After a night of heavy rain and strong Northerly winds, the scene was set for some classic cross racing, as the small Danish fishing village of Bogense played host to the fourth round of the Telenet UCI Cyclo Cross World Cup.

Starting in the relative calm of the harbour, riders quickly crossed a make shift bridge onto a flat head land area, where waves broke on the shore whipped up by the strong winds. This recreation area, more used to hosting picnics and football matches, had a sting in the tail, with what can only be described as a wall, which loomed over the course at the far end.

This huge mud bank sodden by the heavy rain was brutal, unrideable by most, up or down.With riders resorting to scrambling up on all fours, bikes balanced on shoulders, ascending and descending along various points of its length. As a spectacle this made for some great entertainment, with the enthusiastic crowd gathered at the base, waiting for the riders to become unstuck, literally, from the cloying mud. For the athletes maybe not so using their prowess as runners as opposed to riders for large sections of the course.

In 2019 this sleepy fishing village will spring into life again hosting the World Championships, lets hope the course designers keep the wall.