by Mark Chick.

Indulge me for a moment, if you will.

I’m writing this when I should have been packing for a trip to Oudenaarde, Belgium. That I’m not going (it’s a long story) and going to miss what promised to be a very special weekend is painful. We would have been riding We Ride Flanders (the Tour of Flanders Sportive), followed on Sunday by the electric atmosphere of catching the pro men and women four times on the iconic cobbles of the Oude Kwaremont, as an entire nation stops for De Ronde.

I suspect you won’t need much convincing how good this sounds. Great as it would have been, it’s not quite the best weekend on the cycling calendar.

That honour is reserved for the Cyclo-Cross World Championships. Seven rainbow jerseys are awarded in just over two days in the most passionate sporting circumstances.

I am organising another of the now somewhat traditional trips to the Cyclo-Cross World Championships in January 2025 to Liévin, France. This will be the eighth trip I’ve arranged and some of you have been before. If you might like to join us, I’ve provided some short information below. Rather than fill up the newsletter with additional detail, see the link at the end for the rest. New for this trip is that the transport picks-up on the doorstep in Cheltenham 😊

Dates: Friday 31st January - Monday 3rd February 2025

Itinerary / included:

·         Friday 31st January 2025: coach departs from Cheltenham around 05.00 (time will be confirmed nearer the time). Travels along A417 & A419, M4, M25, M26, M20 with agreed pick-ups along the way. Take the train from Folkestone through the Channel Tunnel. Continue our journey on the coach to Lille. Spend three nights on a bed and breakfast basis at the Mercure Lille Centre Grand-Place Hotel.

·         Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd February: coach travel from the hotel to the race and back.

·         Monday 3rd February: a more relaxed start before starting the journey home. Drive to Calais for the return train crossing from Calais to Folkestone. A hypermarket stop in Dunkerque should be possible but will depend on our progress. Continue the return journey back to Cheltenham, dropping off at the same pick-up points as the outward journey. Expecting to arrive in Cheltenham late afternoon/early evening.

Hotel: https://all.accor.com/hotel/0802/index.en.shtml

Event website: https://www.lievin2025.com/en/home/

Prices cover costs and nothing more. How much per person for this three-night itinerary depends on the final number of passengers going on the trip, as follows:

Minimum 35 persons £422

Minimum 40 persons £392

Minimum 45 persons £377

Minimum 50 persons £357

Minimum 55 persons £347

Minimum 60 persons £337

Single room supplement is £165.

As at the end of March, I already have 20 people booked and based on experience, I expect a full coach and usually end up turning people away.

Bookings require a £50 deposit per person. Balances fall due in October.

Would be great to have some C&CCC clubmates along for the fun. It’s not exclusive to club members. Friends are welcome. Any questions, please ask.

More details and how to book here: https://1drv.ms/b/s!Alnxw4xWFxv3mIoEF0oRYuW5t_F4Kg?e=Z9WVac

Kind regards,

Mark Chick, CyclingEvent@outlook.com