There is something I do when watching a race on TV. I’m a sucker for it. For example, if I’m watching a road stage I’ll try and follow the race on the map and then Google Streetview it and then watch as the riders ride through where I am on the map. I don’t know if I’m just a sad old man or just love maps too much. I also like to see what the finishes looks like normally without any barriers, gantrys and crowds. It’s quite surprising sometimes how innocuous where some stage finishes are.
Yesterday was the World Cyclocross Champs in Hoogerheide and the first thing I did was try and find the course on Google.
It took a bit of time to track the exact location down as the map on the official website was pretty non-descript with no road names or landmarks to work with. I had to use road configurations and the church to find it.
Eventually I tracked the location down and was able to Streetview it and was blown away by how quiet the place is normally compared to yesterday’s scenes of 40,000 spectators milling about.
On the right you can see the bank the riders descended by the apartments and then the steps they climbed before dropping back onto the road and riding uphill to the finish along the main road. The rest of the course is just an open field on the outskirts of town. If you lived in the apartment block, the riders literally rode past your window. Amazing really but not unexpected as we know how cycle-friendly the Dutch are. Look at that cycle path on the left. Cyclists almost get a road to themselves
Anyway, that’s my silly little map secret out of the bag
Adios
I do like maps too but that’s another level 🤣
Makes sense to use quiet non-descript areas for large events – less disruption I’d say but must be weird for anyone that does live there.