17 races in the 9 weeks, a crash and a faulty derailer. It has been quite the ride.
There is quite a noticeable difference between South African and European racing, one every aspiring cyclist dreams of experiencing but isn’t always able pursue due to the hefty costs and lack of known pathway.
Maroesjka Matthee, with close on the 20 years of racing to her name, is no newbie when it comes to the European scene, having spent some time there throughout her career. When the opportunity to bank more racing this year, she grabbed at it.
“The racing is totally different to South African racing. When lining up with 80 riders at a Kermesse in Belgium, it is considered a small race. The races are around 90km in total distance with longer laps as opposed to the invitational criteriums which is shorter in distance and the circuit laps are between 1.2km-3.5km. These crits see between 30-50 women lining up.” Says Maroesjka.
She also mentions that crashing and near crashes is so part of the sport and that if you don’t accept it, you will find it hard to navigate your way through the bunch. “Sometimes you’re just unlucky when someone takes out your front wheel or you hit the deck because there was just nowhere else to go.”
Her lowest point was a crash that caused her to hurt her hand quite badly but was fortunate to have not broken anything and could get back on the bike reasonably quickly. The fall also resulted in her derailleur being stuck in crash mode.
“That came at the worst timing as I was scheduled to do my first UCI race of season. I ended up doing the race on a gravel bike (felt like I was taking a knife to a gun fight). I fought for some time to hang on but could only manage half of the race. I was gutted because I felt good on the day.”
With 2-3 races a week and regularly going up against 30-50 determined women, you would very quickly learn whether you are cut out for competitive racing.
“I like this format a lot but one can quickly overdo it, especially if riding to and from the races. You end up with 160km in the legs.”
Lessons Maroesjka shares:
If you are an aspiring cyclist and thinking of racing your bike in Europe, Belgium is the place to be. Even if you’re a lanky climber and flat races aren’t your thing – you will learn to handle the bunch like no other place will teach you.
If you are racing for the first time and find the bunch a tad too aggressive, allow yourself 4-6 weeks to adapt. You’ll be racing 2-3 times a week and need to get used to this type of racing. Take the small wins and strive to be better every race.
Allow yourself some down time and reach out to your support structures. This type of racing cannot be done on your own, you need the help from everyone around you.
Who can race in Belgium:
Any athlete can race these races with a full CSA Licence (approved from CSA to race abroad). You don’t need be in a team, you just need to know the basics of how the Belgian federation schedules their races.
If you are interested in racing in Belgium and have questions, feel free to contact Maroejska. She’ll be happy to help where she can.
