"If his team allowed it, Tadej Pogacar would jump straight back into cyclocross" — UCI chief hails rule shift that could tempt stars into the mud

Cyclocross may be on the brink of its biggest leap in decades — and in the eyes of UCI Director of Sport Peter Van Den Abeele, even cycling’s most dominant Grand Tour rider could soon return to the mud.

With a major UCI rule change coming in 2027 that will allow WorldTour teams to earn points from off-road disciplines, Van Den Abeele believes the incentive structure is shifting — and that the next generation of Pogacars and Van der Poels will be shaped across multiple arenas, not just the road.

And, he suggests, one global superstar wouldn’t need much convincing. “Don’t forget, Tadej Pogacar also raced cross. If his team allowed it, he’d jump straight back in,” he recently commented intriguingly to Het Nieuwsblad.

A simple sentence, but one that hints at a future where the biggest names in road cycling treat winter mud not as a risk — but as a resource.

Van Den Abeele points to the success of the Roodhooft brothers’ multi-discipline structure at Alpecin-Deceuninck — behind Mathieu van der Poel’s rise — as evidence of where the sport is heading. “They show that you can easily debut in another discipline and still grow into a top rider on the road.”

And with UCI ranking points soon to be available outside the road scene, gains could be strategic as well as developmental.

“For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Wout van Aert’s points won’t be important, but for the smaller teams it’s interesting. Team Jayco AlUla has the mountain-bike world champion. EF Education-EasyPost has set up a cyclocross team. These are small steps in the right direction.”

Despite the growth of new destinations like Benidorm, Van Den Abeele stressed that Belgium remains cyclocross’ spiritual and economic engine:

“Cross is still very much alive in Flanders, but I’m especially pleased that it’s also gaining popularity outside our region. The Worlds in Lievin were a great success. Benidorm has become a blockbuster, Tabor remains a classic. But we can’t deny it: the races in Flanders are still the strongest.”

However, he believes carefully expanding the calendar is essential: “A complete reset makes no sense… but two major international races more would bring more balance.”

Cyclocross remains in contention for inclusion at the 2030 Winter Olympics, with discussions ongoing. “It is not approved yet, but it has not been swept off the table.”

And if the IOC gives the green light, Van Den Abeele believes national investment and rider pathways would change overnight. “It would be the step towards full recognition of cyclocross. Federations would then be willing to invest. Too much talent still gets lost… Mathieu van der Poel proves the combination works: seven times world cyclocross champion and he still wins his Classics every year.”

For a discipline rooted in Flemish farm tracks, Olympic rings would be the ultimate validation — and could see the sport’s biggest stars embrace winter competition again.

And if Pogacar ever gets the nod from UAE Team Emirates - XRG? Cyclocross fans know exactly what kind of chaos would follow.