Countdown to historic UCI World Championships for cyclo-cross in Fayetteville

“We are ready to jump into action,” says Hazel Hernandez, with the 2022 Walmart UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships just around the corner.

Six rainbow jerseys will be awarded at the end of the month (28-30 January) in Fayetteville, Arkansas (USA), and Hernandez, Vice-President of Marketing and Communications for Experience Fayetteville, the city’s convention and visitors bureau, is part of the team that has been working relentlessly to organise what’s only the second edition of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships held outside of Europe since their birthin Paris back in 1950.

“It’s an honour to host this event for the second time in the United States [after Louisville, 2013]”, Hernandez explains. “It speaks to the calibre of Fayetteville as a cycling destination, and we’re very excited to showcase our community and a new venue.”

Wrapping up a thrilling season, with the introduction of the revamped UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, the UCI World Championships are set to bring together hundreds of male and female riders, from the Elite, Under 23 and Junior ranks, in Centennial Park, an impressive cycling orientated facility at Millsap Mountain.

Local drive

Fayetteville is a refreshing sight on the global cyclo-cross map, and a community where the culture encompassing the sport has seen a massive boost in recent years, leading to its designation as a UCI Bike City in 2021 - the first in the USA.

In 2019, Centennial Park welcomed a few dozen locals and a handful of foreign riders who made the trip to the USA for the FayetteCross, a C2 event. In 2020, the venue had been scheduled to host the Pan-American Cyclo-cross Championships, which couldn’t happen due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Since then, action has returned at the highest level of cyclo-cross, and Fayetteville stepped onto the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup stage this season, hosting the 2nd round in October.

Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) and Quinten Hermans (Tormans Cyclo Cross Team) powered to victory through muddy conditions.

An exciting course

“The track is artificial, but it’s very well done,” according to the leader of the Men Elite rankings in the 2021-2022 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Eli Iserbyt (who was 2nd on the day). “The first part is downhill and uphill, and then we have more twisty sections. We can be delighted to race on such a track.”

Iserbyt will be joined on this transatlantic trip by other riders who have shone throughout the season, not least Dutchwoman Puck Pieterse. Since finishing 5th in the Women Elite race in Fayetteville last October, several podium finishes have propelled her into third place in the overall standings and the best Under 23 rider. “America is a big goal,” she says.

Meanwhile the Junior riders will discover the Fayetteville course for the first time as last October’s UCI World Cup in Arkansas did not include racing for the youth categories.

And local riders are ready to give their all. “Having a World Championships in the USA is always a major honour, and we are proud to be fielding a full team of dedicated, skilled athletes who will compete at Fayetteville 2022,” said USA Cycling Cyclo-cross Director Jesse Anthony. “All of the riders are extremely motivated to put on a show for the home crowds in Fayetteville!”

“The muddier, the better!”

“We’ve made some adjustments for the fans but the course itself is the same as it was last October,” Hernandez says. “The UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup told us Centennial Park was ready for Championship level racing. It also told us that it’s definitely fun to play in the mud, and to watch others do it!“

“During the first practice on Tuesday, it was dry conditions and the athletes were talking about how fast a course it is,” confirmed her colleague Brannon Pack, Director of Cycling Tourism for Experience Fayetteville. But it’s still too early to be sure what the riders will face on the day.

“We’re in Arkansas, sometimes we have all four seasons in one day!” Hernandez laughs. “But at the end of January, you can expect to be cold. Right now, our forecast is just looking a little bit chilly, no rain on the horizon, but that can always change.”

She actually hopes for some rain to show the venue in its best light. “The muddier, the better!”