How the European Championship favourites will tackle the 99 steps this weekend: 'Take the stairs instead of the elevator'

This isn’t the first time cyclocross will be held in Zeddam, Gelderland. A championship has already been held in the Achterhoek region once before: the 2006 World Championships. The winners of the rainbow jerseys that year were Erwin Vervecken of Belgium (Elite Men), Marianne Vos (Elite Women), Zdenek Stybar of the Czech Republic (Men’s U23), and Boy van Poppel (Men’s juniors).

Stybar defended his world title in Zeddam by defeating favourite Lars Boom. The Dutchman still remembers the course in Zeddam well. “We raced there in late January, under different conditions, of course. It had frozen back then, too, so it was a little slippery. And I don’t think there was a very long climb on the course back then either,” Boom recalls.

"So it was all just a little bit different," the Brabant native continues in an interview with IDL Pro Cycling. “Now in November, of course, the temperature is still above zero. Those are all little things that are just a bit different. But Zeddam is never easy. Still, it’s a bit easier than the Koppenberg,” concludes Boom on the day of the Koppenbergcross.

Of all the participants in the European Championships, there’s one person who probably knows the climb best: Joris Nieuwenhuis. He’s from the Achterhoek region and frequently passes by or rides on the course. “I train here a lot,” he tells this website. “Ultimately, you just have to be fit and in good shape,” says Nieuwenhuis about the climb, which he describes as “tough.”

Despite that fact, the home rider—who has had this championship circled in red on his calendar for years—doesn’t think the nearly one hundred steps will be the deciding factor. “But for those who aren’t quite up to par, they’ll definitely feel the stairs. It will certainly come into play toward the end, but that’s not where the difference will be made.”

Back to Boom, who shares Nieuwenhuis’s opinion. “If you’re riding at a more relaxed pace, it’s a little easier to handle. But a climb like that is never easy. I think I’ve done it a few times there as a junior and U23 rider—it really takes a toll on your legs.” Van Boom’s teammate at Specialized TMRW, Fem van Empel, has also been out to check out the course several times.

For Van Empel (Sint-Michielsgestel) and Nieuwenhuis (Zelhem), it’s no problem to take a quick look at the European Championship course. For cyclocross riders who live farther away, a training ride to Zeddam isn’t ideal. “I rushed to find a hill, but there’s no hill quite like it,” laughs world champion Lucinda Brand.

The Dordrecht cyclist knows she’s pretty good at climbing stairs (“but not outstanding”), and that Van Empel is also good at it. “But being able to climb that well, multiple times, is a different story. You never know how it’ll go.” Sven [Nys] used to do it all the time. He said that the stairs themselves might not be that tough, but the stretch afterward—pushing through—can be the deciding factor.”

Team manager Sven Nys, incidentally, didn’t make it to the finish line as a cyclocross rider at the 2006 World Championships due to a crash in the final. “I was there at the time,” Nieuwenhuis recalls. “I still remember where Sven was, but I was ten years old.” In Zeddam, Nieuwenhuis will have to face off against Thibau Nys, the son of former cyclocross rider Sven.

Just like Brand, her team manager at Baloise-Het Poetsbureau Lions has also hit a dead end in the search for a long flight of stairs. “I haven’t found a hundred steps to replicate yet,” said Eric Braes. “It’s not easy to find.” The coach of the Belgian team isn’t likely to incorporate stair training into practice anytime soon either: “It’s not really on the agenda.”

Still, Braes has a good idea for Thibau Nys, the men’s European Championship favorite. “Maybe he should take the stairs at home instead of the elevator,” the Belgian jokes on IDL Pro Cycling.

Unlike his coach, Nys himself has already found some staircases. “I’ve been taking the stairs every now and then when I went for a run last week. I’ve been looking for as many staircases as possible.”

But even Nys himself isn’t sure exactly what awaits the cyclocross riders in Zeddam. “I’m really curious, too. It will be a key part of the race, but I don’t think that’s where the difference will be made.” The first time the staircase will be put to the test is on Saturday, November 7, during the junior women’s cyclocross race.

He is one of the favourites for the race, after winning on the Koppenberg.