Vermiglio (Trentino, Northern Italy) is ready for an exciting Sunday with the first UCI Cyclocross World Cup stage to be raced entirely a snow-covered route. Van Aert, Pidcock, Iserbyt and Vos are the top names of a spectacular event, to enjoy on the racing field as well as on TV
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The wait has come to an end: the UCI Cyclocross World Cup stage in Vermiglio (Trentino, Northern Italy), the most awaited event of the Val di Sole winter season, has started with the first official practice session, on Saturday, December 11th, as the big show of the cyclocross World Cup returns to Italy after five years.
That happens with a unique event, thanks to the big challenge launched by Flanders Classics, the organizing company of the World Cup, and the local organizers of Grandi Eventi Val di Sole and Val di Sole Tourism Board, in collaboration of Pontedilegno-Tonale Consortium: organizing the first World Cup event to be raced entirely on a snow-covered course.
Tomorrow, Sunday, December 12th, the big names of the world cyclocross, starting with Wout Van Aert, Eli Iserbyt, Tom Pidcock and Marianne Vos, will face an unconventional race. In the charming location of the San Leonardo Lakes in Vermiglio, no artificial snow was needed to deliver the right setting and atmosphere. The heavy snowfalls of the recent weeks gave local organizers and Flanders Classics the ideal conditions to design a 3Km course with 60 meters of elevation gain and many technical segments. In Vermiglio, the UCI Cyclocross World Cup also reaches an altitude of 1.261 mt for the first time.
Saturday’s free practice session showed the potential of the Val di Sole event, but the fans are focused on tomorrow’s appointments: the Elite Women race scheduled from 13.30 CET, followed by the Elite Men race at 14.55 CET. Another official practice session is scheduled on tomorrow morning (11.00-13.20 CET), when athletes will look to review the lines and finalize the last details on their choice of materials.
Useless to say who the cover guys are: 3-time Cyclocross World Champion Wout Van Aert looks to repeat himself in Val di Sole after ruling his opponents in the season debut in Boom, but Brit Tom Pidcock and World Cup leader Eli Iserbyt have the common goal to stand against the Belgian star.
Looking to upset the plans of the favorites will be Dutchman Corne Van Kessel and two more Belgian riders, Quinten Hermans and Tom Meeusen, the latter a specialist of cold conditions. Gioele Bertolini and Jakob Dorigoni are the most awaited Italian riders on the starting grid.
An exciting battle is expected also in the Women’s race with 4 Orange riders starting as top favorites: Marianne Vos, Puck Pieterse, Denise Betsema and Fem Van Empel. 3-time World Champion Sanne Cant and Italians Alice Maria Arzuffi and Eva Lechner will also try to be in contention for the top positions.
After hosting the 2019 Cyclocross European Championships in Silvelle di Trebaseleghe (Veneto), Italy returns to breath the cyclocross atmosphere with an event set to make history. A new cyclocross formula in which Flanders Classic and the local organizers have believed since the beginning. The bar is set high: not only putting up a great show, but also knocking at the International Olympic Committee’s door. The dream is breaking into the Winter Olympics program, and Val di Sole can be a key dress rehearsal to strengthen these ambitions.
The Val di Sole Cyclocross World Cup stage will be broadcast live all over the world thanks to an extensive TV and streaming coverage, as well as the UCI platforms and YouTube channel.
In Italy, the coverage will be granted by Raisport and Eurosport Player. Eurosport will broadcast all over Europe. Flo Sports will bring the event to North America (US and Canada), while Sky Sport 5 will cover Australia and Supersport will cover in South Africa. France and Czech Republic will also tune in on the race thanks to L’Equipe TV Web and Ceskatelevize respectively, as well as Benelux, the home of cyclocross: Proximus and Play Sports Open will live broadcast the event in Belgium whilst EEN will cover with the highlights. NOS will bring the event to the Netherlands, whilst TV2 Play and TV2 Sport 2 will grant coverage in Denmark and Norway, respectively.
Tickets for the event are for sale on valdisolebikeland.com at the price of 10€. To access the event, it is mandatory to show a COVID Pass obtained exclusively from vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 in the previous six months. The LOC has made available two free parking areas for the public: the Velon Parking on the road to Tonale Pass and the Fucine Parking located further downstream. Parking areas are connected to the racing field by a free shuttle service, from 09.00 to 18.30 CET.
