Although the cyclo-cross season has resumed for several months, theExact Cross de Loenhout which takes place on Friday December 27 in Belgium will give enormous visibility to the discipline thanks to the presence of the two plowed stars, Mathieu Van der Poel et Wout Van Aert. Initially planned in Mol during the Telenet Super prestigethe reunion between the two rivals will finally take place this Friday, to the delight of the organizers and fans. One of the competitors of the two behemoths, the French Clement Venturinianalyzed with pragmatism the situation in which cyclo-cross has been plunged in recent years, since the emergence of this duo which sweeps away everything in its path.
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The duo's schedule dictates the schedule
For several years, Mathieu Van der Poel et Wout Van Aert keep postponing their entries into the cyclo-cross season, they who continue directly with the road season. This disengagement of the duo inevitably pushes the organizers to postpone the start of the racing season more and more. World Cup. In 2020, the first round of the competition was held on September 14. The following year, we had to wait until October 10 to see the crossmen present themselves at Waterloo for the start of hostilities. This year marks even more the desire to adapt to the preparation of MVDP and WVA since It was in Antwerp that the kick-off was blown on November 24. “When we organize in October and we have 5,000 people. while in December we have 15,000, I think the calculation is quickly doneconcedes Clement Venturini in remarks relayed by Eurosport. The organizers of the World Cup are thinking about that.“
Generational appeal
The resident ofArkéa – B&B Hotels notes with regret that its discipline is dictated by the presence of these champions who little by little concentrate mainly on road events like Wout Van Aert recently confided. “Unfortunately, that's how it isnotes Clement Venturini. It's by generations. There were (Zdenek) Stybar, (Sven) Nys, (Niels) Albert. There was a bit of a gap in the popularity of cyclocross when it left. And there, presto, here we go again. So I think it's a bit cyclical. It's true that with all the respect I have for pure cyclocross riders, Mathieu (Van der Poel) and Wout (Van Aert) have set the bar so high that I don't know if there will be a nugget that will attract audiences within 3-4 years.“
