Baal is a village in the municipality of

Tremelo Tremelo () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Baal and Tremelo proper. On January 1, 2006, Tremelo had a total population of 13,725. The total area is 21.57& ...

, in the province of

Flemish Brabant Flemish Brabant ( ; ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. It is notable as the home of successful

cyclo-cross Cyclo-cross (cyclocross, CX, cyclo-X or cross) is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter (the international or "World Cup" season is October–February), and consist of many laps of a short (2.5–3.5&nb ...

competitor

Sven Nys Sven Nys (; born 17 June 1976) is a former professional cyclist competing in cyclo-cross and mountain bike. With two world championships, seven world cups, and over 140 competitive victories, he is considered one of the best cyclo-cross racers of ...

. He is sometimes called by the nickname "the ''Kannibaal van Baal''" (Dutch for "Cannibal of Baal"). The

Grand Prix Sven Nys The Grand Prix Sven Nys or GP Sven Nys is a cyclo-cross race held in Baal, Belgium. The race is named after cyclo-cross legend Sven Nys who is a citizen of Baal. Nys won his "own" race 12 out of 16 times he competed. He was sick at home for the 14t ...

cyclo-cross race, named after Nys, is held annually in Baal. Fellow cyclo-cross competitor

Niels Albert Niels Albert (born 5 February 1986 in Bonheiden, near Antwerp, Belgium) is a former professional cyclo-cross racing cyclist Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing incl ...

also lives in Baal.

References

Populated places in Flemish Brabant {{FlemishBrabant-geo-stub