Inspection of the race course was officially conducted at 3pm the day before. This inspection was conducted with the UCI cyclocross coordinator, Peter Van Den Abbeele, the UCI technical delegate, Adri van der Poel, and the jury president, Miroslav Janout, along with two members of the race organization. Miroslav indicated that they had made a number of minor course adjustments, mostly to make the course wider in certain spots to ensure rider safety.

The course is basically a half moon crescent shaped loop that parallels the south end of a lake and uses it’s beach front (11) to provide one of the major difficulties of the course. At both ends of the crescent shape are public entries to the race (2 & 8), with of course the kiosks to charge a twelve euro entry fee. There are three large parking lots to house the tens of thousands of spectators: one near the Sporthotel, the main one near the start/finish line, and the other on the opposite crescent end. Additional parking was set aside for the Junior, Intermediate, U23’s near the Sporthotel. The Elite men and women along with the VIPs had a special parking area near the beach zone. Although far from the showers and dressing rooms, this location allowed easy access for the mechanics to get to the pits, which were set up on the beach.

The finish area (1) was set up on one end of the crescent shaped loop on the south side of the loop just 200 meters before the first turn. There were signs indicating each 25 meters before the finish line up to 100 meters before the finish line. At the 75 meter line was the starting grid as well spectator crossing number 7.

The finish line area is described in more detail in the Course Construction section that follows. Basically, the finish line equipment was similar to that of European pro road races. About 25 meters after the line was the awards podium on the left followed by a series of tents -- the last being the sign-in tent.

Another 70-80 meters after the sign-in tent was the first right hand right angle turn (2) off the pavement onto a packed sandy dirt road. Slick, as I had overheard Jeremy Powers telling a compatriot during warm-ups. This dirt/sand road was basically flat and wide as it headed towards the lake. Then another right hand right angle turn (3) put you onto a dirt path with a short uphill section – this would be the first narrowing of the course. The course would follow this dirt path that paralleled the lake front, with one short technical down and up from the lake, for 300 meters, where it would come up to paved paths (4) through the grassy areas of the park paralleling a canal that also paralleled the lake front.

Another 200 meters, and the course takes a short up and down and down (5) into the sands of the beach and past the double pit (11) for the first time literally riding on the lapping waves of the lake. After about 300-400 meters on the hard pack sand and it’s up into a dirt path into the woods at the other end of the crescent (7, 8, & 9). The woody loop then drops you back on the beach where it’s hard pack sand for 50-70 meters. Then I swear they must have ground up the sand into that soft stuff that it’s impossible to ride. One does a shouldered run for 100 meters going by the pits for the second time (11). It was on this pass that most people took their changes as the moist sand played havoc with the drive systems of these exotic bikes.

A U turn puts you on a cement sidewalk and you can remount the bike to go into a sweeping turn that will eventually put you into a run up staircase and down onto a path (12) heading back to the finish line paralleling the canal. Then a left hand turn puts you onto a bridge to the opposite side of the canal. Here a 300-400 meter section of dirt paths (13, 14, &15) takes you to a right across what looks like a custom made for this event bridge, complete with a spectator path, to the other side of the canal and the final three turns before the finishing straight.

It’s a fast course with the Elite men doing six minute laps.