The Dublin UCI Cyclocross World Cup scheduled for 18 October 2020 will now be held in 2021 and form part of the 2021-2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup season.
With a revised international calendar Ireland's first Cyclocross World Cup was
set to clash with major road events including the Tour of Flanders and the Giro
d'Italia.
Cycling Ireland has worked closely with relevant stakeholders and looks forward to welcoming many of the World’s top cyclocross riders to Dublin next year.
UCI Media Release
Revised calendar of the 2020 – 2021 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup to start on 1 November in Overijse, Belgium
Vilvoorde, July 1st 2020 – After the changes made by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) on the road and mountain bike calendars, the 2020 Cyclo- cross World Cup has now also been reorganised as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, this change means that the series will start at the beginning of November and that there will be 11 races instead of the 14 initially planned.
The decision to modify the schedule was made further to extensive consultation
between all the parties involved: the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) as
the umbrella organisation for cycling internationally, Flanders Classics as the
licensee for the organisation and the local organisers. This consultation
ultimately resulted in a race calendar with 11 legs instead of 14, which will
be kicked off on 1 November with the Vlaamse Druivencross in Overijse, Belgium.
Therefore, the races scheduled for 4 and 18 October in Waterloo (USA) and
Dublin (Ireland) have been moved to the 2021-2022 season. Zonhoven (Belgium),
originally scheduled for 25 October, will take the place of Antwerp (Belgium)
on 13 December, which has also been moved to the 2021-2022 season. There are no
other changes to the calendar to report. In addition, the licence fee for the
local organisers for the 2020-2021 season will be reduced by half.
"It
seemed opportune for all parties to shift the start of the UCI Cyclo-cross
World Cup to the beginning of November," explains Tomas Van Den
Spiegel, CEO of Flanders Classics. “On the one hand, this is due to
the shifting of the road racing season, which will be in full swing in October.
On the other hand, there continue to be uncertainties in terms of future
measures, both national and international, to keep the Covid-19 pandemic under
control. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and ourselves are grateful to
the organisers and the cities for their constructive and flexible attitude. We
also hope that the financial effort we are making as regards the local
organisers will help them make the necessary arrangements in these circumstances.”
UCI
President David Lappartient says: "I am delighted with the
publication of the calendar for the 2020 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. Together
with Flanders Classics and the organisers we have managed to put together a
series of 11 races in 5 countries in a short space of time. I would like to
thank Flanders Classics and the organisers for the positive spirit they have
shown. I regret the absence of races such as Waterloo and Dublin, which we will
happily see again the following season."
"After the road and mountain bike calendars for UCI events, a new and important part of the UCI international calendar is being created. It is an excellent signal for the athletes and all the participants in our events. As is the case for all the new dates, the resumption remains subject to the health situation in the countries hosting the competitions.”