“An organizer of an amateur cross created a UCI event himself, because he knew that Felipe needed the points" - Benidorm World Cup organiser praises impact of Felipe Orts

The UCI World Cup heads to Benidorm this weekend for the latest round of action. Prior to the race, organiser, Fran Reyes has recalled the success of last year's event and the impact of Felipe Orts on the Spanish cyclocross scene.

“The first edition exceeded all our expectations," Reyes recalls beamingly to Wielerflits. “In all honesty, we planned an event with a maximum of 6,000 to 8,000 spectators. But I have to say: it boomed , in two ways. We had the best possible starting field, with Wout van Aert , Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock . But the large number of spectators was also part of the success. We went over 10,000 people, I think even closer to 15,000. The weather was excellent, the circuit was in good condition. It was such a special day that we can all only look back on positively.”

The likes of Pidcock, van Aert and van der Poel will all be in action again this weekend, as will Spanish cyclocross hero, Felipe Orts. Whilst the Spanish aren't as historical in cyclocross as a nation like Belgium or the Netherlands, Orts is bringing more and more Spanish eyes to the discipline says Reyes.

"You immediately noticed that the entire Spanish cyclocross scene embraced our event. And make no mistake: that scene was already growing in the Valencia region. For that, I have to give all the credit to Felipe Orts," Reyes explains. "Suddenly we had a competitive rider in the region again: very important to arouse people's interest.”

“I know an organizer of an amateur cross who decided to create a UCI event himself, especially because he knew that Felipe needed the points for a good starting position at the World Championships. That is just a small example of how everyone in the region has contributed effort, know-how and hard work in their own way to regain the power for the cross in Spain," continues Reyes' praise. "This World Cup in Benidorm was the icing on the cake, but the cake was already there. Behind the scenes, work on the Spanish cross has been going on for some time.”

“A friend of mine always says: all you have to do to create a world-class cycling event in Alicante at this time of year is build a finish line," he laughs. "You will always have good participation, because the teams can train here back-to-back for two weeks. The fact that the riders had a lot of fun here last year will also help. Wout van Aert said that even on Saturday during the reconnaissance there were so many spectators that it felt like it was a competition.”