Flanders Classics counters Sven Nys' arguments: "Some believe this, others think that"

Next Sunday, a new World Cup race will occur in Italy. Part of the cyclo-cross world will journey to Sardinia for the battle in Cabras, where the local organization has set up a new race in collaboration with Flanders Classics. Chris Mannaerts, Head of Cyclo-cross at Flanders Classics, explains the event in conversation with IDLProCycling.com. 

Like every winter, the World Cup is a topic of conversation. Too long, too short, too close together, too many trips, and not enough top riders ... Also, this season, here and there, the necessary questions are raised about how it could be even better. The fact is that we are going to Sardinia on Sunday. "I'm going to have to wait and see what that race is going to be like. Hopefully, the race in Sardinia will succeed so that we won't stop after just one race," said Sven Nys.

As Nys explained to us, logistically, it is quite a puzzle. "We have one big truck available to travel between locations, where we put all the material," Nys clarified. "It was headed for Ireland by boat the Thursday before going to Dublin, and then it'll travel directly to Italy. They do that by taking the boat to France, driving there to Italy, and then to Sardinia. Those people are on the road for two weeks, for roughly two hours of competition. It's a tricky combination, but it's too complex."

We also hear such thoughts from the riders. Some of them (including Thibau Nys, Fem van Empel, and Laurens Sweeck) are leaving the cyclo-cross in Sardinia for what it is, while others (such as Lucinda Brand and Michael Vanthourenhout) are opting for more training. And Flanders Classics is reaching out to others with a charter flight to create less-than-optimal conditions for the participants.

Read more below the photo!

Thibau Nys is not riding in Sardinia. 

Interview Chris Mannaerts (Flanders Classics) about World Cup Sardinia

Chris, first of all: why Sardinia?

"It all starts, of course, with applications we receive. We had some from Italy, but finally, we settled on Sardinia for this year. It's something different. Every year, we have a newcomer at the World Cup."

What does the local organization want to achieve by hosting a cyclo-cross World Cup? Is that tourism, promotion of sports on that island, or something else entirely?

"Cyclo-cross remains a great TV product, and it is also for the region of Sardinia. The sport is very popular in Belgium and the Netherlands, so the Sardinia tourist office also provides the necessary support for the local organization. Thanks to that funding, we can also go to that place."

You obviously know all about it, so how are things developing there?

"We are in full swing, with many Belgian companies coming to help. The people building the courses in Hulst and Kruibeke are also helping us set the course there. If I had to describe it, I would come up with a mix of Benidorm, with fairly hard gravel and the sandy strips of Antwerp.

It is not completely along the beach because it consists of a specific type of cobblestones. You can't drive through that; that's blasphemy. So there's some other sand spread throughout the course, including one big sand mountain. That's where the riders will really have to climb up."

Read more below the photo!

What have you done to make it attractive to the riders?

"We've been working on that because we know it's harder to get there in the winter. So we have offered a charter flight to all the teams, which will leave Saturday morning at nine o'clock and fly back Sunday night at 9:30. So we have put in extra investment on that front. However, many riders are also coming from Spain or heading to Italy earlier, but even so, we already have forty riders and team managers on that charter."

The start list isn't that bad, either.

"Certainly not; it's decent for a first edition there. Of course, we have to think about that trip, but it's not impossible. Last year we went to America, so then Sardinia is not impractical."

Sven Nys said: my staff members are gone for two weeks, for two hours of competition.

"That's always with a trip like that. You can't put Sardinia in the Christmas period because it doesn't go with all the other races. That's exactly why you look for a place where it can. Anyway, the perfect calendar does not exist. You can see that in the choices the riders make. Some find this a logical combination; others find that. We have proposed it now, and then we can evaluate it afterward."

Does such a new destination appeal to the riders?

"In Dublin, for example, the riders really like that; you feel they appreciate it. In that respect, that's a hit you hope to achieve with other destinations."

Let's hope so!

Read also

Van Empel, Alvarado, Nys, and Sweeck will not compete on Sunday: "Training kilometers ahead of the Christmas period"

Visma | Lease a Bike casts doubt on Van Aert's comeback: "He's not ahead of schedule, let's put it that way"

Does Visma | Lease a Bike already have successors to Van Empel and Vos? "You hope they can fulfill that role"

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