Why so many Dutch girls ride through the mud.
When you look at the results of a World Cup cylocross then you will often notice a big Dutch representation in the Top 10 of the race results. Remarkable for a country that does not have a very big population and lacks a big amount of races. Why are so many Dutch girls doing cyclocross on a high level? Why are they doing so much better then the Dutchmen and what are their advantages? In this article, we look at a few reasons that could explain the Dutch success.
Sports culture
The Dutch have a true sports culture. They are already overperforming at the Olympics for many years, and especially their girls. Dutch women won more medals at the Olympics then Dutchmen. It already starts from an early age, where 8 out of 10 kids at the elementary school are part of a sports club, both boys and girls, while in many countries mostly boys choose for sports, even in Europe. This big group of girls provides that many talents can compete against each other and push each other to a higher level. An advantage over other countries who have smaller pools of girls to compete against each other.
High emanicipation
Cyclocross is mainly a country that is practised in Europe & North America so nowadays in this domain, this characteristic isn't as advantagous on the other nations anymore. But Dutch women were already dominant in sports decades ago. There was an equal belief & support in them as their male counterparts. Something that wasn't always the case in other countries with a more conservative point of view. This made that many young Dutch girls had examples or idols that could inspire them to reach the same level.
Proximity to the races.
Most of the prestigious races are in neighbouring Belgium, this makes that it's much more evident for Dutch girls to try cyclocross then their counterparts who have fewer big races near them. It's not only much cheaper but they can also practise their sport more often what gives them more chances to increase their level.
Belgian expertise
From the current generation only Marianne Vos became succesfull with a Dutch team. All other riders were or are still part of Belgian teams, where there is already a lot of experience and expertise that has been built up for many years, especially on the Belgian tracks where most of the big races are. The Dutch are the most represented nationality within these teams, even more then the Belgian women. Apart from them only Marie Schreiber from nearby Luxembourg and Anna Kay are riding for a Belgian team. Riders from other nationalities have to ride for non-Belgian teams with often smaller budgets and less possibilities.
