Average Rob bleef Bas Tietema voor! #averagerob #tietema #turbocross #diegem
Unprecedented: Turbo Cross in Diegem (Average Rob versus Bas Tietema) attracts more than 400,000 (!) online viewers
Cyclo-crossThursday, 28 December 2023 at 20:56
Love it or hate it, but the Turbo Cross in Diegem was certainly a great success. The online interest in the amateur race was so high that the Sporza servers struggled to keep up. And that in itself is quite an achievement.
Let's take a small jump back in time (though it's not that long ago): Belgian YouTuber Average Rob is incredibly popular, both within and outside Belgium. His YouTube channel has more than 400,000 subscribers for a reason. He recently made a video featuring Mathieu van der Poel, the Dutchman from Alpecin-Deceuninck, teaching Robert Van Impe - the real name of Average Rob - all about mountain biking, after they made a cyclo-cross video about two years earlier.
Average Rob was keen on participating in a real cyclo-cross race and thus approached the organization of the evening cyclo-cross in Diegem. Initially, he was turned down, but after numerous regulatory detours, he finally succeeded. Almost immediately after this news, the Flemish challenged his northern neighbor Bas Tietema - also a YouTube phenomenon - to participate in the so-called Turbo Cross, which would be organized between the elite men's and women's races. Following Tietema, other well-known figures from various sectors also decided to participate. For example, on December 28, national coach and former pro Sven Vanthourenhout (more about him later), YouTube personality Nathan Vandergunst (Acid), and former pro footballer Jelle Van Damme also made an appearance.
Even Van der Poel watches the Turbo Cross in Diegem
After a long wait, Thursday night finally saw the Turbo Cross, consisting of two laps. Most eyes were on Tietema and Rob, who looked ahead to what was coming before the spectacle. "I'm obviously a bit more relaxed now than when I had to race for real," the man from Zwolle told IDLProCycling.com in a one-on-one conversation. "But somewhere I'm also a bit nervous, because this is the first time I'm riding a cyclo-cross bike (on the bike of Lander Loockx, ed.)." His preparation? "I've been running, paddleboarding, and playing football," he laughed heartily. His goal? "For me, the most important thing is to finish ahead of Rob. That's what it's all about. I have no illusions of finishing ahead of someone like Sven Vanthourenhout."
Tietema's rival, the 31-year-old internet sensation, was equally excited about the challenge. "I had some pasta, following Sven Nys' advice," he mentioned. "The atmosphere is incredible. It's almost surreal, a regular guy like me getting to experience this. It might never happen again, so I'm extremely grateful to the organizers for letting me participate," he expressed, ready to race with his notably unshaven legs. "I'm not overly competitive!" he joked during the interview, which then shifted focus to cyclo-cross king MVDP. "I didn't get any tips from Mathieu, but I heard he's thrilled we're participating." And that was indeed the case. "I'm planning to watch, probably from the bus on TV. The race could go any direction, given the wide range of talent," Van der Poel commented after checking out the course.
Sporza servers struggle to handle online interest for Average Rob and Bas Tietema
In the end, it was Vanthourenhout who, as expected, came out on top in the much-discussed race. He defeated former cyclo-cross rider Angelo De Clercq and ex-footballer Van Damme. "I felt like I had the best technique in cyclocross," the winner said afterward. "I felt in control, though the competition was tough." And what about the battle between Tietema and Rob? The Belgian came out ahead, finishing well before Tietema. What followed was a series of playful banter between them.
Nonsense or just fun? That seemed to be the most common question regarding the Turbo Cross. Opinions were divided. Men weighing over 130 kilograms on a bike: was that really necessary? Undoubtedly, the younger audience - many of them fans of Average Rob - was extremely interested in what the man from Overijse would do in Diegem. An impressive 400,000 people (!) tuned in online to the Sporza stream. In fact, there were so many viewers that the stream occasionally crashed. The servers could barely handle it. "Thanks everyone for watching," Van Impe expressed his gratitude on X.
Video: Average Rob and Bas Tietema see each other after Turbo Cross in Diegem
YouTuber Acid deed ook mee aan de turbocross. #acid #averagerob #veldrijden
400.000 live kijkers voor de Turbo Cross wtf 🥵 merci allemaal om te kijken. Holy shit!
Video: watch the Turbo Cross with Average Rob and Bas Tietema
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024