Maikel Moons and Patrick Dennis from Beringen, Belgium, had this opportunity at the sixth round of the UCI Cycle-ball World Cup, to which the local pair had received a wildcard entry. That is where they met the reigning UCI World Champions, cousins Bernd and Gerhard Mlady from RMC Stein, Germany.
Ghana on the international cycle-ball scene
The fact that the two young Belgians had little chance of victory and, as expected, suffered a clear loss, was pushed into the background. Rather, their first UCI World Cup goal against Stein, making the final score 1-11, was a goal for the history books. And in another first for indoor cycling, from this year, Moons and Dennis will be competing for an African country.
At the UCI World Cup, as well as at the upcoming UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships from 4 to 6 November in Ghent, in their actual home country of Belgium, the U23 players will represent Ghana in Group B.
This is possible because both players have Ghanaian mothers. Their club in Beringen received the support of the Ghana Cycling Federation, so that a change of nations could be made this year. It’s interesting to note that in the U19 category, Dennis and Moons competed internationally for Belgium, playing together in the Junior European Championships in 2018 and 2019 and finishing 6th each time. Patrick Dennis had previously contested the 2016 and 2017 Euros with another partner.
Now Dennis/Moons have the opportunity to compete at the highest level and at the same time become the first African team to play at a UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships.
Beringen: last UCI World Cup round before the Final
At their home UCI World Cup in Beringen, the pair had to be content with last place: in the match for ninth place, Dennis/Moons lost 4-7 to the team from Hong Kong, which will be competing in Group B at the UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships. And in their match against Japan, who are considered the favourites of the B group at the UCI World Championships, Team Ghana managed a respectable 4-9.
Meanwhile, the Mlady cousins from Stein clinched the overall victory of this year's qualifying series, despite finishing 2nd in Beringen, going down 4-6 to their long-term rivals from Germany, RV Obernfeld (André Kopp/ Raphael Kopp).
Geared up for Sulgen
The UCI Cycle-ball World Cup Final on 26 November will take place in Sulgen, Germany. It will feature the best eight teams in the overall ranking, which include the three German representatives Stein (1st place), Schiefbahn (2nd) and Obernfeld (4th) as well as the hosts who have qualified with a wildcard.
From Switzerland, Pfungen (3rd) and Altdorf (7th) will be competing in the final round, while four nations will be represented by one team each: Austria with the defending UCI World Cup winners Dornbirn (5th), France, with Dorlisheim (6th), the Czech Republic with TJ Brno (8th), and Hong Kong representing Asia.
Check out the full results and the replay of the Beringen UCI World Cup.