Cameron Mason is used to it by now, spending Christmas away from residence.
“It’s kind of the new normal,” Mason joked when talking to Daily Star Sport earlier this month. The festive interval, for many people, is a time to calm down whereas spending time with household and overindulging in foods and drinks.
However, for Mason, an expert bicycle owner, it is one of many busiest intervals of his 12 months. And as a substitute of waking up along with his family members in Scotland, Mason is a whole bunch of miles away in Belgium – getting ready to race his bike.
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“I feel it is the fourth or fifth 12 months spending Christmas in Belgium,” Mason added. “I really enjoy it. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Because it means I get to race my bike and have fun!”
The 23-year-old shall be taking to the fields of Northern Europe, competing in cyclocross – a type of bike racing that options bikes not too dissimilar to these on the highway ripping via mud, sand and sometimes cobbles. The sport is considerably of a nationwide obsession in Belgium.
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(Image: Getty Images)
On these shores, we’ve got soccer on Boxing Day, however in Belgium they’ve the Kerstperiode (Christmas interval), the place cyclocross stars compete in 11 races over 16 days. And like a Premier League footballer, Mason will spend his Christmas getting ready for sport the next day.
The Scotsman continued: “Christmas is normally the day before the race. So the food is kind of more race oriented. But normally on the 24th, actually, I’ll have my Christmas dinner. And then the 25th is all about the race.”
However, he then joked: “Enjoying good food as part of being a cyclist!”
(Image: Getty Images)
Boxing Day will see Mason race in Gavere – a municipality in East Flanders – earlier than his household be a part of him on the continent. He joked: “My brother enjoys it because he loves drinking beer and going to the beer tents!”
Cyclocross races draw crowds in extra of 10,000 to some occasions, all packing right into a muddy area enticed by the promise of free-flowing alcohol and the prospect to catch a glimpse of their heroes. This season, Mason has emerged as one of many prime skills within the peloton.
Wrapping up his first British title on the finish of final season, he is worn the stripes with pleasure this trip, nearly swapping them for a European champions jersey in October. “The second largest race of the season, other than the worlds.
(Image: Getty Images)
“And to be on my best day to do pretty much everything, right, amazing,” Mason added. There was additionally a fourth place on the well-known Koppenberg – a cobbled hill that reaches inclines in extra of 20%.
And he then completed second in Boom earlier this month.
Mason added: “It’s more confidence that on the right day, I can be right at the front fighting for the win. And I hope to do more of that in the next couple of weeks.”