie je jezelf als een ronderenner of meer als een pure klimmer?

Ik denk sowieso maar ronderenner. Ik ben zeker niet de pure klimmer. Ik zou ook veel meer in de bergen moeten gaan trainen wil ik echt mee kunnen met de toppers. Dus dat is ook het plan

 

Wat zijn je ambities op langere termijn?

Ik zou me graag ontwikkelen tot een goede klassementsrenner. Daarvoor zijn er nog heel veel opofferingen en hard werk nodig maar dat is wel de richting die ik uit wil!

 

Hoe vind je de corona aanpak in het wielrennen? Voel je je veilig?

Ik heb enkel World Tour koersen gereden na corona en die waren heel goed georganiseerd. Het perfecte voorbeeld was de Vuelta. Ik heb me op geen moment onveilig gevoeld... het was soort van realiteitscheck als ik in België terugkwam. Maar in de Vuelta was alles tot in de kleinste details geregeld om ons op een veilige manier te laten koers zonder enig risico voor renners en staf!

Wanneer start je voorbereiding op het volgende seizoen?

Na Vuelta heb ik 3 weken rust en dan start de opbouw naar 2021.

 

Wat had je graag gedaan als je geen wielrenner was geworden?

Als ik geen renner was had ik graag politieagent geweest en meer bepaald bij de recherche. Altijd boeiend onderwerp gevonden... Ik ben aan het twijfelen om nu via een werktraject criminologie te studeren. Zodat ik na de trainingen beetje kan studeren en lijkt me heel interessante materie

Hoe sta je tegenover langere ritten in grote ronden? Vind je het goed dat misschien de renners met meer uithouding dan meer kans krijgen of vind je ze onnodig?

Hmm dat is een moeilijke, ik vind dat ze er wel bijhoren, het moet natuurlijk allemaal binnen de perken blijven. Moet niet elke dag een heel lange etappe zijn maar af en toe moeten ze er wel tussen zitten. Als je een ronde wil winnen moet je alles kunnen, dus ook lange ritten...! ;)

Bedankt voor het interview, Kobe! 

Interview Michelle Geoghegan

Cycling is passion and and Michelle Geogheghan is clearly a rider has combines both words. The Irish cyclocross vice-champion spends her summer on the road and her winters in mud and grass. She took part in six races so far in this 'lite-version' of the current cyclocross season. Despite the smaller calendar, you'll see her often at the start grid in the coming months. Let's have a nice chat about the nice sport that we all love!

 

 

 

You're one of the few Irish racers in the big cyclocross races. How did you discover the sport?

Well I initially came across it during my earlier years of roadracing in Europe but it was only when I returned to home to Ireland a few years ago that I first threw my leg over a cyclocross bike. A group of friends had started doing longer offroad spins during the winter and I wanted to improve my bike handling so I joined them. We did 3 to 4 hour spins linking up different woods. We would take in mostly fire roads and easy mountain bike trails. Every weekend was like a mini adventure and oftentimes misadventure!!!! We were led by Beth McCluskey, a former international mountain biker and multiple national cyclocross champion. I was an out and out roadie at the time - rolling over gravel made me uneasy!!! I was really nervous before those spins but the gang we had made it so much fun I just kept coming back every weekend. The following year Beth dragged us all to a cyclocross race and thus it began!!!!

 

Would you like to represent Ireland at the worldchampionships one day?

Yes. this is very much one of my goals. It would be an amazing honour and experience.

 

You also took part in road races. Do you enjoy the mix of road cycling and cyclocross? 

Road racing was my first love and I love to race on the road. I’m the kind of person who becomes completely obsessed by whatever has my focus at any given time. When I’m in the middle of the road season I have complete tunnel vision and vice versa for cyclocross.I have been guilty of trying to be full-on for both!! The off season for cyclocross is a critical period in terms of preparation for the season. This is especially true for a relative newcomer and latecomer to the sport like myself. The interval training that you do is quite different from the road as the demands of a cyclocross race are quite different. It’s also a time to do more running and work on skills. In one way the coronavirus pandemic made this balancing act of road racing versus preparing for a cyclocross season much easier for me this year and I think I can really see how a “proper” off-season has benefited my cyclocross. I hope that this experience lets me achieve a better balancing of the 2 in the future. I still have goals and ambitions on the road but I think I can work to achieve both.

 

How do your cyclocross trainings look like?

 

Well all of my interval work is done on my road bike. This summer I did a lot of longer endurance rides as off-road spins taking in a mixture of gravel roads and forest riding. Now cyclocross specific days involve either going to recce the course that I will race at the weekend or a local woods. I just do lots of microlapping taking in a number of technical difficulties. My teammate, Corey Coogan Cisek, is here at the moment so we train together. We go elbows out but it’s all good fun!!!!

 

What are your ambitions for the current season?

 

I want to make a sizeable step up. I don't want to feel like a roadie trying to do cyclocross. I want to feel like I belong at these races. I think my skill level has improved a lot since last year and I am now in a position to be able to put some power down and not simply navigate a course. I want to be routinely finishing lead lap at UCI races. This year the level at every race is really high because Belgium is where the racing is at!!!!! I also want to fight for a national championships jersey, that would be huge.

 

What is your most beautiful memory from cycling?

I don't think I can pick just one. I’ve met some really amazing people and had some crazy experiences because of cycling!!

 

Is it hard to be away from home during the Winter or you made Belgium kind of your new home?

I actually live in Belgium full time with my boyfriend. I’ve lived here and in Holland on and off over many years. We moved back here maybe 2.5 years ago now. For a bike racer Belgium has a very special atmosphere. The beer and cake are pretty good too!!!! 

 

What is your advice towards the young riders that are starting in cyclocross now?

It’s a great sport to get into. Play on your bike as much as you can. Get all those skills messing with your friends or out the back garden. There will be plenty of time for intervals and being oh so serious.

 Thanks for the interview, Mihcelle!

Cyclocross : A look at both sides of the Atlantic

 

Cyclocross : A look at both sides of the Atlantic

Cyclocross, a sport where cyclists ride laps through mud, grass, sand and jump over some obstacles now and then. That's a very brief description of the sport, that is mainly practised in Europe and North America. We already described the similarities in the first line, but both continents also have their own approach to the sport. Let's line up the best of both continents and look through the eyes of both sides of the Atlantic.

Competitions

Superprestige, X20 Trofee, Ethias Cross, EKZ Cross Tour. Europe hosts many series and trophies. In North America, fans don't have to follow many different series, including their different rules and standings. There is rather a lack of big series in the USA & Canada. Since the abolishment of the USGP in 2013, are there no big series anymore. The Pro CX Calendar by USA Cycling was an attempt to create a similar alternative, but it never the same prestige like the USGP had before.

Broadcasting

In Belgium it's very common to broadcast cyclocross races on the main national TV-channels. In North America, you rely on an internet connection to see your favourite riders. Most of these races are not their own races but overseas competitions. The only American events that usually got broadcasted are the national championships. Other races rarely get live coverage due to high production costs.

Ticketing

It might not be so easy for American fans to watch their own races on their devices but the races are a lot more accessible to watch in person then in Europe. Most American organizations don't charge money for tickets. Amateur riders can also race on the same parcours as their heroes. Fans get the opportunity to ride over (almost) the same parcours as the pros during the morning right before the race. In most European races, the race days are usually scheduled full of youth races in the morning and the elite races in the afternoon.

Prize money

Gender-equality is often not completely accomplished in most European races, at least not in price money. The male riders often receive a lot more starting fees and price money then their female counterparts. In North America it's always been common that men & women received the same rewards for their performances.

Tracks

The European tracks are in general more technical than those in North America, even then there are some exceptions. The Jingle Cross can be considered as much technical as an European track. Like mentioned earlier, there are many American amateurs who want to try the parcours before the pros so making the laps a bit less technical makes them more accessible to them as well.

Audience

In both continents, most of the fans come to the races to watch their idols but there might be some different 'second interests' on both continents. In Europe there is a part of the spectators that mainly comes for the atmosphere and the social aspect of cyclocross. There are also VIP-tents where company owners use the races rather as a form of networking instead of watching the race itself. In North America, you'll find more amateur cyclocross racers among the fans for who it's also important to ride on the track by themselves.

Popularity

In both Europe and North America you have countries and regions where cyclocross is more important then in others. In Europe cyclocross is by far the most popular in Belgium, but the sport also has some impact in France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland and more recently it had a boost in the UK as well. In North America the sports stands out the most in states like Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio and Kentucky. 

I would like to thank Corey Coogan Cisek for her support to make this article possible.