Why did national coach De Knegt - successfully - sound the alarm? "We don't have someone right away"

Those who have watched cyclo-cross in recent weeks might not think that the sport is in a bad state in the Netherlands. Both men and women have been dominating, with the color orange prevalent, but the reality is quite different. Full-time pros like Ryan Kamp and Mees Hendrikx had to fight for their contracts, prompting national coach Gerben de Knegt to feel compelled to address the issue. In Benidorm, he provided more explanation to IDLProCycling.com.

It was as if it were a New Year's resolution. When announcing his national selection for the World Cup in Zonhoven on January 2, De Knegt had something to say after the podium in Hulst (World Cup cross in the Netherlands on December 30) which was completely dominated by Dutch riders in both men’s and women’s events.

"The men's top 4 consisted of Dutch riders, a historic achievement. It would be good for the Netherlands if we also had a commercial cyclo-cross team that could compete with the top Belgian teams. One would think that there's never been a better time for such a team. For a rider like Kamp - who is close to the absolute top - this would have been a welcome development. It's incredible that a rider of his caliber no longer has a full-fledged team," says De Knegt.

Think of it like Ronald Koeman having to find a team for the likes of Cody Gakpo, Daley Blind, or Justin Bijlow. Of course, it's not a direct comparison, but the essence of the message is that De Knegt, in addition to being a bag carrier, travel coordinator, selector, and bike cleaner, now also has to extend himself into commercial matters, which, as the national coach of the Dutch team, he wouldn't normally deal with.

Gerben, I recently saw you sticking your neck out with these statements. Why is that even necessary?

The Dutch cyclocross riders can’t do much more themselves. They are better than ever, yet there's still no one stepping up. Why is that? We don’t have someone leading the charge, so that’s why I put it that way. About 15 years ago, I thought about it with Richard Groenendaal, too, because the sport really needs it. I just think there's a need for it and I must say: I've already received some calls from interested parties. And there’s potential there. In principle, as a national coach, they shouldn’t be calling me, but I can and do help to stir things up a bit.

It's also part of a bigger picture. If guys like Ryan Kamp and Mees Hendrikx are missing out now, it's not a good sign for the riders, male and female, who are currently in the U23 or junior categories, or even younger.

Not at all. I've often said that cyclo-cross is like Formula 1, and you have to be super good to make it. The benchmark is basically that you need to become a world champion in the juniors to turn pro. Look at Ryan: he was world champion in cyclo-cross three years ago. Mees finished third there and won the World Cup in the U23 category two years ago. You have to keep pushing forward, but still…

There is no lack of characters, however. You have Mathieu of course, but also Lars van der Haar, Pim Ronhaar, Joris Nieuwenhuis and Ryan Kamp. Each one of them is a great guy, always providing good quotes, authentic and with an interesting story behind them.

All great guys, totally agree. Secretly, there are also a lot of people in the Netherlands who watch cyclo-cross and really enjoy it, but someone needs to step up and make a stir. That's what I've tried to do, and hopefully, someone will take it further.

What does a potential Dutch cyclo-cross team need? Or even: what kind of person?

Someone with some money, and more importantly, someone who sees it as a great project. Someone who can bring people together. It doesn’t have to be a team with five Dutch pros right away, but you can also support juniors and U23 riders.

And what’s in it for the potential sponsor?

A team with a mix of good young riders and a top-five pro can get a lot of minutes on TV. Even in the margins of road cycling, you can get a lot of value for your money.

If you compare the Dutch Cycling Association with the one in Belgium, there's also a big difference in budget.

We have a reasonable budget, but it's also super tough for us to find sponsors. I don't want to be too negative, but unlike the juniors and U23's, our elite riders don’t ride around in our own clothing. So what can we offer them? Mathieu, yes... but that’s often only for the World Championships. Also, the Dutch audience doesn't engage with the sport in the same way Belgians do. They're more observers than active supporters, lacking that lively atmosphere you find in Belgium.

You've sounded the alarm, Gerben. How do you envision things in a few years, are you worried about it?

We have to be somewhat realistic: the sport has always been small. Fifteen years ago, it exploded, leading to the formation of various Belgian teams that needed to be filled. In the past, we had thirty people at the start, and now it's easily sixty everywhere. This second category is now being squeezed a bit, and then they tend to favor Belgians over Dutch riders.

Does Mathieu's success not mask how bad the situation is behind him? Many people watch cyclo-cross, and you're right about that. But a part of the audience watches specifically for him, as he's our Sportsman of the Year. Dutch people identify with him, just as they do with Max Verstappen.

He's an absolute crowd favorite, there's no doubt about that. He will always continue to cyclo-cross a bit because he genuinely loves it. I don't think 'mask' is the right word, as we have more Dutch pros than ever. It only masks the lack of a Dutch sponsor because, in all other aspects, we're doing extremely well. We're winning more World Championship medals than Belgium. They always say Belgium is the best cyclo-cross country, but we're doing better now. And we can't do better than that. And all the energy I put into it, including with the youngsters, has its limits. I can't do everything.

Explain.

My frustration is that we have a lot of good juniors, but I still have to tell them they need to be even better. To turn professional, you need to be absolutely the best of your generation. That's the reality in cyclo-cross right now, and we can't shy away from it.