It does not take long to find the reason for the cancellation. “We are still living in corona times,” says mayor Marc Vanden Bussche. “It would be a race without an audience and cyclocross without an audience is like a café without beer. That is not feasible.”
“Moreover, since this year stricter rules for a World Cup have been in place. That is all much more expensive. We cannot get out of the costs. That would cost us 250,000 euros. We have only earmarked 100,000 euros in our budget for this event. And we want to don’t take any chances with community money. “
This decision was difficult for the mayor. “Koksijde is a classic. But postponement is not a cancellation. We hope to be there again next year.”
For Flanders Classics this is a new line through the bill because Diegem also threw in the towel earlier. There are now 9 crosses left. “The new model already weighed heavily on the public and in normal circumstances financially. And Flanders Classics did not come up with any financial compensation”, the mayor concludes.
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There are now four Belgian heats on the calendar: Overijse, Namur, Zonhoven and Dendermonde. The latter two are certainly not planning to throw in the towel. Zonhoven is on the calendar in mid-December and wants clarity from the local government by mid-October. It takes about two months to really get everything set up.
The same sound is also heard at Dendermonde, the former Wachtebeke. Organizer Jurgen Mettepenningen: “We will continue, unless there is a ban from above. Organizing without an audience is still better than not. Most organizers have set up a piggy bank and it is necessary to address that now. Only in this way can the sport survive. It’s not just about the games, but also about the teams. We want to take the lead. “
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