Saturday truly kicks off the cyclocross season with the Koppenbergcross, a classic in the cyclocross world. Every year, this race takes place on November 1st with the Bult van Melden as its epicenter. It is also one of the most expensive races on the calendar. Het Laatste Nieuws, together with organizer Christophe Impens (Golazo), breaks down the costs.
Organizing cyclocross races in Belgium ranges from 250,000 euros to half a million euros. The Koppenbergcross falls at the upper end. Impens explains why. "A farmer on the Rotelenberg literally takes his cows off the pasture, temporarily rolls up his barbed wire, and then we can start setting up everything from A to Z. In an area where there is no power outlet or water tap. Nothing. And where our supplier Platex begins the three (!) week setup and teardown period by laying a truckload of steel plates to form a foundation and stabilize all tents (for spectators, VIPs, media, interviews), TV compounds in the field, and to protect the grounds in places where we deploy our rolling equipment."
Almost half of the total costs for the Koppenbergcross fall under logistics. "That amount obviously also grows exponentially with the size and prestige of your event and the number of people you expect," continues the Golazo organizer. "It goes without saying that a race with 10,000 (in 2021, ed.) to 12,300 (last year, ed.) paying spectators like the Koppenbergcross requires more facilities, toilets, entrance gates, catering stands, generators, etc., than a race where only 2,500 people show up."
Fem van Empel won the last three editions in the women’s category - photo: fotopersburo Cor Vos
World Cups even more expensive
Other expenses include prize money, fees for the right to organize, and start fees. Depending on the season timing and whether top riders participate, the latter can reach up to 85,000 euros. This is not the case at the Koppenbergcross, mainly because Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are not yet participating. Incidentally, the race on the iconic cobbled climb is not the most expensive of the season. That dubious honor belongs to several World Cup events. Organizers there pay a higher fee because that series is controlled by the UCI. Prize money is also higher, but on the other hand, there is no start fee.
What also factors in why the total costs for the Koppenbergcross in 2025 just exceed half a million euros are the increased costs for materials and such. According to Impens, inflation after the corona period (2020-2021) caused a 20% rise in costs, while ticket prices (still 15 to 25 euros per person) for the races have not increased much compared to that period. That said, for some World Cups, the ticket price hits 25 euros. All other classification races range between fifteen and twenty euros.
Don’t expect Mathieu van der Poel to start at the Koppenbergcross anytime soon; he criticizes this race - photo: Orange Pictures / Peter Scholz-SFA
How do you break even?
The first age categories will complete their races Saturday morning at 11:00, the elite men finish just after 16:00. Including the pre- and post-program, the Koppenbergcross effectively costs just under 100,000 euros per hour. A huge amount, especially considering that a professional organization like Golazo also has to make a profit. Not easy, according to Impens. "Even more than income from ticket sales, sponsorship is crucial here. The absolute number one for closing your event budget."
"Besides that, there is also spectator catering, operating grants from regional and local authorities (for example, every cyclocross on the UCI calendar receives subsidy support from Sport Vlaanderen, ed.), and VIP hospitality. The latter to a lesser extent. The notion that cyclocross today thrives thanks to VIPs and that they would be the main revenue driver is incorrect. A VIP tent primarily offers PR and networking opportunities for event sponsors and local businesses. Breaking even on that is already a feat."
Atmosphere from the 2024 Koppenbergcross - photo: fotopersburo Cor Vos
