On Tuesday there was Gullegem Koerse, one of the eleven West Flemish fair races. There are still nineteen of them every year throughout Flanders, while in the 1970s there were about 200. But the money that the minister is cutting from next year for the Flanders-Baloise cycling team will go elsewhere.
“400,000 euros will be reserved to support track cycling,” De Ridder said. “The other one and a half million can be spent by the federations within the Top Sport operation, so that is not for cycling.”
Vulnerable position
The minister says she is aware of the vulnerable position of race organizers in general and that is why she has asked Cycling Vlaanderen to develop a plan. “Of course I think that fair races have a special place in our Flemish cycling tradition and in our sports history,” De Ridder continues.
“I also greatly appreciate the efforts of all those volunteers, but that is something you can facilitate and support. You cannot mold society or force or push it in a certain direction. It is good that we pay attention to it, whether it is from Sports or from Intangible Heritage, but it will always have to be able to exist from the bottom up and be viable.”