Saturday 20th November: 15:00 CET; 14:00 GMT; 9:00 US Eastern
The European 'Cross season hots up, with one of those awesome weekends with important races on both Saturday and Sunday. Today is the 3rd GVA race, at Hasselt in Belgium. How did tgsgirl describe it in her season run-down?
Hasselt is the race closest to yours truly. Hasselt is the race running circles around the playground and swimming pool of my youth (and let me tell you, those monkeybars used to be a whole lot bigger when I was a kid). It's a nice medley of race undergrounds: sandpits (more than one!), grassland, a smallish snake-shaped hill climb and descent, a foresty bit and a hill which a six year old can only crest if she has a really long run in. Believe me. Personally, I think the Hasselt cross is ace, but then again, I am biased as hell.
And given that it's still been raining even more than it normally does in Belgium, we're pretty much guaranteed MUD!!!
EDIT! I lied! It's not muddy - it's fast & sunny & difficult - that will be a lot of fun too!
More info below the jump!
Last year, this was the first win of the season for Zdenek Stybar. I hope you're hoping, like I am, that he'll be over his knee tendonitis and back to top form... Although I'm sure if you are Belgian, you'll be hoping Sven Nys is still enjoying his amazing form..... if you're not sure who to support, or want more clues on what they look like, gs made us this handy guide - although it doesn't tell us how to spot her in the crowds today... Rumour has it she may do a spot of streaking, painted up in the PdC logo, to get our attention....
You want more information? Well, the official website is here, with a little map of the parcours in the bottom right hand corner. There's an article on this weekend's racing, with the series placings etc here... and what you might need most, some clues on how to watch it, courtesy of BVLS and Cycling Fans
And if you've never watched a 'Cross race and want to know what's going on, roll up here & I'm sure someone will have all the answers you need! See you later!