Why not a cross on Monday? How big is the hangover? A rematch next year? 6 questions after the World Cup cancellation in Cabras

There was a winner in Cabras yesterday: common sense. Cross-country skiing was irresponsible in such weather conditions. The World Cup, a first in Sardinia, was canceled due to the heavy wind. But after the Sardinian storm, some pressing questions remain.

Even though it is December, we almost always associate Sardinia with sun, sea and beach.

In the first part of last week that first ingredient was still present, but the closer to D-Day, the more the sun had to make way for clouds and gusts of wind.

And yet Sunday’s stormy weather came quite unexpectedly. “We have never seen this here,” residents in Cabras told our reporter.

Gusts were of course predicted, but they turned out to be much stronger than expected. “It was only during the night from Saturday to Sunday that the weather changed,” sighed organizer Flanders Classics.

CEO Tomas Van Den Spiegel: “The weather has been great in recent days. I was sent videos of explorations at 25 degrees. Even at this time of the year, they are not familiar with this weather.”

“It’s force majeure and bad luck. Something like that can happen if you organize such an event in the winter. There is always a risk factor.”

It was only during the night from Saturday to Sunday that the weather changed.

Tomas Van Den Spiegel (Flanders Classics)

No cross on Sunday, but on Monday? It is not that simple, says Van Den Spiegel. “You are stuck with sporting regulations. This is also not easy from a logistical point of view.”

“There is the live television broadcast, there are many employees who fly home on a charter on Sunday evening. We did not want to cause more chaos. We were really caught by the weather conditions.”

“We looked at many options and we waited a relatively long time before making the decision, because the wind would die down in the afternoon. But it made no sense.”

Naturally, no one wanted to mention specific amounts (it is said to be a cost of 600,000 euros), but Flanders Classics cannot deny that the cancellation is a major blow to the bill. “It is logical that a canceled cross has financial consequences for all stakeholders.”

“Initially my thoughts go out to the organizer,” added Jurgen Mettepenningen (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) at Play Sports. “I am also the organizer of the World Cup in Dendermonde, so I know what it is like to organize something like this.”

“This is really a tragedy for those people here. I hope they will be supported by the government. That will be really necessary, because these costs will be very high.”

“How high? Well, a World Cup in Belgium costs around 300,000 euros. Here it will be a lot less, but still. I really hope that they get all the support and that they get a second chance next year. “

This is really a tragedy for those people here. I hope they are supported by the government. That will be really necessary, because these costs will be very high.

Jurgen Mettepenningen (team boss Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal)

“As a team, this is of course also a drama,” said Jurgen Mettepenningen. “We have incurred a lot of costs to get here. Logistically this is not easy.”

“There are people who have been away from home for two weeks and then you get this. Okay, that is pure force majeure. Nobody can do anything about this. It is very unfortunate and dramatic for everyone.”

What does the concrete cost picture look like? “We were here with all our staff, with the truck and with the buses. That costs a lot of money, in terms of logistics and also in terms of hotel costs. It would be approximately 1,500 euros per person.”

“All in all, I think we are talking about a cost of around 10,000 euros. We have now lost that and we will have to see how we are going to solve that. But I repeat: my thoughts primarily go out to the organizer. “

Eli Iserbyt: “It’s a bit of a sour apple to bite the bullet, also financially. I think each rider has invested around 1,000 to 1,500 euros to be here. That is difficult to recover. But we try to stay positive .”

Sven Nys: “There are many people who have made great efforts to be able to race in Cabras. It is a shame. Safety comes first, even though it costs a lot of money. The consequences, also financial, of this cancellation are for later. “

That question does not seem to be on the minds of organizer Flanders Classics. “We have all seen how much this location can contribute to the World Cup. This cancellation should not play a role in the future.”

“The people here remain just as motivated and are already looking ahead. We try to be optimistic and we are also already looking at next year’s World Cup, because that composition is coming soon.”

Ex-cyclist Filippo Pozzato and his events agency are one of the driving forces behind cross-country in Sardinia. “We have a contract with this region for 2 years. Hopefully we will have a nice day next year.”

“This is life, right? We organize and control as much as possible, but we cannot be responsible for the weather. Of course this is a minor disaster now, but this is force majeure.”

We have a contract with this region for 2 years. Hopefully we will have a nice day next year.

Filippo Pozzato is in charge of this cross

Everyone sympathizes with the organizers, but the riders also share in the blows. Those who did make the effort to travel to Sardinia are left empty-handed.

“It’s a shame for me personally, because I have to catch up and I can’t work on that now,” said Toon Aerts, who can build up a better UCI ranking and starting position with WB points.

The International Cycling Union UCI will soon consider the consequences now that the World Cup has one round less than planned.

Sven Nys, team manager of Baloise Trek Lions, especially saw how this was a missed opportunity for Lucinda Brand. The Dutch champion could have deepened her bonus in the World Cup standings over Fem van Empel, absent in Sardinia. The world champion will be back in Namur next weekend.

“Lucinda may lose the final victory in the World Cup due to this cancellation,” said Nys. “She was able to secure her ranking here in Sardinia to a large extent. That did not work out.”