There are only four races run on the course today:

1100uur – Nieuwelingen (intermediates or cadets)

1200uur – Superprestige Juniores

1315uur – Superprestige Beloften – 23 jaar (U23)

1500uur – 24e Karcher Superprestige / 30e Vlaamse-Veldrit-Diegem (Elite Men)

As can be noted, this schedule leaves generous time for each group to warm up on the course.

When there’s television, television rules the timing at an event. At about 20 minutes prior to the start, the commissaires meet with the head coordinator for the television crew. They synch their watches with the cell phone clock of the television head. He asks that we delay the race by five minutes to allow them to fix a mechanical issue. Of course, the commissaires oblige.

In the Northeast this year, the races I functioned as Jury President have really improved the use of the starting grid. One of the key improvements this year over last year is the use of a rope or barrier to keep riders out of the grid until the call up begin.

At Diegem, this same principle applied. The organization had a large holding pen about ten meters behind the starting grid. It had a five foot wide entrance and no exit. Riders were called into the pen 15 minutes before start time. No exceptions, even for the world champion, Sven Nys. The "door" to this pen was controlled by two commissaires. Then the call up would happen about seven minutes before the race start time. One by one, the riders would walk their bikes out of the pen into the starting grid.

At three minutes before the start, Patrick DeMunter held three fingers in the air and called out three minutes to start. This signaled the soigneurs to take the warm up clothing from the riders. The soigneurs and photographers and the television crew would swamp the front of the grid --- not in the grid. At two minutes to go, Patrick held up two fingers in the air and called out two minutes to go. The soigneurs were called out of the way. At one minute to go, Patrick held up one finger and called out one minute to go. The photographers cleared out and the television crew made one last sweep of the front line of the grid. At thirty seconds, Patrick calls out thirty seconds to go and he and the television crew vacate the front of the grid. Now nothing is in the way of the riders, but just their destiny.

With a whistle blow from the Mayor of Diegem, the race starts in a mayhem of riders jocking for position.