Sand dames and dudes at Koksijde

Koksijde Dunes Cross course for 2012

The Koksijde cyclocross course and town border the North Sea, in the northwestern part of Belgium. Hence, an abundance of natural sand.

The Koksijde Dunes Cross venue introduces a new sand dune for 2012, the “X Dune;” it will be named after the new world champion. Koksijde hosted the ‘cross World Championships once before, eighteen years ago, when a dune received the name of that year’s world champion, Paul Herygers. It appears the “X Dune” will be graced with the name of the 2012 male world champion.

The choice of the letter “x” to name the new dune raises a certain question: since males have one Y chromosome and one X chromosome, while females carry two X chromosomes, shouldn’t the “X Dune” be named after the female world champion? She is clearly more thoroughly “x” than her male counterpart.

Lewi Rattray, just the third Australian to ever race the cyclocross World Championships, wrote about his course preview and said one third of the racing occurs on sand. The composition of sand varies by location. Grains of sand derive from minerals like quartz, and / or bits of shell or coral. Perhaps the riders wish that a mineral named “friendly” formed the Western Flanders Koksijde sand.

Enjoy PodiumInsight’s video “Riding the sand at Koksijde.” Stybar is the only rider in the video who does not dismount or dab.