After the 2022 Cyclocross World Championships were held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, it seemed as though the sport was only going to go from strength to strength in the United States. However, that progress has been somewhat reversed by the recent announcement that the UCI World Cup will be held solely in Europe next season.
The round in Waterloo, Wisconsin, has been axed for the 2024/25 season, with no World Cup races set to be held outside of Europe. In reaction to this, American cyclocross rider Curtis White said in an interview with Cyclingnews that “we are back to where we were 10 years ago with the World Cup being around a handful of Euro countries”.
Canadian rider Maghalie Rochette also spoke to Cyclingnews, as she stated that “it’s definitely a bummer to not have a World Cup in North America, or anywhere outside Europe this year. It feels a little bit like a step back in the progression of our sport”.
She did not place any of the blame on the race organisers though, as she said “putting on a World Cup race costs a lot of money, it is a big commitment. If they can’t cover their fees with fans and amateur racers, then, it means our sports is sadly not in the best place right now”.
White did manage to find a potential silver lining in all of this though, as he went on to say that “there is now no excuse to not promote our national scene and national series, the USCX. There are no conflicts, and athletes can focus 100% on USCX, good prize money, then shift focus to the World Cup later in the season”.
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