"The reform of the World Cup was really not just to appease Wout and Mathieu" - Thomas van den Spiegel

Thomas van den Spiegel, director of Flanders classics - who organizes the cyclocross World Cup - has taken a different path this winter, reducing the amount of races in the competition and compacting them into a smaller time space. This was ultimately made to the benefit of it's startlists and the pure crossers, he guarrantees that it was not made thinking of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert even though the competition will benefit from the duo's presence.

"That concerns Mathieu and Wout, but also every multi-talented cyclocross rider who combines road, gravel and cyclocross," he says in words to Het Laatste Nieuws. This year from late November to late January - with two weekends that features 2 consecutive races - it becomes much more manageable for riders to race all or most rounds... 11 this year, instead of the 14 of last winter.

"Because the road season is getting longer and longer, we were looking for an attractive place for cyclocross without sidelining ourselves and so that it can benefit from the slipstream of Mathieu and Wout, who were the first to show that you can be top in various cycling disciplines," he explains. "But the reform of the World Cup was really not just to appease Wout and Mathieu".

Read also

"With Mathieu, everything is focused on the World Championship" - Father Adrie assures van der Poel's main goal for the winter

By coincidence, van der Poel will ride a very packed Christmas schedule that will include four World Cup races. He will then race two more in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide in the final weekend of the competition - over half of all races. "'I definitely give that an eight. I am very satisfied with it. Mathieu rides almost everything during the Christmas period".

"Wout only rides six crosses, because he was competitive later due to that knee injury. But to be clear: I do not interfere with the riders' program, let alone lobby for it," he assures. "I am mainly concerned with the overarching story: where are we going with cyclocross?"

With both men and women at the very top combining cyclocross with other disciplines, and some of it's stars gaining huge notoriety in the road, the discipline seems to be having some growth once again - combining big faces with the very exciting cross races we have been treated to between the 'traditional' specialists that are very equal to each other since the season's start.

Read also

"I dare not call that the reason why Mathieu and Wout are not riding here now" - Superprestige Diegem organizers deeply disapointed to be only Christmas cross without the 'big two'

OFFICIAL | Mathieu van der Poel back to cyclocross - 11 races, 4 races against Wout van Aert and World Championships!