“The challenge is to turn cyclocross into a product that will still appeal in 2030" - Cyclocross World Cup speaks out on future of the sport

Tomas Van Den Spiegel, the CEO of Flanders Classic has spoken out on his plans to make Cyclocross a must-watch piece of sporting action. "The challenge is to turn cyclocross into a product that will still appeal in 2030 within that range, without losing sight of tradition.”

With a cyclocross World Cup event taking place almost every week currently, Van Den Spiegel is keen to build on the hype around the sports stars such as Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock by having them enter the biggest races. "Participation is indeed one of our concerns. We have invested in cyclocross, we believe very much in it, but we need to look at how we can improve participation.”

One of his plans to ensure the biggest and best riders compete on a regular basis is to up the prize money on offer. "We have just put that starting money discussion in the fridge for now,” says Van Den Spiegel. “We try to structure and professionalize the proliferation in cyclo-cross.”

One of Van Den Spiegel's eyes is always on the future of the sport and developing it as best as possible. “In cyclocross, everyone is focused on today and tomorrow, but we also look at the long term,” the Fleming continued. “And I think we could sometimes get a little more help with that. Our ambition is sincere to give cyclocross the place it deserves as a sport.”