Cyclo Cross 2016/2017 [antikvár]

¦ i I i , . ' V vi' ' I'(' ' '¦ ¦¦ ¦ ' ' ¦ ' ¦ I' ¦ ¦,' ' , This book almost didn't happen. I think that's how I started the introduction of the previous book, so I hope you don't find this overly boring. Last year, the Kickstarter campaign ran at a predictable pace, the pledges gathered slowly but surely and, with your help, I reached 100% funding vidth üiree days to go. I was expecting a similar pattern this time arotind and the first few days were bang on the money. I reached 20 per cent in just three days. But üien things slowed down. I wasn't worried for a while, but when I reached the half way mark, the ticker was still only at 35%. It didn't look good, but I thought there was no cause for concern, I thought to myself that things were just a bit slower this year. Things ended up being so slow that after the World Championships, with one week to go, the counter was still only at 55 per cent. That was a bit disheanening. I was driving back from Bieles, it was a long drive, and I made peace with the fact that this year there was not going to be a cyclocross album. It was good while it lasted, but I concluded that I had reached a peak with the albums the previous year, and people just lost interest. I was trying to find a way to produce something smaller, something that I could finance myself, like a softcover magazine-like product. I made some calls while I was waiting for the ferry, and by the time I arrived at home, I was ready to move on. During the final week, I was still trying to save the campaign, but it seemed that nothing I was doing made any difference and with less than 24 hours to go, I was still only at 65 per cent. I was talking to my good friend Kristóf Ramon in Hoogstraaten and I admitted defeat to him. But that afternoon, something changed. Pledges were coming in, a lot of people were tweeting about it, sharing the campaign, at some point Wout Van Aert tweeted about the book, Mathieu van der Poel retweeted it and we got to almost 80 per cent. We were so close when I went to bed, that I thought maybe, maybe, it would happen. I will never forget the following morning. I was quite tired and a bit dejected, but when I opened my computer, all I saw were pledges coming in, fast and thick. The deadline was 2pm and I couldn't get out of the bed, I was just watching the ticker, I was refreshing like a mad man and with two hours to go, we reached 100 per cent. A huge sigh of relief and I immediately felt massive gratitude to everybody who helped me get there. It was a team effort. So many people were so good at tweeting and sharing it a million times, and with their help I reached the goal, and that is why you are holding this book in your hand. After last year's difficulties, I was adamant about being on time and, hopefully, you have received your books on time - and more importantiy, you like the final product. But just as this book wouldn't be here without your help, it wouldn't be here if the following people weren't so kind to help me throughout the season. Marijke andWim are the backbone of my season. When I refer to them, I always say: my Belgian family. People are often confused - we thought you were from Hungary?Which is true, we are not actually related, but their kindness, hospitality and fiiendship makes me feel like I have a third family. Thank you for putting up with my silly schedules, my late arrivals, and early departures. Simon Scarsbrook and Sarah Connolly made the excruciating task of selecting images a whole lot easier. Narrowing down my favourite 150 World Cup photos to just 40 is probably the most dreaded part of the process for me. Thank you for making that easier. A big shout out goes to Klaus Bellon, not only for doing a terrific interview with Jingle Cross organizer John Meehan, but also for being the first contributor to deliver an article. All of my contributors deserve a big thank you for sharing their thoughts and insights: Huw Williams, Michael van den Ham, Nico Dick, Caro Cardinaels, Paul Maimder and John MuUineaux. I wotild like to thank Luc Claessen and Andy Whitehouse for helping me out with a few photos. This book definitely wouldn't happen without John Coe and his wife, Rachel, who are behind the design and the layout of the book. Their great and reliable work has been helping me to keep things on track for over three years now. Nick Lemke was also instrumental in making sure that the texts are nice and tidy. My family, my Mum, Dad, and my sister Judith are always a great source of support. Last, but not least, I would like to thank my amazing girlfriend, Katie Gunn, who stood by me and supported me through all this. Without you, it wouldn't have happened. Finally, thank you, dear reader and supporter, for pledging and sharing and tweeting and helping to make this book happen. I hope you enjoy it. ¦