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Although Daan Soete was born and raised in Grobbendonk, there’s a beach lover hidden within the son of the Kempen region—at least when he can swap the cooler and inflatable boat for a bike. In 2012, he finished 5th at the Cyclocross World Championships for juniors in Koksijde, and six years later, he claimed bronze on the same ground at the Belgian Championships among the pros. That was one of the three disciplines in which Daan has already stood on the Belgian Championship podium. On Sunday, the count could reach four, as he will compete in the Belgian Beach Race Championships in Bredene: “The road racers will also be in good shape, but I’ll give it my all!”
Even in the Kempen, there’s plenty of sand to be found, allowing Daan to hone his skills on this terrain. Each year, he looks forward to sandy cyclocross races like Koksijde, Lille, and Oostmalle. It’s no coincidence that it was also in Koksijde that he stood on the Belgian Championship podium in early 2018, alongside close friend Wout van Aert and Laurens Sweeck. That was his only podium among the pros, while as a novice and junior, he claimed the tricolore jersey once in each category.
Daan is now much more than just a cyclocross rider. He has already stood on the podium of the Belgian Mountain Bike Championships three times, a discipline in which he was also Belgian champion as a novice. In 2022, Daan crowned himself as the first-ever Belgian champion in mountain bike short track. “He always combined that with cyclocross,” recalls national coach Filip Meirhaeghe. “We traveled together often, and I’m still convinced that the combination is possible.”
In recent years, Daan has, of course, discovered a new love: gravel racing. He has grown attached to it and, with his strong engine, has shown a natural talent for it. At the beginning of May, he rode straight to a silver medal in the Belgian Gravel Championships. This way, Daan has already stood on the podium at Belgian Championships in three different disciplines. “I thought I was pretty unique in that,” Daan smiles, “but Filip just told me that besides mountain biking (in two events), he also has medals in cyclocross (as a youth) and even stood on the podium once in the Belgian Madison Championships.”
Difference from a Cyclocross Bike
It doesn’t make him any less ambitious for Sunday, where he’ll be riding an actual beach racer. “I was able to communicate my preferences directly to Ridley mechanic Karel Lenaers, and I’m very pleased with the result! The lightweight frame is especially impressive. It takes some getting used to because on a cyclocross bike, you can steer very quickly, while on a beach racer – where the focus is on long, straight stretches – the handling feels a bit stiffer. The emphasis here is on aerodynamics, which is why we use a drop bar instead of a flat handlebar.”
National coach Filip Meirhaeghe had already guessed that his colleague wouldn’t inflate his tires to even one bar. “0.7 bar,” the rider from Kempen confirms. “That’s very low, but it allows you to glide through the sand effectively. As a cyclocross rider, I’m used to playing with tire pressure. However, it does increase the risk of hitting the rim on breakwaters. Luckily, the ones here aren’t too bad. I’ve already tried a few beaches today, and the breakwaters elsewhere are often worse.”
“The course mainly runs along the coastline, but we do occasionally veer into the dunes. Normally, I can handle sand sections quite well. Earlier, I tested one of those sections and managed to ride through it. The question is, of course, what condition these stretches will be in on Sunday. There’s also a group of recreational riders participating, and they might ‘break up’ these sections by running through them. Making a new track costs a lot of energy, so we might have to dismount as well.”
A Fun Outing
Last year, the riders of The Wolfpack dominated the podium, with Tim Merlier taking the tricolor jersey ahead of outgoing champion Jordi Warlop and Bert Van Lerberghe. With Yves Lampaert, the team has a fourth strong contender, and powerful riders like Tim Declercq and Timothy Dupont are also formidable opponents in this discipline. “It’ll be tough to compete against such a strong team on my own, so I’ll need to use my energy wisely,” Daan acknowledges. “The wind always plays a crucial role. Especially with side winds, you really need to be skilled at riding in echelons.”
The Belgian Beach Race Championship is, in any case, a fun outing at the start of a busy holiday season. “I’ll continue racing until the Belgian Championships in Zolder. After that, I’ll take a bit of rest and then prepare for the gravel season. Santa Vall is the first race on the calendar. It was great to compete in some World Cups and achieve some nice results, like my top 10 finishes at Heerderstrand and in the Urban Cross in Kortrijk. However, we all notice how high the level in cyclocross has become. Especially the depth in the subtop is growing, and with so much Belgian talent, it’s challenging to fight for a spot in the selections.”
So, onward to the gravel season, but first a day at the Belgian coast. “It’s a beautiful discipline, and I’m glad to be part of it! With the Ridley Racing Team, we really want to establish ourselves as an off-road team, and it’s great to leave our mark here as well.” The race on Sunday starts at 11 a.m., with elite riders covering 60 kilometers (consisting of six laps). “We should finish in just under two hours,” Daan predicts.
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