The COVID-19 pandemic decimated the UCI’s plans to expand its Cyclocross World Cup for the 2020-2021 season. The schedule was originally released with 14 events. Then it was chopped down to 11, later down to 9, and then finally reduced to its smaller-than-ever 5 events.
With the World Cup season over, fans and racers wondered what was in store for next season, with questions about the pandemic and its risks still remaining.
Most years at Worlds there is a promoter’s meeting that announces World Cups and future Worlds events.
This year, a few days after Worlds, the UCI has released its initial 2021-2022 World Cup schedule, and U.S. fans can rejoice with no fewer than three World Cups on the schedule, plus the World Championships.
Jingle Cross is back on the schedule, despite not being on the calendar for 2020-2021, and Fayetteville, in the UCI’s tradition of a Worlds venue first hosting a World Cup, will host one on October 17th, a Wednesday, in between two Sunday World Cups in Waterloo and Iowa City.
Inga van der Heijden took the holeshot. 2019 Jingle Cross World Cup, Elite Women. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine
Waterloo goes first, followed by Fayetteville, then Iowa City. For logistics geeks, the UCI and promoters have their own scheduling logic, but that’s a lot of driving. The current schedule results in an extra eight hours of driving over having the events lined up south-to-north or north-to-south.
It’s notable that Switzerland and Ireland are missing from the 2021-2022 calendar, after being scheduled to host events the previous season before the COVID-19 pandemic forced their cancelation. While the calendar expands in dates, in contracts in terms of the number of host countries.
See the latest Cyclocross World Cup schedule below. As always, it’s still subject to change.
Featured photo: Bart Hazen, Hoogerheide 2020.
2021-2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Schedule
| Date | Country | City |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Oct-21 | USA | Waterloo |
| 13-Oct-21 | USA | Fayetteville |
| 17-Oct-21 | USA | Iowa |
| 24-Oct-21 | BEL | Zonhoven |
| 31-Oct-21 | BEL | Overijse |
| 14-Nov-21 | CZE | Tabor |
| 21-Nov-21 | BEL | Koksijde |
| 28-Nov-21 | FRA | Besançon |
| 5-Dec-21 | --- | TBC |
| 12-Dec-21 | --- | TBC |
| 18-Dec-21 | BEL | Antwerpen |
| 19-Dec-21 | BEL | Namur |
| 26-Dec-21 | BEL | Dendermonde |
| 2-Jan-22 | NED | Hulst |
| 16-Jan-22 | FRA | Flamanville |
| 23-Jan-22 | NED | Hoogerheide |
| 29 Jan-30 Jan 2022 | USA | World Championships Fayetteville Arkansas |
