The great monsters of cyclocrosswith Dutchman Mathieu Van der Poel at the helm, five-time specialty world champion and current road rainbow, will star in a true meteor shower this Sunday on the occasion of the Benidorm Costa Blanca Cyclocross World Cup.
Also a special event for the six-time national champion, the man from Alicante Felipe Ortswho will fight for a place in the top 10 before his audience.
It hasn’t rained in Benidorm for almost 8 monthsbut on Friday night water fell from the sky, perhaps with the idea of clearing a galaxy where the stars of the cycling world will shine this Sunday, in a specialty that slows down the excellence of cycling in just a time.
THE THREE “TENORS” ARE MORE IN BENIDORM
Benidorm doesn’t wait for summer to experience good emotions, and sometimes the sun doesn’t need to be the main character. Between the Cyclocross World Cup and the next Benidorm Fest, the city of skyscrapers experiences the beginning of the year with great stimuli.
El Moralet and Foietes parks have undergone their annual transformation to host the World Cup circuit. The men’s ‘Big Three’, made up of Mathieu Van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock, and the best female runners in the sport, such as world champion Fem van Empel, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Puck Pieterse, are will ride with these settings.
Adding to this group of phenomena is the leader of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in the men’s Elite category, the Belgian Eli Iserbyt, who will have strong opposition in the Baloise-Trek team with Joris Nieuwenhuis, Pim Ronhaar and Lars Van der Haar, while in the women’s event, Van Empel, Alvarado and Pieterse will welcome Lucinda Brand and Zoe Backstedt among others.
Benidorm received the penultimate event of the World Cup, which will be definitive for resolving the final overall of the main world cyclocross tournament in its Elite men’s version.
ALVARADO’S FAVORITE WITH WOMEN
The female Elite version has its own name on the list of favorites, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin – Deceuninck), a Dutchwoman of Dominican origin, who in the World Cup classification has a 52 point advantage over Puck Pieterse ( Fenix - Deceuninck).
Both Dutch women will find fierce rivals in the fight for victory in Benidorm with their compatriots Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike), Lucinda Brand (Baloise-Trek), Inge van der Heijden or Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon).
Also the promising Zoe Backstedt (Canyon//SRAM Racing) wanted to have a word, while on the national side the newly proclaimed champion and runner-up of Spain, Lucía González and Sofia Rodríguez (Nesta-MMR), the will be primary assets.
MORALET AND FOIETES, PARTY SCENARIOS
The parks of El Moralet and Foietes will provide the setting for a competition that will be a party for all the fans who will come to see the cyclocross phenomena.
The layout of the second edition of this World Cup maintains the same essence as in 2023, although it has introduced some small changes that affect, above all, its surrounding spaces to make the experience more attractive of fans.
In terms of sports, the novelty can be found in the finish line, which has been significantly extended to favor the evolution of cyclists in the decisive phase of the tests. In addition, the passage through the woods of El Moralet has also been significantly modified, which means a very small reduction in the distance per lap, which for 2024 is set at 3,000 meters.
Where fans will find the most difference, in any case, is in the areas adjacent to the competitive layout. The organization of the World Cup implemented important improvements to facilitate the movement of spectators, adding more crossings and, above all, more Fan Zones, which went from one to three.
Also, and in order to follow the evolution of the races from any point along the route, six giant screens have been installed on which the telecast of the races can be followed.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
