Spain is back in the «select club» of host countries of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup
The UCI Cyclocross World Cup, the most important and prestigious competition in the winter cycling calendar, will travel back to Spain in the 2022-2023 season. The one to be held in Benidorm on the 22nd of January 2023 will be the thirteenth and penultimate round, and therefore, a decisive event in the fight for the final victory in the general classification.
After eleven years of absence, Spain is once again part of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup, a competition that has experienced a spectacular increase in its following in recent years and it does so with a completely new race and circuit, something that will be an added incentive for cyclists and fans.
The first edition of the event to be held in the Costa Blanca was presented this Tuesday, 5th of April, in Madrid with the presence of some of the most prominent actors in the Spanish cyclocross scene. Riders such as Felipe Orts (Burgos-BH), the best specialist in the history of Spanish cycling; Lucía González (Nesta-MMR), or Kevin Suárez (Nesta-MMR) did not want to miss this important event.
Alongside them, team managers and the president of the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC), José Luis López Cerrón, did not want to miss the opportunity to welcome the new race organized by Pascual Momparler, CEO of Momparler Cycling. The official presentation also had the support of the mayor of the host city, Toni Pérez and the president of the Spanish Sport Council, José Luis Franco.
Tomas Van den Spiegel (CEO Flanders Classics): « Benidorm will be one of next season’s main events »
«Last year we already had some great new venues in Italy and France which have also been confirmed for the new season. Now, we are especially pleased to return to Spain after more than ten years of absence.»
«We have chosen this specific date for Benidorm because it is a period in which the cyclists like to combine training with races and, without a doubt, Benidorm will be one of the main events of the next season.»
«A completely new circuit will also make it very exciting for the fans. We have a lot of confidence in the organization and the city of Benidorm. Together we will do everything to make it a first-class event.»
Pascual Momparler (CEO Momparler Cycling): « Spain has returned to the select club of organizing countries of the World Cup »
«In my opinion, the most important thing is that Spain and the Valencian Community are going to have, with the one to be held in Benidorm, a World Cup event.»
«Cyclocross in the Valencian Community was started by my father many years ago and, in the end, his effort will be rewarded.»
«A long time ago we set ourselves the challenge of creating one of the great races that Spain was missing: a cyclocross World Cup event to return to that select club of organizing countries and now we have achieved it.»
«I want to thank the Diputación de Alicante and the Benidorm City Council, who opened their doors to us in an incredible way, helping us to make this a reality and who have rowed just like us to achieve it. I am overwhelmed by how they have received me and, above all, I feel an incredible desire for January to arrive so that everyone can see what we are capable of doing in Spain, the Valencian Community, Alicante and Benidorm.»
Toni Pérez (Mayor of Benidorm): « Too many years have passed since Spain has not hosted a cyclocross UCI World Cup event »
«This is a new challenge for our city. We have an organizational history since that 1992 World Championship. Too many years have passed since then, as too many years have passed since Spain has not hosted a cyclocross UCI World Cup event.»
«Opening 2023 with such a great race that brings the world of cycling even closer to Benidorm is a great opportunity and allows our city to give back all what cycling has given us.»
«Benidorm is a leader tourist destination with a great attraction in Central European countries, where this cycling discipline is very popular and, therefore, the Benidorm-Costa Blanca race is a great promotional tool.»
José Luis López Cerrón (President of the Spanish Cycling Federation): « The race in Benidorm becomes a new benchmark for our sport »
«Cyclocross in Spain has experienced an interesting growth and development in the last decade that has brought with it the rise of more and better structures, races and an excellent generation of cyclists.»
«The return of Spain to the UCI World Cup calendar with the evento to be held in Benidorm is the icing on the cake of this process and the well-deserved award to the entire national cyclocross for its work over all these years.»
«For the Spanish Cycling Federation it is an immense joy that the fans of our country are going to be able to enjoy with the most outstanding specialists of today’s cycling.»
«Since its birth, the Benidorm-Costa Blanca race has become a new benchmark for our sport, so I want to thank and congratulate the organizers and all those who have made it possible for making true the dream of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup to return to Spain.»
José Manuel Franco (President of the Spanish Sports Council): « The Benidorm-Costa Blanca race is an example of inclusion and equality »
«The Benidorm-Costa Blanca is a race that constitutes an example of inclusion and equality and, for this reason, I am especially pleased that the prize money is identical for men and women and that equal visibility is pursued.»
Felipe Orts (Spanish cyclocross champion): « It would be a very nice day to get into the top5 for the first time »
«It is a great joy as a cyclocross fan to see that the best competition in the world returns to Spain and that it does so in Benidorm, so close to my home town.»
«There are still many months to come, but from a sportive point of view, there is no doubt that now we have everything in our favour. Normally, it’s the other way round as we have to travel and go to their terrain.»
«I don’t dare to predict a result, but the goal will be to be in the top ten and, with the extra motivation of racing at home, to opt for everything. Although I know it is very difficult and I have never achieved it, it would be a very nice day to get into the top5 for the first time.»
Lucía González (Spanish cyclocross champion): « It is the first time that the UCI Women’s World Cup arrives in Spain »
«I am very excited about the event in Benidorm-Costa Blanca. It is the first time that the UCI World Cup arrives in Spain in the women’s category and, therefore, it is something historic.»
«We, as riders, will have all the support from the fans and that will make it a day marked on the calendar to try to give our best and enjoy this day.»
«Competing at home is a plus of motivation not only to compete that day, but also to face all the previous months of preparation. From now on we are giving it all to arrive in the best conditions to that day.»
