Cyclocross world cup where it takes place

A dazzling scenario. Hundreds of meters of very fine and rounded grains of quartz, ranging from pure white to delicate pink. The sea goes from emerald green to blue. Around a wild landscape. We are on the Sinis peninsula, in the territory of Cabras, province of Oristano, western coast of Sardinia. Western films were filmed here in the 70s, and now on Sunday the cyclocross champions arrive on the beach of Is Arutas, the most famous one in the Sinis marine area. It is the third stage of the World Cup, organized by Flanders Classics (the same structure that takes care of all the Northern classics, such as the Tour of Flanders) with the collaboration of the Sardinian company Crazy Wheels, of PP Sport Events (of the former professional Pippo Pozzato) and the Municipality of Cabras, with the precious contribution of the Tourism Department of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, the Mont’e Prama Foundation and the collaboration of the Marine Protected Area Sinis Peninsula.

from Antwerp to the island

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A unique and magical event, another frontier that breaks down. Cyclocross means mud and meadows, where the wheels sink and you can’t make out the faces of the riders. Then the sand of the North Sea, like the route of Antwerp in Belgium, with cruise ships and yachts in the background. That’s not enough: here is Vermiglio, Val di Sole, Trentino, the cradle of international mountain biking, which three years ago amazed the world with cyclocross on snow and ice. A valley that, now, a film entitled “Vermiglio”, with the scent of Oscar, is making known to the world. With cyclocross, Val di Sole has won its bet: not just winter sports, there is also space for cycling in winter. Furthermore, for two years, cross has landed in January in Benidorm, Spain, when this stretch of the Costa Blanca becomes a province of Belgium and Holland, and the headquarters of the retreats of all the great cycling teams: 15 thousand paying for the race of the big names. Now it’s the turn of the most authentic Sardinia, the least commercial and still intensely Sardinian, the Oristano coast of Sinis, which tries to amaze once again. The idea comes from Filippo Pozzato, the former professional owner of the PP Events company, and Tomas Van den Spiegel, CEO of Flanders Classic, looking for ideas to broaden the boundaries of a winter specialty. Tourism, valorisation of the territory, pleasure of cycling, and then the possibility of exploiting these areas also for winter preparation. Not far from here, in Arborea, Gianni Bugno came to retreat in the 90s. And even before that, in the 70s, the classic Sassari-Cagliari (or Cagliari-Sassari) and the Giro di Sardegna were unmissable stages for Merckx and De Vlaeminck, Moser and Saronni. In other words: the tradition of cycling has never disappeared on the island.

new numbers

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Thirty years ago, at the Lambro park in Milan, Daniele Pontoni was a 50 kilo elf who managed to climb those garage ramp-style climbs that forced his rivals to carry their bikes on their shoulders. It was a niche discipline, which with rare exceptions (Roger De Vlaeminck), did not attract great road riders. Pontoni was a pure amateur, his appearances in road races could be counted on two hands, and they were mainly preparation races. Cyclocross was one thing, road was another. Then came mountain biking, an Olympic specialty since 1996, to pair up with cross: cyclocross riders were the first bikers, Pontoni himself got back into the game in this way. But now MTB has also emancipated itself, with its own calendar, sponsors and performers, another world. With the current generation of runners, champions like Mathieu Van der Poel (six cross world championships) and Tom Pidcock (cross world champion and two-time MTB Olympian) combine the two specialties. In the meantime, the cyclocross circuit has also exploded in popularity and economic dimension thanks to the great road riders: precisely Van der Poel, but also the Flemish Wout Van Aert, capable of winning nine out of ten world titles since 2015 (and in 2022 Pidcock won because neither of them were at the start…).

magical place

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Now the stage is taken by Is Arutas, which has already been awarded the title of one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The history of humanity has passed here: Nuragic populations, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines. Land and sea merge in a unique natural setting. On Sunday the elite women will start at 1.40pm with the Dutch Fem Van Empel, Lucinda Brand and Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado; the elite men at 3.10pm with the Belgians Eli Iserbyt, Laurens Sweeck and Michael Vanthourenhout. The best Italians will be Sara Casasola and Stefano Viezzi, 2024 junior world champion and now Under 23 with Van der Poel’s Development team. The circuit of approximately 3 km is designed a few meters from the sea and includes sand, grass, hills and an arrival on an asphalt avenue surrounded by palm trees. All with an exceptional backdrop, the turquoise color of the Mediterranean Sea. “Every winter the Cyclocross World Cup heads to a new destination and we are particularly happy that this year it is Cabras, Sardinia – said Tomas Van den Spiegel, CEO of Flanders Classics -. This is a further important step towards the internationalization of this discipline. The route, compared to all the other stages, will be unique, because it is designed by the sea.” “After the European Gravel Championship in Asiago we are particularly happy to collaborate again with Flanders Classics, with whom an excellent synergy is emerging – explains Filippo Pozzato, CEO of PP Sport Events -. This time we moved to an area of ​​Italy that is new to us, but which I can guarantee is of extraordinary beauty. Seeing the greats of cyclocross on the shores of the Mediterranean, on the fine sand of Is Arutas, will truly be an unmissable spectacle. We know that logistically it is not an easy trip for teams and fans, but the hope is that the uniqueness and charm of this event can still push many fans to the coasts of Sardinia, to spend a different and electrifying weekend.”