Well, well, well. here’s a sentence you probably never
expected: cyclocross at La Planche des Belles Filles. But if the 2030 Winter
Olympic Games organising committee in France has its way, that could soon become
reality.
According to L’Équipe, a formal bid has been
submitted to include cyclocross as part of the Olympic programme. with La
Planche des Belles Filles as the proposed venue. It's an idea that combines one
of road cycling's most iconic modern climbs with the fast, muddy chaos of
cyclocross.
La Planche is etched into cycling history. It’s the place
where Tadej Pogacar stunned Primoz Roglic on the final time trial of the 2020
Tour de France. In 2022, the 'Super' version of the climb pushed even higher,
adding gravel to the punishment, and once again Pogacar was the first man on
top. But no one could have imagined it hosting Olympic cyclocross.
Now, that vision is gaining momentum. The bid has drawn
backing from major figures, including UCI President David Lappartient and
former French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, who sits on the 2030 Winter Games
organising committee. Barnier recently attended the 2025 Cyclocross World
Championships in Liévin and was won over by the atmosphere. “I was very
impressed by the popular success of cyclocross,” he said.
It’s easy to see why the French are keen. As event
co-ordinator Jean-Pierre Lefèvre puts it, “We are located just a four-hour
drive from Belgium and the Netherlands, where cyclocross culture is robust. We
know how to make it work; it will be a grand celebration.”
If successful, this could open the Olympic door to a
generation of stars, and maybe even a familiar face. Mathieu van der Poel won a
record equalling seventh cyclocross world title earlier this year. By 2030,
he’ll be 35. Whether he’s still racing or not, the chance to chase Olympic gold
in cyclocross would complete the set for a rider who’s already competed in
Olympic road and mountain bike disciplines.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- I think that they're not really used to dealing with this type of incident in a cyclocross race, and the situation has been magnified because it was a race for a championship title. It's very unfortunate that the race had to be decided in this way.
santiagobenites07-11-2026 - Seriously why do they keep doing stupid things like this. Its one thing to relegate when the placings are minor, when the action is blatant. But when it is ambiguous, why dont they at least take advice from some higher up to avoid embarrassing themselves. This is similar to the Halland goal when his teammate was clearly offside and interfered in play and VAR gave them the goal. if you dont have evidence you cannot convict. Even for doping they have these rulesabstractengineer07-11-2026
- So all those who went to watch, including all from abroad, waled there, spent nothing? Most places hosting events of the sort manage to make it worthwhile. If it was so obviously fruitless, don’t you think by now they’d have run out of hosting candidates? Why do you think the Tour can command such high prices for departure and arrival locations? If it didn’t bring anything locally they’d have to pay to get authorisation to use cities.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- What a travesty ! That little deviation did nothing to impede Brand !frieders307-11-2026
- I also wanne beat Pogacar in the tour but it aint gonne happen. Jonas unfortunately getting dropped by del toro and seixas several times this TDF and jonas team is very weak and joinas on way down, it aint happening thats clear. its also clear it only happened cause Pogacar was hurt and had a broken wrist that time everytime both full strenght its not close we just have to be honest about it :/miguel07-11-2026
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- Looking at that photo she appears to be several feet from her. I’m not sure how that impeded brands sprint.mij07-11-2026
- Lucky to not get disqualified
leedorney07-11-2026
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