Brexit bureaucratic procedures difficult for cyclocross stars competing in Dublin: “We spent more than a week completing that customs document”

There are very few cyclists who are preparing to do the Saturday-Sunday double this weekend. One of the main reasons is the endless Brexit bureaucracy needed to transport the riders and bikes from Kortrijk on Saturday to Dublin on Sunday.

“To make that trip, you have to fill out everything down to the smallest detail on a customs form,” explains Dutch national coach Gerben De Knegt in a conversation about the difficulties with Sporza. “It gets to the point where you have to indicate for your front wheel, for example, which tube and which hub it is. You really have to name every element of that bus. We spent more than a week filling out that customs document to get in order”.

This has left riders and teams with a choice. X2O Trofee in Kortrijk on Saturday or the UCI World Cup in Dublin on Sunday? “It’s supposed to be a 12-hour trip, but you have to cross the border twice. All kinds of things can go wrong there. Our team will be on the road for at least a day,” adds De Knegt.

“Everything is divided by two. That’s the only solution,” says Sven Nys, whose Baloise – Trek Lions team has Lucinda Brand and David Haverdings doing a double. “All our riders have four bikes, two of which stay in Kortrijk and the other two go to Dublin. That should cause few problems in Kortrijk, but Dublin, where a lot of rain is forecast, is another story. If you have mechanical problems with a bike, or you have to shift twice a lap, you’re screwed.

“We have also sent a truck with material to Ireland,” concludes Nys. “He already left on Thursday morning to catch the ship in Cherbourg. We no longer allow material or personnel to fly. Only Lucinda (Brand, ed.) and David (Haverdings, ed.) will fly on Saturday night from Zaventem”.

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