Niels Albert sees one of ways of improving World Cup in increased funding: "At least an additional 10,000 euros should be added to the prize pool"

Niels Albert, the columnist at Het Laatste Nieuws and a former cyclocross rider, also shares his opinion to on-going discussions regarding the World Cup state in his recent article. Unlike many others, he also suggests possible solutions.

He mainly looks at the financial picture. "Because if you finish tenth, you can't use that to buy bread the next day, so to speak. That's not right," he is convinced.

"It is of course a shame that Lars van der Haar, who is barely one point behind Iserbyt in the largest and most important classification, skips two of the next three races. However, the concept inevitably promotes that. Make it more attractive, I think then," Albert continues in a mild tone.

"There are many more races than a few years ago, while the prize money is still only 39,500 euros. and there are no reimbursements for expenses. Only the first five or six in the results earn a living from it. At least an additional 10,000 euros should be added," he makes a precise proposal.

Albert also supports Eli Iserbyt's idea to start the World Cup one month earlier. "This way you create potential time and space for four race," Albert thinks. "And then a kind of break can be taken at the end of November and beginning of December for two to three weeks, in the run-up to the busy end of the year and the championships."