A cyclocross World Cup in New York? Difficult and unlikely says Watts

After the success of the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Hoogerheide, UCI Director of Sports Peter van den Abeele hinted that future rounds of the UCI World Cup series could be held as far and wide as New York, Munich and even Johannesburg, South Africa.

However, those ambitions seem difficult to achieve.

The UCI and World Cup series organiser Flanders Classics are trying to globalise and grow cyclocross by convincing major cities to host races in competition with the traditional Dutch and Belgian race organisers. Dublin and Benidorm hosted World Cups this winter and London could soon host a round.

The expansion is hurting traditional European races and cyclocross teams and national federations are struggling to cover the extra costs of racing across Europe and especially across the Atlantic Ocean.

Only Waterloo, Wisconsin is expected to host a World Cup race in the USA in 2023-2024, thanks to Trek's desire to put on a major race at their headquarters.

Brook Watts was instrumental in the growth of cyclocross in the USA in the last decade, organising CrossVegas, the first World Cup in the country. He is in favour of a more global cyclocross calendar but struggles to see how a race in New York can be viable.

"I don't believe it's possible from an economic standpoint to see a cyclocross World Cup on Manhattan island, let alone in Central Park," Brook Watts told Cyclingnews while in Belgium during a personal trip to Europe for the World Championships.

"New York doesn't need a cyclocross race when so much else is going on in the city. Maybe they're talking to someone from the New Jersey, or the Connecticut side of New York, but that's not the same as racing in NYC and it's almost as expensive."

CrossVegas was a success for several years because it was held at the same time as the annual Interbike trade show in September.

Until 2022, a second World Cup event was also held in Iowa, making for a logical, easy trip to the Midwest for European teams. A race in New York would not work the same way.

"We had the ideal scenario with the two Waterloo-Iowa World Cup races," Watts explained.

"The team could fly into Chicago easily, race in Waterloo, then drive down to Iowa, race there and then fly back to Europe from Chicago. It was a perfect travel triangle, without travelling across the USA. Going to New York would be a lot more complicated and costly."

He is concerned that the European teams and riders may opt not to travel to the USA for just a single World Cup.

"Trek put on a great event but the writing could be on the wall with a single World Cup in the USA," Watts warned.

"Peter van den Abeele's comments on having just one World Cup in the US being cheaper for the teams is in direct opposition of what we always said. We need two races to make the trip worthwhile financially and logistically, otherwise, no one will come. If there's only one World Cup in the USA in the years ahead, it'll be easier for teams and riders to just skip it.

"For some reason, the UCI and whoever they spoke to thought it was better to dump Iowa to go to Fayetteville after the 2022 World Championships. Sadly there's no sign that Iowa will ever come back now. There will only be 30 or so elite men and women on the start line in Waterloo, with only ten or so nations represented but is that a true World Cup?

"I'm worried that if the cyclocross World Cup in the US struggles, the UCI or Flanders Classics will change their strategy and do something else in Europe. It could happen."

Watts suggests a second World Cup race in Chicago rather than New York.

"I'd try to take cyclocross to Chicago - to take it to the people," he said.

"That worked in Benidorm because there were Flemish people on vacation and local interest from Spanish cycling fans, too. SRAM is also in Chicago and so why can't someone try to convince them to get involved? There could be a great course."

Watts is concerned about the future of cyclocross in the USA after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of gravel riding and racing.

He hopes that global sponsors can change.

"I love globalisation and I've said that for years. I think it can help cyclocross grow.

"I'm sure that the Belgian team managers, who hate globalisation because of the costs, will be the first ones in line to go global if they ever land a global sponsor.

"Trek is an example of that. The Baloise Trek Lions have no problem racing in the USA. The others will be the same if they find global sponsors. That's what we have to aim for."