Irish cycling has been forced to absorb the loss of a round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup, held in Dublin for three years, but at least the series is now coming to our nearest neighbour (Photo: SWPIX)
Though the loss of the Dublin round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup was a blow to Irish cycling, especially the 'cross scene, Great Britain has now picked up a round of the series. And that perhaps increases the chances of Irish riders being involved in the series again.
The Dublin round - held in 2022, 2023 and 2024 - was a fantastic national team selection chance for our young riders. Irish teams were picked for most of the races - senior, U23 and junior - without Cycling Ireland incurring any significant expense.
The cost of sending a team to Britain next winter will be part of the decision-making when the time comes. But the fact a World Cup round has been awarded to Glasgow perhaps means an Irish team would once again be selected.
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The proximity of the event definitely strengthens the hand of the small number of top off-road riders, especially those young Irish cyclists who have been racing abroad in recent years.
Flanders Classics, which runs the UCI World Cup, confirmed today, Tuesday, a new British round of the series will be hosted at Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow, Scotland on Sunday, December 13th, next.
It's a big boost for British cycling, which has endured some of the same problems as the Irish scene in recent years, including lower numbers are races.
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"We have been working on bringing a UCI Cyclocross World Cup event to Great Britain for several years and are delighted to be able to announce Glasgow for next winter," said Tomas Van Den Spiegel, chief executive of Flanders Classics
"Introducing a new venue is always special, especially in a major city like Glasgow, and we are looking forward to a great collaboration with British Cycling."
Jonathan Day, director of events for British Cycling, said the return of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup to Britain, for the first time in over a decade, is “an incredibly exciting moment for cycling in Great Britain".
"Cyclocross has such a rich history in the country, with incredible riders who excel on the international stage, and a strong, vibrant and passionate community racing in League and Lloyds National Series and Championship events up and down the country each winter," he said.
"To bring a prestigious UCI World Cup round to our portfolio of events is brilliant for fans of this amazing sport and for major sporting events in the country.”
Here's a useful note, from British Cycling, for anyone looking to get tickets to go a see the racing:
The member and supporter pre-sale ticket window is now open, check out Rewards Hub for the code or sign up now. General sale opens at 10am on Monday, March 9th.
