After the cyclo-cross World Cup, which takes place on the beach this Sunday, the Spanish city of Benidorm is working to host the World Cup in 2029, we have learned. DirectVeloconfirming sources published in the daily AS.
Benidorm wants to support its candidacy on its experience of the Benidorm-Costa Blanca Cyclo-cross World Cup, which it has hosted since 2023 and which attracted 15,000 spectators in 2024. This candidacy could also be pushed by the various communities (municipality, province of Alicante, community of Valencia), all led by the Spanish Popular Party (right).
Recognizable by its tall buildings on the Mediterranean coast, Benidorm has around 100,000 inhabitants and attracts 1.8 million vacationers per year. In 1992, the city saw the Italian Gianni Bugno become World Road Champion ahead of Laurent Jalabert.
39 YEARS AFTER GETXO?
-Its cyclo-cross circuit is also very atypical in the World Cup. It takes place on dry terrain, sometimes forested, sometimes urban portions, which favors high speeds. The organizers have also had to make safety improvements since 2023: placing mattresses on trees and poles, widening the part of the circuit which crosses the forest, etc.
With a view to the 2029 World Cup, discussions have already taken place between the Spanish organizers and the UCI, which will make its decision at the end of September during its annual Congress in Kigali (Rwanda). The 2028 and 2030 Cyclo-cross World Championships have already been awarded, respectively to Hoogerheide (Netherlands) and Namur (Belgium).
The Cyclo-cross World Championship has never returned to Spain since the 1990 organization in Getxo, in the Basque Country.
