Tour of Flanders 2015

From: Raymond Kerckhoffs (De Telegraaf)

Conclusion: Working conditions are ok. At the finish you got to choose. Or finish or the busses. Perhaps it’s an idea to bring the first three riders to the pressconference.

  • 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: You have to know where the accreditation center is, while it’s not indicated in the towncentre of Brugges. Otherwise it’s located in one of the most well-known places in Brugges. The internet in the pressroom of Brugges was not very fast. It was not possible to send a video from here.
  • 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 Brugges 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: 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. Only for some Belgium journalists it’s a little bit more difficult to speak with their riders because the national television Sporza claims these riders very long.
  • Pressroom: It’s ok. A big screen where you can follow perfect the race. Enough places.
  • Distance Pressroom – Finish. It’s far. The way to the finish was better marked last years, but some people still had problems to find directly the shortest way. But the pressroom is not far from the busses. So you have te make a choice or going to the finish or going to the market where the teambusses are parked.
  • Distance Finish – Teams buses. It’s also far. 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 was much better than in 2014.
  • 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 Alexander Kristoff.
  • Amount of professional and non-professional journalists: OK. Very strict rules and this is necessary for such a popular races like Tour of Flanders.

 

Other remarks

After the sad and unexpected death of Marc van Landeghem we can be very happy that Guy Vermeiren took over the fantastic job of Van Landeghem. The media can be sure that in Belgium races everything is good organized and that you see at most of the races the same press-officers. We may be very thankfull that Guy Vermeiren and Willy Notenbaert are going on with the fantastic job that Marc van Landeghem started.