Dublin, Maasmechelen and Gavere added to the 2022 - 2023 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup
Wednesday 21 September 2022
Flanders Classics and the UCI welcome Dublin (Ireland), Maasmechelen (Belgium) and Gavere (Belgium) to the 2022-2023 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. The Irish round will fill up the missing spot on the 11th of December. Maasmechelen on the other hand will replace Rucphen on the 30th of October, while Gavere will do the same for Dendermonde on the 26th of December.
On the 11th of December, the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup will be heading to Dublin. For the first time in the history of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Ireland is welcoming the best cyclo-cross riders in the world. Dublin will be the 9th round out of a total of 14 events. Two of the rounds that have already been announced will be replaced due to unforeseen circumstances. This is why Maasmechelen will be hosting a brand-new cyclo-cross round on the 30th of October, replacing Rucphen (the Netherlands). And on the 26th of December, we’ll be heading to Gavere instead of the Belgian city of Dendermonde.
“We’re very proud to add Dublin this season”, says Flanders Classics CEO Tomas Van Den Spiegel. “We’ll be racing in a true Irish environment. That will give the Dublin round its own identity, just like we saw for the Val di Sole and Flamanville races in the 2021-2022 season. On the other hand; we had to look for alternatives to Rucphen and Dendermonde. With Maasmechelen we’re adding a Belgian round that we are really looking forward to. And finally, on Boxing Day we’ll race in Gavere, adding a true cyclo-cross classic to the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup agenda of the upcoming winter.”
The UCI President David Lappartient declared: “I would like to welcome Dublin and Ireland to the 2022-2023 edition of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. The organisation of a round in a new country is part of the very significant development that the discipline’s leading series has been undergoing in the last years, especially since the beginning of the partnership between the UCI and Flanders Classics. With Maasmechelen and Gavere, we are returning to one of the traditional cyclo-cross nations where we are always guaranteed fantastic racing and a very warm welcome. All three venues announced today will be true assets to the 2022-2023 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup.”
The Dublin race will be held at the Sport Ireland Campus that recently hosted the European Cross-Country Championships. Sport Ireland Chief Executive Dr Una May welcomed the announcement: “Sport Ireland is thrilled to be hosting this prestigious event on the Sport Ireland Campus. The staging of a major international cycling event is another milestone for the Sport Ireland Campus, which has played host to major events across a wide range of sports to great success. Cyclo-cross is a discipline that is experiencing rapid growth globally. Sport Ireland extends its thanks to the UCI & Flanders Classics for choosing the Sport Ireland Campus to host this event and we look forward to welcoming the cyclo-cross family in December.”
By confirming Dublin for the ’22-’23 season, it is now clear that London will not be part of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup just yet. “We not only hope to be able to establish a long-term relationship in Dublin, but in the meantime we will continue the work to add London to the schedule for the 2023-24 season”, says Van Den Spiegel.
The round in Maasmechelen will not only be a beautiful race with a breathtaking, magical setting. It will inspire young and old to enjoy nature more and it will be all about the importance of sustainability. “We must dare to be ambitious,” says mayor of Maasmechelen Raf Terwingen. “The first ever zero-waste cyclo-cross is soon to be organised in Maasmechelen. Therefore, this edition will serve as a test case. We hope to build on that further in the future. I know it’s short notice, but when the international sport of cycling wants to contribute to building our nature charging point, you don’t hesitate. The citizens of Maasmechelen are capable of many things and they achieve fantastic things every day. Together with Flanders Classics, we have all the know-how to make this a successful round.”
“We’re looking forward to it”, concludes Van Den Spiegel. “We would like to thank all parties involved, especially Maasmechelen for acting quickly to make this project possible.”
The 2022-2023 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup kicks off on Sunday October 9th in Waterloo (USA) and ends after 14 rounds on Sunday January 29th in Besançon (France).
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