Formed in June 09, Here Come the Belgians is a non-elite anti-team celebrating all things cross, cobbled and Belgian.
Seeking a different experience to the traditional cycling club, its aim is to harness the energy of a vibrant internet cycling community with grass roots racing and riding based around Cyclocross and Spring Classics. There is no race programme in the style of a racing team, more a collection of individual experiences through rides and racing, in whatever location a member may be, that all can share in and contribute toward.

Thursday, 30 December 2010

Here Come The Snowballs: Heptonstall CX


I know it mentioned fancy dress on the web site but it wasn't clear that it was compulsory, or that you'd be snowballed if you weren't wearing any!

With the Macc Supacross nearly a two hour drive away the Heptonstall event was a more sensible choice. In retrospect sensible is not a word that could really be applied - well organised lunacy with a large helping of fun, yes; sensible, no. We met up with Nick from Clifton CC who had obviously interpreted the flavour of the event more ably thasn myself and had dressed bike and rider as a Christmas tree complete with working fairy lights! He desrvedly won one of the many fancy dress prises on offer for his efforts.


Having found myself along with about half a dozen other riders in the embarrassing 'no-win' scenario of racing a fancy dress event in a skinsuit (Which might go down ok at 'Submission', well if it were PVC and had spikes!) what to do? At the start I decided to just roll along and enjoy things (including the snowballs) only to have everyone else shoot off. After a lap I decided the humiliation of racing a fancy dress event in a skinsuit and loosing as well would be too much so started racing. The down side to this was more frequent snowballing - some of those U12s have good right arms - and more frequent viewing of Phil Thackray's rear, I may need some of Mark FM's therapy to fully recover from that! More pictures, especially the children's fancy dress outfits available at Jo's Hanglebads Flickr


Next year full on fancy dress - a great fun event!

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