The UCI released its 2022-2023 cyclocross calendar on Monday, quietly confirming that the World Cup will continue its intense schedule of 14 events between October and the World Championships in February 2023.
Several new venues are also planned, including Spain for the first time since 2011, London for the first time in the UK, and the Safari Park in the Netherlands.
Only four races will be held in Belgium, the traditional center of the discipline, and the series will open on October 9, 2022 in Waterloo, Wisconsin, home of bicycle manufacturer Trek.
The Iowa City round will not be part of next season's World Cup, but there will be two C2 races following the C1 on October 14, one of which coincides with the next World Cup in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on October 16.
The World Cup returns to Europe a week later, with events in Tabor, Czech Republic, on October 23 and in Lucfen, Netherlands, on October 30.
Namur is normally a December World Cup host city, but will instead host the European Championships on November 5-6.
The Netherlands will host the event on November 13 in Beekse Bergen, a holiday park in Hilvarenbeek, and on November 27 in Hulst.
Antwerp, London (unconfirmed), Val di Sole, and Dendermonde will host weekly World Cup rounds from December 4 to 26. 2023 will see the first World Cup rounds in Sonnhoven (January 8), Benidorm (January 22), a first for Spain, and the final (January 29), which will be played in the citadel of Besançon.
The World Championships will be held in Hoogerheide on the first weekend in February.
Riders have been critical of the size of the World Cup, with Lars van der Haar, who stood on the World Championships podium, saying that the size of the event waters down the importance of the series.
"There are still too many World Cups; ten is more than enough," van der Haar said in Fayetteville.
"If it's just the pinnacle of the World Cup, like winning seven out of 16 games. But there was no tension in terms of scoring. I think that's why after half of the season, a lot of players thought the championship was gone and skipped the expedition races to focus on other goals. I think the World Cup deserves more. The World Cup should be a more prestigious overall class."
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