The CEO of Flanders Classics comments on the return of the cyclocross World Cup to Italy with a unique event. "It’s a charming experiment, surrounded by great expectation and media attention: it will be very important for the Olympic perspective"
It may be for his 214 cm of height, but Tomas Van den Spiegel is clearly a man who flies high. Since 2018, the former basketball player has been CEO of Flanders Classics the company that organizes and manages, events such as the Tour of Flanders and Gand-Wevelgem, among others, and from this year also the UCI Cyclocross World Cup.
Since he was handed the helm of Flanders Classics, innovation, spectacularization and value creation for the fans have been central to the strategy of an increasingly important organizational hub, fresh from the resounding success of the UCI Road World Championships in Flanders (Belgium) in September. An approach that Van den Spiegel is also bringing to Cyclocross, and the most shining example is arguably the World Cup stage that this weekend, on December 11th and 12th, will reach for the first time the 1.261 meters above sea level of Vermiglio, Val di Sole, in the shadow of Passo Tonale, in the extreme north-west of the Trentino region.
Top end cyclocross has repeatedly encountered snow in the cold winters of Northern Europe, but never before had an event of the discipline been organized with the precise project of being disputed on the white surface: an idea made possible by the encounter and the synergy with Val di Sole, that offered the ideal conditions to test this new path.
"Val di Sole has a great deal of organizational experience, and a clear vision of events and the bicycle as a key vehicle for promoting tourism in the area," explained Van den Spiegel. “In addition, the Flemish market, which is obviously central to the cyclocross discipline, is very important for this region. At the Mountain Bike World Championships, in August, I saw a very strong organizational team in action, capable of understanding the dynamics of an event of this extent like a few others."
Val di Sole’s event also marks the return of the World Cup to Italy after five years, which was another goal of the new deal of Flanders Classics: "Italy is an important market for us. In 2019 we went to the European Championships in Silvelle di Trebaseleghe, the success of which was enlightening. From there, it became clear that there is a strong community of enthusiasts in Italy, the interest is high and there is the right environment to create great successful events in cyclocross."
“The tradition that Italy has in this discipline also should not be overlooked,” continued Van den Spiegel, “and that’s a country we want to have permanently in our calendar in the coming years, as well as we hope for a great future with Val di Sole. For a long time we had not had so much buzz around an event like we are having for the Trentino’s one, and we hope that Val di Sole can become a regular and important stage for the Cyclocross World Cup, as it happened in Mountain Biking."
Snow represents at the same time an element of curiosity and an unknown factor for everyone, athletes, insiders, and even for Van den Spiegel himself: "Honestly, we still don't know for sure what kind of impact snow will have on a technical level: the technical team has been working on the course since last Saturday, but the conditions change often. What I can say is that from all the athletes I perceive a great desire and curiosity to deal with this novelty, and in terms of images, I expect an event of great impact. We will make a final assessment on Sunday night, but I am confident it will be a great success."
On Sunday, December 12th, when the two scheduled races (Elite Men and Women) will take place, many eyes will be on Vermiglio, and not only to follow the anticipated duel between Wout Van Aert and Tom Pidcock: it is no secret that cyclocross aims to enter the Winter Olympics program, for which it is essential that the discipline takes place on snow or ice. Therefore, Val di Sole's innovation can have a significant impact on the five-circle project.
In this regard, Van den Spiegel remained cautious: “There is an ongoing discussion at the IOC regarding the opportunity of bringing cyclocross to the Olympics, and this is very important, but we must not think as we have already gotten there. The Val di Sole event is an important test for us too: we have a goal clearly set in mind, but there is still a path we have to go through, to which having a great event this weekend is totally instrumental.”
The program of the cyclocross World Cup in Val di Sole will start on Saturday, December 11th, with free practice from 14:00 to 16:00 (CET), and then again on Sunday, December 12th from 11:30 to 13:20 (CET). On Sunday, the Elite Women’s race will start at 13:30 CET, followed by the Elite Men’s race at 14:55 CET.
Tickets are on sale at www.valdisolebikeland.com. A COVID Pass from vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 in the previous six months (Italy’s “Green Pass Rafforzato”) is required to access the event.
