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Friday, April 26, 2024 at 8:00 AM
Interview After a long wait, the International Cycling Union UCI finally announced the cyclo-cross World Cup calendar for the 2024-2025 season last week. Various stakeholders, such as the riders and teams, had asked for changes, and they have now been made. The World Cup now contains only twelve rounds, which will be completed between the end of November and January. The competition is also more focused on the Low Countries. But what do the riders think about that brand new World Cup? We asked Eli Iserbyt, number one in the UCI rankings and always a man with a well-formed opinion.
Eli, what was your first conclusion after seeing the new calendar?
“What immediately became clear is that it has become more compact. Personally, I think that is a shame, because a shorter World Cup also means that outside attention will shrink even more in periods when no World Cups are being held. If I had been able to put together this calendar myself, I would have preferred to see the World Cup start a little earlier. But on the other hand, I think everyone knows why the UCI’s focus is so much on December and January.”
You are referring to the intended participation of Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock. Have the real riders forgotten too much in this story?
“I don’t think we have been forgotten, but I do note that not enough attention has been paid to the real cross teams. For our sponsors, this World Cup calendar can almost be called a drama.”
Why are you referring specifically to the teams?
“It’s not too bad for the riders. Personally, it doesn’t matter to me if the World Cup doesn’t start until December or January. I can also ride for a road team that is just happy that I’m riding in the World Cup. On the other hand, I assume that the cross season will start around the same time as previous years and that I will be able to compete sufficiently in the X2O Trophy or the Superprestige in those first months, just not at World Cup level.”
Belgian champion Eli Iserbyt – photo: Cor Vos
“But for the real 100% cross teams, such as Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal and Baloise Trek Lions, a large part of their exposure to international media disappears. The period in which they really get a lot of return for their sponsorship on an international level has already started in recent years in cross-country racing in America. Now that period is being shortened enormously and you are solely dependent on the Flemish media for a longer period of time. That’s really going to be a theme. We should no longer look at the riders, but at the cross teams. Hopefully this does not mean the bankruptcy of the real cross team.”
Have you been approached by the UCI?
“There was no consultation with the riders, nor with the teams. It is actually purely the UCI and Flanders Classics that have made the decisions regarding the World Cup, in my opinion.”
What should they have done differently?
“In my opinion, the cross should remain as it was. There used to be seven or eight World Cups. I think there could be twelve or fourteen, but I would have liked to see a wider spread. Look at the Mountain Bike World Cup, which runs from March to August. Each time with one or two heats close together, this extends the season and keeps things interesting for a long time. Now you limit the mediagenic part of the season to barely two months. Seen over a whole year, that is quite little.”
In addition to the compactness, there was also a second important observation. No more cross in the United States. That’s what most riders wanted, right?
“In the end, the majority of the riders were listened to, yes. If two or three World Cups were organized there, I would still think it would be worth going to. I’ve said that every year too. But for one cross it was a bit too crazy to make that crossing anyway. On the other hand, now that the World Cup only starts so late, it was no longer an option to include the US in this story.”
So it suddenly becomes a very Belgian story. Riders asked for fewer trips, and they got it.
“Absolutely, but I think everyone has an interest in us doing it this way. Perhaps Flanders Classics has realized that the cross is really a Netherlands-Belgium story. That is also where the origin of the cross lies. I think they have been trying for about four years to make cross country more international and to spread the sport more widely throughout Europe and America. But now they also see that there is actually no change or improvement in that area.”
No more Val di Sole in the World Cup – photo: Cor Vos
“I think there are two reasons for this. The first: cyclo-cross is not Olympic. And they have now clearly left that Olympic track by no longer including Val di Sole in the World Cup. Reason two: if you really want to qualify the World Cup as a kind of Champions League for cross-country, you have to ensure that the best riders always want to ride there. And how do you do that? By also playing in a higher league financially. There has been no communication about this at the moment, but it seems logical to me that something should be added. Otherwise it will just remain a ranking like any other. Van Aert, Van der Poel and Pidcock may come, but don’t you always want to see the other motocross riders in the World Cup?”
Isn’t it a shame that there is also some confusion in the foreign competitions in Europe?
“We still have four beautiful locations: Dublin, Italy, Benidorm and Besançon. In places like France or Benidorm, I think there could be more cross, because it really lives there. But it is clear that they are adding those locations to make it a bit more international. There are other regions where they are really waiting for the cross, such as England, Spain and France. Tábor is also missing. I hope they will go there more in the coming years.”
May I then conclude that you are still a bit disappointed in various areas with this calendar?
“For me it is especially important that there is a good balance in the calendar in these different areas. And I think the UCI and Flanders Classics are still looking for that. I have the impression that they are still in the experimental phase, trying to figure out the right way to organize the World Cup. It may well be that a lot will change again next year, or the year after that.”
“It is now very compact, but I would like to only draw my conclusions once we know what the full calendar looks like. When does our season start? What about the Superprestige and X2O Trophy? I suspect we will get a lot of them in October and November. This way we can still get a nice calendar and a nice balance. At least, for us as riders. In any case, it remains a difficult story for the sponsors and teams.”
