The third round of the Cyclo-cross World Cup takes place on the Italian island of Sardinia. Near the tiny fishing village of Marceddi, Terralba, a brand new course has been laid out. Today, racing will take place on this route; on Saturday, the riders were able to preview the circuit. Footage of this has already been shared.
A video from the UCI highlights, among other things, the lack of climbs. Chris Mannaerts, from the umbrella organizer Flanders Classics, previously told this site that the total elevation gain would be "less than one meter." "It’s really flat as a billiard table. But that doesn’t make it any less tough. Due to the rainfall, the surface is much heavier than expected. In the summer, we thought we would have to slow the pace a few times on the course to avoid it becoming too dangerous. That’s definitely not the case.”
Course checked. Time to send it! 🇮🇹 #CXWorldCup #FLCS pic.twitter.com/oGxN2dv4t1
— UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup (@UCIcyclocrossWC) December 6, 2025
The highlight of the circuit is four short sandy sections. “Don’t think of a beach like in Ostend. These are more like sandy paths through greenery, similar to what you find in places like Oostmalle. But with much less sand. Apart from that, the terrain is mainly very green. It’s a beautiful course with wide stretches. We made sure not to turn it into a cyclocross sprint course, but designed a race with good flow.”
Additionally, the route includes a log barrier section, which Mannaerts says happens to be in a very tough spot. “Riders will have to dismount there. Then it goes quickly towards the final sandy section and just before the finish there’s a small climb near the chapel, where they will have to dismount a second time before sprinting to the line. All those little details will wear on them.”
