In the park of the castle of Flamanville, the volunteers have their hands dirty three weeks before the Manchoise stage of the Cyclocross World Cup, the weekend of January 16, 2022. This is a first for the department, and great pride for the organizers. “The circuit design is completely finished. The stakes are almost all set. We wait until the last moment to set the nets. The teams have made good progress. And then we had the weather with us “, confides Mickaël Lemardelé, the president of the organizing committee.
This event is a hell of a machine: 1,800 stakes to be installed along the 2.9-kilometer circuit, 8 to 900 barriers expected … and an army of volunteers. A well-honed mechanics sums up Laurent: “We are used to the French championships. There, I would say that it is even easier, there is less pressure. We work in serenity. The calendar is very well defined: it is hard work. ‘goldsmith”. Until then, about twenty volunteers on average come to help with the preparation, most often on weekends. The numbers will rise to around fifty per day from the beginning of January, and even more than 300 on the weekend of the race (in addition to some 80 technicians, referees, etc.). what remains to be done is in particular the installation of visuals, panels and 1,000 square meters of marquees for welcoming guests, catering and the refreshment bar.
There are affinities that are created. People are no longer looking for each other. We have a few new retirees who bring some new blood to the team. We have an outstanding team – Mickaël Lemardelé, president of the organizing committee
– Pierre Coquelin
The hypothesis of a camera on the table
One question remains unanswered: will there be a public in Flamanville? This Sunday, the World Cup stage in Dendermonde in Belgium was maintained, but behind closed doors. This is also a hypothesis on the table for Flamanville. _ “_We hope that there will be an audience: we expect 10 to 12,000 spectators. We already know that the health pass will be compulsory “, notes Jean-Pierre, one of the volunteers mobilized. A Flamanvillais who emphasizes that cyclocross is used to last minute changes, such as storms or snow.
In the woods, Jean-Claude, a Valognais who also organizes the JCM cyclosportive, already wants to be there: “The French championship in 2020 was already very strong. There, we can say that the staff had a beautiful star. it’s going to crescendo “. The Manchois hopes to see the greatest land in the Cotentin, starting with the top names like the Belgian Wout Van Aert and the Dutchman Mathieu Val der Poel. The entry list will only be known on the Monday or Tuesday before the race.