The cyclocross riders took action on Sunday on the Italian island of Sardinia for the World Cup, and there was certainly a lot to experience, especially in the men's race, but former cyclocross rider Bart Wellens also voices a different perspective in his column for Het Nieuwsblad.
Wellens also enjoyed the sporting battle in Terralba but at the same time noticed the low turnout for the race. "What unfortunately also struck me was the limited attendance in Sardinia. And I mean both in terms of riders and the crowd. I understand the desire to internationalize cyclocross, but to do that on an island with difficult access… Just getting the equipment there is quite a challenge. The same goes for the team vans and camper vehicles."
After the women's race finish, there was a striking image: winner Lucinda Brand immediately headed to the sea to wash the mud off her body right after crossing the line. According to Wellens, this raises some questions. "Brand washing herself in the sea makes for beautiful pictures, but that can't really be what we want, can it?"
Bathing in success 🤩
Lucinda Brand hopped straight in after another dominant victory in Terralba 💪 pic.twitter.com/mCJ4E7vCZO
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) December 7, 2025
On internationalization: "It must not come at the expense of the sport itself"
"You also saw that almost only Belgians, Dutch, and Italians started. For the big Belgian teams, that trip is still manageable, but for Czechs or Swiss riders, it's much more complicated. It’s not just a matter of getting a bike there. I saw a great race in a beautiful setting, but we have to be critical of the biggest event in the sport. Because that’s what the World Cup wants to be, right?
Wellens does understand, however, why the cyclocross circuit landed on Sardinia on Sunday. "I fully understand the philosophy of Flanders Classics, the World Cup organizer. They want to go to special locations to give cyclocross a unique dimension. But it must not come at the expense of the sport itself."
The cyclocross World Cup could become a bit more international in the coming years. Organizer Flanders Classics and the UCI are actively pushing for races in countries that previously did not (often) have a place in the overall World Cup classification.
“We have a lot of interesting courses lined up for the coming years. Also in non-traditional cyclocross countries. We are hopeful that we can bring the World Cup there,” recently told Tomas Van Den Spiegel, CEO of organizer Flanders Classics, on our website. "There is always interest from other time zones, let’s be clear. But the challenge for us lies between interest and feasibility."
