One of the most iconic cyclocross tracks, Koksijde, will not be in the World Cup next season and is expected to be a part of the X2O Trofee instead.
"The decision has already been taken by the council of aldermen but now still has to be approved by the city council. The Duinencross [Koksijde] will take place next winter, but no longer as a world cup," Dirk Dawyndt, alderman of sport, said on an interview with Het Nieuwsblad.
He added, "It is no longer financially justifiable to organize a race with public money. Moreover, Flanders Classics imposes too many restrictions on us, for example with regard to sponsoring. We want more control over our competition, also over the field of participants. The only obstacle is the date, but the two proposals we have received, one of which is during the Christmas holidays, are good for us."
After Namur, another big track disapears from the World Cup calendar next year. Koksijde is famous for it's massive sand dunes which see the riders go up and down teacherous features and make for a very popular fan destination, it's a race that always atracts the big names and they were won by Eli Iserbyt and Annemarie Worst this season.
Dawyndt questions: "Why should we pay a lot more for a place in the World Cup when it can be cheaper elsewhere and it is much more in return? Youth competitions, for example. We paid extra for this ourselves this year. Yes, you may know that we spoke to the people of Golazo. More than likely we will end up in the X2O Badkamer Trofee, and those races are also broadcast on television so nothing changes in terms of visibility."
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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🇧🇪 Koksijde won't be World Cup next season but highly likely X2O Trofee. "The World Cup was not longer financially justifiable from public money. And we want more control over our race. We have had two date proposals, of which one is in the Kerstperiode." nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf2022021…
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