A year ago Belgium finished fourth in the medal table at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships and this Sunday is the last chance for those wanting to repeat that success to make the team.
Roeselare is the venue for the Lotto Crosscup West-Vlaanderen, just a fortnight before the championships in Samokov.
Once more these European Athletics Cross Country Permit races will be important in choosing the final names for Bulgaria and among the field is Pieter-Jan Hannes, who left Belgrade in 2013 with gold.
Hannes won the under-23 at those SPAR European Cross Country Championships in 24:02 and he will be one of the favourites for the men’s race on Sunday in West Flanders.
It has the makings of a superb event as Hannes will face fellow Belgian Isaac Kimeli, who won silver in the junior race in Belgrade.
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The pair have the potential to be forces once more in the championships themselves where last December, Belgium’s senior men's team also won silver.
Almensh Belete was sixth in the senior women’s race at the 2013 championships in 27:00 and she is aiming for an even higher finish this time.
She should be among the leaders in Roeselare where she faces Veerle Dejaeghere, who has been Belgium’s No. 1 national cross country runner for over a decade, while Louise Carton, who won the first race of the Lotto Crosscup in Mol, is a big threat too.
Norway’s Karoline Grondvall and Maureen Koster, of the Netherlands, should be in the mix in what should be a fascinating race.
Great Britain were top of the table in Belgrade with nine medals and on Saturday the Cross Country Challenge in Liverpool doubles up as their trial for Samokov.