Cross is alive and kicking! Anyone who thought we had already witnessed the biggest scenes in Namur should hold their breath for the upcoming cross weekend. Saturday in Antwerp and Monday in Hofstade will feature the first cyclocross duels between seven-time world champion Mathieu van der Poel and three-time world champion Wout van Aert, and these events will attract large crowds.
Golazo CEO Christophe Impens already warned us last weekend that we should prepare for 'the Bomb of Hofstade,' referring to the X2O Badkamers Trophy race on the Zemst grounds, which returns to the calendar after 17 years. "A duel between Wout and Mathieu always draws more attention than other cyclocross races. Especially when it falls during the Christmas holidays," explains Erwin Vervecken from Golazo.
Hofstade has an extra asset up its sleeve. "Hosting the Turbo Cross with Average Rob allows us to attract a younger crowd, including teenagers and young adults," says Vervecken. "Traditional cyclocross fans tend to be people aged 40, 50, or 60, but this adds some extra spice. The sport can really use that boost, so we’re very pleased about it."
The organizers can see this reflected in the presales of their race tickets. "The numbers are booming. Traditionally, presales only pick up in the last three days before a race because many fans wait to buy tickets in case they get sick. But by Tuesday, 6,300 tickets had already been sold, which is exceptionally high at this stage of presales. Sales will continue until the evening before the race."
The same frenzy awaits two days earlier at the first duel in Antwerp, where organizers are more accustomed to big crowds. At the 2023 showdown between Van Aert, Van der Poel, and Tom Pidcock, they welcomed 13,000 spectators. "I expect we will see attendance numbers similar to Namur and that event," refers Chris Mannaerts, Head of Cyclocross at organizer Flanders Classics, to the 12,100 spectators at the Citadel.
"You can see in the presales that about a thousand tickets are added every day. Towards the end of the week, sales often speed up even more, but we’re fully ready," says Mannaerts. "Since we expect such large crowds, we’ve even made some course modifications to improve crowd flow, including a T-bridge at the busiest point and a revamped finish line."
