From: Raymond Kerckhoffs (De Telegraaf)
Conclusion: A lot of improvements have been made compared to the first time the finish was located in Oudenaarde.
- Information on website: The Tour of Flanders is one of the races organised by Flanders Classics. The sites of all these races are uniform with good and updated information.
- Accreditation: The accreditation system works without any major problems. You get very fast an answer if your accreditation is approved.
- Indications for Accreditation centre: The Press parking Het Pandreitje, could be better signaled. The parking is not far from the accreditation centre, which is in the centre of Brugges and is well organised.
- Live-ticker of the race: Done by the editors of Het Nieuwsblad. It’s ok.
- Working conditions at start: The team buses are far from the start, but you’re allowed to walk on the road to the parking. In Brugge all the buses are behind barriers, so there are not too many people and it’s still possible to talk with some riders/team staff.
- Working conditions at finish: No problems. Newspapers and big websites were allowed to have more than one person at the finish location. Most journalists went directly to the Market where the buses are parked and the studio of the Belgian television is positioned.
- Pressroom: It’s ok. Enough drinks and sandwiches. And a big screen where you can follow perfect the race.
- Distance Pressroom – Finish. It’s far. The way to the finish was better marked last year, but some people still had problems to find directly the shortest way.
- Distance Finish – Teams buses. It’s also far. You have to make a choice. Or the finish of the buses. Therefore it would be good to bring the numbers two and three of the podium also to the pressroom for a short press conference.
- Internet: It worked well. At the beginning there were some problems but they where resolved.
- Information about race in Pressroom: You can follow the live ticker at the site. And you could follow the race on television on a big screen.
- Results: Ok
- Food or drinks at or near Pressroom: Perfect. Good service with drinks and sandwiches.
- Press conference. A good press conference with winner Fabian Cancellara. But there were a lot of non-journalists in the room.
- Amount of professional and non-professional journalists: Van Landeghem puts a lot of attention that only professional journalists will be in the pressroom and work at the start and finish. For a big race like Tour of Flanders that’s very important.