It feels misunderstood as to how possible it is to actually complete a return trip across the channel within a single weekend. This would allow you to complete two club – 1.12abc – races and an overnight stay without booking any time off of work, university or school. That’s the aim of this guide. To widen your knowledge and understanding of the Belgian scene and provide a rough guide to racing in Belgium.
Over the years many, many riders have raced in the gutters of Belgium. Tasting the Belgian toothpaste and, indeed, teeth rattling that is associated with the valley of death – the prominent crack in the road between the two concrete slabs. Plenty have been through the House in Tielt-Winge run by Tim Harris and Joscelin Ryan. Whilst they’ve aided in the development of top riders in their u23 years, and even beyond; One man has showed more passion than anyone in aiding generations and generations worth of riders. Taking them out to Belgium weekend after weekend, for decades on end. The Legend of John Barclay sounds like fiction, but truly is a remarkable life story. Every British rider in the professional peloton has been under his wing. Offering to take them out to kermesse weekends, interclubs and often some of the biggest UCI races available to junior riders. What he’s done for the British sport over the years is nothing short of incredible. He opened up an alleyway for riders to be able to get competing at a level that far outweighed the level of racing offered in England for youth and junior riders.
If you don’t manage to get a seat in that famous bright-red Mercedes, Belgium is still the place for independent riders to race their bikes. The primary reason is the distances on offer are much greater than what is available for each category, in England. Allowing in faster progression with more relevant racing, making the transition between the age groups that much easier. It is easy for independent riders due to the simple nature of the Kermis Koerse racing scene. There is no requirement to be on a team – although a Belgian team is 5€ cheaper. All that is required is to hold valid UK racing licence and a ‘Letter of Authority’ which you can acquire incredibly quickly from British Cycling with a simple telephone call.
Flanders is the place for Britons to race over a weekend trip, because of its location relative to the Eurotunnel. The website of choice, then is Cycling Vlaanderen, which covers all races in Flemish region of Belgium. In addition, there is a website for La Fédération Cycliste Wallonie-Bruxelles if you were in the market for some Kermis Koerse style races with a few more hills on offer. This would likely need a longer period of time to travel and stay in the Walloon region of Belgium. Maybe to ride some of the famous roads of Liége-Bastogne-Liége. In order to apply for a portal page on Cycling Vlaanderen you’ll a UCI ID licence number and from here it is relatively self-explanatory. A handy tip: ensure you’ve got google translate working on your browser. Anyone unfamiliar with Dutch, may see it as gobbledygook. It does take some understanding of the codes used for each region which are as follows:
Antwerp (A) and West Flanders (W) are the two flattest regions that Belgium have to offer. The races here are often fast, and frantic. Flemish Brabant (VB) and Limburg (LB) regions are the hilliest that Flanders has available. East Flanders (O) – my favourite place to race – is the bridge between the two sets of regional racing.
All it takes is the click of a button to enter the race and you’re good to go. Simply book the Eurotunnel for Friday night or – very – early Saturday morning and you’ll be ready for your weekend away. The number of entrants is often over prescribed, so ensure you plan ahead. However, be careful. If your planned trip is affected by an altered schedule last minute. You will need to ensure you have withdrawn your entry on Cycling Vlaanderen. If a rider cannot make attend the race, they are obliged to remove their entry before the midnight prior to the event day. If a rider does not do this then they must pay a decent fine. There is always a massive dropout rate of riders in the hours leading up to the bedtime the evening before. Therefore, if you plan a last-minute excursion then it is possible to predict the drop out event of the race, as it is rare the event holds the maximum starting capacity.
There are classifications to look out for when searching for the ideal race, and location to specify the type of racing you want to do. These are as follows:
Race Organisation & Entry Requirements:
| Category | Via? | Distance (km) | Entrants max. | UCI Team Level | Age Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elite Ind. | Organiser | max.180 | 175 | Belgian Club Teams Continental Pro Cyclocross Pro Team World Team | Elite Elite 2 U23 |
| 1.12 Open | Cycling Vlaanderen | 120-140 | 175 | No World Team Riders | Elite Elite 2 U23 |
| 1.12/13 IC1 | Team > Organiser | max.160 | 3x Foreign Club Teams – No Conti, 5x Other Foreign Clubs/Regional/National – No UCI riders, Belgian Club Teams, Belgian Continental Teams, Pro Cyclocross, Provincial Regional or National selections – No WT | Elite Elite 2 U23 |
|
| 2.12/13 IC1 | Team > Organiser | max.160 | 175 | ^ As Above ^ | Elite 2 U23 |
| 1.13 IC 1 U23 Road Series | Team > Organiser Wildcards via Organiser | max.170 | 175 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams, No ProTeam Riders, No World Team Riders, Retained Bel & Ned, Wildcard mx.3 | mx.2 non Belgian Licence riders per club per race. |
| 1.12 A | Cycling Vlaanderen | 120-140 | 175 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams, Belgian Continental Teams w/ Belgian Licence, Pro Cyclocross No ProTeam Riders, No World Team Riders, | Elite Elite 2 U23 |
| 1.12 B | Cycling Vlaanderen | 100-120 | 175 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams, Continental Teams w/ Belgian Licence, Pro Cyclocross | Elite Elite 2 U23 |
| 1.12 C | Cycling Vlaanderen | 80-100 | 175 | Continental Teams w/ Belgian Licence, Masters | Masters U23 |
| 1.13 | Cycling Vlaanderen | 100-140 | 175 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams, Continental Teams w/ Belgian Licence, Pro Cyclocross | U23 |
| 1.13 Women | Cycling Vlaanderen | 100-120 | 175 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams, Continental U23, Pro Cyclocross | Juniors Boys U23 |
| 1.14 IC | Team > Organiser | max.120 – 3rd Weekend = 90 | 150 | 3x Foreign Club Teams – No Conti, Belgian Club Teams, National & Regional Selections | Juniors Boys |
| 1.14 Cup of Belgium | Team > Organiser | max. 120 – 3rd Weekend = 90 | 150 | 3x Foreign Club Teams – No Conti, Foreign Club Teams, Provincial Regional or National selections – No World Team, Retained Belgian Teams | Juniors Boys |
| 1.14.3 | Cycling Vlaanderen | max.100 until 3rd weekend = 80 | 150 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams, Elite Women when no racing | Juniors Boys Elite Women (on days where there are no races). |
| 1.15 IC – 2.15 IC | Team > Organiser | max.100 | 175 | 3x Foreign Club Teams – No Conti, Belgian Club Teams, Belgian Continental, Pro Cyclocross, Provincial Regional or National selections – No World Team, Belgian World Tour | Elite Women |
| 1.15 A | Cycling Vlaanderen | max.100 | 175 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams, Continental, No Junior Matches – Juniors, Pro Cyclocross, World Team | Elite Women Junior Girls |
| 1.15 B | Cycling Vlaanderen | max.100 | 175 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams | Elite Women Junior Girls |
| 1.16 | Cycling Vlaanderen | max.80 | 150 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams | Junior Girls U17 Boys |
| 1.16 J | Cycling Vlaanderen | max.80 | 150 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams | Junior Girls |
| 1.16 N | Cycling Vlaanderen | max.80 | 120 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams | U17 Girls |
| 1.17.3 | Cycling Vlaanderen | max.70 until 3rd weekend = 60 | 120 | Foreign Club Teams, Belgian Club Teams | U17 Boys Junior & U17 Girls (on days where there are no races). |
| 1.18 | Cycling Vlaanderen | 60-80 | 150 | Masters | Masters |
Once you’ve been racing and building a number of connections by asking when the primes are and how many laps are left. Of course, with results you hopefully will start to stand out to teams. As with any other country there are levels of race teams in Belgium I won’t be listing the teams specifically, but the categories are: Beker van België, Top Competition, Continental, ProTeam & World Team.
These categories dictate what race series the teams are able to do. The biggest series is the u23 Road Series which brings together the top 11 Belgian and Dutch teams to battle it out. The majority of these teams are Continental teams because they often gain the best riders with the most points to qualify in the series. There are wildcards as with any series. Likewise, Continental teams in Belgium are restricted to only riding the minimum level of Pro Kermesses, (they are able to compete in other UCI races, but I’m limiting this piece to the amateur scene). Riders as part of the Continental scene and up are not allowed to ride in normal 1.12 Kermis Koerses. However, anyone with a manager with good connections are often invited or able to gain a wildcard entry into these pro kermesses to allow for the development of riders. Be aware that some race series only allow a certain number of foreign licence holders to race. BVB Belgian Cup is not one of these unfortunately and is restricted to Belgian Licence holders. Interclub races, next to Kermesses are the most common race category for u23 amateurs in Belgium. It’s a great platform to progress, develop and then learn to perform! The majority of these are not u23 specific so you may see some older more experienced riders which you can learn a thing or two from.
In the women’s elite, junior and youth categories there are occasions where it is possible to race amongst the boys – see table to which competition code allows for this – when there is no specific women’s event on the day you are wanting to race.
Riders in Belgium in 2022
| Team Name | Rider Names |
|---|---|
| Acrog Tormans | Max Rushby |
| Alpecin Deceuninck | Scott Thwaites |
| Borgonjon-Dewasport | Joe Sutton, Oliver Moores, Oliver Robinson |
| Cannibal Team | Jamie Whitcher |
| Dovy Keukens-FCC | Lewis Bulley |
| Elevate p/b Home Solutions – Soenens | Tom Day |
| FlandersColor-Galloo Team | Ben Askey, Joseph O’Brien, Joshua Tarling, Lucas Jowett |
| Isorex-No Aqua Ladies CT | Abbie Manley, Dannielle Khan, Emily Knight |
| Ritchie Selfe | KDM Pack Cycling Team |
| Lotto Soudal | Abby-Mae Parkinson, Josie Knight, Matthew Holmes |
| Mini Discar Cycling Team | Alex Sherwin, Tom Portsmouth |
| Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team | Megan Panton |
| Plantar Pura | Anna Kay, Millie Couzens |
| Quickstep Alpha Vinyl Team | Ethan Vernon, James Knox, Mark Cavendish |
| RC Peasant Club Liégeois | Callum Biggs |
| Team Metalced | Fraser Jay Turgoose |
| Urbano Vulsteke | Adam Kelly |
| VP Consulting-Prorace CT | Josh Greenwood |
| WAC Team | Peter Drabble |
Race Results are a very simple they are all published onto Cycling Vlaanderen, again the website for it all. Alternatively, First Cycling accumulate all Belgian races, and even link the majority of British races to your profile. A nifty little trick for riders who hold a British Cycling Licence is to email the Results team in British Cycling with your name, licence number, race name, link to results, date, distance and most importantly finishing position. You can potentially fast track your progress in cycling categories in England by qualifying points gained in Belgium.
Top Tips:
Speak to your competitors. They are never scared to talk or offer you help if you’re struggling to understand: the language or where sign is located etc. Itpays to reach out and network with those people. With time they will be close rivals and importantly friends.
Photographers are the key to Belgian Cycling, make friends with them support them and share their photos. They are phenomenal at what they do, producing high quality pictures within hours of the finish of the race. And there is plenty of them too! Facebook is your friend.
Be aggressive and attacking 9 out of 10 races I would say, below the
u23 category are won from breakaways.
Be brave and just complete one weekend out in the home of cycling. Just do it! You won’t regret it, once you’ve done the trip you’ll understand how feasible it is. Good Luck.
Complete and a clean history of pur Belgian Cyclisme !